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

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.

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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-

AGM Statement

Investec Buy 251.43 295.00 295.00 Reiterates

Jefferies International Buy 251.43 360.00 345.00 Reiterates

Numis Add 252.68 280.00 280.00 Reiterates

Espirito Santo Execution Noble Buy 252.68 356.00 356.00 Reiterates

Deutsche Bank Buy 252.68 320.00 320.00 Retains

Citigroup Buy 252.68 345.00 345.00 Reiterates

Barclays to announce 'bad bank' next week - source

(Reuters) - British bank Barclays will next week announce the creation of a bad bank portfolio of assets it deems non-core that it intends to sell or run down as part of a streamlining of its investment bank, a person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Interim Management Statement

Performance Highlights

Income Statement

· Adjusted profit before tax was down 5% to £1,693m driven by a reduction in Investment Bank income, in particular FICC, and currency movements partially offset by a reduction in operating expenses of 16% to £4,435m

· Statutory profit before tax improved 18% to £1,812m, including an own credit gain of £119m (Q113: loss of £251m)

Income Performance

· Adjusted income decreased 14% to £6,650m, primarily reflecting a reduction in the Investment Bank partially offset by growth in UK RBB and Barclaycard. Customer net interest income for RBB, Barclaycard, Corporate Banking and Wealth and Investment Management increased 4% to £2,613m reflecting business growth and stable margins

· Investment Bank income was down 28% to £2,490m driven primarily by a 41% decrease in FICC income due to challenging trading conditions resulting in subdued client activity across Rates and Credit, changes in business mix in light of the ongoing strategic review of the Investment Bank, and a relatively strong performance in Q113

Credit Impairment

· Credit impairment charges improved 22% to £548m, principally reflecting lower charges in Africa RBB and Corporate Banking. As a result the loan loss rate improved to 45bps (Q113: 56bps)

Cost Performance

· Operating expenses decreased £861m to £4,435m reflecting a £274m reduction in CTA charges and savings attributable to prior year Transform initiatives, in particular the restructuring programmes, and currency movements

Balance Sheet, Leverage and Capital Management

· Fully loaded CRD IV Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio increased 37bps to 9.6% and the estimated PRA leverage ratio increased 16bps to 3.1%, largely reflecting the capital generated from earnings; and for the leverage ratio, a £39bn reduction in PRA leverage exposure to £1,326bn. The estimated fully loaded CRD IV leverage ratio increased to 3.3% (2013: 3.1%)

· Total equity excluding non-controlling interest increased £1bn to £56.4bn

· Net tangible asset value per share improved 1p to 284p and net asset value per share was stable at 331p

Returns

· Adjusted return on average shareholders' equity decreased to 6.4% (Q113: 7.6%) principally reflecting the equity raised from the rights issue in Q413 and a decrease in profit before tax. Adjusted return on average tangible shareholders' equity decreased to 7.5% (2013: 9.0%). Statutory return on average shareholders' equity improved to 7.1% (Q113: 6.5%)

hTTp://tickerreport.com/banking-finance/208275/barclays-plc-given-buy-rating-at-investec-barc/

Barclays announces Group Strategy Update

Barclays announces Group Strategy Update

Barclays Chief Executive Officer Antony Jenkins and Group Finance Director Tushar Morzaria will today update investors on the results of the Group Strategy Review. This will outline the path to deliver the Transform objective of a sustainable return on equity above the cost of equity in a changed regulatory and economic environment. As a result of these changes, our determination to become the 'Go-To' bank for our clients and customers remains, but how we achieve that goal has to take account of the new environment.

Barclays will be repositioned, simplified and rebalanced to improve returns significantly.

Barclays will be a focused international bank, with four core businesses:

1. Personal and Corporate Banking: a combination of most of our leading UK Retail, Corporate and Wealth businesses to take advantage of infrastructure cost synergies to deliver good returns
2. Barclaycard: a high returning business with strong and diversified international growth potential
3. Africa Banking: a longer term growth business with distinct competitive advantages
4. Investment Bank: an origination led and returns focused business, delivering Banking, Equities, Credit and certain Macro products to our clients in a more capital efficient way

Barclays today also announces the creation of Barclays Non-Core. This unit groups together those assets which do not fit the strategic objectives or returns criteria underlying the Strategy Review. Barclays will look to exit or run down these assets over time. Barclays Non-Core consists of c.£115bn of RWAs (including £59bn of Transform Exit Quadrant Assets held at year end 2013) with associated leverage exposure of c.£400bn, comprising:

· c.£90bn of Investment Bank RWAs, including non-standard FICC derivatives, non-core commodities and specific emerging markets products
· c.£16bn of Europe retail RWAs, representing the entirety of the business, reflecting its non-strategic nature to Barclays
· c.£9bn of certain Corporate, Barclaycard and Wealth RWAs

Barclays is targeting a reduction in non-core RWAs to c.£50bn, and leverage exposure to c.£180bn, by the end of 2016, with the drag on Group Return on Equity reduced to <3% (of which c.50 bps represents Europe retail), down from c.6% in 2013. Preservation of net tangible asset value will be a priority as Barclays seeks to reduce the return on equity drag from the non-core unit. Barclays also expects to be able to accrete capital at the Group level over the period to 2016.

As a consequence of these changes, Barclays will become significantly more balanced and in turn able to deliver higher, more sustainable returns through the cycle. The core businesses account for c.£320bn of 2013 RWAs, with the core Investment Bank expected to represent no more than 30% of the Group total by 2016, compared to just over 50% now. Personal and Corporate Banking, Barclaycard and Africa Banking account for the majority of the Group's RWAs in core Barclays. Plans for the Investment Bank will result in gross headcount reductions of around 7,000 by 2016 across core and non-core. The overall 2014 Group gross headcount reduction has been increased to 14,000.


more...

Investec Buy 257.08 295.00 295.00 Reiterates

Espirito Santo Execution Noble Buy 257.08 356.00 356.00 Reiterates

are there any more fines will buy on weakness ? maybe.