barclays will ge coming out with trading update on 07.05.2009 It is expected to report profits higher than market expectations.

A good Buy Medium to Long term

I remember when it was 50p only if I wasn't fearful like everyone else and just bought in big all hindsight tho !!

Back in today a bit higher then I liked at 285 but lets see.

Chart wise I think it looking like a steady up trend.

it's prob the best of the big banks to buy into

the market thinks Lloyds atm, results early February will show.

This one was pointed out by Fred last week, now broken out of channel.

Down today but Banks do well (in a so called) recovery. A few resistance points coming up to look out for.

Kamal Ahmed
By Kamal Ahmed

9:30PM GMT 25 Jan 2014

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Barclays is considering ending its £40m-a-year sponsorship of the Premier League after senior figures at the bank said it had “zero value” in the UK.


The bank’s present deal runs until the end of the 2015-16 football season and members of Barclays’ leadership team are concerned that rapid price inflation for sports rights will mean a much higher amount will be demanded by the Premier League for the next three-year deal.


Barclays has been the sponsor of the Premier League since 2001 and agreed to pay £120m in 2012 for the present rights. That was 50pc higher than the previous deal, which cost £82m.


With the battle for television rights between BSkyB and BT driving up costs, Barclays is now concerned that there will be a knock-on effect.


BSkyB’s present Premier League television deal is worth £2.3bn, 40pc more than it paid for its previous agreement. The bank also has to pay additional “activation costs”, such as using social media and television to promote the deal.


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The move is part of a wider review of the bank’s business, which will mean pulling out of “glamour projects” and focusing instead on much higher levels of technology for customers, far fewer staff and fewer branches.

Sources at the bank said that the 140,000 global employees of the bank could fall to 100,000 and the number of branches in the UK will drop from 1,600 to 1,200 over the next six years. Smaller branch-style operations in supermarkets such as Asda will be extended.

“We have some tough decisions to take,” one source said about the loss of staff.

Mobile apps, Skype-style services and “intelligent ATMs” will improve customer service while reducing cost, the bank will argue.

Antony Jenkins, the chief executive of Barclays, wants to see the cost-to-income ratio at the bank fall from above 60pc to around 55pc.

Next month, the bank will publish its “goals” document, which will commit the bank to increasing the return on capital employed so it is higher than the cost of capital and maintaining Core Tier 1 capital above 10.5pc.

It will also demand improvements in customer service in its retail, commercial and investment divisions.

Sources at the bank stressed that Mr Jenkins had yet to come to a final decision on the Premier League but it is understood that senior figures on the board, as well as executives, do not believe it provides value for money.

One said that Barclays did not need promotion in the UK as the bank has high street branches around the country and its name is well known.

“We just need to shut up for five years and get on with our job,” the source said.

Sources at the bank said that the Premier League’s sponsorship deal was most useful for promoting the bank in Asia and Africa but Barclays could now explore other ways of getting its name recognised in overseas territories.

Diageo, for example, sponsors SuperSport television coverage in Africa, which broadcasts Premier League football to 200m viewers. It also directly sponsors leading stars, such as Samuel Eto’o, who plays football for Chelsea and the Cameroon national team.

In December, the bank announced it was pulling out of sponsoring Boris Johnson’s bike hire scheme in London as part of a wider review of its commercial relationships. Mr Jenkins is looking at a number of deals drawn up when his predecessor, Bob Diamond, was chief executive.

Barclays said that it would continue with the bike deal until the end of 2015, at a cost of around £25m.

common sense seems to be taking hold at Barclays if this news is to be believed, good for shareholders.

When they started their sponsorship, they launched a new premiership credit card that offered open ended 0% interest on balance transfers.

They hastily withdrew this offer within a couple of months!

I managed to get quite a bit 'transferred' and had an interest free loan for some years.

04-Feb-14 Barclays BARC Citigroup Buy 264.55p - - Reiteration

04-Feb-14 Barclays BARC Nomura Buy 264.55p 330.00p 330.00p Reiteration

04-Feb-14 Barclays BARC Goldman Sachs Neutral 264.55p 300.00p 300.00p Reiteration

A new disclosure in Barclays PLC's annual financial results Tuesday highlights risks concerning the British bank's potential legal woes in the U.S. Barclays, which has major U.S. operations, said Tuesday there could be "significant consequences for the group's current and future business operations in the U.S." if it were to violate the terms of a 2012 agreement with U.S. prosecutors. The disclosure, on page 122 of Barclays's 2013 financial results and not included in the bank's previous public statements, relates to a nonprosecution agreement that the bank entered into with the U.S. Justice Department when it settled interest-rate-rigging allegations in June 2012. As part of that pact, Barclays admitted wrongdoing and pledged not to commit any crimes in the U.S. for at least two years. In Tuesday's 2013 report, Barclays warned that a breach of any of the agreement's provisions could lead to the bank being prosecuted for the rate-rigging offenses. The bank said for the first time that such action could harm the bank's businesses in the U.S., where it has major investment-banking, wealth-management and credit-card operations. A person close to the bank said that the new disclosure is part of Barclays's efforts to provide "best in class" transparency to investors and doesn't signify any material change from the year before. Another person close to the bank, however, said the item reflects Barclays's perception of the increasing possibility that the bank could find itself being investigated for other criminal matters in the U.S., potentially bringing the bank in violation of the terms of the nonprosecution agreement. Like many banks, Barclays is responding to requests for information from the Justice Department and other authorities that are investigating potential manipulation of foreign-exchange benchmarks. Barclays said Tuesday that it is currently reviewing its foreign-exchange trading over "a several year period through October 2013." Asked Tuesday about the new language relating to the nonprosecution agreement, Barclays Chief Executive Antony Jenkins said the foreign-exchange probe is "in early days, and we don't comment on ongoing investigations."

Barclays PLC (BCS) dropped 3.8% after the bank posted earnings that made "uncomfortable reading," according to Ishaq Siddiqi, market strategist at ETX Capital. The bank said it aims to shrink its balance sheet by 105 billion pounds ($172 billion) by next year in response to tougher regulation and declining revenue from its investment bank. It also said it will cut up to 12,000 jobs to help reshape its business and cut costs. For all of 2013, Barclays swung to a net profit of GBP540 million, although underlying profit declined compared with 2012. "Certainly a reading that rattles confidence in CEO [Antony] Jenkins's ability to turn around the business by changing the culture, reshaping the balance sheet and repairing the bank's reputation," Siddiqi said in a note. "What's more worrying is that instead of addressing the loss-making investment banking unit, [the] bonus pool was boosted by 10% in 2013 to around GBP2.4 billion. Jenkins says it's in the bank's interest to pay for top performance in an competitive environment," he added.

.

Nice downwards trend building..

3 Reasons I Might Buy Barclays PLC Today
By Mark Stones - Wednesday, 5 March, 2014


How contrarian are you feeling today? Hopefully at least a little, as it’s fair to say not many people like Barclays (LSE: BARC) (NYSE: BCS.US) right now. My own take, however, is a little more favourable.

Results — released in February — were poor. More to the point, and this is where the contrarian part comes in, Barclays’ performance wasn’t even surprising. Nonetheless, investors bolted at a clip. Fancy that.

Now, given you’re here reading this, I’m fairly sure that a market whim isn’t what drives your investment decisions. Rather, the goal is to be as well informed as possible and then make your own judgement.

Here are a few reasons I feel Barclays could make you wealthy.

1. There’s a lot for a low price
It’s safe to say that Barclays has something of a wretched reputation. From being the poster boy for the Libor scandal, to more recent allegations over currency fixing, new chief executive Antony Jenkins has a job on his hands to turn things around.

Moreover, the costs have been enormous. In order to put things right, £1.2bn was spent on restructuring in 2013; while this hurt profits, over the long term earnings generation should become much more efficient.

That’s why — if Barclays meets analyst forecasts of 26p earnings per share — a forward P/E ratio of below 9 appears cheap.

Look at it as a value investment.

2. Profits will get better soon
Secondly, Barclays is well positioned to reap rewards from an upswing in the UK economy, riding the wave of retail stock flotations. Last year Barclays was the number-one bank for flotations ahead of illustrious international competition. Of the 15 companies that came to market in 2013, Barclays worked on seven.

The convenience store McColls and online electricals retailer AO have just floated, while Pets At Home and Poundland will be debuting on the stock market next month, to be followed by a host of other retailers.

Being such a sought after deal maker has big financial rewards — already in 2014 Barclays has earned £344m as an adviser for IPOs in the US.

Barclays’ profits should therefore rise on the improving UK economy and booming equity markets.

3. Market-busting dividends
Of course, one of the main advantages of investing in Barclays is that, unlike some other UK banks, Barclays pays out a dividend. In 2014 analysts are projecting a dividend yield of 5% (for context the FTSE average is 3.5%).

So what we have in Barclays is a banking giant on track for growth, with a dividend that trounces the market, not to mention its world-class investment bank…

... but if a bank does or doesn't fit into your investment strategy, there's a multitude of other ways to improve your returns. For instance, I've mentioned Barclays' impressive dividend, but would you like to know the best way to harness it?

Barclays cuts share awards to top bosses by 20 percent

Bought a few SBs a couple of days ago.

Seems promising. Hoping for 290 at the moment!

19-Mar-14 Barclays
BARC Deutsche Buy 243.00p 325.00p 320.00p Reiteration
19-Mar-14 Barclays
BARC JP Morgan Cazenove Overweight 243.00p 300.00p 285.00p Reiteration

Is There Still Time To Buy Barclays PLC?
By Rupert Hargreaves - Thursday, 3 April, 2014

Right now I’m looking at some of the most popular companies in the FTSE 100 and wider market to try and establish if there is still time for investors to buy in.

Today I’m looking at Barclays (LSE: BARC) (NYSE: BCS.US) to ascertain if its share price has the potential to push higher.

Current market sentiment
The best place to start assessing whether or not Barclays’ share price has the potential to push higher, is to take a look at the market’s current opinion towards the company.

Unfortunately at present, it would appear that the market is somewhat doubtful Barclays’ future plans, as the bank closes branches, cuts jobs, remains embroiled in the Libor scandal and surprisingly, increases bankers’ bonuses.

Further, investors are concerned about Barclays’ sliding profits. The bank’s full-year 2013 adjusted pre-tax profit declined 32%, led by a 9% slump in investment banking income and a 7% rise in operating expenses. Some investors are now wondering if the bank can return to growth.

Upcoming catalysts
Still, Barclays’ management has big plans for growth and these should start to take hold over the next year or so.

Indeed, the bank’s operating costs should fall this year as management cuts 10,000 to 12,000 jobs, including 7,000 posts within the UK. What’s more, Barclays continues to progress with “Project Transform”, which is designed to streamline operations, increase profits and improve the bank’s reputation.

Further, after a rights issue last year to boost the bank’s capital cushion, Barclays now appears well capitalised. Specifically, at the end of 2013 Barclays had core tier 1 capital ratio of 13.2%, up from 10.8% in the same period the year before. Hopefully, this larger capital buffer means that the bank will not need to call on investors again for extra cash in near the future.

Overall, 2013 was a year of unprecedented change for Barclays and it would seem as if 2014 is going to be another year of transformational activity at the bank. However, after the bank and its management have finished streamlining the business, profits should start to rise again.

Valuation
Unsurprisingly due to slumping profits, Barclays currently trades at a rock bottom valuation. In particular, Barclays’ shares currently trade at a forward P/E of on 8.7, falling to 7.1 for 2015. In comparison, the wider banking sector trades at an average P/E of 24.

Moreover, City forecasts currently predict that Barclays’ earnings will expand 67% during 2014 and then an additional 22% during 2015. This rapid rate of growth implies that Barclays’ shares currently offer growth at a reasonable price as they trade at a PEG ratio of 0.13 for 2014.

Foolish summary
So overall, based on Barclays’ low valuation, cost cutting and robust balance sheet, I feel that there is still time to buy Barclays at current levels.

Yipee!

Likes to finally be moving up.

Looks like a triple bottom.

Would like to see 290 in the short term!

Promising.

Not thinking of Manuel!

Announcement of Barclays Annual General Meeting

The 2014 Barclays Annual General Meeting will be held today at 11:00am BST, at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

Barclays Chairman, Sir David Walker, will make the following comments at the Meeting:

"In taking stock today, we do so against the context of the difficult condition of your bank in 2012. Today we have a strong board and management team, and while we have much to do, we are making headway. Your bank has several outstanding businesses that are consistently delivering strong performance. There has been impressive progress embedding Barclays' new purpose and values throughout the bank. The new code of conduct and the balanced scorecard, ensuring that we assess our performance in the light of our values, have been ingrained across the whole company. Barclays today is doing business in the right way."

Barclays Group Chief Executive Officer, Antony Jenkins will present at the Meeting and provide a brief trading update on the first quarter of 2014:

"We have seen the benefits of being a diversified bank in the first quarter with the businesses outside the Investment Bank delivering a resilient performance, compared to the same period last year. In the Investment Bank, our Fixed Income, Credit and Commodities (FICC) business continued to face many of the challenges seen in the second half of 2013 with a significant year-on-year reduction in FICC income, reflecting difficult market conditions and a strong comparative performance for Q1 last year. Our Equities and Investment Banking businesses performed broadly in-line with last year.

A number of actions are being taken to improve the performance of the Group, with our strategic cost management program starting to provide a material benefit across all businesses in Q1. This has helped to provide an offset to the income performance in FICC and, compared to Q1 of the prior year, is expected to result in a small reduction in adjusted profit before tax for the Group. On the 8th of May we will update the market on further actions we are taking to better position both the Group and the Investment Bank to deliver improved and sustainable returns for our shareholders given the regulatory and operating environment."

Barclays will announce its Q1 2014 Interim Management Statement on Tuesday 6 May 2014 at 07:00am BST. A live conference call and webcast facility will follow at 08.30am on barclays.com/investorrelations

Barclays will provide a Group Strategy Update on Thursday 8 May 2014 for institutional investors and analysts at 10:00am BST. The presentation and webcast will also be available on the day at barclays.com/investorrelations

-Ends-