Now,you melburnians should know all about Mr David Tweed,but others

          who live away from your centre may not remember or know anything about 

          this'dude'. 

           David Tweed [DT] is what the newspapers describe as a Share Scammer.

       His career was based on what used to be called 'Odd Lots'.These were not

        rounded out share parcels  to the 50 or 100.Such share parcels incurred

       extra brokerage,you might have had to pay 7/10% brokerage to sell them

       back in the Old Days.Such parcels were formed by dividend reinvestment

       plans,Will division of say 1000 shares amongst 7 inheritors,that sort

       of commercial transaction.They also got formed by De-Mutualisation of 

       NRMA,Insurance Companies,Friendly Societies,etc.

           The point is that many small share holders,individually,had very

      few shares[$1/2000 worth]but collectively these shareholders might 

      hold a Million $'s or shares and this is what DT went out to collect.

      The problem for DT was if the share was on the Market quote at say $2

      he'd send an offer to the small shareholders through the post of say

      75 cents.His letterhead said National Estates and went on to say that

      YOU Mrs Blah,are the owner of 7522 shares in XYZ co and we offer you say

      $6016 for them.If you want $6016,send the attached form in provided stamp 

      addressed envelope and the money will be there in a week from National

      Estates.

           Now,DT always sent the money,no worries,wouldn't you if you

      pay 80 cents for a $2 on the market now share?Besides as an Ethical

      businessman,DT had bound himself in that initial letter to an Offer

      and when the soon to be Ex-Small Shareholder replied,that form of 

      National Estate's was carefully worded to be an Acceptance and that's

      the basis of a binding contract in Law.Neither party can back out.It's

      beyond my word is my bond,It's all legal,you said you would,it's in 

      writing,here's your money,give me your shares or i'll see you in Court.

         Now i'm not writing this to discuss the morality of DT,or the scam

      aspect of National Estates,that you can find on google search but the

      Law got changed some because of DT,so it's no use trying to start up

      a similar operation and frankly DT is a scumbag .

      
      I wish to move on to how he got the Information to run this scamming 

    breaking of hearts,how he got the names/addresses/share holding details.

    That's where the current Alert 'n' Alarm lies. 


         Now there was nothing illegal or even complicated about the DT system.

    It is purely clerical based and DT was doing it from before PC's came into

    the home,so it's that simple.The Law requires the Share Registers of Public

    Listed Companies to be open for perusal by anyone.Thus are number of shares,

    name and address of Holders available.DT used this to find his targets BUT

    he was not 'taken out' by changing this Law.This legal right is too necessary

    for many reasons to be changed for the likes of DT.This is where the conspiracy

    part starts.

    Please do not anticipate that this is just a Big Brother rave by a paranoid,schitzo,

    always thought this so called jr was a mad dog waste of time.Well,you're free to,

    I'm not wanting to change your mind,just giving you something to think about.

          I assume you[who are reading] perhaps have got to the last pages of an

    Annual Report.Seen the breakdown of the Top 20 shareholders and the little index

    giving X number hold between Y'n'Z number of shares down to 'such and such'number

    hold an uneconomic parcel.Seen that? I can only assume so,after all,I imagine some

    may take pride in finding how they rank in the top percentiles,so many do,I know.


          I contend that the Open Share Registry is or could be used by Institutionals,

    professional trading partnerships,Boutiques,and any entity that had say over $20mil

    to 'play'.I am not suggesting THEY are following individual shareholders.I'm suggesting

    that the Share Registry could be used to present categories of shareholders based on

    criteria such as time held,price bought,price percent moves that cause 'categories'

    to buy/sell or keep Holding.Information from the micro grains of hourly,daily,weekly

    thru to years and soon decades and it's all clerical,all proven,all what is actually

    happening,this micro data would provide a fine edge,put one in the Zone,as i see it's

    described now.

          If you're thinking 'Preposterous,someone,somewhere would have "informed" we small

    but canny,clever investors/traders if such 'insider' info existed'I can only ask Why do

    you think you'd be told?

    It's completely legal,not scandalous.No reporter would get a Walkley Award for exposing

    it.This is pure CLERICAL i.e, Boring work.So I think it comes down to that no one has 

    even asked!

    But that doesn't mean IT hasn't been thought of and especially that IT's not being acted on.

    So if you agree that the technology exists now to tabulate,categorise immense amounts

    of insignificant data into categories to 'read' the herd/crowd/the Market,we can move

    to the simple How,Now and perhaps more importantly WHY you,us can't get on to it and

    may just have to handle being out manouvred yet again by the Big Boys.Sorry i don't

    think this is the Holy Grail for small timers.

         As it should be,it's simple really.There are two Share Registries in Australia,

    Computershare and Perpetual Trustees.I've read in this forum one of our Leading Lights

    touting to buy Computershare because of the increased turnover of shares meaning ergo

    Compshare will make more money so buy.I've also read a report elsewhere that the profits

    for them is in takeover statements,bids etc with the directors recomends and all that 

    is where the real profits are made,share transfers can actually bring Losses.As usual

    info conflicts,have to make your own plays,but i digress.

         Perpetual Trustees is perfectly placed as a Registry AND Instit Investor to bring

    the System i propose above to actuality but I'm not resting my case there.If the Big

    Boys want that infornmation and are prepared to pay to get it in a form that suits them?

    There is no reason at all why it wouldn't be given to them,in fact it would be illegal

    not to! Sheer $ size would/could give monthly,even shorter time period,'adjustments' to 

    the Register.It could be used to give ratings to any and all ploys,systems like how

    many longtermers did we get to sell/buy.What weight of money came fresh to the Market

    if/when this happened to say a Top50 share?Oh it'd be a beautiful way to keep 'score'

    and I reckon on that basis alone,it's on.

         Now,what can be done about it? Nothing.It's intellectual property as soon as it's

    set-up on the catagories.The formulae,the interpretation of results etc. would be a 

    relatively small dept. to an interested Big Boy.If you agree that such a system would be 

    a beneficial tool/mechanism,you would have to be more concerned as a Perpetual or Compshr

    investor,as to the why aren'ts than with the is it so?

         If you,reader,know a computer whiz with dosh/cash to invest? Remember it's legal.

   The raw data is available,probably on a monthly basis and compared to Intelligent Investor

   flogging Director's buy/sell notices for $600 odd,it'll be a winner.You'll just have to 

   watch THE Peoples reaction to being catagorised,tell them that their individual privacy

   is protected to assuage fear and don't even think of selling it to Direct Marketeer cold

   call,junk mail operators cos,well they're already on to it!!


   [Dedicated to Mary Ann who told me how she got my number]