The week began with the same mayhem which proliferated last week. Again, tech stocks took the biggest hit. With the NASDAQ at its lowest level for a year and the DJIA also suffering badly, it was quickly evident that poor sentiment in the US would have a damping effect in London. However, on Tuesday some confidence returned in London pushing the FTSE100 ahead 138 points, helped by better inflation figures than might have been anticipated which, in turn, suggested that the pressure to increase UK interest rates in the near future was reduced. After Tuesday's romp, it was time to consolidate and the market's held firm on Wednesday and Thursday (with the usual exceptions), some analysts even suggesting that the tide was about to turn. As the week wore on, the US election fiasco appeared to have less and less influence on events, and by Friday it was just written off as a sad joke and influenced the financial markets only slightly.
The ADVFN Christmas bash is now looming large on the horizon and Bullshare announced this week that the special guest this year will be Graham Sadd, CEO of Infobank International, one of the most debated shares on the Bulletin Board. I'm sure BBers will have a few questions for him and time will be allotted for that purpose. With about 130 confirmed as attendees to date, I'm sure this year will be the biggest and best Christmas meet ever. I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible.
The Weekly BB Review
Last weekend was the busiest Saturday/Sunday on the BB for a while with some sober reflections on Remembrance Day and what must go down as one of the most amusing conversations this year related by gaussie when he got embroiled with the wrong Brockman while chatting on the Yahoo site. I'm glad the real BROCKMAN saw the funny side too. For me the most poignant postings came from Sardine as he recounted his experiences from a tiny French village which holds a special place for him in its heart. And he for it. He Died For France.
Parthus - looking very interesting has followed the company through a real old roller coaster over the last few weeks. Parthus have really been through the hoops and despite the stabilisation process in place the shares have been anything but stable. Rayrac seems to have ditched his safety-first policy and stayed in, as has nc> but wanabee has been a bit more pragmatic and sounds like he will be offloading his recently acquired holding before 6th December when he expects Goldman Sachs to be streaming more shares onto the market. A time to mark time and watch from the sidelines for me. Whether the "Memory Stick" technology will generate the revenue to support the promises is still a big question mark. The share price did show signs of improvement this week, in contrast to the wider market, but it would take a more sustained run over the 200p level to tempt me in.
If you insist in buying tech stocks........ revolves around the computer games industry, specifically , although a few others get a mention. Latter discussions regard licensing and outsourcing, with a comprehensive appraisal by eldo and fft. There are benefits and drawbacks to outsourcing and it is often difficult to balance the two. Many major software developers in the general business arena manage the process successfully by keeping their design and creativity in-house whilst outsourcing the code cutting. This allows for savings to be made in the development costs without compromising the integrity of the products. Whether it succeeds or not is usually down to how the strategy is managed by the company. If you are interested in computer games with Christmas in mind, take a peek at PC games for Xmas – Any recommendations?. Is Martini going through a third childhood or hunting for something for the younger elements on his list? The advice was varied in the extreme. Mealiff advocates Who wants to be a millionaire? (which Martini reckons is what we're playing here anyway!) whilst mowgli, Hamsterhunter and DavB go for the more blodthirsty stuff and finao is a speed freak. I dare say there will be one big winner this Christmas but as yet there seems to be no clear favourite.
With results due out on Monday 27th November, it was no surprise to see Nord Anglia Education back under the microscope this week. NORD ANGLIA - Unloved And Undervalued was kicked off about a month ago by Dil who still leads the small but dedicated band of enthusiasts. Since he started the thread, the share price has shown terrific growth but weakened a little this week, for no apparent reason. cossie, another long-term fan, has been trying to find out whether there is likely to be any big statements at the press conference which will, undoubtedly, accompany the results annoucement - alas to no avail. There have been some interesting share transactions which suggest a repositioing of some of the major holders and, perhaps, a shortage of shares available. The chart still looks encouraging and with the UK Government pledging more and more funds for education projects, the market for the company's products can only grow. Will there be a surge before the results? It may well be worth adding these to your Monitor and keeping eye on them.
Retail focus last week was on Debenhams which continues to look strong. This week it was the turn of House of Fraser. There has been a lot of to-ing and fro-ing amongst the management teams of the major retailers recently and the rumours of merger and takeover have re-emerged and given the HOF share price a bit of a fillip on the way. Whether the new buyers will stay in after the rumours subside is debatable but 308GTB will be threabouts, I think. It is all beginning to sound like the recurring plot of an old "B" movie. In the same sphere, Arcadia Group was in vogue in Arcadia rocket 21% up where you will see that the recent board changes seem have been the catalyst for a sudden rekindling of interest in the shares. The City certainly seem to like the new shape and the shares, as the title suggests, have benefited from the move, with a swift run to over the 70p mark. Can it be maintained? Wait and watch. If the recent run achieves nothing else, it will certainly have allowed Clem and piscean to sleep a little more peacefully.
The MMs came in for some stick again this week (surprise, surprise) in Market Makers tactics with jhurbanek worried more specifically about Pan Andean Resources which has been subjected to all sorts of hype and rumour throughout the year. I don't think "tree-shaking" is appropriate with the MM activities revolving around this share. They are so unpredictable and favoured so much by the emotional investor that I don't suppose the MMs have a clue what the shares are likely to do day-by-day and are only protecting their positions. With 5 Market Makers dealing this stock, it is difficult to see them making a concerted effort to influence the price. In my experience, it is hard enough to get two MMs to agree - five is a no-go. stustu seems to agree with me. Robbb points us at Kayak's excellent posting on Help please - MM's and short positions which goes a good way to explaining how MMs have to act to cover themselves. With interesting input from proactive and Bullshare, amongst others, this thread is well worth a read.
Meanwhile, in the Land of the Free.......
Next Tuesday will see the interim results from RexOnline and judging by recent share price movements, nothing much can be expected. After a good run, the share price drifted off at the end of this week. Why is Rexonline booming?? is full of confidence in the company with sunset, jay178 and moreforus amongst those hoping for greater things. I don't see why their confidence should be misplaced and look forward to next week with interest.
SAGE GROUP (SGE) has always had a good following - on both sides of the divide. With results due out in early December, this week was time to begin the guesing games over whether they would provide enough positive elements to get the share price back on track. PEDIGREE hopes that once the US election circus is over and the NASDAQ gets its act together again, the shares will recover along with other techs and has support from Cameron1 and andrewnunn. My professional dealings with this company have always been good and I was always impressed by their business-like approach and range of products. They have a big market-place and a good reputation amongst users. It is sad that they have been caught up in the general downer for tech stocks. The share price stage a mini-recovery this week but there is a long way to go before returning to their former glory. A good run over 500p would help.
Englineering has suffered even more than technology in the "poor sentiment" stakes. With some exceptions. Bid coming for Glynwed ? highlights the trauma. The company has gone through the re-focusing exercise which seems to be the first whizzy step they all go through when they are doing badly. Whizzy step two then seems to be the birth of a few take-over and merger rumours. Glynwood International has been through this stage too. And what has happened to the share price? After a good run from mid-October, they have hit the down slope again. trashley sounds as though he still holds out hope for a bid but SWEEPER1, who likes the company as a steady rock, suggests more value might be found in Express Dairies where the chart pattern looks similar in many ways but there appears to be more life at present. Can't argue with that.
It is sad to see war breaking out amongst some elements of the Free Bulletin Board. There is a lot a really good stuff here and it is being side-lined. A good example, running on from my review last week, is MotionPoster Research where the debate goes on about the exciting possibilities for MotionPoster's new marketing medium. Here whoops, alpha1, Deep-C-Diver, Big Tessers and Still Waiting (amongst many others) concentrate on research and debate rather than hype and are a perfect example of how a Bulletin Board should be used.
I hope the Free BB continues to thrive. I would hate to see the baby thrown out with the bath water!
My Poster of the Week this week is Kayak who is a consistently high quality contributor to the Premium Bulletin Board. This week, I particularly liked his input to the Market Makers tactics thread. Congratulations Kayak! If you will e-mail me your delivery address, I will see that your prize finds it way to you very soon. Keep it coming!
Entries for the ADVFN Who's Who are always welcome! Let your fellow BBers know a little about who you are. If you aren't yet on the list, drop me a few lines about yourself - (a full editing service is provided!) Take a look at the list so far if you want some ideas for how to put a brief bio together. (ADVFN Who's Who) No e-mail addresses are published unless specifically requested by you. Click here for my mail address - 
Good Hunting!