Member Info for giantsquid

Andrew Neil "Having rolled the pitch for income tax rises, Chancellor Reeves has now bottled it, under pressure from 10 Downing Street, which fears Keir Starmer could not survive such a major manifesto breach.

But the debt markets are not keen on a smorgasbord of small tax rises, which never deliver the predicted revenues.

So gilt yields are already surging across the curve at the market open, with the yield on the 30-year bond up 14 basis points. Yields on bonds of all maturities are up more than 10 basis points.

It’s yet another shambles"

"The £39 billion injection into housing seems to have gone completely unheard or simply ignored,by investors. This is the biggest investment so far compared to other sectors, even defence. So why aren’t housing stocks picking up"?

It's because investors know they don't have £39bn. The country is on the verge of bankruptcy. This government is spending & borrowing at a rate of £20bn+ per month - £billions of that being interest payments alone. And they think they can tax their way out of it - they can't. As Thatcher once said "the trouble with socialism is they eventually run out of other people's money". That time is almost upon us. All this at a time when the FTSE is nearing 10,000pts - crazy. Never before has the FTSE been so utterly disconnected from the reality of the situation. The bubble is going to burst and it won't be pretty when it does.

The upcoming budget will be nothing short of a train wreck for millions of struggling families and businesses. Things are about to get very much harder. Taxpayers won't benefit from their taxes being put up - foreigners will. This government continues to put Britain last in everything they do. It's all about taxing British citizens to the max and then distributing our wealth to foreign countries and foreign causes. It's about enriching foreigners at the cost of the UK and to the detriment of the UK. No business can thrive under such a hostile, anti British government. The fact the FTSE is at an all time high at a time like this should terrify every investor out there. The likely crash is going to be unparalleled when it comes - as for the housebuilders, perhaps it's a blessing they've lagged behind the rest of the FTSE; ie they don't have so far to fall when the FTSE bubble finally does burst. I honestly can't remember a time when the FTSE has risen so much at such an obviously perilous time? makes you wonder who has been pumping the money in? Is the government behind it? It seems like a manufactured rise? Is taxpayer cash being funneled into the markets for example to artificially drive the FTSE to new highs? With the current economic backdrop - spending, borrowing, national debt all completely out of control, something about the FTSE nearing 10,000 points just doesn't add up?

What's coming - Jesus wept.

Warren Buffet has been selling for the past 3 years. He knows what's coming and so does most of us. The FTSE closing in on 10,000 at a time like this is just bizarre. It's got storm brewing written all over it.

Apologies for the multiple posts having signal issues

In the beginning, AI is being sold as a good thing, something that's exciting which will revolutionise all areas of life and create thousands of new jobs. But ultimately, AI will make thousands of people redundant, possibly millions. It's being developed for one reason only - to replace human beings and save businesses money. Yes it may ultimately save those businesses money - but what will be the point when huge swathes of the workforce are left redundant/unemployed and those businesses consequently see a huge drop in paying customers? An AI world is only as good as the number of humans it can replace. And the more effective it is, the more people are put out of jobs. And the more people are put out of jobs, the less custom there is, the less money there is circulating and exchanging hands. Those businesses which currently seek to replace their human workforce with AI are going to one day wish they'd never got involved with it. AI, if left unchecked, would ultimately take over every area of life making humans all but redundant in the workplace. That's a very, very dark place to be and certainly not one to feel excited about. We're right at the beginning of an extremely slippery slope that ultimately won't benefit any of us.

In the beginning, AI is being sold as a good thing, something that's exciting which will revolutionise all areas of life and create thousands of new jobs. But ultimately, AI will make thousands of people redundant, possibly millions. It's being developed for one reason only - to replace human beings and save businesses money. Yes it may ultimately save those businesses money - but what will be the point when huge swathes of the workforce are left redundant/unemployed and those businesses consequently see a huge drop in paying customers? An AI world is only as good as the number of humans it can replace. And the more effective it is, the more people are put out of jobs. And the more people are put out of jobs, the less custom there is, the less money there is circulating and exchanging hands. Those businesses which currently seek to replace their human workforce with AI are going to one day wish they'd never got involved with it. AI, if left unchecked, would ultimately take over every area of life making humans all but redundant in the workplace. That's a very, very dark place to be and certainly not one to feel excited about. We're right at the beginning of an extremely slippery slope that ultimately won't benefit any of us.

In the beginning, AI is being sold as a good thing, something that's exciting which will revolutionise all areas of life and create thousands of new jobs. But ultimately, AI will make thousands of people redundant, possibly millions. It's being developed for one reason only - to replace human beings and save businesses money. Yes it may ultimately save those businesses money - but what will be the point when huge swathes of the workforce are left redundant/unemployed and those businesses consequently see a huge drop in paying customers? An AI world is only as good as the number of humans it can replace. And the more effective it is, the more people are put out of jobs. And the more people are put out of jobs, the less custom there is, the less money there is circulating and exchanging hands. Those businesses which currently seek to replace their human workforce with AI are going to one day wish they'd never got involved with it. AI, if left unchecked, would ultimately take over every area of life making humans all but redundant in the workplace. That's a very, very dark place to be and certainly not one to feel excited about. We're right at the beginning of an extremely slippery slope that ultimately won't benefit any of us.

Shorters aren't driving the share price down. The actions of the government is why the housebuilders are struggling. And it ain't gonna get any better any time soon.

I'm not currently a holder by the way but this is very much on my watchlist. Nav per share is around £2.07 - further downside from here looks absolutely minimal to me at this stage. One iota of good news at the current price would blow torch shorters. Blow torch them. It's the risk they take of course but at the current price it's a silly risk bordering on reckless. Good luck holders, i might join you at some point.

Ocado has over 3000 patents including over 840 granted. This is significant because it means rival companies can't easily copy the Ocado model without risking infringement and lawsuits, which Ocado would likely win. What that boils down to is Ocado own a unique piece of the market, they essentially have a moat. There's a lot of doom and gloom around this company but the second they are able to really demonstrate they're on the right track in properly turning things around, this will rocket. You know what Warren Buffet has to say about companies that have a moat, don't you?

This upcoming budget is going to be painful for millions of already struggling families and businesses. And at the speed this government is borrowing and burning through cash (£20 billion a month, £billions of that being interest payments alone) raising taxes isn't going to be enough. The country is almost certainly heading for bankruptcy and an IMF bailout. Like all socialist governments, they eventually run out of other people's money - and that time is fast approaching. And things are only going to get very much worse as taxes rise in november and the resulting financial hardship really begins to tighten it's grip on the nation. Reeve's plans to cut the ISA allowance in half will punish savers. Trying to force them into buying shares so she can capitalise on the stamp duty like the desperado she is will only backfire - savers aren't going to invest in a FTSE that's at an all time high at a time like this. Does she want them wiped out when the FTSE bubble bursts? You'll own nothing and be happy? Savers would rather stash their cash under their mattress than be forced into buying shares they don't want at the worst possible time. The housebuilders will be back of course - one day. Reform offer the only realistic hope there currently is that one day common sense might return to this country and a policy of "Britain first" might finally see the housebuilders building again with renewed gusto as sentiment, optimism and the feel good factor finally returns. Until then, all investors can do is hunker down, protect their cash as best they can and weather the storm. And just take solace that this dreadful, historically appalling socialist government will one day be ousted and this dark, miserable period in our country's history will finally be over, never to be repeated.

Sticky toffee, i guess the point of my post is to express an opinion? What's the point of your post?

The UK is nearly £3 trillion in debt, spending is out of control, borrowing is out of control, hard pressed families and businesses are about to be taxed into oblivion in the upcoming budget - and the FTSE is at an all time high. What could possibly go wrong..

Personally i would not want to be invested in anything when the budget lands. It's going to be nothing but tax increases for millions of already struggling families and businesses. And those financial struggles will ultimately pass on to the banks.

Andrew Neil "Housebuilders have made clear to the Office for Budget Responsibility what I’ve maintained for some time now:

there is no chance the Labour government will hit its target of 1.5m new homes by 2030.

Yet another blow for what’s left of Rachel Reeves’ economic policy. Her growth plans were predicated on a house building boom which won’t happen. So her fiscal black hole just got deeper.

The OBR is already assuming only 1.3m homes will be built by end-decade. Now even that looks optimistic. Which suggests another down grade to growth forecasts"

Do we know where the much promised £39bn cash injection into the house building sector is coming from yet? Being the UK is nearly £3 trillion in debt and labour has managed to turn a £19bn black hole into a £50bn black hole in less than a year. Does anyone still believe a word this government ever says?

Wow, impressive figures. I'd be surprised if there isn't a stampede to buy into this one before the day is out lol

Key figures

Cash and cash equivalents (June 30, 2025): £148,227.

Total debt (August 2025 analysis): £4.56 million. Other sources report total debt figures around £4.93 million based on more recent data.

Net cash position (August 2025 analysis): -£4.78 million, or -£0.19 per share.

Https://www.cityam.com/another-us-lender-tumbles-as-credit-jitters-accelerate/