There are no guests in this week's show which is sponsored by Open Orphan PLC (ORPH). It is just me sitting in the Greek Hovel. I start with the Election, move on to the odd events at Versarien (VRS), sectors deemed to be scorching hot and others where death is not yet discounted. I look at fake IPO valuations and consider a possible case of securities fraud on AIM. If you like this and can't wait seven days for more of the same and are tired of being a cheapskate you should listen to my Bearcast every day.

She liked to be known as “Superwoman” when, as a fund manager, she juggled her career with bringing up a raft of children, natch with the help of several nannies. Since being fired from her top City job - which was all down to sexism and nothing to do with poor performance - La Horlick has featured on this site extensively HERE, as she raked in fat fees putting other folks cash into the Madoff fraud and then with a string of failed business ventures oft accompanied by curious accounting. Now the question is asked why does she despise poor people so much?...

You can’t say you were not warned on this website, but the old adage that when a bad company meets (perhaps, or perhaps not) good management it is the reputation of the former which prevails has once again proved true for AIM-listed St James House (SJH), formerly Boxhill (BOX), the past home of Lord Razzall. This afternoon we were treated to a 1pm Trading update: Friday lunchtime – definitely no-one-is-watching o’clock! Uh-oh…………

In my last update on the sorry saga of AIM-China Filthy Forty play Walcom (WALG), I commented that having been teetering on the brink for an age….I wonder if the company will survive into the new year. This was in the light of a bank loan due for repayment in the second week of this month (and no cash to pay it with)...

Shares in specialist castings and engineering group, Chamberlin (CMH) are currently approaching 90% higher on the day, at more than 40p, on the back of two “Contract award” announcements…

Hurricane Energy (HUR) is a company that I have been bullish on ever since first covering it as a buy back in June 2014, but things haven’t worked out particularly well for anyone who has been invested since that time. This is rather unfortunate, as from an operational point of view it has performed amazingly well, better than anyone could really have hoped for, and is an example of how an AIM oil explorer can sometimes succeed and take a large discovery all the way through to production. Unfortunately for longer term holders though, that has proved costly in terms of dilution to enable to company to retain 100% of its Lancaster field...

OptiBiotix Health (OPTI) is “very pleased to have been granted a medical device status and a CE mark for the second time over a 12-month period”...

Previously writing on Mobile Streams (MOS), last week I noted the track-record doesn’t inspire confidence and concluded still bargepole / sell despite also noting CEO Simon Buckingham stating “the company can now move forward with the exciting developments it has identified”. Now “Board Change”…

AIM-listed Providence Resources (PVR) has announced the departure of its CEO, Tony O’Reilly, with immediate effect and by mutual and amicable agreement. This, I suggest, reflects the calamitous farm-out agreement regarding Barryroe with APEC Energy Enterprises (APEC), which never paid up. Amazingly, that saga started in March 2018 and was updated in September 2018 promising bucket-loads of cash and a drilling programme of 5 wells and two option wells to commence in 2019...

It was good to see today's regulatory news story about FirstGroup (FGP) that the typically wise and always serious Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opined that after an investigation into the 'award of the West Coast Rail franchise to a joint venture between FirstGroup and Trenitalia...the award of the franchise can now go ahead without a more in-depth Phase 2 investigation'...

Hello Share Takers. With the market so unpredictable in these pre-election days, perhaps I should take a look at an old favourite even if I have reviewed it fairly recently. My view: that I should not dump this share any time soon, despite a slight threat of nationalisation, has not weakened...

Neill Ricketts has already had one bollocking from his Nomad after his twitter comments forced, thanks to my efforts, his Nomad to force Versaien (VRS) into issuing an RNS "to clarify". But the poor old Nomad must be livid after this spat last night. Remember that results are on bury bad news on General Election day. It started when Neill did not like a tweet from a chap called EasyBrent to which the shameless ramper responded...

Time Out Group (TMO) commences a trading update with that it “is encouraged by the early trading of the five sites opened in 2019” and concludes that it “remains on track to reach the key milestone of profitability in 2020”. The shares are though currently below 125p – a few percent lower on the back of today’s update…

Yes that shameless promoter James Parsons of Sound Energy (SOU) infamy has a new stock to promote to the gullible. I discuss Sound and his new bgrossly overvalued POS Regency Mines (RGM). I also look at what was Strat Aero, Remote Monitored Systems (RMS) asking ,in light of today's news, if it has committed securities fraud? Has hapless Nomad SP Angel of Mysquar (MYSQ) infamy asked to see management accounts for Geocurve from July to today? If not why not?

An AGM “Formal Sale Process as part of the Strategic Review” and “Operational and trading performance” update from Nanoco (NANO) includes that it “is currently in discussions with certain interested parties who have been invited to submit indicative proposals in mid-December for an acquisition of the group” – though the shares have currently responded to sub 13p, more than 5% lower…

Previously writing on mporium Group (MPM), last month I noted an intra-day (3:03pm) RNS and suggested the fat lady warming up. Yesterday an ultra attempted no-one-watching o’clock (6:17pm) RNS; “Statement re Creditors' Voluntary Liquidation”. Uh oh…

Even half way up a mountain in rural Greece, news reaches me that the spoof that is the Vox Markets NEX Lobster Pot IPO following the collapse of the merger with Align, looks to be devolving from the sublime into the ridiculous. NEX is a great place to list if you want to lie to investors but not if you are expecting any liquidity at all in your shares.

Regular readers will know that I am a complete investment geek and therefore will not be surprised that I regard the two hours I spent during the summer discussing corporate whatevers with a representative of corrugated board producer DS Smith (SMDS) as one of my highlights of the year. I last wrote (briefly) about the name HERE and told you to continue buying/accumulating the stock, a view which has been sensibly remunerative even taking into account today's surprise 4% fall in the shares post the interim results publication…

The board of Plutus Powergen (PPG) has now conceded that it has received a valid request for a GM to sack current directors Charles Tatnall, James Longley and Tim Cottier and to appoint Nicholas Lee, David Horner and Dr Nigel Burton to the board of the Company. This should be entertaining but it could be more so.

Why would a company which claims to have had a year….of highly encouraging progress sneak out its results at approaching quarter past five in the evening – no-one-is-watching o’clock? Let us turn to the auditor’s report for AIM-listed Conroy Gold and Natural Resources (CGNR) in its Annual Report for the year to May 2019 – in particular the Going Concern section. Here we are told: