Off Topic The "Discuss Anything Else" Thread

Well, about time too, but it's not nearly enough:

http://www.dw.com/en/german-parliament-approves-stricter-asylum-regulations/a-19072311

 

Do Germany have to have their law changes approved by all 28 countries in the EU?

 

Other banks would like to be where Lloyds is, especially now that it looks to have drawn a line under the whole sorry PPI affair. Lloyds tends to have the primary financial relationship with its clients; other players have to try and jostle their way in past the current account and mortgage provider to see what is left on the table.
Lloyds Banking Group plc Ordinary 10p
Sell: 70.25p | Buy: 70.27p |

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8.07 (12.97%)

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Capital ratios are strong and there is little need to build ratios up any more, so in future, the bank just needs to set enough capital aside to maintain current levels, as the business grows, and can give the rest back to investors. The bank has been assiduously cutting costs for years and is now reaping the benefit. Their class-leading cost:income ratio and focus on low risk, simple banking products means they have strong cash generation, but little need to retain the cash they create. Remember ratios should not be looked at in isolation and other factors should be considered.
Bad debts are extraordinarily low, a fraction of what Lloyds have previously described as typical, because interest rates are low and employment is high. Investors should not expect them to stay this low in the long run. But the Bank of England has suggested that rate increases, when they eventually come, will be gradual and modest in scale. That should limit the scale of any increase in bad debts.
Whilst HSBC and Standard Chartered were beneficiaries of the changes to the banking levy, its reshaping as a tax surcharge on UK bank profit is less helpful to Lloyds, given it has become a robustly profitable UK bank.
Lloyds is strongly capitalised and intends to return any surplus capital generation through special dividends and share buy-backs. It may not grow that quickly; after all, it has large shares of relatively mature markets, so it is a large fish that will bump up against the edges of the tank quite often. But if it can keep throwing off cash in the direction of shareholders when it does so, we can live with that. Lloyds remains our favourite amongst the UK’s major banking stocks.

 

Good lord, don't think so?

 

Why do I get the impression Britain does then?

 

I wondered where you were going with this - take a bow young man

 

Help, where are the forum European legal experts, are they in Brussels atm?

 

Those devious buggers in the Remain campaign have cut off their internet access until 23 June.

 

Ah, could you be getting a bit low on Vitamin B-12?............

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What are you implying Swanny; I'm getting nervous, or my brain isn't functioning properly

 

No, Ron, but I think everyone in Europe is getting pretty bloody nervous nowadays. Total and utter cockup with these migrants.

 

A false impression propogated by a deliberately misleading media perhaps?

 

That was the answer I was expecting

 

Don't think I want any additions to the infusions already in my Tegernseer 'Spezial', which, having finished my share of the housework (oh for the days when we actually had a cleaning lady once a week*), I am now about to indulge!

*She was rather nice actually, used to have coffee and cookies with her............

 

An' tha

 

We used to have a young nanny. That's all I'm saying

 

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Is that cockney slang Swanny?

 

Could be, Ron, but after all these years down here probably speak more Bayerisch (Bavarian dialect) than I do Cockney. It was tough at times, I will admit, but all it was was coffee and cookies! I swear. Digressing, I tell you one thing Ron, I remember enough about my younger days in the Smoke to state that no self-respecting Londoner would be seen dead talking per the impersonations of the horseracing forum's illustrious leader of the Tweedy People. No way! You know, I remain entirely unconvinced he's even English.............