Member Info for Savage_KeyboardR

'Keep BT British' - HAHA it's 1/3rd owned by an Indian Billionaire (a positive thing IMO mind as anyone around the globe should be able to buy into a stock they like the look of - dictators & terrorists aside of course)...

Anyway the UK Macroeconomic situation is getting further worse so, precisely as I'd warned the data was showing to be the case... Today ONS says October GDP shrank by 0.1% and that lands on the back of terrible performance in the months leading up. Data here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp/bulletins/gdpmonthlyestimateuk/october2024

Lots of job losses appear to be accumulating from big names and house prices remain well overcooked too. Those indebted are beginning to fold under the weight of repayments or they've now cut spending to such a degree they no longer offer enough demand to keep the UK economic engine alight.

BT SP should continue it's journey towards 130p in the coming weeks ahead as poor performance continues and Christmas sales volumes fall short. Many look only to be staying invested to collect the upcoming Divi and a post Divi sell off will no doubt be the trigger for the start of the drop!

Johnpwh - absolutely I will do because I've made some epic calls and I get that you may like to scoff and peddle conspiracy theory nonsense out of frustration (what with you having stated you hold an average of £7.10p) but it does not change the fact that I was correct when I said this stock would continue to struggle.

For transparency I was a JDW holder (March 2023) - I purchased around the 570p mark and sold out when it hit 690p because I felt the stock was on the way to becoming overvalued. Given the recent budget, ongoing COL pressures and high likelihood UK will soon tip into recession I feel therefore JDW will have a resting SP of between 570p-650p for an extended period and could possibly fall a little below 570p at some points too.

AdamWoodman - Except the only reason the debts are down is because the business has sold off a profitable part of itself (Capita One) in order to service the debts... thereby leaving behind a smaller and less profitable company in which many are heavily invested in. To look at the debts alone and to use that as a gauge to determine which businesses one should invest into would be a fools errand... That's because debt is not something to be afraid of when they're managed well.

Wednesday - I have outlined why I think Capita is a bad investment and I've backed up my comments with ample evidence straight from CPI themselves! - Yet many on here dismiss such evidence and accuse me of being part of some imaginary conspiracy plot to bring the CPI SP down... Adolfo may be able to get away with the situation this time around due to the Capita One sale having kicked the can down the road but no investor can nor him can escape the reality of falling sales income, rising debts and a shrinking company size. Everyone investing their hard earned cash should be aware of these things.

I've topped up with some more today👍 - have accumulated a decent holding now and will be continuing to buy up more on dips too.

Gary59 - Nice prose Gazza but I'm completely serious. VOD posted decent results (Germany aside) going into this merger. The merger will create lots of opportunities for streamlining internal business processes, e.g. no longer will both 3 and VOD each need a store next door to each other, and they won't each need their own HR department either...consolidations will bring about big savings.

Then there's the sheer scale. Once merged VOD + 3 will be able to better compete on network coverage with EE, customers can buy handset contracts knowing they'll have decent reception when travelling around... meaning customer retention levels should end up being far higher.

Then there's the wider macroeconomic picture for UK... with the Tories gone and Labour being pro-growth + pro-business then UK stocks are a better investment than they have been throughout Tory rule which only saw the FTSE indices see investor outflows YoY as the decay/rot set in. Yes, the journey up will be a long and hard fought one but the direction is inevitable for VOD and the wider FTSE markets too.

Tomorrow should see 200p+ as it becomes apparent to short position holders that digging in will cost them dearly! I expect further shorts to close ahead of the weekend.

1m shares in a smaller business with shrinking revenues, profits and sales... yh that looks a wise investment LOL

Osg - Oh absolutely it will. 220p easily achievable IMO and worth noting there's still many short positions open on this stock... many shares will have to be purchased to close out those remaining open positions.

Still 82-83p off that £1 SP some dreamers on here think this stock is worth!

Results soon... Should reveal the true horrors on the balance sheets here.

Within the decade VOD will likely make it to around £3-£4 per share IMO.

Fabulous news and especially so because if the recent Labour Gov is serious on economic growth then further trade deals with rapidly growing India are an obvious... Lovely that SSP is making this move and continuing to make bold decisions which others appear to by shying away from (to their detriment IMO!)

The more time which passes the more I find what Fibrelad is saying makes greater sense e.g. "cutting costs and losing business at the same time don't add up to more business." - Couldn't agree more and is why I sold off my BT stocks.

Interesting to read this news and a few other articles out there about it...

Fortunately, UK justice system is robust... so those due compensation will get it and also if VOD believes it did act to remedy situations once they came into the wider light then they'll get their chance to tell their side of the story too.

It's entirely possible the case finds there were problems in specific parts of the VOD business handling the franchisee stores. Could have been toxic managers/staffers running case handling teams... Lots will depend upon how the wider VOD business handled matters, once it became more widely clear there were critical problems.

Equally, it may just be the case franchisees were a victim of Covid/lockdown rules and therefore VOD was not specifically to blame per se; as it may have just followed and applied those contractual agreements/rules which had been signed and agreed to pre-covid. It may well have felt to franchisees that they were somehow being maltreated by VOD but that may not necessarily be the case. Only the current court case will be able to investigate and reach a firm ruling either way on this.

Personally, I don't see this case as being a reason to sell my VOD holdings, which I'm continuing to accumulate BTW. That's primarily because Covid was an acute period in which many people and businesses all suffered in a myriad of different ways plus suffering was far from equally felt by all.

The reason to 'invest or not invest' for me is largely about four things:

1. Is the current business model viable and either stable or growing? (I think Yes)

2. Is the business in a good position to weather economic turbulence? (I think yes)

3. Is the business rewarding shareholders? (Yes)

4. Is there any compelling reason not to invest in this business? (I think not)

DYOR - Just my take on seeing this news/press about this new case.

Nice prose Avocet but I'm in decent profit at the current SP and I shall be continuing to buy up more 🤘😎 - I think it's possible the SP has dropped back as many buying E-Div will want a keen price as they'll not be getting the upcoming Divi.

May I enter with 76.2p please?

Correct unluckyInvestor9 - I've never worked at BT about the closest connection is my wife's grandad was a BT engineer (long retired though mind).

What I find odd about Abject is not too long ago they were saying they filtered me and didn't have any care for my views... then all of a sudden they seem to engage in dialogue. Most strange!

Anyway one thing I have in common with Fibrelad is people should be able to say what they think, if one doesn't like it then just don't engage... simples! No need for all this blocking/filtering nonsense.

By 0.01% lol

MaryBr190 - Nonsense... did the economy tank when computers replaced typewriters? Did it tank when the luddites opposed the use of mills because the weavers were no longer needed?

Of course not! The economy just changed completely in nature and it grew significantly because the new methods were far efficient and productive.

Footfall in towns can never be restored; its delusional to think the clock can be wound backwards... because today many folks buy their items via apps & online shopping without the need to venture into a town. The days of shopkeeping being a profitable business model are next to over and any efforts spent on trying to rejuvenate/rescue what is a dead business model will simply result in much wasted cash! One might as well place a shed load of banknotes in a wheelbarrow and set fire🔥 to them!

AbjectPerformer - My, you don't half spout utter nonsense... how on earth does my saying that 'Office days are over' relate to the drivel prose you've written below?

The only bit I agree with is "ultimately performance matters" which is precisely why workers delivering great work from their homes and without the need for pointless time wasting from commuting (worse nowadays with trains/buses/roads all being in such a dire state thanks to Tory neglect).

It is just a simple fact that homeworking is superior for business outcomes. Yes, monthly/quarterly/bi-annual team meets or conferences are good but there's simply no point in attending offices anymore - Offices should be shuttered, flattened and the sites converted into housing.