Confidence could be uplifted again...not a colossal amount 13000 shares but at a good level no doubt, could rise here again...

Bought myself as a result, as chart appears to give me confidence...

Directors share option @ 228p
--------------------
T O Kevin- I will have a look again and post here.aj

T O Kevin
MY interpretation / SHORT summary :-

Brandes - you are correct : I said Brandon
...............
My Point no 1 :-Brandes - on behalf of 475 banks - purchased :-

A : 103,648,740 shares.

B : 13,516,738 American Depositary Receipts.
------
A + B = Equivalent of 184,749,168 shares = 8.1 per cent of the Company.

..............
My Point no 2:-

The 475 banks are unaffiliated with Brandes i.e.Brandes or any part of Brandes
is not one or part of one of the 475 banks.
..............
rgds aj

aj - OK, understood. Thanks. There is some chat over the road that the Brandes buying was automatically triggered by computer although this is hotly disputed.

Computer mistake - Definitely Not : in my opinion.aj

Downgraded to 2.90 from 3.25. stockwatch warning.

475 Banks buy 184,749,168 shares.Downgrade logic ????

Downgrade: Possibly something to do with being in a 3-month downtrend and the Austin-Reed profit warning being an indicator of a slowdown in the clothing market?

The chart shows the next support at 262 which is the 12-month low. Below that there's nothing to support it above 230 or so.

Having read the news flash thing today two things occur to me..
1. Austin Reed is a different case to MKS, it's a different type of
store and I would suggest would attract different purchasers. The fact
both are in retail is, in my humble opinion, about as far as the like
for like comparision can go. MKS is not just Austin Reed....

2. Assuming MKS have a good Christmas and so far (as far as I know)
there is no solid evidence to show it wont, it wouldn't surprise me if
all these current doubts are swept aside extremely rapidly. Possibly at
that point the other more diverse sides to MKS - those selling 'bits'
that are not just about clothes - may well be highlighted as 'of course'
the reasons why MKS can do well - due to it's reputation on other
retail products like food, wines, flowers, gifts etc, store cards,
financial products etc etc. If that happens (of course) there will be no
prizes for pointing out that a few months/weeks before it seemed MKS
were being viewed purely from their clothing angle...

I'm not saying the news out today is wrong, nor am I saying MKS
may not fall temporarily back to a lower price level,
but I do feel sometimes that companies 'get talked down'in the press
etc and some news items are really short-term in the grand scheme of
things, sometimes perspective I feel can be a real issue....

Well put, stockbunny.

I'm not really bullish on MKS, but if I was I wouldn't
be put off by any broker's view, especially one I hadn't
paid for.

Brokers are there to serve their own interests, not ours.

They will issue statements to suit their own positions.
Their analysts, even if good at their jobs, have to spin
matters the way their paymasters want it, not what they
believe.

If you don't know who you can trust, there is only one
answer.
Trust nobody and ignore all of them.

Melnibone

Precisely! MKS has now ventured into the Credit Card era (at last) and has a large, loyal and well-heeled customer base who are an excellent dredit risk. I believe this side of the business can only enhance MKS which are probably undervalued by the market due to the continuing love of the short term trend over the tried and tested. MKS probably up to 310-320p Jan/Feb (in my humble opn). Trust your instincts.

475 Banks Buying:475 Banks making a mistake ?? aj

aj: as they say, the market is never wrong no matter what 475 banks may say :-)

I'm just looking at the chart and saying what I see. I'm probably looking at it in a much shorter timescale than most of the people on this thread so this downtrend may be a good opportunity to buy if you think this stock is undervalued.

Looking at the end-of-day chart, there is certainly a support building at around 269p and I'll certainly be keeping a close eye on my short trade over the next couple of days in case it bounces. However, if the price drops through that level I wouldn't bet on a recovery this side of Christmas. Of course that does not contradict the possibility of 310-320p by jan/feb as put forward by namreh3 - it's really a matter of timescales. Some form of good news between now and then would certainly help to kick-start the price.

As they also say, no advice given, DYOR and don't try this at home.

PRICE DROP REASON ?? --- today 200,000 @ 269.5633
Nov 20 : Barclays no longer has notifiable interest

.................
Opinion :-
They still have shares but less than required for
notifiable interest.Or they e.g.sold all shares and re.bought : See below.

They are one of the 475 Banks that purchased e.g.a different name.

IF correct :-
The price dropped when they sold so they re - bought
AND their manipulation of the market ensured the other 474 bought low.

Totally agree, AUSTIN REED and MARKS n Spencers 2 different retailers...MnS Food is big money, in fact quality is King in todays market environment..

No offence but Austin Reed is expensive for what it's worth, On the other hand Marks N Spencers is value for money and more tasteful Variety these days after major revamp and new Buyers...i.e more affordable for average person...

And The food...Well thats I could write about all day...!!!

I dont have a worry about MnS, any left overs would be cleared in the sales, big time.

Jules99.

Apparently, MKS are not stocking stores in the way they have in the past, so left overs or early sale bargains to clear stock may not materialise as they have previously. Sorry to disappoint Jules99!

NEWS

500,000 @ 268.2368
aj

Rising well this morning....

Yes, Morgan Stanley have upgraded them.

Bears seem to be losing the battle.
Looks like those March lows have held for the moment.

Melnibone.

Still climbing well - late 270's today than???
Best to be positive and optimistic in this game!!!!

sold out of mks for today...

reason need funds for other Tech opportunities around for expected xmax rise..

gone for Colt and Logica...my best two, expect both to hit past their highs...MKS wont give me that kind of rise i dont think until a statment is given by MKS..

jules99..