Barclays Share Discussion Threads

[1224saj] 23/5/2025 13:14

Smurfy, where is there a decent BB on these threads, they all seem to have degenerated since Ken's day :-(

[johnwise] 23/5/2025 10:47

US Ally Intercepts Chinese Fleet Breaching Pacific Island Chain

A fleet of Chinese naval vessels, led by an amphibious assault ship, has been operating in the contested waters off southwestern Japan, beyond a strategic Western Pacific island chain meant to keep China's forces in check.




US Coast Guard cutter visits Philippine island amid South China Sea tensions

A California-based Coast Guard cutter has completed a three-day port call on Palawan, the Philippines, not far from the scene of clashes between the Philippine and Chinese coast guards.


Source - Stars and Stripes

[johnwise] 23/5/2025 08:11

VIDEO

“Israel Is Justified In Continuing The Conflict”

Keir Starmer BLASTED Over Israel Row

TalkTV

[portside1] 23/5/2025 07:51

Ken batcheler. Are you still around hope you are in good health

[johnwise] 23/5/2025 07:30

Larry Kudlow reveals why Trump admin still has 'much more to do'

Fox Business

[johnwise] 23/5/2025 07:13

Britain is a basket case:


Keir Starmer accused of 'lying to British public' as Chagos deal to cost up to £30bn


Sir Keir has defended the deal, calling it a "pragmatic step forward" that shows Britain "respects international law and its obligations to its partners."


Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of "lying to the British public" after claiming his Chagos Islands deal would cost just £3.4 billion—with Tories claiming the real bill could be as high as £30.3 billion. The Prime Minister unveiled the 25-year economic partnership with Mauritius earlier this week, promising it would “secure long-term stability” and “right a historic wrong”.

But critics say the agreement hands over British territory to a Chinese-aligned state while binding taxpayers to a century of payments.

[johnwise] 23/5/2025 07:09

Netanyahu accuses Starmer of siding with Hamas


sraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Sir Keir Starmer and other leaders have "effectively said they want Hamas to remain in power".

He also accused British, French and Canadian leaders of siding with "mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers".

In a video posted on X addressing Thursday's attack on Israeli embassy staff in Washington DC, Netanyahu said Sir Keir, Emmanuel Macron and Mark Carney wanted Israel to "stand down and accept that Hamas's army of mass murderers will survive".

[johnwise] 23/5/2025 07:07

Morgan Stanley sounding alarm on EV race, China may have already won & Tesla knows it.




China Puts Largest Car Carrier into Service, Launches First Methanol PCTC


China’s shipping industry continues to expand the car carrier sector as its export car market continues to grow. In one week, China has put the world’s largest car carrier, with a capacity for 9,500 units, into service and now has launched the world’s first methanol dual-fuel car carrier.

[johnwise] 22/5/2025 21:08

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt Briefs Members of the Media, May 22, 2025


The White House

[johnwise] 22/5/2025 19:54

BREAKING: Israel May Strike Iran If Nuclear Talks Collapse

TBN Israel

[johnwise] 22/5/2025 19:18

🚨 LIVE From Israeli Embassy In London After Terror Attack

Tousi TV

[johnwise] 22/5/2025 17:15

VIDEO

Fox News' Mark Levin joins 'Fox & Friends' to discuss the murder of two Israeli diplomats at a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C. and the need for action to combat antisemitism nationwide and abroad

Mark Levin: This is EVIL on Earth!

Fox News

[johnwise] 22/5/2025 17:01

VIDEO


"Plot to destroy him" Fury as Tommy Robinson CHARGED with harassing MSM journo before prison release

Dan Wootton Outspoken

[johnwise] 22/5/2025 13:26

UK government borrowing rises to £20.2 billion as pressure mounts on Rachel Reeves


The latest figure showed that the Chancellor had to borrow more money than expected over the month

UK government borrowing surged to £20.2 billion in April, exceeding forecasts and raising concerns about Chancellor Rachel Reeves's ability to meet her fiscal targets.

This marks the fourth-highest April borrowing figure on record, a £1 billion increase compared to the same period last year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Public sector net borrowing, the difference between government spending and income (primarily tax receipts), significantly overshot analyst predictions of £17.6 billion.

This poses a challenge for Reeves, who aims to balance day-to-day spending with revenues by 2029-30 while simultaneously improving public services and boosting economic growth.

Several factors contributed to the increased borrowing, including rises in public sector pay, national insurance payments, and higher benefit and state pension payouts.

Central government spending on goods and services also saw a substantial year-on-year increase of £4.2 billion, reaching £37.9 billion, driven by April pay rises and inflationary pressures.

[johnwise] 22/5/2025 10:45

Forget tariffs: These are the next fronts in the trade war


The real fight between the U.S. and China is about AI chips, data sovereignty, and digital infrastructure


The U.S. and China have stepped back from tariff brinkmanship for now — but don’t mistake handshakes for harmony. The real trade fight is just beginning, and it’s moving into murkier terrain: microchips, AI infrastructure, and data sovereignty.

And neither side is going to back down from the fierce contest over who controls the future of technology.

China isn’t swinging back with blunt instruments like tariffs. It’s opting for precision hits. Late last year, Beijing imposed export controls on critical minerals such as gallium and germanium — both vital for chipmaking and EV production.

And behind the scenes, China is pouring billions into building its tech lifeboat. The country’s top chipmakers — such as Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) and Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) — are quietly expanding capacity, even under the weight of U.S. export controls. China’s leadership knows that even if the country can’t leapfrog the U.S. in the near term, it can at least build a parallel tech ecosystem — one resilient enough to survive sanctions, export bans, or a full-scale decoupling.

[johnwise] 22/5/2025 10:35

Downturn across UK firms stretches into May despite tariffs respite


While the UK’s largest sector, services, returned to growth, the manufacturing sector fell at the fastest rate since October 2023.

A slump across the UK’s private sector continued into the first weeks of May, though at a slower rate than in April, amid improving confidence following the easing of US trade tariffs.

The S&P Global flash UK composite purchasing managers’ index (PMI) reported a reading of 49.4 in May, up from 48.5 in April.

The flash figures are based on preliminary data. Any score above 50.0 indicates activity is growing while any score below means it is contracting.

The latest reading was marginally stronger than expected, with a consensus of analysts having predicted a reading of 49.3 for the month.

While the UK’s largest sector, services, returned to growth, the manufacturing sector fell at the fastest rate since October 2023.

Comments from the PMI survey respondents suggested there were fewer concerns than April about US trade tariffs, but manufacturers said the heightened levels of uncertainty had still hit business confidence.

[johnwise] 22/5/2025 10:18

"Handed back to Mauritus . . . ."? It was never theirs in the first place. As a British possession with some of the territory used by the US as a military base it provides a vital contribution to the defence of the West. As part of Mauritius, who are under thrall to the Chinese who will undoubtedly establish a military base there, it becomes a threat. Just giving it away when we don't have to..

The Daily Mail

Shambles as High Court STOPS Keir Starmer signing Chagos deal in 2am injunction - hours before PM was due to confirm British territory being handed back to Mauritius

Keir Starmer was dramatically blocked from signing a deal to give away the Chagos Islands today.

The Prime Minister had hoped to announce the highly controversial handover of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius - a move branded a 'surrender' by critics.

Sir Keir was due to attend a virtual ceremony alongside representatives from the Mauritian government this morning to sign off on the deal.

[johnwise] 22/5/2025 08:13

Angela Rayner could lose housing brief


Angela Rayner could have housing removed from her portfolio of issues she is responsible for, according to Sky News.

On the latest episode of Politics at Sam and Anne’s, the duo discuss rumours that the deputy prime minister could have her role downgraded in an upcoming government reshuffle.

It follows a report that suggested Rayner wants to tax savers, according to a secret memo leaked to The Telegraph.

Sky News’ deputy political editor Sam Coates said he was “told by a very senior figure in Angela Rayner’s department” that they will only hit the government’s target of building 1.5m homes if they get a “generous settlement” in the spending review.

“In other words, Angela Rayner is facing the prospect of having too little cash to deliver one of the government’s flagship promises”, Coates said.

“So she is telling Rachel Reeves in the context of this spending review, I think as well, raise more money.”

Coates added that he has been told there is “some kind of memo… maybe by an outside organisation that’s been flying around government with this proposal to strip out housing from Angela Rayner’s department.”

[johnwise] 22/5/2025 07:52

VIDEO

“How Long Before We See Something Similar In Britain” | Two Israelis Shot Dead In USA

TalkTV

[johnwise] 22/5/2025 06:58

Bond market’s fiscal reckoning still unfolding, says Garda Capital CIO


The bond market’s pushback against unsustainable US fiscal policy is only just beginning, according to a report by Bloomberg citing Tim Magnusson, Chief Investment Officer at Minneapolis and New York-based hedge fund Garda Capital Partners.


“The bond market is going to have the final say on what happens fiscally,” said Magnusson. “Lawmakers are going to get tested more — 5% [on the 30-year] is not the final line in the sand.”

Yields on 30-year Treasuries briefly breached 5% this week for the second time in as many months, driven by renewed investor concern following Moody’s downgrade of the US sovereign rating. But for Magnusson, the real story is the structural fiscal pressure building behind the scenes – and the potential for a violent repricing if Washington continues to ignore it.

Magnusson joins a growing group of macro investors warning of a market-imposed reckoning in the absence of meaningful deficit controls. On Monday, a key House committee advanced President Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill, a proposal expected to add trillions of dollars to the national debt – further fanning bond market anxieties.

[johnwise] 22/5/2025 06:47

VIDEO

Donald Trump needs to give Tommy Robinson political asylum. The establishment want him gone.

Rebel News publisher Ezra Levant provides an update from London after it was revealed Tommy Robinson will be facing new charges of harassment following his release in the coming days.

BREAKING: Tommy Robinson facing new charges after release order

Rebel News

[johnwise] 22/5/2025 06:09

DC Jewish museum shooting: Two Israeli embassy staff killed, suspect detained

LiveNOW from FOX

[johnwise] 21/5/2025 23:39

Why do we spent so much on foreign aid when we treat our own people SO POORLY?' -

Rupert Lowe MP