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Even a few of our detractors have now come around
I see that Roger Lawson of ShareSoc is today praising the FT's coverage of Neil Woodford. How sad and predictable that the establishment engages in mutual masturbation rathing than seeking the truth. The FT is the paper that publisshed a blow job interview with Woodford as recently as April 2019. Of course Roger is not mentioning our work in his little read blog posts or praising the folks who called this one out with more than 1000 articles and podcasts since 2015. But I hope that the BBC does recognise who was Woodford's nemesis on Monday. In case it has forgotten here are our 50 most read articles on the ex fund manager
Yesterday we learnt from Citywire that Neil Woodford has dumped his holding in Nasdaq-listed Prothena (PRTA) for £50 million to San Francisco-based biotech investor EcoR1 Capital, ending another disastrous tale of woe. In the early days of Woodford Investment Management this was a star investment and Neil chucked in piles of other people’s money but last year it ran into trouble when its flagship treatment for amyloidosis failed in trials. In the good old days Woodford’s holding topped well over £500 million in value – and he’s got just £50 million for his 22% stake...
The smaller unit trust run by Neil Woodford, the Income Focus Fund (IFF), has had a torrid time ever since it was launched and trades way below the launch price of the accumulation units. But with Neil Woodford now in the headlines for gating his flagship equity income fund and even his staunchest supporter – Hargreaves Lansdown – suggesting that investors consider their position in IFF, much as predicted on this fine website, it seems that redemptions are running at stampede levels. How long can Neil Woodford survive this before he has to gate IFF too?
I’ve touched on Immunocore a few times in passing as it one of the largest holdings in Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT) as well as being the largest investment made by Dublin-listed Malin Corporation, of which Woodford is the largest shareholder, obvs! Well, it looks like it’s not a particularly happy ship and I wonder whether a (further) devaluation is required?
Yesterday afternoon, Neil Woodford released his end-April portfolio updates so thought I’d provide a bit of commentary prior to a couple of headache inducing articles (for Neil) later on in the week. Not a huge amount of change; however, it’s good to see an open-ended fund getting stuck into the use of debt in such a cavalier way!
There’s been a lot to comment on relating to Woodford Capital Patient Trust (WPCT) recently but with the March portfolio updates for all of Woodford’s funds finally being published on Monday, I thought I should get my updates out as Woodford appears to have been a bit preoccupied to do so with a minor biotech blip and the like.
Following on from my piece on Sunday in which I suspected that Woodford had covertly changed the Investment Policy for Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT), it was confirmed this morning in its full year results. This is an absolute disgrace and shareholders should get on to their lawyers.
Just as the tide seemed to be turning in favour of a couple of Woodford’s holdings, he suffered an absolute body blow this afternoon with his largest quoted holding, Prothena (NSDQ: PRTA), which comprised 9.12% of WPCT as at end-March, as it announced that it was discontinuing the development of its main drug and the share price collapsed as a result.
Following on from Tom’s excellent presentation at the UK Investor Show yesterday I thought it only right to continue in my questioning of the “star fund manager” especially as it looks to me as if the Investment Policy for Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT) has been subtly changed (to the detriment of shareholders of course) but Woodford doesn’t seem to have told anyone!
Further to my update piece last week, I’ve managed to take a closer look at the end-February portfolio of Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT) and I just can’t make the numbers work. I can only assume that Woodford has breached his investment policy; let me explain.
As we await today's NAV from, deep in the merde, Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT) as well as possible confirmation its unquoted holdings have surged through the 80% limit as well as potentially news on how close hitis to breaching the bank limit of 20% gearing, it is worth reminding ourselves of one reason why it is in this mess - its high risk approach to leverage.
As predicted here at the weekend Nasdaq listed Irish biotech Prothena (US:PRTA) is suffering a bloodbath today following the shock after hours resignation of its CMO on Friday. Shares in Purplebricks (PURP) are also crashing and that leaves the Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT) in serious trouble - has it breached its banking limits yet?
I note that for the first time the NAV of the Woodford Income Focus Fund (C Accumulation Units) has fallen below the 100p launch and that includes 3 reinvested dividends.
Capita was last week's main disaster for Neil Woodford although there were others. He has tried to polish the turd HERE but has failed. His next disaster is Prothena which could slump Monday and as I explain in this podcast it is massive for Nomates. I then explain how the whole Woodford empire could well collapse. Make no mistake, this weekend, Britain's most conceited fund manager is staring into the abyss. I also comment on Obtala - take up the Primary Bid offer HERE - and on my wife's failings as a navigator as I march through muddy puddles.
Uh oh! This matters as Prothena is a massive holding for Britain's most conceited fund manager Neil Woodford and as such an unravel here would be massive omlette on face time. Again. On Friday, after hours, the Chief Medical Officer of Nasdaq listed biotech Prothena walked. If that is not a red flag what is?
My conclusion to The Big Short series over Christmas was that although it was a long-term play, Neil Woodford was only a few pieces of “bad luck” away from a speedier, more dramatic implosion. This week’s Capita (CPI) news is the second of those already and we’re only one month in. Further to the excellent pieces on Capita yesterday (HERE and HERE), a few further observations on the wider Woodford story from me.
Hapless Neil Woodford has poured out his heart to the poodle press, Citywire, bleating about how wicked bears Kerrisdale have been beastly about one of the largest - and most obviously overvalued - of the pack of dog investments in his Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT). The bears have bitten back!
I’ve been smiling this week at the comments on Woodford’s website as the moderators are desperately sticking to the party line regardless of what is happening in reality or what Woodford himself is briefing to investors privately. Let me explain in the context of his Income Focus Fund.
Er….hi, just me again! This Chapter of “The Big Short” looking at Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT) wasn’t in the original draft manuscript sent to my editor but as something truly astounding was pointed out to me in the comments of my piece yesterday, I thought I’d better add to the opus. Hat tip to Robert Dwek for spotting it.
I had to smile this week as both Aberdeenman and Neil Woodford published blogs dealing with their investment elephants in the room namely Nuformix (NFX) and Prothena (NSDQ: PRTA) respectively. Worryingly, it was hard to tell the difference between arguably the finest stock-picker in the UK of the last twenty years and the Scottish market-abusing LSE, Twitter and blogger loon!
US bear raider Kerrisdale has launched a savage attack on the largest holding in the Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT) the closed end fund managed by Nomates. The nature of the WPCT means that if Kerrisdale is even half right, Nomates is in big trouble.
