Melrose Industries Share Discussion Threads

[brexitplus] 06/8/2018 12:45

I’m not sure I have to justify my investment decisions, but since you ask, I believe that Burford is a better long term investment. I prefer to invest in “smaller”; companies on weakness and at present small investors are piling into Plus500. Any investment in Plus500 would, for me, be purely short term and a small part of my portfolio.


I believe at one point you said the CFDs were speculation. Agreed

[minerve] 06/8/2018 12:32

"On any correction I’ll look at Plus500 as I feel it too late to go in at present."

Based on what criteria?

[brexitplus] 06/8/2018 12:31

Getting

Plus500 looks ok but I am my profits from Playtech channelling money into Burford Capital. On any correction I’ll look at Plus500 as I feel it too late to go in at present. Could be wrong of course, but we all make mistakes.

[gettingrichslow] 06/8/2018 11:14

Minerve, you don't know an awful lot about my investments and you've already (unwittingly) revealed you are a novice when you told us how few years experience you have, so suggest you focus on your own decisions.

[minerve] 06/8/2018 10:48

Getting

Good book for you to read (below). Make sure you are out of Plus 500 before the music stops. You are showing no evidence of risk management in your investments. That is if I could refer to your monetary activity as investments. For you, it is more like a day at the horses.


Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds
Book by Charles Mackay

[gettingrichslow] 06/8/2018 09:40

Yertiz, Plus500 on another surge - I'm tempted to plough more in but that's getting silly maybe - only took your advice a few weeks ago at 1500ish, now at 1900ish! Where do you think this could end up by Xmas?

[brexitplus] 06/8/2018 08:59

Yertiz

Agree about the garden. Big news is carrots and sprouts will be poor this year. We’re living on our own potatoes, French beans, courgettes and salad and herbs at present. I sow New Zealand spinach which goes on for ever and doesn’t bolt like ordinary spinach so just starting that plus Swiss chard. The heavy rain a week ago has restored the lawn in part. More rain this weekend.

[yertiz] 06/8/2018 08:41

Holiday was fantastic, but just too damned hot this weekend so curtailed our stay by a couple of days.

Returned to a jungle of a garden with my veg patch looking like Tescos for caterpillars! At least my beans, beetroot, Swiss chard, cavolo nero, onions and potatoes haven't suffered too badly. Can't say the same for my sprouts, though!!

[brexitplus] 06/8/2018 08:11

Yertiz

Yes Brexit too. There is so much fake news going round like holidays will cost a third more if we leave the EU!!!? On the bbc this morning.

Best to let the Lloyds board be part of the silly season.

Agree about GKN and Nortek. Will probably here a bit about Ergotron before the interims, as is the way.

Did you have a good holiday, or are you still there?

I see Plymouth went down. And Bristol City could only draw at home. Still we won the cricket.

[yertiz] 06/8/2018 07:58

B+, does this include Brexit too? Seems to me that normality and sense has resumed on here at last,

Not too long to go before we see how GKN has potentially improved as a group since the T/O, would also be good to see something from Nortek and progress of Ergotron sale too.

[brexitplus] 06/8/2018 07:15

Yertiz

Of course the current Labour Party would like to disband the armed forces completely so no need for ships of any kind. Not sure where this policy would leave companies like BAE, etc.

Any chance we can keep off politics here lest we end up like the Lloyds board?

[brexitplus] 05/8/2018 19:47

Re the bookshop, I don’t go into the centre of Gloucester much these days. There were a few including one by the docks.

Update. The secondhand bookshop on 3 floors in Westgate Street we think is no longer there, replaced by the Antique Centre which relocated from the docks.

[keyno] 05/8/2018 19:05

Thank you B+. It now makes your previous post read quite differently. I hope the second hand bookshop in the centre of Gloucester is still doing business.

[brexitplus] 05/8/2018 18:02

Keyno

I didn’t express myself well.

In the 70s and 80s when I first moved to Gloucestershire the “forestersR21; were seen as very close and very inward looking, and left alone by the county council who saw the forest as a backward area and concentrated on Gloucester, Cheltenham and the Cotswolds, luckily. Since then it’s beauty and unique “culture”; has been embraced with many families moving to the area and “opening it up.” The City of Gloucester wasn’t so lucky and was spoiled.

I am far from a drive through holidaymaker. Family live in the forest and it was with them we were staying, as we regularly do. As the crow flies they are about 8 miles from us across the River Severn.

[keyno] 05/8/2018 17:31

I don't think the citizens of the Forest of Dean would care much for your description of their home turf as "backward", Brexitplus. Even if it was ascribed to it by a drive-through holidaymaker.

[brexitplus] 05/8/2018 14:29

Yertiz

I agree. My wife spent many years in local government and despaired at the terrible, politically motivated, decision making leading to huge waste of money.

Gloucester is a case where the medieval city was almost destroyed in the case of concrete progress. Happily they didn’t knock down the beautiful cathedral. However backward areas, such as the Beautiful Forest of Dean where we stayed overnight have remained pretty much untouched.

I don’t trust politicians in the slightest. The ones that people say do a good job are , in my opinion, just better at hiding their activities.

[yertiz] 05/8/2018 13:38

Minerve

Unlike you, I'm in touch with current and past issues in Plymouth, their council leadership, their appalling decision making and self serving methods. I also have a deal more insight than you will ever have for the way all our governments have dealt the Armed Forces blow after blow to such an extent the RN now has a surface fleet smaller than the number of serving Admirals.... I had served 20 years in the RN through days when we had a Navy to be proud of and were respected as such. This has had a huge knock-on effect on the Dockyards and employment in Plymouth, Portsmouth, Appledore, Southampton, Newcastle, Rosythe, Belfast and Berwick, per se.

I agree the Tory party only see as far as the London boroughs, maybe as far as the M25, but you can't tell me the Labour party, the Unions or any local city council would act any differently - look how Bliar then Brown led us down the garden path, as did Cameron, and now May is doing the same with her weak and feeble leadership. No, I do not trust politicians, and certainly not as custodians. How many leaders do we have as MP's? I mean REAL leaders, people that have the charisma, ideals and backing of their people, and know how to manage. Don't tell me Corbyn is one, though I bet you do - he is as weak and feeble as May.

The Naval dockyard, including the Royal Victualling Yard (or Royal William Yard) dates back to 1685, the Citadel 1690, the old RN Hospital to 1758 - each have there contemperaries in Rochefort, France, but I'd defy you to find any vestige of the history these buildings hold, now they are flats, restaurants and business centres - and only 60% occupied. An opportunity lost for short-termism. And in France? Rochefort enjoys huge numbers of tourists every year to see the old dockyard, the rope factory, the hospital (actually copied from Plymouth's RNH) and the old quarters of the town. And these tourists spend millions.

[brexitplus] 05/8/2018 12:33

Yertiz

The problem with politiical ideology and politicians is that they get in the way of good management and doing what are the right priorities. When another party takes over a council it is all change with the corresponding waste of time and money.

[minerve] 05/8/2018 12:07

Yertiz

How do you know for sure that your local Labour controlled council is to blame for the demise of your local heritage?

Central funding from government is forever being squeezed and squeezed which suits Tory ideology but doesn't help Labour who want to provide greater government. They may have no choice but to act the way they do!

I don't think you can lay blame as easy as that as there are probably a plethora of factors which contribute. You have to also remember that Tory government are not the least bit interested in anything outside of City finance - they couldn't care less about a dockyard - whilst Labour will because those same yards were once strong union holds.

You also need to be reminded that many of our custodians or our heritage are charities - socialist entities indeed. ;)

[yertiz] 05/8/2018 11:49

Cote Sauvage (wild coast) has a fantastic 13km long sandy beach, west facing with Atlantic rollers providing wonderful surfing and bodyboarding conditions. Can be treacherous but with care and observation for the rips and sand banks, is great fun.

Cognac - another beautiful town steeped (in more ways than one!) in its place in French history and outstanding architecture, again on the banks of a lazy part of the Charente river. Then there is Talmond, Arces (pronounced as if describing two of our favourite contributors....) and the Gallo-Romanic remains in Barzan - superb. The region as a whole (Charente Maritime) also offers so much with Rochefort where the French have preserved the Naval/maritime history for generations to come, whilst in Plymouth the Naval Hospital, Dockyard and Victualling yards have all but lost their heritage, no thanks to the inward looking, Labour controlled, leftist council!

Sorry to say this but the French do seem to look after their heritage, while our lot look after number 1 and to hell with the rest.

Back home now - just too hot to stay longer but still very pleasant in the Westcountry. Enjoy Majorca, GRS - drink plenty and keep off the dance floors!

[brexitplus] 05/8/2018 07:58

Getting

Saintes worth a visit as is nearby Cognac. Tastings were a treat. But the coast is just fantastic.

Never been to Majorca but would like to visit Palma. Best man regularly stays in northern Majorca. We tend more to Corsica.

Have a great time.

[gettingrichslow] 04/8/2018 23:18

I've never been to Saintes although I think I've been to Royan as a child. Just read about it on Wikipedia - sounds fantastic. Off to Majorca next week for two weeks but only c.32 degrees there.

[brexitplus] 04/8/2018 23:13

Hi Yertiz

Nice town, Saintes. Only about 28C when we were there last. Whole of Europe is very hot, except Scotland!!!

No sign of minerve today.

[yertiz] 04/8/2018 22:32

iPhone typo (Plus 400.....) whilst dragging my weary carcass through Saintes - a truly beautiful town on the Charente river. Today the place was like Hades, such was the fierceness of this heatwave. I see Monchique in Portugal (another favourite place of mine and Mrs Y) was surrounded by raging fires in extreme temperatures yesterday- this is some heatwave in Europe, surely there has to be acknowledgement of human influences on our climate, just as there has been with plastics?? I blame the Chinese and the US - one is as bad as the other.
Anyway - too hot for enjoyment, probably curtail my hols somewhat as the forecast is for much of the same for another few days.

Off for a cool beer or 3.