Member Info for simon1367

West6809 : Some very good points revisited, thank you. I was of course aware of them. It counters my comments from yesterday, which I admit looked fairly pessimistic. Let's just say, I'm not as enthusiastic about the short term future, particularly the next update as perhaps you are. I think recovery will be slower than anticipated.

Apologies for the 'typo' yesterday. I did mention the correct month of July in my comment on Monday. From memory only, I also seem to recall that 'non-food online sales' were also down about 1% in June and also down 3% in May. High Street non-food sales however held up well with slight increases in each of those months.

Despite what people think here, I am still a shareholder, having averaged down a couple of times, but am down significantly. Any negative comments I put here are not to try and get people to sell; just my honest opinion that there are fair amount of risks attached in the short term. Anything said by me on here is hardly going to affect the price, despite what rampers on here think! If the company can at least make some progress (and I believe it will, but it will take longer than they imply), then the market will respond positively. Looking further ahead, I certainly see more consolidation in the online sector.

After my comment yesterday re the summer trading as reported by the BRC, I now fear that the shorts once again have the upper hand. The trend of shorters is one measure (but not be taken in isolation) of ascertaining the possible fortunes or misfortunes of a company. Since July 3rd, the declared shorted percentage has risen from 1.23% to the present 3.86%. This is still much lower than earlier in the year, but the momentum is now upwards again, and anything above 2% looks very uncomfortable. The big decline in online clothing sales in June, reported recently, has got to be a factor. Asos must have been affected. On the balance of probabilities, these hedge funds seem to have decided that there's more likelihood of 'disappointing' news rather than there is of 'in line with expectations' news, or worse.

Some comments here think retail sales for most companies are generally holding up. That is not the case for 'non-food online sales'. Equally I've read here that as every retailer is in the same boat, that all have been affected, therefore it's not a problem. That of course is pure balderdash. Only the better run companies (business models such as Next , Zara, H&M etc) survive prolonged spells of economic stagnancy. Those who look vulnerable are sometimes picked up for peanuts by the likes of MASH who, despite being disliked in the city, has a fairly good track record of turning companies around. He presently has a number of 'strategic holdings' in various 'vulnerable' companies....Asos being one of them. I'm not saying he won't make an approach (which is what's propping the sp up presently), but I think it unlikely.....and so do the hedge funds by the looks of it.

A lot of people bailing out today, presumably on anticipation of bad figures on Wednesday.

I really hope that there hasn't been a 'leak' resulting in this drop. I don't trust the governance of AIM shares that much anymore having already been stung in the past.

I'm tempted to 'average down' at this price but won't as I suspect they have further to fall. Why then hold on to the shares I hear you say? Good question! Answer: I hate selling at an all time recent low, and will hold in the hope of a gradual recovery. If there's a dividend cut, it could be a long old haul!

Lsestocks23, implies he knows people in the company who have indicated that things are not going quite so well as expected. In a way this is not surprising and, irrespective of lse23's claims he may, come the end of the day, actually not be far off the mark.

If you see my comment of last week, there is strong evidence to suggest that online clothing sales for all retailng has been dreadful for the last couple of months due to the bad (damp) summer.

Therefore I think we may get a warning from the company that results will be adversely affected. The fact is is that the British Retail Consortium reported that ''non-food online sales declined by 6.9% in July,'' the worst on record. Spend, as I say was depressed by the damp weather, which did no favours to the sales of clothing and other seasonal goods. This must affect Asos' bottom line despite them trying to cut costs eleswhere.

At the risk of repeating myself, these shares are only being propped up due to the t/o speculation, and the games Povlsen and Ashley are playing. The two have 'history' (do research on Jenners Dept Store, Edinburgh) and Povlsen seems content to do anything to stop Ashley getting too involved , hence his underwriting of the recent placement and his approval of the expensive credit facility from a lender associated with, in my view, a dodgy hedge fund.

I still see the share drifting in the 3.50/4.50 range, unless there is a firm approach. Ashley is looking at this long term and strategically. I can't see why he would want to put in an offer. He normally picks up the pieces for a song. (I bet he's sniffing around Wilko right now). Small shareholders should not expect any favours from Ashley.

Everestingly....I hope and indeed think you are probably right. Again its frustrating the sp has dropped another 12% since last week. Today's drop is worrying. I hope its nervousness rather than a leak that has prompted sales. Nothing surprises me with AIM stocks. The next thing we'll hear is a cut in the dividend. Now that would see the sp dive.

Jacob, this CEO is hardly 'new' to the company. He also presided over a disastrous period when he was CFO . Big mistakes were made by the top management before he was promoted internally to CEO.At least things are now being steered in the right direction, what with other people being brought in to organise what was a rudderless ship.

Despite apparent progress being made in cost savings (which was suddenly identified at the beginning of the year), I think we may expect a warning from the company shortly that results will be at the lower end of expectations later this year. The shares are only being propped up by takeover speculation. I say this because the BRC has reported that non-food online sales declined by 6.9% in July, compared to a decline of 3.9% in the same period last year. Spend was further depressed by the damp weather, which did no favours in particular to sales of clothing and other seasonal goods. This without question will have hit Asos.

Ashley raised his stake last week on the back of the retailer's previous reports that the turnaround efforts were starting to pay off. This comes amid tensions between Povlsen and Ashley. They have previous history. And then there is second largest holder hedge fund Camelot who can simply sit it out while the other two settle scores. Ashley is hated by the city. He is an interrupter and is unpredictable. That is why Povlsen and Camelot rejected Ashleys last offer of finance in exchange for an extra 5% of the company. Instead, Asos took the route of taking out an exorbitantly expensive revolving facility through a lender connected to another American hedge fund, together with a placing underwritten by Povlsen. The things companies are prepared to do to keep Ashley out!!! Of course, sadly, this seems to be more of a game of chess between Ashley and Povlsen rather than the best interests of Asos, although it has helped prop up the SP.

I think it is only a matter of time before Asos gets an approach. I'm holding but not adding.

Down 5% to |£1.50 ...for no apparent reason. This share and AIM generally is beginning to pee me off. When a drop like this happens there is, in actual fact, a 'reason'. It's just that the small shareholders don't get to know until it's too late.

Nate.....Boohoo are now No.6 most shorted , as opposed to Asos at No.21. Marshall Wace seem to to have exited at long last. A positive sign. Given the poor summer, Asos will have suffered like anyone else but hopefully we are slowly going in the right direction. Ashley obviously sees value.

Https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/katie-investigates/asos-free-returns-policy-wedding-clothes-fraudster/

Asos getting a bit tougher on returns it seems.

My main mistake in the past has been not to follow the momentum of a share when it's rising, when in reality it is often the best time to buy. Conversely, I've all too often bought on a falling share, which falls further. Hence the position I am in here with Asos!

Good grief, we're back to the placing price!

Hi there,

Following on from the last comment, I've just come back from my desert island adventures. With good dividends paid out over the last five years and reinvested into the holding, I realise I am still 10.83% down on my original investment. To my mind that isn't a case of ''doing ok''...........far from it.

Good to see the report that Asos has warned shoppers that they risk being blocked from its online store if they lie about parcels not arriving (an increasingly common problem whereby parcels are left outside, but still picked up by the customer, although they claim non-receipt) . It states the company is pushing ahead with efforts to avoid loss-making orders, and says it will consider taking action 'where we suspect fraudulent activity and/or we notice unusual or suspicious activity' . It is a warning to shoppers not to attempt to claim back cash fraudulently, as the company ''races to reduce the number of orders where it is not making any money''. About time too.

Meanwhile I cannot see any shift from the present 3.30p to 3.80p unless another approach occurs. These cost savings must happen. Sales are declining (not necessarily bad if they are cutting out unprofitable transactions). Shein and Temu are taking market share from Asos and Boohoo in particular. The competition is intense and Asos has to show that the quality it offers is far superior than the Chinese interupters. It is my view that it should ultimately be seeking a business model similar to Next. The high street is not dead. Ashley sees that.

On a similar subject, TEMU are another Chinese based, Cayman Island registered company that everyone is rushing to due to the unbelievable cheap prices. They too ship directly to customers from China without the need for expensive warehouses. In 2022 it was the most downloaded App in the USA. They launched in the UK in April2023 and I read that they are prepared to lose up to £20 per order so that they can get a hold of the UK online retail market. They appear to have huge resources, and some rumours connect them to the the Chinese State.

The likes of Shein and Temu are a big problem for UK online retailers. Yes, some people regard there goods as total cheap rubbish, but the young people who see these prices will be very tempted, as can be demonstrated by the popularity of the App in the States. They are largely unregulated. I've heard they (and their customers) get away with these imports tax free because their products prices are under the limit for import duty. Basically they are here to disrupt the USA and European markets and I should imagine there will be some UK online retailers urging the government to take action. I wouldn't hold my breathe on that one.

To clarify, the article is about Boohoo, but mentions Asos. It's boohoo's credit cover that has been affected in the last few days (Not Asos's), to take effect in September. Apologies, in my last comment, I didn't make that clear in the first sentence.

Not a particularly encouraging article in the Sunday Times today. It reports that credit cover has been slashed for its suppliers. Allianz Trade has reduced cover by an average of 50% for boohoo suppliers, but some have had coverage levels cut to zero, effective from September. The Times reminds us that this situation negatively affects cashflow as suppliers increasingly request payments upfront. It stated that Asos was in a similar postion in May, and that as a result it was one of the reasons it was forced into raising capital of £75m and also had to arrange an expensive revolving facility at 11%. They also say Shein continues to undercut both companies with cheaper products direct from China.

Of course, there is nothing new in this article that we didn't already know about Asos. However, it may put pressure on both their SP's tomorrow. More ammunition for the shorts.

Tinybuild IPO price March 2021 £1.69. Started trading at £2.13p.

The founders made a killing and took a lot of money, but also retained a percentage.

Questor tipped the share as a hidden gem.

Just over two years later we see mid-price of 9.75p

There's no other way of putting this. Small private investors have been screwed.

What are the chances of people recovering their original 2021 investment? Answer: Zero.

Moral of the story. Never invest in a 'single share' particularly if it is on the less regulated AIM market.

I'm disappointed in the big drop in valuation. I misunderstood the reasoning in investing in these types of funds.

I thought most infrastructure investments were 'relatively' safe because the underlying contracts were inflation linked, so that the income the trust derived would rise proportionally. To me, it was sold (through press commentary and various sites) as a fairly safe bet re yield, but with the prospect of a little capital growth.

I now realise that the price changes a bit like bonds do. If one has high interest rates, the price reduces. As interest rates fall, the sp should recover. Nevertheless, I am annoyed that the 'experts' in the investment industry 'mis-sold' these types of share. Clearly they didn't understand the product themselves!

As DonBronco mentions, the shorts have been hiding under the o.50% declaration requirements. At 2.58% and without any further rumours of an approach, this is becoming 'nervous' territory. No matter what anyone says, there are hedge funds out there who clearly still see a quick killing to be had. More often than not they are right. This share, in my view, will hang below the placing price of a few weeks ago for a while. Failing any positive/negative update between now and September at the earliest, I see the share wavering between the 3.50 to 4.00 mark. I do sense that progress is being made. However, the CEO really should be buying when he has the opportunity (given he's not within the banning period). Also, when a founder director sells at £4 and a CEO doesn't put faith in a share, what message does that give out? To see some purchases from the present executives would give the sp a fillip

The H2 forecast from the company is anywhere between £40m and £60m. That seems a very wide range. They're clearly hedging their bets on the cost savings. The full year end will still be a loss although analysts will see things as positive if they get somewhere between their forecast figures. Cross fingers.

The moment Nick Robertson sold a million quids worth of shares at £4 was the moment people took fright. Very untimely indeed and if he had full confidence in the shares, he would have held on. The CEO doesn't seem enthusiastic in buying much either.

Revealed Shorts have crept up to nearly 2%. Anything much above 2% will be an ominous sign.

So much for wealth preservation. I invested about £10k about a year ago. I now have £9.5k. It gives a new interpretation of the word 'preservation' lol. I realise they caveat their objectives by mentioning 'long term' investment, but I must admit to being disappointed to date. I think it's clear that if interest rates come down, then bonds will add value. Nvertheless, over this year, I think it would have been more prudent if I had fixed my savings in a building society account!