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

As always i will experience some pain before gain HARRY but i would be surprised if it got that low . Alternatively try and trade it ,it has moved by 5% or more recently , i think for me it could be a buy and hold for a while .

Withdraw a small fortune

Despite expectations of further cooling in the British economy, I believe banking giant Barclays' (LSE:BARC) remains a terrific growth selection.

Adding to fears of potential pressure on the firm's High Street operations, the latest updates from Santander and Royal Bank of Scotland this week again highlighted the huge financial fallout heaped on Britain's banks by the PPI mis-selling scandal of previous years.

Still, Barclays et al should take confidence from the FCA's plans to put a lid on claims not put-in before 2018. And the company's Transform streamlining package looks set to drive costs steadily lower in the coming years.

On top of this, the steady rise of the firm's Barclaycard division -- combined with the potential of its pan-African operations -- should also win over investors concerned over possible near-term pressures on its Retail Banking arm.

The City expects Barclays to follow a predicted 24% earnings rise in 2015 with a 21% advance in 2016, leaving the company dealing on an ultra-cheap P/E rating of 8.6 times. I believe the banking goliath merits serious investor attention at these prices.

I couldn't resist any longer. 1.64 for me. Not sure whether I want to be quickly in and out for 5-10% or whether to hold longer.

Nearly went for HSBA instead because of the dividend difference but 1.64 just looked too tasty to ignore

No stoppıng the rot here. If we get to 140p I mıght be brave and buy some.

1 Feb Goldman Sachs 320.00 Conviction Buy

Any snıff off bad debts creepıng back up and 320.0 wıll be even further away.

I agree Claret but i think they are oversold at the moment .

True jimmy b. They are indeed.

I also thought that of Northern Rock at £6.00

Its different now!!!!!!!

Best of British to anyone who steps in.

Wow Claret ,comparing Barclays with Northern Rock is a bit harsh .

Ask yourselves this, are you quite sure that we won't get yet another piece of bad news out of BARC in the forceable future.

Is BARC going bust ? :) ask yourself that.

I just get worrıed that the real problem ıs Debt. On all fronts. Recently ıts not front and centre. Soon wıll be when the fırst shoe drops.

I don't buy or sell by broker rec's , but .

5 Feb Jefferies... 287.00 Buy

BARC seems to have moved in line with the UK market, so my simple logic is that as there is still some downside to come (for a whole host of reasons, Brexit, oil, $ strength, China, commodities etc). BARC itself is nowhere near as profitable as it once was in the days of BarCap, so I can't see it being as attractive to investors, plus there is still the investigation into the Dubai bailout details to be concluded. I am waiting for sub 150p, but confess I may miss the boat if the market picks up. FTSE & DOW the trend is still down (not sure why some continually want to go long) so am happy to wait for the moment. AIMO.

"FTSE & DOW the trend is still down (not sure why some continually want to go long) so am happy to wait for the moment. AIMO."

I suspect going long for others on here is only for the short term Harry, it certainly is for me.

I don't s/b myself, but I often think people seem to be more comfortable going long than short. Most on the FTSE thread seem to prefer 'Long' trades.

The Trend is your friend!

Kick against it with trepidation!!!

StockMarketWire.com
Barclays reports improved profit before tax in its core business but posts statutory pre-tax profits of GBP2,073m for 2015 - down 8% - after absorbing net losses on adjusting items of GBP3,330m (2014: GBP3,246m).

Group adjusted total income net of insurance claims decreased 5% to £24,528m, with Core total income in line at £24,692m (2014: £24,678m) and Non-Core total income reducing to a net expense of £164m (2014: income of £1,050m)

Barclays says driving efficiency remains a significant focus for the Group, with total adjusted operating expenses reducing 6% to £16,998m. Adjusted operating expenses excluding costs to achieve reduced 4% to £16,205m, driven by savings from strategic cost programmes.

The Core business performed well reflecting continued good progress. This resulted in a 3% increase in profit before tax to £6,862m, with improvements in all Core operating businesses, including Africa Banking on a constant currency basis.

The improved profit before tax in the Core business was driven by positive cost to income jaws across all Core operating businesses. Combined with the increase in average allocated equity of £5bn to £47bn, the return on average equity for the Core business was 9.0% (2014: 9.2%) and the return on average tangible equity was 10.9% (2014: 11.3%).

The accelerated rundown of the Non-Core business resulted in a 2% reduction in Group adjusted profit before tax to £5,403m due to a 24% increase in the Non-Core loss before tax to £1,459m.

The group reports strong progress in the rundown of the Non-Core business continued, with a further reduction in risk weighted assets of £29bn to £47bn contributing to the increase in the CET1 ratio. Non-Core leverage exposure decreased to £121bn (2014: £277bn). The announced sales of the Portuguese and Italian retail businesses in H215, due to be completed in H116, are expected to result in a further £2.5bn reduction in Non-Core risk weighted assets. Non-Core period end allocated equity reduced to £7bn (2014: £11bn).

Group capital and leverage ratios continued to strengthen. The fully loaded common equity tier 1 (CET1) ratio increased 110 basis points to 11.4% driven by a reduction in risk weighted assets of $44bn to £358bn. The leverage ratio increased 80 basis points to 4.5% driven by a reduction in leverage exposure of £205bn to £1,028bn.

Barclays also announced its intention to sell down its 62.3% interest in our African business, BAGL, over the coming two to three years, to a level which will permit us to deconsolidate it from an accounting and regulatory perspective, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals if and as required.

It says BAGL is a well-diversified business and a high quality franchise. However the stake in BAGL presents specific challenges to Barclays as owners, such as the level of capital held in respect of BAGL, the international reach of the UK Bank Levy, the GSIB buffer, and MREL/TLAC and other regulatory requirements. BAGL is today reporting a 17% return on equity for 2015 in its standalone local currency results versus the 8.7% return reported.

Barlays made additional provisions relating to payment protection insurance (PPI) of £1,450m were made in Q415 based on an updated estimate of future redress and associated costs following a slower than expected decline in claims volumes during H215.

Barclays declared a final dividend of 3.5p per share, making 6.5p in total for 2015. But it says it intends to pay a dividend of 3.0p for 2016 and 2017.

Chief executive Jes Staley said: "Our 2015 performance demonstrates the strength of Barclays' Core business, as well as the importance of continuing to make progress in running down Non-Core and controlling our costs to deliver the returns our shareholders deserve in a reasonable timeframe.

"PCB and Barclaycard delivered excellent results, and Africa Banking also performed well despite currency headwinds. The Investment Bank year on year performance was stronger as the benefits of the strategy implemented since May 2014 were realised.

"Risk weighted assets in the Non-Core were down further to £47bn, having more than halved since the unit was created, and maintaining this very good momentum is critical to our future success. Group adjusted operating expenses were nearly £100m below guidance, and we have seen our capital position strengthen further with our CET1 ratio increasing to 11.4% and our leverage ratio improving to 4.5%. What all of this illustrates is that Barclays is fundamentally on the right path, and is, at its core, a very good business.

"There is of course more we need to do and areas where I believe we can move much faster to deliver the high performing Group that Barclays can and should be. 2016 will consequently be a year of accelerated delivery from a good base."

BARC shares halted on trading in London due to high volatility.

Haitong Securities Buy 153.65 300.00 300.00 Reiterates