Barclays is a major global financial services provider engaged in retail and commercial banking, credit cards, investment banking, wealth management and investment management services. Company operates in over 60 countries and employs over 78,000 people.

            Red = 25 day moving average.           Green = 200 day moving average.

Report in todays Times that Barclays close to buying a Russian bank. Following on from recent purchase of Goldfish credit card business, suggests they do not see any great liquidity issues of their own. Tempted to add before results next week (regrettably have sizeable holding, albeit did offload half above 7) but still have nagging doubt about the size of their "Trading Assets" and what sort of write down will prove necessary. On balance, will wait.

I think BARC is a SELL as their results would not impress next week. Now 434p

barclay results are out on tuesday 19th feb. sp terrible at the moment. If you hold on the 7th march you will be entitled to a dividend of .20 and a half pence per share held. I would be making a big loss if I sell at the moment so I am going to hang on to these shares for the time being. What are every one elses views on this one who held barclays?

It might be worth getting a collar to put on this dog.

I have closed a short.

Last trading statement issued in November 2007 stated 2007 profits likely to be in line with concensus market expectations with earnings of at least 68p per share so the dividend is probably safe.
However since then as you know the sub prime etc credit crunch problems have deteriorated further and BARC will like other banks want to declare provisions/losses as large as possible in order to avoid carrying this problem into their 2008 accounts. How great these losses/provisions are will be revealed on Tuesday but of much greater importance to shareholders will be the forward looking statement to be made in the light of the much anticipated and over hyped economic downturn. Your problem like those of many other shareholders is whether any negative reaction to BARC's results will see a drop in the sp greater than the final dividend payment(after tax). Recent substantial declines in the financial stocks might mean that the old adage buy on the rumour sell on the news could have turned around, although market sentiment suggests no matter what BARC's results reveal nobody wants to buy bank shares at the moment apart from longer term value investors.

Id be prepared to by for a small 5% turn around, problem is this doesn't look likey at the moment....

9.00 american market just closed. Barclays have just closed at 4.3126p so they have come back a few pence since our close.

Wall St. staged a late come back though in general.

Investors have been missled by the directors.

quite a large piece of news out today on barclays in the sunday times. The situation does not sound so bad to me. Have a read and lets hear your views.

In the long run it will help to stabilise banks share prices as interest rates fall the yields on bank shares become irresistible to investors as long as dividends are maintained. Personally think one has to be brave to buy any bank shares in front of their results.

I agree with that Halifax, however I feel there are potential bargains to be had post results.

It's amazing how market sentiment changes so quickly, Friday all doom and gloom with Financials leading market down, today Financials are all positive leading market up. The reason is an article in The Times saying barc, lloy will raise the dividends this week, this had already been widely anticipated since November.

I believe Banks will have to come clean this time, and I think they will, tomorrow will be very interesting for barc, I believe another 1.5bn w/o is anticipated (correct me is I'm wrong)

Remember 9th Nov when barc was temporary suspended because of wild speculation of 10bn w/o, which in the event turned out to be only 1.3bn. For what it's worth I believe US banks have talked upped the size of UK banks sub prime exposure, and would hope to see this confirmed tomorrow.

Barclays FY profit down 1 pct
AFX


LONDON (Thomson Financial) - UK bank Barclays reported a 1 pct decline in its 2007 profit, still slightly ahead of analysts' estimates, held back by the impact of the global credit crunch.

Barclays, the UK's third-biggest bank, said its total pretax profit for the year to Dec 31 2007 came in at 7.076 bln stg, down from 7.136 bln stg the previous year.

Analysts had expected profit of 6.993 bln stg, according to a consensus forecast supplied by the company.

The decline compared with 2006 partly reflects 1.8 bln stg of asset write-downs triggered by the credit crunch which Barclays reported last November.

'Barclays delivered a resilient performance in 2007, with profits broadly in

line with the record prior year results,' chief executive John Varley said in a statement.

'The strength of our diversified businesses gives us confidence for the period ahead.'

Barclays is paying a final dividend of 22.5 pence per share, taking the full payout for the year to 34 pence, an increase of 10 pct.

Barclays shares closed at 456 pence yesterday, valuing the group at about 30.25 bln stg.

tf.TFN-Europe_newsdesk@thomson.com

when does it go ex-div?

2 days ago.

And very nice it was too. LLoy and RSB the same day. Lucky! Three of a kind.

thanks Stan, paid in May i think

so what do the papers know??

at the w/e, there was comment that most short positions had now been closed and that BARC would come in with better results than feared and no rights issue to be announced when they give a trading update on 15th.

excellent (for me!) move south, so whereas i was almost scared out of my short, i am now well in the money, though shall now watch with a view to banking that profit