This is good news. Falanx (FLX) has made it clear that it does not need to place again to execute its business plan and to get itself into material profitability. We would hope for a formal trading statement within the next month or so very much confirming this and an improvement in profitability.

Shares in IQE (IQE) are volatile. In the past year they have traded between 136p and 56p and closed yesterday at 68p. The market can often be unforgiving when companies disappoint but in the case of IQE it seems remarkably tolerant…

Union Jack Oil (UJO) “is pleased to announce that it has conditionally raised £1.75 million by way of a placing and subscription, through the issue of a total of 2,333,333,334 new ordinary shares at an issue price of 0.075 pence”…

Bloody hell, these misogynists, jealous of the “success” of Julie “Lingerie on Expenses” Meyer are everywhere determined to do her down because she is a woman and an American. It is so unfair. And of course it is all driven by fake news is it not? Er no. Today we have fresh news of another humiliating setback for Ms Meyer.

From the FCA's spreadsheet of short positions required to be disclosed to it, the following shows the shorted AIM shares with positions from 2018 and thus far in 2019 (by net short position %, those in bold not on the list at the start of 2019) – and if this position has increased (red), reduced (green) or remained unchanged (black) since last week...

I still see the occasional after-hours RNS which, were I a shareholder in the company concerned, would make my blood boil. Yesterday a release from AIM-listed Woodford Dog Netscientific (NSCI) at 4.42pm on a Friday evening ticked all the boxes.

Hello, Share Pickers. So the Brexit mess worsens. If we conducted our affairs in the same counterproductive and argumentative way as those MPs of ours, we would all be bankrupt by now. It’s a disgrace. But let’s try and be positive about the situation as regards our shares.

Provider of wireless solutions for remote tracking, monitoring and protection, Starcom (STAR) is “pleased to see WIMC indicating satisfaction with Tetis and planning for larger potential orders” – and its shares have currently responded slightly higher, to 1.275p…

We own stacks of shares in Yourgene (YGEN). I am in no doubt that they are very cheap and will head sharply higher and soon. But I am wrestling with my conscience here and in light of it being World Down Syndrome Day yesterday I explain why.  If you enjoyed this, almost, profanity free bearcast, follow a bloke from the Grim North who donated enough to buy a whole house in the welfare safari and support the Rogue Bloggers for Woodlarks HERE.

CEO of ‘Procurement-as-a-Service’ platform company Maistro (MAIS, formerly Blur), Laurence Cook is “pleased to report on the significant progress that has been made in 2018”. The shares have responded currently to 1.25p – 4% lower. Hmmm…

Neil Woodford has had another rotten week. Netscientific, which it seems he’s not going to fund any further, saw its holding in PDS listed on Nasdaq via a merger at $10 a share and the shares promptly headed south to close last night at just $7.65 – a drop of 23.5% which won’t help Netscientific keep the lights on much.

An AGM statement from provider of a range of telecoms services to UK SMEs, Toople (TOOP) commences “over the last few months we have made tremendous progress and I am very pleased to announce that Toople is showing strong growth, proving that our strategy is working” – and the shares have responded currently to 0.27p, 8% higher…

Geologist and analyst Mickey Fulp feels the gold market has bottomed and that a new bull market is developing albeit slowly. Once the rally begins, he argues, it will quickly move the mining equities. They are positive on the price of gold, due to global economic outlook being weak, geopolitical risks like Brexit and Venezuela, as well as U.S. and China trade talks. Central banks continue to buy, and a dovish Federal Reserve will likely have one interest rate hike in 2019 are all bullish factors for gold.

I think most regular readers will know that I like spin-offs as a liberated management team has a greater chance of showing some entrepreneurial zeal. So today's confirmation by the slightly boring FTSE stalwart Smiths Group (SMIN) that it will be pushing ahead with the separation of its medical division is a victory for both common-sense...and the activist on the company's shareholder register…

Bluebird Merchant Ventures (BMV) has announced a £0.4365 million placing at 2.25p per share - with £0.1865 million of that from directors Colin Patterson, Charles Barclay and Aidan Bishop - to further progress its South Korean gold projects towards targeted first gold pour in the fourth quarter of this year…

Hello, Share Smashers. A former lodger of mine has gone on to big things. Peter Bazalgette was a mere BBC trainee when I put him up. His dry humour was to be marvelled at. Today, now Sir Peter, he is the chairman of ITV (ITV). He says in the annual report that the Footsie giant’s share price does not reflect its many achievements...

Previously writing on Integumen (SKIN) last week it was issues a speeding ticket… the shares go still faster! – they then heading towards 2.40p. They went on to more than 2.50p, before this week falling back – and today a further ‘Labskin’ update…

Another day, another deal. Is this No. 30 or 31, I rather lose count. But if you watched the interview with Steve O’Hara the other day, HERE, you will know that the majority of those already signed are now generating revenues and the curve in nearly all of those is sharply upwards. Optibiotix (OPTI) is profitable and hugely operationally geared...

Inkjet printing technology company Xaar (XAR) has announced 2018 results including “we are confident that the transformation we are undergoing will lead us to become a more diversified and customer-centric organisation, with an appropriate balance between established and developing technologies. We remain focused on delivering the benefits of our strong portfolio and technology advantages to shareholders”. The shares have responded, er… further lower, below 115p…

Charlie & Lola let me down so sorry for the Joshua interruption today. In this podcast I discuss Brexit and the real threats to the UK economy and then look at Crest Nicholson (CRST), its dividend and, I think, illusory yield. If you enjoyed this, almost, profanity free bearcast, follow a bloke from the Grim North who donated enough to buy a whole house in the welfare safari and support the Rogue Bloggers for Woodlarks HERE.