The previous record number of tips captured and performance-tracked by Stockomendation was smashed in July, with over 1,600 new stock tips and broker ratings added to our platform across 23 brokers and 40 professional tipsters. Tip activity in July was the at its highest since April –  coinciding with quarterly trading updates for many firms –  representing an increase of 81% on the number of tips tracked during the same period last year. This surge in tips was mainly driven by brokers, with tipster activity remaining in line with previous months.

Yesterday North Lincs council rejected the latest permit application for the Wressle field where Union Jack (UJO) is a junior partner. This was expected as this council is a politically driven mess. The partners will now appeal to grown ups at Central Government. So while disappointing this is not unexpected and, of course, Union Jack has a number of other assets. So the minor sell off in the shares today does not change our BUY stance.

No, I still do not understand this blockchain malarkey but FWIW we have stagged the IPO of Argo Blockchain (ARB) on the standard list today at 16p. The fund raise was just so impressive. Argo set out to raise just £6 million.

Hello Share Swingers. Barclays (BARC) has been a miserable share to hold. What progress there has been in recent years has been slow. And set-backs along the way have made things worse. I sold mine about two years ago and, as it's turned out, the money raised has been put to much more profitable use. The latest results do not raise my hopes much higher.

I have had a business lunch, a rare event for me down in the boonies and as such I assess my sobriety. In this podcast I discuss Union Jack (UJO) and the new business-hating climate in Britain, Optibiotix (OPTI), Countrywide (CWD), UK Oil & Gas (UKOG), RM2 (RM2) and base rates on both sides of the pond. Oh and en passant Julie "Lingerie on Expenses" Meyer.

I wrote last week on estate agency and property services company Countrywide (CWD) updating including “the adjusted EBITDA for the group for the six months ended 30 June 2018 was slightly better than the guidance previously provided” - and the shares have responded currently higher, back above 50p, but concluded the market cap is still now circa £120 million and with also it to be attempted significant equity fundraising ahoy in far from propitious circumstances, the stance remains avoid / sell. Today half-year results and a “Firm Placing, Placing and Open Offer 2018” announcement – and the shares down towards 17p!...

This is undoubtedly good news for AIM-listed Advanced Oncotherapy (AVO) and the meagre 4% discount in quite a bonus. But I find it hard to get too excited.

Yesterday, Paddy Pantsdown took to twitter to deny that he was speaking at Julie Meyer's Follow the Entrepreneur conference on Croatia in October. He is, by my calculation, the ninth claimed speaker to deny that he is attending. Today the Croatian regulators have stepped in, as you can see below, to warn the good folks of Croatia to steer well clear. I have had the Croat press on the trombone this afternoon and I guess that means Julie is going to have some more journalists to bully with fascist lawyers letters and smear on the internet.  Make no mistake, the net is closing in...

Towards the end of May online gaming operator Stride Gaming (STR) announced results for its half-year, including “central to the success of our core UK market performance is our focus on compliance, regulation and responsible gaming. Stride has continued to adapt to new requirements and regulations including the forthcoming introduction of GDPR as well as the new POCT applied to free bets introduced in August 2017”. Now, 10 weeks later, a “Gambling Commission Notice” announcement…

Having asked for readers tips for 2018 for the amazing prize of a meal with Tom Winnifrith (or the chance to fob it off on someone you don't like) HERE, the following is a monthly update on performance (to be eligible needed to have selected, on a per username basis, a buy & sell pick from the LSE or AIM Casino and the stocks not to have been suspended at the commencement of 2018)...

The leopard does not change its spots. Pumping UK Oil & Gas (UKOG) hard as it was trying to arrange a bailout placing is bad enough. But now we come to Angus Energy (ANGS) another Horse Hill play and one where the CEO has just "been resigned" in disgrace following revelations HERE. But Big Dave has, as you can see below, been pumping its shares hard on twitter. What happens after a Big Dave pump?

Bluebird Merchant Ventures (BMV) has updated that it has delivered “the final deliverable needed for the formation of the 50:50 joint venture with Southern Gold” and that the work “supports its previously stated view that the establishment of a low capital cost mine at Gubong is achievable”…

I gave some freebie advice to the Barclays (BARC) board a week or so ago HERE and thankfully today's first half numbers from the banking behemoth did not include an unwise stab at the US retail space. What they did say however was quite sensible stuff and there has been a bit of progress on most fronts including capital generation to support the 3%+ yield, good progress on cost control and even an investment banking unit which did not disappoint for once.

With its shares dipping towards 4p, Falanx (FLX) has announced that its recently acquired SecureStorm unit has enjoyed a renewal of a “critical managed cyber security services contract.” So what?...

BigDish plc (DISH) is a restaurant services company newly entered onto the Standard List this morning. At an IPO price of 4.5p it is calitalised at £12.9 million.  I spoke to Aidan Bishop, founder and chairman of BigDish plc. about how BigDish works and where it fits in between existing restaurant plays Groupon (NASDAQ:GRPN), Deliveroo, and Just Eat (JE).

Hello, Share Swishers. At a previous Global Group UK Investor Show, Uncle Tom invited some of you onto the stage to see if you preferred Fevertree tonic water to another kind. All but one of you opted for Fevertree (FEVR). Which helps to explain its amazing rise and rise in the supermarkets, shops and pubs.

Transense Technologies (TRT) “is pleased to provide a trading update for the year ended 30 June 2018”, noting some revenues over 40% ahead of the prior year and “monthly recurring operating lease rental revenue at 1 July 2018 being over 200 per cent. higher than at 1 July 2017”. So is a muted share price response – and the shares down from 69.5p at the start of the year fair?...

In this podcast I look at the REAL state of the Totally I(TLY) balance sheet and I also cover FastForward (FFWD) and the job of a journalist, Cenkos (CNKS) and the future of the AIM Casino, Boxhill (BOX), Avanti Communications (AVN), Pantheon Resources (PANR) and UK Oil & Gas (UKOG)

Having previously been sceptical on Filtronic (FTC) – including from March 2015 at circa 14p – I note the shares currently approaching 30% higher today - at circa 13p, capitalising the company at around £27 million - on the back of a “Contract win” announcement…

Even a fashion luddite like me knows that clothing retail works best when you have a clear and distinct winter and summer period. The fashionistas and general public alike buy to look on-trend and functional as the temperatures respectively plummet or rise. In that vein then, the recent bout of extended hot weather was a retail bullseye - assuming, of course, that you have sufficient online capability to be active where increasingly the action is.