These are the most-read articles and most listened-to Bearcasts of the week. The most read non-Tom article is Ariana Resources – Half-Year Production Report: Tavsan On The Way: BUY by Nigel Somerville at number eight or number 13 if you include Bearcasts.

Centamin (CEY) has announced its Sukari mine in Egypt delivered a half-year financial and operating performance in-line with plans with gold production of 203,898 ounces at an all-in sustaining cost of $1,446/oz sold and that “despite cost pressures, the company remains on track to achieve its annual cost and production guidance for 2022”.

Throughout the year Big Sofa (BST) has been telling us that everything was going well with new hires and client wins. Well that was a fecking lie as the circular issued the other day but not received by this shareholder shows. Do I want to put up more cash or be 90% diluted? You know what? I will take the hit and I now write this off mentally as a zero. I apologise to all who have lost money on this one. If its any consolation my personal hit is in excess of £40,000.  I now value this as a zero and indeed rather look forward to Big Sofa spunking this placing and going bust. 

I should declare that I am a shareholder in this company. I bought 1 share a few years ago so that I could attend its AGM to quiz the management on the catalogue of lies they had told to investors.  Then covid struck. On a properly regulated market Advanced Oncotherapy (AVO) would have been given the order of the boot years ago, but this is AIM.

As the Bulletin Board Morons await news on their first inventory monetisation for a derisory $1.5 million promised to deliver in July by Alessandro Zamboni in his RNS of 28 June, then promised last week in his RNS of 29 July and so far, consistent with the majority of Zamboni promises nothing actually materialised.

Hello Share Scrapers. This old punter is in a difficult bind at the mo. I have always, even when the clouds were dark, opined that shares were generally a safe investment and that the sun would come shining through. But I've had a road to Damascus moment. And I now think a recession with an accompanying share crash is most likely.

Wishbone Gold (WSBN) has announced the intersection of multiple encouraging zones from drilling at its Red Setter project in the Patersons Range area in Western Australia and that it is resultantly now securing an additional diamond drill rig.

In three days time I start the drive back to Wrexham and I explain why Chris Gilbert of Fox Marble (FOX) sees nothing wrong happening there but much to the disappointment of many on the LSE Asylum I shall be taking an alternative route home. I flag up now that my output may be limited next Tuesday and Wednesday. I then cover Deepverge (DVRG), Revolution Beauty (REVB) and also in some detail Argo Blockchain (ARB). Then say a few words on Sharestock to which I hope you can book a ticket HERE.

Canadian Overseas Petroleum (COPL) seems to have been getting a fair bit of attention today after releasing an incredibly rampy resources update for its Wyoming asset, with the focus being on oil in place rather than actual reserves and what might be extracted.

Back in February, I observed that Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) may have been at a six year low but the shares were still a strong avoid. Since then the stock has fallen further but apparently, “against a macroeconomic and geopolitical climate not seen in a generation”, Hargreaves Lansdown still remains optimistic about the future. Surely it is nothing to do with another launch opportunity from a leading fund manager?!

Lunch time does seem to be the new no-one-is-watching o’clock and yesterday at 12.54pm, just as the City was tucking in to a nice tasty lunch before settling down to enjoy the action at the Commonwealth Games, AIM-listed Anglesey Mining (AYM) popped out an RNS.

On 23 June 2022 Gerry “the arse” Brandon, a man who broke AIM Rules 10 and 11 before his last bailout placing last summer, served up calendar 2021 results noticeable for their prodigious cashburn but the most bullish of statements about the jam arriving tomorrow, or in fact this year.. How things can change.

BP (BP.) has announced second quarter and half-year results including a second quarter attributable profit of $9.26 billion and 10% increased dividend per share to $0.06006 and outlook confidence with ongoing supply disruptions in the industry and a relative lack of inventories.

Of course, musicMagpie (MMAG), the cash guzzling POS floated with a fraudster steering the ship, is already in Dire Straits. But now let’s chuck in some executive greed.

I am afraid that events have conspired to deprive us of Malcolm’s words of wisdom for a third day. You will remember that Malcolm has now moved the contents of his 26 room South Wales seaside mansion to his new home in North Wales in a carbon net zero worker friendly manner. But he has no internet. Yesterday …

Describing itself as “a leading provider of IT solutions to the global life sciences market”, Instem (INS) states that it “announces a positive trading update for the six months to 30 June 2022”. How positive?

Cyber security group Falanx (FLX) has issued a trading update noting full-year organic revenue growth of circa 14% and “the pipeline is not only much larger in terms of financial value but also has a high level of advanced prospects”. So what of a current approaching 22% share price rise to 0.70p?

The only financial podcaster who swears as much as me ( perhaps more) and is almost as outspoken as me is Chris Irons, aka Quoth the Raven. In his latest podcast with Palisade Capital he does not hold back.

 I start with AMTD Digital, run by a man banned from operating in Hong Kong, whose US listed shares have zoomed  ahead by 14,000% since its IPO a few weeks ago. It is now valued at more than Goldman Sachs. This is insanity writ large but it is risky betting against insanity. Then it is onto the stench of the Betahny Garner affair, Cellular Goods (CBX), Kanabo (KNB) and Oxford Cannabinoid (OCTP) where i discuss other clear signs that a bailout placing is being lined up. Then it is onto Online Blockchain (OBC) and the threat ADVFN (AFN) should be making against it. Finally I discuss La Willingham's Nightcap (NGHT), its trading statement and the cash crisis looming this Autumn.

We all know that the worlds of aircraft engines, military matters and nuclear angles are always medium-term games. Whilst you can all guess why the shares of BAE Systems (BA.) are up over 40% year-to-date, if you are an Airbus shareholder in France you have only lost c.10% of your share price over the last seven months. Meanwhile as for the fine office of Rolls-Royce (RR.) - which for full disclosure I have talked positively about a number of time over the last year or two - the year-to-date decline in its share price is 35% after today’s first half numbers. So what should investors do now?