Bullion industry veteran Bill Haynes views the amazing prospects for gold in the context of past events starting with Nixon closing the gold window in the early 1970s. Bill believes that gold could reach 4 or 5 thousand dollars an ounce in the next couple of years and so says, “People need to buy gold before it gets too expensive.”

Like its AIM-listed little sibling Karelian Diamonds (KDR), fellow AIM-listed Conroy Gold and Natural Resources (CGNR) has had six months to release its FY numbers and waited until no-one-is-watching o’clock on deadline day to admit the grizzly truth. But luckily once again ShareProphets was indeed watching.

Early this year we showed the top shorted London-listed shares at the start of 2020. How’s the performance as at the end of November? (those in bold remain from 2019)…

AIM-listed Karelian Diamonds (KDR) has had six months to release its full year numbers to the end of May. For a company with no income and operating expenses of €447,000 one can only wonder why it took a full six months to get the numbers out – but the Red Flag of releasing them after everybody in the City has gone home is surely a warning. And so at 6pm last night came the results RNS – no-one-is-watching o’clock. But ShareProphets was watching…..

Hello Share Gatherers. This old punter recently commended GoCo Group (GOCO) to you. Since then the share has risen by about 15%. Though I’d love to claim all the credit, the fact is that the company has been involved in new takeover talks I knew now’t about. Still, I hope you followed my reasoning at the time…

I start with non financial matters: a Woodlarks thank-you, the start of Advent and a discussion about how we really must talk about suicide and related issues. This last subject is prompted by the latest troll to harass me. Then I look at Tungsten (TUNG), Supply@ME Capital (SYME) and at BlueBird Merchant Ventures (BMV).

In my experience there are often opportunities to be had in shorting a company’s shares in the period after a debt restructuring deal has been announced as shareholders are generally slow to grasp the effect of the dilution on their interests…

Well actually there is no trading – as in generating real as opposed to accounting sales – to report on. Supply@ME Capital (SYME) again offers an update with not one single inventory monetization transaction processed. That is one mystery, the transaction cannot be heard barking at all. And there is another dog that could not be heard barking:

Organisational spend management software and services company Proactis (PHD) is “pleased to announce” not just a ‘Contract Win’, but a “Strategic Contract Win”. Hmmm, ramptastic?…

If the Red Rock Resources (RRR) share price is not 1.26p by Christmas Day, I have said that I will eat my hat on video. The shares are now 0.675p. With Advent starting tomorrow, I admit that I have been considering the logistics of hat-eating. But is the game up? Is my goose, or rather my hat, cooked?

Since late last week, I have been getting repeated calls from a “Private Number”. The caller usually hung up before I could answer. Occasionally I heard silence and then he hung up. I say “he” because today he found his voice.

An early this month “Pre-close statement” from DS Smith (SMDS) included “corrugated box volumes in and throughout Q2 have returned to growth… The step-change in use of e-commerce is clearly established across our territories with very high demand from customers for e-commerce packaging as we head into the festive season”. The shares responded higher… but the current share price compares to approaching 400p early this year and, with also a dividend expected for the company’s half-year which ended 31^st October 2020, there looks further recovery value here…

Escape-the-room experiences company Escape Hunt (ESC) “is pleased to confirm that the sites in England, other than those in areas designated ‘tier 3’ under the UK Government’s Coronavirus tiered classification system, will re-open on 2 December” and “digital and remote play games… strong progress” – and the shares have currently responded more than 6% higher to 17.5p. But…

Aquis-listed Rutherford Health (RUTH), the former Proton Partners that Neil Woodford so merrily put his former fundholders on the hook to fund at a ludicrous price, has published its Interims to August 31 this morning. What a shambles!

Hello, Share Takers. How’s this for a spiffing idea? You help organisations that need to make more money by building them internet platforms specially designed to attract the dough. If that body happens to be a charity, like Unicef, for example, then your business idea does the world a lot of good. And if your customer is the British government that wants to bring together hundreds of different companies to make and supply hospital ventilators, then how can you go wrong?

Firstly, we are just £121 short on our Woodlarks appeal target. Will twelve of you donate a tenner and I promise to shut up until February.  Please give HERE. Then I look at gold. Have I got it wrong again? Should I sell? If not, what am I buying? I flag up three stocks which I may nibble at.

Union Jack Oil (UJO) has updated investors with news including that it is to provide a £1 million loan facility to Wressle oil field (Union Jack: 40% economic interest) operator Egdon Resources (EDR), which “as well as providing a commercial return on funds will also assist in the development of the Wressle oil field”, and Wressle “workover being completed and initial oil flows anticipated later in January 2021”…

I know that readers of this website have given so much to Woodlarks over the years. This summer the Rogue Bloggers walk saw us raise enough to ensure that this amazing charity will not go bust despite the lockdown which has been a disaster for it.  Activities are still massively constrained and the Christmas Grotto which brings unbelievable pleasure to 200 severely handicapped or very ill kids each year will have to be a virtual one this year. But it will still cost a few quid…

Analyst David Kranzler of Investment Research Dynamics argues that banks like JP Morgan leverage commodity market options via manipulating prices via massive amounts of paper contracts. This manipulation is a source of massive profits for these bullion banks and is permitted because it benefits Central Banks. These shock and awe hits to the market are designed to shake out weak participants.

Here are five long reads that have nothing to do with shares. Put the kettle on, find a comfy chair. You have the time, don’t you?