Previously writing on Maestrano Group (MNO), in May it was intra-day (10:36am) “Trading Update”… having listed less than a year ago, not again surely!.... Now another intra-day (9:40am) such update… not again surely!...

It’s incredible that investors in ultra-long bonds (100 years) are desperately chasing such short-term returns! But that’s the world we inhabit for now – short-term is everything, while we neglect the long-term...

Those of you with an interest - or recollection - of late 1970s UK political advertising will understand the allusion made in the title. The reality is however that M&C Saatchi (SAA) has just come out with a downright worrisome statement which even its spinning and marketing skills are going to have to work overtime to counter...

Hello, Share Speeders. It may have a clumsy company name, but Activision Blizzard (0H8X) might be worth looking at if you think the world of electronic gaming can become even bigger. Though that would be saying something as the amount spent during 2019 is expected to reach nearly $150 billion. That’s right, I said $150 billion!...

In today's bearcast I discuss Luke Johnson and British and American cultural attitudes to a career setback. Then I see how the deadwood press think that appointing Alison Rose as the new Biggest Swinging Dick at RBS will end its macho culture. It really is so much hogwash.

We said on Friday that our fellow Quindell (QPP) exposers Gotham City would publish a Burford (BUR) Dossier this weekend. Limp dick deadwood press PR cocksucking journalists, notably at the Sunday Times, published exactly the same story as "news" on Sunday. And they wonder why serving up very sloppy seconds, copied from internet sites,  sees their readership numbers continue to fall? Anyhow the Gotham dossier is live and we republish it in full below. To be honest it is a bit pompous and self praising but when it comes to hard analysis it offers little new.

The quote above was said to me by my Economics teacher at the state comprehensive school i attended many, many years ago.  It was probably the wisest sentence uttered to me during my formal education (besting even the wryly amusing comment by my microeconomics lecturer during my undergraduate studies that 'life is a trade-off problem') as it underpins the rationale for the market over any 'the collective knows best' alternatives.  

You couldn’t make it up: angel investor firm Seedrs has had its shares suspended pending a financing deal which it says is at an advanced stage, according to The Times. The company wants it made clear that the suspension is simply what happens on this lightly regulated market established by Seedrs when a refinancing is in progress. So nothing to worry about.

It is just over a month since my last update, when my portfolio of five sells was actually showing a profit of 19.5% to anyone who bought as opposed to sold. Egg-on-face time! So how are things looking now – is it still sackcloth and ashes for me?

Is there anything better than sitting back and reading a well-written article on a lazy Sunday? Every week ShareProphets features some long form journalism that you'll find of interest. Grab your cuppa and enjoy these five articles.   

Hello, Share Diviners. Those of you brave enough to read this modest column from time to time, may discern that I am a fan of the PE - which is short for the price-to-earnings ratio. This, of course, is established by dividing the share price by annual earnings for each share.

Wow. if one excludes ShareProphets radio, Seven out of the top 10 stories were Burford, including the top four. If this stories isn't worth your monthly subscription fee, I don't know what is.  Our number 2 story was a Friday scoop for Tom. The Sunday Times today reports it as big "news"....only two days off the pace at the deadwood press..

I start with the threat of a UK recession, piffle tweeted by the lunatic David Lammy MP, the link to Brexit (minimal) and the stockmarket implications. Then onto Burford (BUR) where events move apace but the company seems to think bear raider Carson Block of Muddy Waters is in legal hot water. Instinctively I side with Block, however if today's Mail is correct and he has closed much of his short while still issuing bearish tweets then is he any better than Chris Oil on Sefton or shamed broker SP Angel on Blue Jay (JAY). On that basis....

The Woodford Equity Income Fund put on an impressive 1.61% in NAV per unit yesterday, according to Morningstar, as it benefitted from the bounce by AIM-listed Burford (BUR) in the wake of its defence against the bear attack by Muddy Waters,  but with another bear outfit – Daniel Yu’s Gotham City – due to join the party over the weekend one has to fear for the shares on Monday.

Shares in Eco Atlantic Oil and Gas (ECO) reached 100p in March and on 5^th July the company announced “the spudding of the first exploration well on its Jethro-Lobe prospect on the Orinduik Block… estimate the well will take up to 40 days to drill… the start of a fascinating and potentially transformational time for the company”. However, the shares are now available at a 70p offer price…

Yesterday AIM uber-ramp Versarien (VRS) was forced to issue a statement about a tweet posted by its boss Neill Ricketts the day before as a result of Thursday's bearcast and an email I'd sent to regulators that day. But the response itself is nonsensical and raises the very real question of whether Ricketts sold shares in April while sitting on inside price sensitive information. I have thus sent another email to regulators at AIM Regulation (the Oxymorons) and to Bobbie Hilliam of Quindell infamy who acts as Nomad to Versarien at Canaccord.

Carclo (CAR), the “fine tolerance injection moulded plastic parts” manufacturer, has announced that “a Notice of General Meeting and the associated Form of Proxy have been sent to shareholders” – but last year’s financial results are still to be published?!...

AIM-listed Advanced Oncotherapy (AVO) announced a fundraise on Wednesday – great news! Or is it? I wonder how much cash it will actually have when all the money comes in – and why, AFTER the fundraise, did researcher-for-hire Hardman produce a report telling us all what a bargain the company is? Then there are loan and outstanding salary conversions and the total – £18.4 million – is still short of a year’s spending, and won’t all arrive until the end of September. It looks a bit desperate – especially when the loan to top up the equity raise will cost up to 15% a year in interest.

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...

ShareProphets earns a small commission any time a reader who registered with Primary Bid via ourselves subscribes for one of its offers. For that reason we urge you all to sign up HERE. But today's offer, ADM Energy (ADME) is a total dog so. though it hurts us in the pocket book to say so, we urge you to pass. The emails sent out by ADVFN and others urging folks to pony up fail to mention one significant fact...