Columbus Energy Resources (CERP) has updated on activity towards drilling in the South West Peninsula, Trinidad…

Immotion (IMMO) has announced “following the success of its recent VR installations into a range of high quality partners, that it has decided to focus its strategy predominantly on the roll out of its Partnership Model into high footfall locations. The visibility of higher margins and recurring revenues delivered from this model is, the directors believe, the best strategy for the group and its shareholders. To support this strategy, the company is carrying out a fundraising”…

I doubt I shall be invited to the funeral given the stuff I have written about First Derivatives (FDP). I have been vindicated on that matter but the early death of Conlon is a shame and my thoughts are with his family. None the less I discuss what happens next as the chief plate spinner goes to another place.

Previously writing on Carclo (CAR), last week I noted results delayed again; now it’s “hopes” to avoid shares suspension!. Now an “Update on banking position and timing of results”…

It is hard to find anything positive to say about the interims from Centrica (CNA) this morning. Perhaps the most positive thing is that the dividend hasn’t been stopped altogether, but given the big slide in the share price the new target of 5p per share in dividend means a yield of 7.5%, suggesting that the market still doesn’t believe that is sustainable and thus might get chopped again...

Early last month freight management services company Xpediator (XPD) announced board changes including seeing “the Operating Board now consists of eight extremely experienced, energetic professionals and we are well positioned to take the business forward to the next stage”, with “trading in line with market expectations. Demand for freight management services remains strong across all three divisions and the group is benefiting from increased activity”. No fears re. a “Trading Statement” today then, surely?…

It is all about cuts in today's FTSE-100 news. For consumer staples giant Reckitt Benckiser (RB.) the most striking aspect of today's half-year update is the line 'Full year LFL net revenue target revised to +2-3% (from +3-4%) to reflect the slow start to the year'...

AIM-listed utilities provider Yu Group (YU.) has offered up a trading statement for the first six months of the year. The numbers offered are full of holes, leaving more questions unanswered and we are told there will be an adjusted (ie bullshit) EBITDA (double bullshit) earnings loss of between £2.5-£3 million. Goodness knows what the actual bottom-line loss will be then. And as for the cash figures offered...

Neil Woodford’s Income Focus Fund (WIFF) had a good day yesterday as it put on 0.53% in NAV per unit, according to Morningstar. Mind you, the FTSE-100 put on 1.8% and the FTSE All-Share index added 1.5%, so it wasn’t all that great. But a gain is a gain. In theory, that should have pulled the total assets up from Friday’s close of £287.65 million to £289.17 million...

Hello, Share Crazies. This old punter has a weakness for companies with rather exotic names. But that’s not the reason I commend Blue Prism (PRSM) to your further research today. I just happen to think that robotics is the way forward. And Blue Prism uses intelligent robotic software to decrease the number of boring jobs that we humans have to do...

It is just out – this month’s review of the gating of Neil Woodford’s Equity Income Fund by its authorised corporate director, Link. The news is not good...

Research data and analytics company YouGov (YOU) is “pleased to report that the group's trading for the year ending 31 July 2019 is now expected to be comfortably ahead of expectations for the year”. Sounds good – but what are the expectations and how do they compare to a now more than 560p per share, approaching £600 million, valuation?…

NEX lobster-pot listed joke Proton Partners (PPI) has announced its intention to switch its registration to that of a plc and has called a general meeting to approve a number of changes which need to be made. But it looks to me as if Woodford Patient Capital (WPCT) is being lined up to take the rest of the shares in return for the rest of the £80 million - £45 million, following the £10 million and £25 million already ponied up – that Neil Woodford promised in order to get the listing away. That’s a problem for WPCT, which has today signalled that it may or may not (you can bet “will”) sack Neil Woodford. That’s a problem for Proton Partners and a big problem for Neil...

Over the weekend, I explained in bearcast why any half sentient being would not wish to tie the UK’s growing economy to the neo-corpse that is the EU economy. My friend, our in-house Euro loon Jonathan Price likes backing losing causes, being a fellow West Ham supporter. And thus, he has taken the trouble to respond which is very good of him as I know that he knows that he is, like all London based liberal elitists, an expert and I am one of the 17.4 million who are too thick to understand the real issues of Brexit. Anyhow, Jonathan explains:

In today's bearcast I touch on the antics of two of the City's brightest lights. First up is Agronomics (ANIC), where my old friend Jim Mellon is the largest shareholder and the price of cultured pork sausages in 2021, then it is onto disgraced Neil Woodford and Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT).

In June last year “i-nexus Global plc (INX), a provider of cloud-based Strategy Execution software to Global 5000 companies”, was pleased to announce admission to AIM, raising £10 million at 79p per share with CEO Simon Crowther emphasising “the power of our software, our outstanding customer base, strong competitive position, high levels of recurring revenue and large addressable market”… The shares last closed at 34.5p and today a “Trading Update”…

Two bits of news from Woodford Patient Capital Trust suggest that Neil Woodford is on his way out – or at least believes he is. Firstly, the Board at WPCT intends to tout third-party managers which may or may not result in a change of manager. But secondly, Neil has been dumping his own shares in WPCT – apparently to meet personal financial obligations, including a tax liability. Given that he has trousered tens of millions of pounds from Woodford Investment Management (WIM) over the last few years, that sounds like utter hogwash to me.

I noted back in February that property group Hammerson (HMSO) had ludicrously turned down a Hail Mary bid approach - at approximately a 70% share price premium to the then share price - and was consequently (correctly) being hassled by activist investors. Roll forward five months and all of this counts for double with the shares driven lower by further property sector pessimism…

For Boris 20-02-20 is a very important date (if he survives this long, he will not be the shortest ever PM)...

My mini dividend munchers portfolio is still ticking along, and an update is long overdue as we head into the summer holiday season - as I’ve not written about it for three months or so. The aim was to beat putting cash in the bank even though markets are feeling very toppy. After all, interest rates available are below the rate of official inflation figures and bonds yields are rubbish. So how am I doing?...