As a ShareProphets reader you know the speakers, you’ve seen the videos, indeed, you may well have attended a UK Investor Show in person so you know something of what to expect. But in our 18th year the team is going to serve up their biggest and most exciting all-star event yet on March 30th 2019. Do not miss out, reserve your place today.

AIM-listed Eve Sleep (EVE) is another Neil Woodford disaster story – this time in the world of mattresses. Naturally, it is going to disrupt the world of bedding, a world obviously in need of revolution. Not!

Premium drinks brands company Distil (DIS) has updated on trading, including “year-on-year third quarter (October to December 2018) revenues and volumes increased by 29%”…

“Premium British chocolatier and omni-channel retailer”, Hotel Chocolat (HOTC) has updated on the 13 weeks ended 30th December including “this was another strong Christmas for Hotel Chocolat” and adding “trading since December continues to be in line with management's expectations”. What are expectations though?, and how do they compare to the valuation? – the shares currently circa 5% higher on the day, above 280p – capitalising the company at approaching £320 million…

How I suffer for you dear listeners. All is explained. Then there is a long discussion on the administration of Patisserie Holdings (CAKE). I move on with a few more words on The Escape Group (ESC) which I covered HERE and then look at Eve Sleep (EVE) and the folly of Neil Woodford, Scancell (SCLP), Anglesey Mining (AYM), Ariana (AAU), Bluebird Merchant Ventures (BMV), Chesterfield (CHF) and Metro Bank (MTRO). Finally it is one day to ouzo time (again) on Frontera Resources (FRR).

The #BoycottWetherspoons  (JDW) campaign by mad remoaners is flopping badly. Hooray. The company has released a  cracking trading statement and its chairman, the People’s Hero, Tim Martin has again let rip on Brexit.

Eagle Eye Solutions (EYE) has updated on trading including “we are delighted to confirm a strong first half of the year, delivering significant revenue growth and expansion of the customer base, including the addition of Waitrose and Burger King” and “the growth in revenues and volumes is expected to continue into H2”. The shares have not responded excitedly though – currently unchanged at 172.5p…

Hat tip to the UK’s No 1 private client broker for spotting this AIM casino accident waiting to happen.

My corporate RNS wooden spoon award today goes to challenger bank Metro Bank (MTRO), whose shares are currently down over 25% which - at face value - does appear a tad surprising given today's full year update shows loans up 48% year-on-year and underlying profit before tax to be up 138%. However...this latter statistic was below hopes and was impacted by a 'softening' in the last quarter due to high levels of mortgage market competition. Well oops...but down 25% oops?

I cautioned on shares in recruitment software and services group Dillistone (DSG) as they fell towards 70p in 2017 and have done so numerous times since. They’d fallen to 42.5p recently, but are currently more than 20% higher, back above 50p, on the back of a “Major Contract Award & GatedTalent Update” announcement…

Hello Share Trundlers. Though I’m a client of William Hill (WMH), I don’t buy shares in bookmakers. That’s cos I think they can bring unhappiness to those who go beyond betting as a bit of fun. But even if I was the world’s greatest fan of betting companies, I would currently avoid William Hill shares...

No not Malcolm Stacey again although he is mentioned. Instead I look at how to value a cyclical stock, I cover Mortgage Advice Bureau (MAB1), Zoo Digital (ZOO), Amur Minerals (AMC) and Flybe (FLYB)

A “new market initiative in Indonesia” announcement from Mobile Streams (MOS), including CEO Simon Buckingham arguing, having “considered a number of markets to complement Latin America and India… we strongly believe that Indonesia, a sizable market with a population of over 250 million, provides the best opportunity to achieve positive results in both the short and long term”. Hmmm…

 Like all of those opted into  the utterly non GDPR compliant mailing list of Julie "lingerie on expenses"  Meyer I have just received an email thanking me for my support in 2018. Jeepers Julie it was my pleasure. And even better there is a thank you video too. Enjoy.

I wrote on Zoo Digital (ZOO) in September (“confident in the prospects”, so why the share price slump? HERE), concluding, despite the shares then falling to circa 140p, that; ‘I thus suggest the valuation leaves no room for any disappointment – and remind that great valuations tend to lead to great disappointment if expectations are not met. Indeed, even if strong growth is delivered, since the valuation is so far from what is being financially produced, there is still significant scope for sentiment to see the shares lower. As such, currently a sell / avoid.’ The shares closed yesterday at 115p and today a “Trading Update”…

In this week’s article, we review two trading updates; one that took place last week, and one expected next week. Firstly, we take a look back at publisher Pearson (PSON) and review broker and tipster sentiment in the lead up to, and following, its most recent trading update this Wednesday. We then look forward to an expected trading update from J D Wetherspoon (JDW) thisweek. Has tipster broker and sentiment changed in recent months, and what will tipsters be expecting to see in the pub chain’s latest announcement?

Oh dear. AIM-listed Ariana Resources has announced that the share buyback previously announced on 16 January 2019 – and which occurred on 4 January – when the company bought back 4.5 million shares into treasury was not allowed as the company didn’t have the distributable reserves available on the balance sheet. Red faces all round, but this is not a major issue.

Those corporate updates keep on a-coming and today's crop includes updates from both Dixons Carphone (DC.) and easyJet (EZJ)…

A “New Material and Orders” announcement from Fox Marble (FOX), emphasising “Commercial extraction commenced of Alexandrian Blue marble from Prilep Quarry. 441 tonne order of Alexandrian Blue completed and paid in December 2018. Sales agreement entered into with an indicative value in excess of €1 million”...

After a strong performance during the first half of 2018, copper has been weak and is currently trading at close to its lowest levels since mid-2017. Having hit peaks of more than $7,200/t last June it is now around the $6,000/t area, and although an improvement on the $5,800/t level it started the year at, I would hardly call this slight resurgence a proper bounce just yet. But I do think that is going to come as the metal is too important to stay at these levels for long, especially in light of the fact that many analysts are forecasting a supply deficit in the coming years due to the increasing use of the metal – as I’ve mentioned in the past, electric vehicles will be a factor and use far more wiring than the cars that are currently in common use...