I have been a supporter of the shares of Imperial Brands (IMB) for a while now, including noting back in September last year that 'the shares should be in the £30s at the very least. I remain a non-user of their products...but a buyer of their shares'. Well that might be my aspiration...but reality has been somewhat shabby with the shares currently revisiting the sub 23 quid level for the second time in six months. So what is going on?

The past couple of years haven’t been great for FTSE100 stock Centrica (CNA), including the share price having halved during that time, but it could have recovery prospects from the current share price...

Hello, Share Crispers. You often see share writers ‘talking up their own book’. Nothing wrong with that. As long as you put a fair case for the shares you own. In fact, someone who puts their money where their mouth is can be applauded. But today I’m going to talk down my own book...

Because i am such a fucking feminist I enjoy my 8th day of juggling full time parenthood and work. The net result is that my two year old son Joshua co-presents today's podcast. I explain why he has the requisite skills to be the next CEO of Eight Peaks Group (8PG) where we have major revalations about how management have screwed shareholders this weekend. I also comment on Bidstack (BIDS), Purplebricks (PURP) and Surface Transforms (SCE). joshua is donating his presenter "fee" to a good cause, please follow his lead HERE

Oh dear, oh dearie me. Woodford dog Thin Film of the Oslo Bors province (THIN) has reported its full year numbers to December 2018. We knew they would be bad – there was a strategic review post-period – but it looks as though a trip to the corporate undertakers could be on the cards unless the company can get a fundraising away, and with Neil Woodford out of cash that’s going to be a big ask. Even if it does, unless Woodford stands his corner he could be diluted away into oblivion.

A “Trading Update” from John Lewis Of Hungerford (JLH) commences that “we remain confident that the business continues to trade positively with deposits taken tracking ahead of those taken in the same period in the prior year” and also includes “sales for the second half are expected to be approximately 10% ahead of the prior year”. The shares have responded… er, currently to below 0.6p – more than 11% lower!...

A “FY Trading Update: Results To Meet Expectations” announcement commencing “Victoria PLC (LSE: VCP) the international designers, manufacturers and distributors of innovative floorcoverings is pleased to provide the following trading update”. At the company’s prior year-end, the shares were well above 700p and it was “confident it will deliver another year of significant, earnings-accretive growth in the 2018/19 financial year”, with also “geographic and product diversification, coupled with the low operational gearing inherent in the business, reduces the group's overall operational risk”… The shares are now below 550p. Hmmm…

Well what’s not to like about the latest pot-pouri of bad news from Purplebricks (PURP)? I start with the basic premis that a company that screws both staff and customers will, in the end, come a cropper and – Purplebricks is such a company.  Only an arrogant buffoon such as Neil Woodford could fail to recognise that. So let’s start with the management change.

Previously writing on Surface Transforms (SCE), I concluded in March I again suggest it was heading towards cash crunch ahoy rather than “following recent investor demand” which inspired the placing – and, although at least at the prior close, the 15.5p per share also compares to 18p reached last month. With the track record continuing to make me highly sceptical here, still a sell / bargepole. Today a “Trading Update”…

I neutralised my bearish tone towards pizza behemoth Domino's Pizza (DOM) back in mid-March, observing that 'I actually doubt the shares are going materially lower from here given Domino's brilliance at digital sales and the like'. As a tactical call that would have worked out fine in the intervening couple of months but there is a good test today after a slightly strange Q1 results publication…

Purplebricks (PURP) is notorious for sending fascist lawyers letters to folks who criticise it. But in the US libel laws favour free speech not heavy handed corporates keen to gag whsitleblowers.  Ultimately a business model that is predicated on screwing both staff and customers is doomed to fail and I shall turn to the latest lack of profits warning from Purplebricks later today. However, for now, I inveite you do enjoy the world of Purplebrickssucks.com  - read at your leisure and having done so I am sure you'd agree that only a true moron or Neil Woodford, would want to own shares in this company.

Finally, after almost three weeks of trying, and after I forced them to ‘fess with a scoop HERE, Bidstack (BIDS) and tawdry broker Optiva have managed to complete a placing. They were aiming to raise £5 million at 15p. Then it became 13.25p. The placing was completed at just 12.5p.

Hello, Share Triers. Sainsbury (SBRY) has been in the news lately. Unfortunately, that news was worthless in the end. The powers-that-be decided that food bills could rise if a merger went ahead with Asda. So all bets are off...

EVR Holdings (EVRH) was once a favourite of PIs as its share price soared and it raised around £20 million of capital from institutional investors, but since it was trading at its peak interest seems to have waned and the share price has dropped back a long way.

According to Citywire, poor old Neil Woodford suffered another £125 million of redemptions in April on his flagship Equity Income Fund taking it down to just £4.25 billion. To do so badly in ISA month is truly dreadful and that suggests that in “sell in May and go away” month things might be even worse. In that vein we have a reader poll with a deadline of entry of midnight tonight.

The price of all asset classes are simply way too high...

Woodford dog Mereo Biopharma, with its “value-enhancing” (according to 31% holder Neil Woodford) merger with Nasdaq’s Oncomed all delivered, has continued to slide: the shares, having been 325p at IPO on AIM in 2016 and having been over 160p up until completion of the merger have now collapsed to just 81p.

All you can say about the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is that he is edging closer to power than even many of his supporters could ever have hoped for even in their wildest dreams.  Of course we live in strange times and almost anything currently seems to be a potential policy runner...including a completely mad plan to renationalise a bunch of different industries. 

AIM-listed diagnostics play Novacyt (NCYT) announced a death spiral deal on 23 April 2019 and at 6.23pm on Friday evening it slipped out details of the first two rounds of conversions – at no-one-is-watching o’clock….except ShareProphets was watching. It is also listed on the Euronext Growth market (ALNOV), and joined AIM at the back end of 2017 – since when it has been heading heavily southwards, as you can see from the chart below.

You may remember that Mail on Sunday hack Jamie Nimmo is a liar. Mr Limp Dick claimed to have “revealed” a scoop which in fact I had actually revealed 20 days earlier. Now he is telling porkies with his latest “scoop” on PCGE with the story “City firm quits as adviser to PCG Entertainment over bond probe”. Oh dear Jamie you are a sad man. Why do you have such a problem with the truth?