ASOS have dropped quite significantly in the past week for no particular reason and I view this as the perfect opportunity to invest as I can see them bouncing right back up to the 5.50p mark in the next 2-3 weeks. STRONG BUY!!

marketmaker all comes down to margins the hitwise figs can be misleading which they were before xmas .cheers woodie

Woodie, margins are vital in the end for profits, agreed. But meanwhile, I don't mind a bit of emphasis on penetration to set them up well for the new season of stock from the new warehouse.

Another stock that needs to tell a better story and see its SP react before it will attract many new friends onto the share register currently.

But I continue to hold until that happy day.

SD

Thanks, marketmaker - helpful and factual comments. Me and my doggie friend are in the same basket (if not boat) and happy to wait for profit recovery to Q2 of current year with new warehouse in place. Think sp will recover once our awareness is shared.

Eric

sidtrix: An answer to your query in post 1355 appears on P3 of today's Torygraph. It seems that the LVMH group - Louis Vuitton, Dior, Givenchy and Celine are among those planning to take on the imitators. Good news for the lawyers but possibly not for investors. I'm sticking to CSB, GMC and FSJ etc for the present, and watching ASC (and this thread) from the sidelines.
sd.

http://www.nowmagazineoffers.com/asos/

Thanks, marketmaker. A nice bit of image building with NOW and Champneys.

The present sp doesn't hold any hostages to fortune. cap. down to 35m. Recent broker forecasts for current year are pretty close: Seymour Pierce quoting eps of 3p on pre-tax 2.25m and Shore Capital 3.3p on 2.20m. That's a pe of around 11. On the fairly reasonable assumption that therevenue growth is continuing at 50%+ the sp is very low and both brokers haev the share as a BUY (recent forecasts).

No quarterly trading statement which is not surprising. Reasonable to assume that waiting for warehouse to be implemented first. Last year's prelims were 30th June so it may be have to wait until then, but I feel something later this month is mroe likely. I am assuming there is no rush but may be caught out!

Eric

Testing the support level today. Not surprising given the general malaise of the AIM market. Feeling an urge to buy back in coming on!

Eric

eric another reason could be the ids statement.cheers woodie

What's the ids statement woodie?? You still in this??

legend still in ,ids is ideal shopping direct which gave a rns statement 4 may saying they expect consumer spending to drop later in the year.cheers woodie

IDS statement says that 'current year has begun well and that sales are still well ahead in Q1 of 2005...in common with other areas of the retail market, we can expect things to get tougher as the year progresses.'

Fashion is clearly as much under retail market pressures as other sectors. However, switch to internet is further ahead. The effect on ASOS would be to reduce year on year growth which is not now factored in to any extent anyway. Renewed shorting exercise today means that price fall now mirrors AIM average. Buying opportunity methinks.

Eric

eric agree drop well overdone near 50% drop from highs, what would be nice, a rns statement like wdny gave yesterday (dont know reason for sp drop).cheers woodie

Bought back in! 20000 at 42.5p by CFDs. Prospective pe of 14 on forecasts of Seymour Pierce and Shore Capital, both within last couple of weeks. Right against the charts, of course, but faint heart, etc.! Expect the fair ladies to keep buying!

Eric

just seen ratty on cnbc, the 2 retail stocks he likes are asc and wgc.woodie

Interesting that all retail stocks tend to be lumped together. You really need internet retail (or dtv) as a separate category. Next downbeat figures were helped by a 15% rise in internet sales, I think I'm right in my recall. But we do need some positive news. Its obvious that they are holding on until warehouse move is complete and they can announce a fresh start from here. Whilst I've bought in today, the bears have been having it all their own way for the last three months. Mind, I do give a lot of credibility to Seymour Pierce forecasts as they are the house broker. For those who don't have access, year to march 2005 pbt given as 1.1m and eps as 1.50p; 2006 pbt as 2.25m and eps as 3.0p. The peg is 0.29 and 0.24 respectively. These are incredibly good for one of the real growth shares in the retail sector. So, whilst the charts appear risky because there is now no clear-cut support level, the fundamentals are excellent and these will hold sway in the medium term.

Its interesting that my buy today at 42.5p is at exactly the price I bought in August last year: both have been at below the eod price. August was a terrific buying opportunity. In many ways, though, the price is lower now agianst real value given that we are 9 months down the line, sales have grown, the warehouse move is all but completed and then its onwards and upwards. Can't see any coherent argument against!

Eric

Eric, there is a very minor support "echo" from the 44p levels either side of the July 2004 peak, if you look carefully. Otherwise, the stegosaurus shape gives few clues as to when we might hit bottom.

How much bounce will a clear cut result on today's election create do you think?

There is much doom and gloom about the market which is logically a good buying time - unless, like me, you have fully invested your funds in more euphoric times.

Being down to pretty much breakeven on my total funds as at today's close, should I sell in May and wait till that proverbial September classic horse race, or do you see a bottom to this present ugly market.? Then I start thinking to myself, well of course I'll leave in SEO, CFP, ASC and some of the oil stocks and who would want to be left out of gold as US and the developed world deficits (internal and external) really come to the fore. Then Titanium Oxide and Diamonds are hardly likely to go out of fashion in China and India and mining/oil-drilling equipment are at the start of a major cycle in reinvestment.

Your thoughts, please.

SD

SD: Its a doggy / master relationship where great minds think alike. I almost use the same words: "of course I'll leave in SEO, CFP, ASC (I don't have any oil stocks, nor gold, nor even titanium oxide) but NML for diamonds and MOI for oil-drilling services. Add in ITR for opportunistic financial services in key sectors. I'll sell the rest and go away. Now what else have I got? Oh! I don't have anything else, having closed out on NLR, GMC and YOO!" So I don't have anything to sell and go away to live on. And I don't have any more funds to invest, even if I wanted to. And all my current holdings have reasons for going places over the summer. That's the important thing: SEO have Walmart; CFP have a postitvie trading statment; ASC are over their woes and going palces; NML have found their diamonds and produce positive projections; MOI results are not bad but trading statement is very bullish for current year; ITR have got the Red-M flotation away and doubled in price as a result". Now, I reckon thats the way to do it: go over the holdings and ask whether there is a reason not to sell now, go away and buy back in September. That probably applies to 90% of the market, but not my shares! lol! The et-opt in action again! Should I laugh or cry? I'll cry tomorrow over the election, no doubt, but they can't do that much damage to the economy - can they?

Eric

Eric,
Look how much damage they have done already, and the extra taxes they have crept through, but we have another 5 years of them. Enough soapboxing. I am so disapointed at the lack of news on ASC and the pullback in sp, but I don't think the sp will move without some solid information and my charts do not show any signs of a bottom yet. SD

seadog i agree poor management let the share price slip over 50% without putting some info out in the market, iam beginning to wonder if there is positive news ?cheers woodie