We all know the market is a bit too excitable currently and that opportunity is in most cases more fleeting than structural. Analytically that pulls me towards market leaders, good balance sheets and dividends. It also makes me wonder about the strategies of hedge funds. This website has a proud history of spotting good shorts - and I see Tom has just unveiled a new bottom-end of the larger cap brethren short idea HERE. Another popular hedge fund strategy is merger arbitrage i.e. betting on whether deals complete or not and from this perspective I got thinking about Sky (SKY) which has just reported its first quarter numbers. 

Hello, Share Chuckers. As I bring you promising companies which may have escaped your notice on office days, there’s time to explain my general methods at the weekend. I can’t expect you to follow my various suggestions unless you know my lines of thought. So, for those of you wise enough to subscribe to this essential website, here goes.

My good pal the bear raider Waseeem Shakoor posted a few thoughts on UK Oil & Gas (UKOG) this morning over at ADVFN. He, like Lucian Miers, is now well in profit but staying short at 4.6p. I explained in bearcast why he is right to do so. Here is Waseem...

Following a calamitous trading statement in August, there is now another “Trading Statement” announcement from Provident Financial (PFG) – this emphasising home credit business recovery plan progress and seeing the shares currently sparking higher. So, what’s the detail?...

I start with a trip down memory lane this October 13th. It's back to 1987. can you remember why? Then, if you thought punters in Cloudtag (CTAG) or MySquar (MYSQ) were bonkers ( well they are) then meet Helios & Matheson. This tale will have you in stitches. Unless you are a MySquar moron in which case you will probably see it as an investment opportunity. Then it is onto UK Oil & Gas (UKOG), the Frogs selling and the slump to 2p or less. BTW Lucian Miers is now well in the money and added to his short yesterday. I explain why i3 Energy (i3E) is doomed and will crater soon and also go into the mounting woes of Conroy Gold & Natural Resources (CGNR) after this morning's news.

Having only been “pleased to announce” it had IPO’d on AIM in June last year, last week saw Accrol Group (ACRL) shares suspended whilst the board considered the anticipated impact on its net debt situation of a now expected “significantly below” expectations earnings performance. This was with “challenging trading conditions” and as it had “recently been advised that a Health and Safety incident, which occurred prior to the company's AIM IPO, may now result in a more significant fine being imposed by the Health and Safety Executive than was previously anticipated”. There is now an “Update on Health and Safety incident” announcement…

Nigel Somerville raises a red flag about AIM uber dog Milestone (MSG) HERE but is too nice a guy to point oiut just how worthless and overvalued this crock is. I am not so nice.

Peter Earl, the former CEO of Rurelec (RUR), has come forward with a potential offer for the company. As bizarre development go, this is right up there with the best of them. Next up the re-appointment of Rob Terry to Watchstone (formerly Quindell)?

I bring you below a twitter exchange with a moron who owns shares in MySquar (MYSQ). There is no hope for some folks, they deserve an inevitable fate of poverty.

Toys, games and giftware group Character (CCT) has reaffirmed that “underlying pre-tax profits for the year ended 31 August 2017 are projected to meet current market estimates”, but that “at this early stage of the group's new financial year the board consider that, based on the latest sales and market data available to them, the group's performance for the year ending 31 August 2018 is now expected to be significantly below current market estimates”. However, there still looks to remain reasons for optimism...

Yesterday I produced some quality analysis on why shares in BCA MarketPlace (BCA) will collapse. Predictably the paid shills masquerading as City research analysts have responded. When BCA shares tank as they will inevitably do please do not let hapless broker N+1 Singer forget this ( the underline is mine and suggests that N+1 has not even bothered to read my note before responding with this horse...):

Writing on InterQuest (ITQ) previously last month, I stated shares suspended… but greater hope for shareholders – and the shares are currently back trading on AIM following the appointment of a nominated adviser and broker. However, there remains a question of for how long?...

On Wednesday at 2.13pm AIM-listed Milestone Group (MSG) knocked out a TR-1 RNS. Nothing unusual about that, but hang on – what about the dates?

Hello Share Swappers. This old punter is not a fan of mining shares. Apart from British Energy and the big British banks, mining has always been my biggest loser. Whereas, the related sector of oil has done me proud. Think BG and Dragon Oil, all big winners for ShareProphets members. But, nevertheless, my selection today is a big miner.

Zac "the Knife" Phillips is, of course, the City's No 1 oil analyst and as we own shares in Curzon Energy (CZN) I see no problem in highlighting this most excellent piece of research. Okay, SP Angel is a retained broker so feel free to ignore this as PR marketing hogwash but Zac "the Knife" is no fool and is a man who writes what he thinks. Over to "the great one"

The first pressing issue with MySquar (MYSQ) is whether it has committed securities fraud or merely driven a coach and horses through AIM Rules or both. I hope that either SP Angel or Beaufort will force it to reveal July sales numbers to give us an answer. The next question is when does it run out of cash? Here is my best estimate.

Following a 12th September interim results announcement which saw me consider it clearly tough operating conditions and (further) forecast downgrades ahoy, Goals Soccer Centres (GOAL) has now made a “Directorate Change” announcement…

Industrial chains and related power transmission products supplier Renold (RNO) has updated on trading including “the torque transmission division performed in-line with expectations. The Chain division delivered organic growth, but profitability was affected by machine break-downs at our Einbeck facility and by sustained increases in raw material costs”. Uh oh…

The red flags are obvious. The business model is one that could blow up with the asset bubble that has created it. Even in a best case scenario the valuation is absurd. Oh and Neil Woodford is a major investor. Need I say more. After Purplebricks (PURP) which is a nailed down zero, this is my number 1 short for the Autumn.

A quarterly operational update from KEFI Minerals (KEFI) sees it emphasised it’s “pulling together our project funding for the Tulu Kapi gold project in Ethiopia for the closing planned for this year”. This and construction catalysts upcoming go together with a current massive discount to potential net present value…