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Online Share Trading

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The "dawn" of a new era?

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partridge1
Regular Contributor

If you asked me when I was last in a CNA - I would be lying if I could remember .

Yet here we have Astoria together with others buying 167 branches and taking on 1000 plus staff. Okay, the debt stays with Edcon- but what on earth can one make of a business which seems to be nothing in particualr to anybody AND which seems to have forgotten that we live in a digital world- but  - perhaps, you say, the new business owners will have a brilliant plan to ensure a success? Well, if they do, this will be the outsider who wins the Grand National - and , yes outsiders do win it - but you can count their success on the fingers of one hand, and I suspect the chances of success here are about the same.

And then there is the small matter of discipline in capital allocation. Is this really an example of that - or what it looks like - a value trap?.

3 REPLIES 3
partridge1
Regular Contributor

Part 2?

I have by dint of disguising myself a la Maigret ( - but which means a hat pulled down low over my eyes and the discomfort of a trench coat - both of which will likely contribute to me mishearing) - "heard"  that

the limit on the financial exposure is real ( perhaps the previous experience taught them  a lesson ?) So it could mean that while shareholders will not be stonking up more cash - the only issue

remains : is this still a distraction?

partridge1
Regular Contributor
And , apologies, of course "stonking" should read "stumping" - but I will settle for stonking returns
Blik2
Contributor

Partridge, your thread title is rather apt now, don't you think.....