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I am looking forward to the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) conference call later today. Whilst technically it is focused on the full year 2021 numbers out earlier today (which showed rising sales and falling profits), far more important is the confirmation that it is ‘on track to demerge a new world-leading Consumer Healthcare business mid-2022’. Last month I was amused by the (ultimately unsuccessful) partial bid approach by Unilever (ULVR) but my instinct is that the Pharmaceutical / Vaccines business is still underappreciated going forward. I was certainly pleased to see the ‘pipeline of 21 vaccines and 43 medicines’ angles and I do wonder - when the business split occurs in a few months time - whether not only retaining but adding to this part of the business. Something to be more thoughtful about later this year whilst, despite the excellent total return performance over the last year, I remain a strong HOLDer. So whilst I continue to hang onto my GlaxoSmithKline shares…what do I make of today’s interim results announcement from FTSE 100 housebuilder Barratt Developments (BDEV)?...

NEWSFLOW

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I see there is more comedy occurring in the energy sector as yet another company - the wonderfully named Zog Energy - collapsed. I have never heard of it but given I recall ‘Zog’ as a 2010 children's picture book about a young accident-prone dragon which I think both my daughters at some time read, you have to smile at the choice of its name. Yet another energy company which needs to fully understand that not being sensibly hedged means you can be materially exposed to any price volatility. Meanwhile as Ofgem put it following a collective four million household problem “under our safety net we'll make sure your energy supplies continue...You can rely on your energy supply as normal”. Far smarter if Ofgem also tells all customers that simply trying to find the cheapest short-term company is not smart. Still, you cannot regulate everything otherwise we would not also have shares that exhibit either too much fear or (more recently) too much greed judging by their crazy multiples. At the moment I am trying to work out which side housebuilding stocks are in.

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Hello, Share Slammers. This old punter has been saying for some months that Blighty’s house builders are likely to see further rising share prices as something of a boom is going on. Well, one of them Barratt Developments (BDEV) has just issued a three month trading statement that says it’s having ‘a strong and sustained start to the new financial year’.

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I am quite impressed today by two names that I do not own but probably should. That’s life in the investment world sometimes (actually quite often). But the key is to keep on looking.

NEWSFLOW

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The last time I moved was about fifteen years ago and I bought that without a mortgage in any case. In other words, I am of no interest for mortgage names and housebuilders. Nevertheless, even I have become a bit more interested in the sector over the last eighteen months as noted most recently a couple of months ago. One name I have commented on a few times is Barratt Developments (BDEV), which has published full year numbers this morning.

NEWSFLOW

NEWSFLOW

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Hello, Share Plumpers. Shares in housebuilders are bowling ahead. One of those at the forefront of the advance is Barratt Developments (BDEV). It completed nearly 4,500 homes in the first quarter of this year. That’s up by nearly a third on this time last year. And 5.7% better than before the pandemic first struck. Plus, the group has been able to boost its cash pile to £1 billion.