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!!

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

WOODIE,
The last news was back in march when the ce issued a profit warning and heavily discounted stock, in the same breath stated sales were up on the discounted stock (reduced margin). The new 70k sqft warehouse should be up and running soon (Mid May according to ce)so pehaps we will get an update soon. I will drop a line to the ce to try and get some info. SD

thanks sd

thanks, eric, seadog, woodie - it's a somewhat depressing world out there currently, after such an optimistic start to the year.

Even stockdog sounds sad! He's usually such a bouncy, positive soul, leaping up and licking all and sundry. Some people are happy: the shorters, dominating the "Champion Investor"; FTSE 100 investors having their turn in the sun. Poor AIM goes aimlessly downwards.

But to every cloud there is a silver lining. Take ASOS. Just visited their site and it staes that "mid-season sale ends Monday". Why does it end monday? because they are ready to move forward positively. We might even get an RNS next week to say that they are installed in their new warehouse and to givee a positive report on trading and heavy promotional activity to generate sales. I don't think we have hear a thing, for instance, about Miss Sixty since last year. But there is a large catalogue of new items, including Miss Sixty. My view is that they have been holding back on publicity whilst they have got the phsyical and systems aspects of the business back under tight control. The bottom will have been seen in the ASC sp when we do get positive news to bring the bulls back. My forecast (the et.opt.) - bull market starts next week!

Eric

Eric,
I too visited the web site friday but didn't pick up end of sale. I sent an email to the ce asking why in this age of communication there hasn't been any forthcoming, especialy as the sp has halved, does he have anything to say about that.-----------Havn't had a reply yet !!!!! SD

Eric

Still with you on this one, both in investment terms and my little spreadbet, which is not going to make my fortune. Didn't manage to quite pick the bottom, but hopefully not too far off! Should have listened to the wise old SD!!

PTH

That's interesting, seadog. I visited site just before doing the post at about 08:00 in the evening so the end of sale notice had appeared between our visits. Presumably the scenario was a management meeting which took off the chocks and released the company, and the sp, to fly again. Well done with the email. I've got this gut feeling, backed up with a little mind and a lot of heart that new life starts next week!

Eric

Eric,
I certainly hope you are right. But I think the sp has to consolidate before it starts to move north and at the moment I don't think that is happening. The sp has been in decline since mid Jan and all my indicators say at the moment that that will continue. I wish I could say otherwise. SD

Seadog (can't call you sd because we have dogs of the sea and stock). We've gone since Jan without positive news; only the RNS about the warehousing problems. Now I expect an appropriate price would have been around 60p: it was overcooked with market euphoria and is now undercooked because of market ignorance. A nuetral RNS would prevent the slide and provide a base for recovery. However, a positive post could cause a recovery to around 60p at any rate. What would it need to say. It would need to confirm that the broker forecasts of Seymour Pearce and Shore Capital are reasonable - in my view, not a lot to ask. That's the basis for me buying back in last week. My reckoning was a better than 4:1 upside to downside: up 40% to 60p or down 10% to 38p. Could have an answer this week! (Tuesday?)

Eric