Probably most of you know that Saudi Aramco is setting up to sell something like 5% of company in an IPO.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but this whole thing really seems even more shady than the normal IPOs that hit the market.

I know several people in the oil business and they have similar views about it, some are more forceful in their opinion than others.  It isn't clear if the issue is:
- The fundamental nature of the company / country structure
- Somewhat incredible assumptions used in the valuation
- Their intended use of the funds
- The concept that a country can export 11+ million barrels of oil a day and still be in deficit spending
- Politics, etc

I wondered if you are getting any additional information about this IPO that would make me feel like it is more legitimate than my gut is telling me?

I won't be investing in it, just curious.

Thanks

Have you tried upping the voltage of the AGP port?

No.

(betcha I'm the last forumite who actually has an agp port)

Legacy dude.

Awsome. Manthorp only has a tattoo.

Was trying to fix an XP box today at work, when I opened it up was pleased to see it had a lovely AGP port. Tried upping the voltage, but didn't help matters (probably something to do with it having nothing in the AGP slot, was using integrated graphics). Reseating the RAM did seem to fix it (for now, at least) though! Ah, the good old days!

Welcome to my world.  :-{)

I disabled write cache in xp to try and prevent recurring disk issues (which worked), but it killed game performance. So I re-enabled it, and will have to remember to boot into repair console & run chkdsk every few days.  :-(

I'm hankering over a subcutaneous neodymium magnet ATM, but I'm not aware of any UK bod-modders who offer it as service.

I have about 4 spare AGP graphics cards. Just in case, but of what I don't know.

what brand/models are they?

DIY?

Mainly Radeons I believe. Acquired from old PCs at work that were due to be skipped.

They do actually have a purpose to some degree, my wife has an older Windows XP machine at work for use with a piece of specialised research kit that doesn't work under newer Windows. The PC that drives it had AGP graphics, so I collected a few spare cards. Four is admittedly excessive...

I like the practical uses that could lead to. My favourite is a magnet placed either side of the bridge of the nose for attaching a set of specs.

Something like these (though a few seem to be piercings and look less elegant than that which a magnet might achieve).

https://www.google.co.uk/search?tbm=isch&q=magnetic+nose+implant+for+glasses&spell=1&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi0h7T2qKLXAhVJ6xoKHeQ2B18QBQg7KAA&biw=946&bih=667&dpr=1

If they are strong enough, you could put several around your head for scissors, stapler and can opener, things I'm sick and tired of losing.

A walking stationary box.

I can see chefs using head magnets for small pans and keeping knives close to hand (so to speak) and surgeons for having lancets, scalpels and speculums ready to go whenever they are. :|

Don't think I have the cajones for that.

You just need the right anesthetic

It occurred to me that since Aramco is essentially a portion of the SA govt, then when you purchase a share of stock in Aramco:
- You are essentially purchasing a share of stock in Saudi Arabia
- The country is in heavy negative cash flow for a while - and apparently for some time to come
- Not sure if it is a good thing or not, but their solution to a cash flow problem appears to have been to round up anyone with significant money and influence and "jail them" and their families in a hotel.
- SA is also in the middle of several wars and appears to be itching to get into another one.

Not sure that this is really a great investment.  Certainly outside of my risk / reward level.

Saudi Arabia is fucked in all kinds of ways. OTOH, Brent crude just went to $64.