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Hello Share Swingers. A green company I’ve commended to you before has suffered what I think is an unfair correction to its share price. I bought the shares for about £3 back in the day. They rose to above £15, but have wobbled back to now below £7. And yet the company’s fuel cells could be extremely useful to companies taking advantage of the backlash against mucky fuels.
I start with the cows, my red face and pain. Read all about it HERE and then leave the 95% and make a donation to Rogue Bloggers for Woodlarks HERE. Then I discuss Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.), Neil Woodford and whining underperforming fund manager Nick Train of Lindsell Train
Analyst Peter Grandich says his clients tell him that it’s difficult to get goods and prices are rising quickly. Yet, the Fed’s ability to deal with inflation seems limited. Peter says that the lockdown created secondary effects on supply chains, and now things are becoming compounded with China and Russia and the Fed’s tools are largely useless at correcting this situation.
Back in November last year I wondered if I was going to choose Royal Mail (RMG) as a new buy for 2022. But when it got the end of December the share price had risen from about 430p to approximately 520p and hence I was happy to keep on ignoring it. So why did Royal Mail shares react badly to its numbers last week, meaning their year-to-date fall is now nearly 40%? It is a good job then that I decided to ignore the share late last year…but is it a potential buy now?
Gold has had a pretty terrible few weeks: back in late February it spiked to $2050 and then hung around in the mid-$1900s until the end of April. Now it has been challenging $1800 from above and closed the week at $1847. Of course, in the context of being just $1200 for years ago the yellow metal has done well, but given all that money-printing and rampant inflation one might have expected more of late.
Grab a cup of tea, sit back, and test your knowledge against the other ShareProphets members. Write your score in the comments, there are no prizes, and most important of all – no Googling!
Here are five long reads that have nothing to do with shares. Put the kettle on, find a comfy chair. You have the time, don’t you?
These are the most-read articles and most listened-to Bearcasts of the week. The most read non-Tom article is How is Rolls-Royce getting on? by Chris Bailey at a non-leaderboard Number 12 or Number 18 if you include Bearcasts.
Touch sensors manufacturer Zytronic (ZYT) has announced results for its half-year ended 31st March 2022 and that, whilst there are headwinds, it “remains well positioned to progress in its recovery, particularly now as the global sales and marketing activities resume”.
Seed Innovations (SEED) is pleased to note that the company in which it holds 7,324,796 shares, Little Green Pharma (ASX:LGP), has announced its “largest single-strain offtake quantity contract to date, with a minimum take or pay commitment of $7.5 million over 30 months." This follows the company in which it holds 4,427,609 shares, Yooma Wellness (CSE & AQSE - YOOM), announcing that its “fourth quarter saw revenue of US$5.3 million, exceeding previous forecasts”.
I was not at the show, but have had feedback. What were your takeaways from Vin Murria, Adam Reynolds, Nigel Wray et al? Please do post in the comments section. Instead, I was on a 23-mile walk. I report on the good news and also how, thanks to a herd of cows, I am in complete agony tonight. Photos tomorrow, as bed beckons. Think of my complete pain and, if you are among the 95% of listeners yet to donate, please do so HERE.
Hello Share Placers. Now that folks seem to take Covid in their stride, with few bothering to wear masks any more, you might think the best sectors in which to buy shares stay unchanged. But that’s not the case. Some companies face better prospects post pandemic and some risk a bleaker outlook.
Previously writing on supplier of specialist connectors to the automotive sector Strip Tinning Holdings (STG), earlier this week I noted the shares down to 115p from a 185p AIM IPO little over three months earlier after a trading warning, though the company stating “great care is being taken to ensure that overheads are reduced where appropriate in line with lower than budgeted sales… in addition, the company is currently putting through a number of price rises across its product range”. And now a director share purchase. Good news?...
Tomorrow's training walk really will start at 4.30 AM. I promise. If you are among the naughty 95% yet to donate, please do so HERE. After that, there is more work on the Ha-Ha, ahead of a new idea which I will announce next week. I start with how NOT to get a job, when I was the one who got you an interview! I end with why this year, it will be I, not Malcolm, who calls the housebuilders right. In between, I discuss a share my SIPP bought yesterday; the fund and games with VinMurria at M&C Saatchi (SAA); Cellular Goods (CBX); and THG (THG)
‘Digital chemistry data and software’ group DeepMatter (DMTR) states that it is “delighted” to be working with Springer Nature to provide the “leading global research publisher” with products and services making sharing research data faster, easier and more impactful. So what of a current more than 4% higher share price response to 0.12p?...
Analyst, Chris Puplava, argues that Fed rate hikes don’t always result in recessions. He believes there is no spare capacity to compensate for a slowdown and, therefore, the Fed is limited in its ability to control inflation. The November elections are always a factor, and he doesn't expect the Fed will tighten aggressively into the fall. Mortgage rate hikes, he argues, are already impacting the housing markets, as the interest rate pain threshold has been more pronounced with every debt cycle.
Arts, crafts, toys, books and stationery retailer TheWorks (WRKS) has issued a full-year trading update including “trading performance… well ahead of pre-COVID levels… net cash of £16.3m… Dividend re-instated; the board expects to recommend a dividend of approximately 2.4 pence per share alongside its FY22 results in September and maintain a progressive dividend policy thereafter”. With though also the EBITDA forecast only “reiterated”, what of a current more than 13% increased share price to 57p?...
I am a bit of a fan of DCC plc (DCC), the “leading international sales, marketing and support services group with a clear focus on performance and growth…operate through three divisions: Energy, Healthcare and Technology”. Back in late December I called it one of my tips of the year for 2022. So how is it getting on?
Imperial Brands (IMB) has announced results for its half year ended 31st March 2022 emphasising “stabilisation of our core combustible business” and “successful consumer trials validate our approach and strengthen our confidence in our Next Generation Product strategy”. This sounds encouraging.
With yet another hat tip to reader J, I bring you evidence that, on Wednesday, Eurasia Mining (EUA) deceived investors with regard to its new “Independent” non-executive director. Proper companies simply do not behave in this way.
The writing is on the wall for Cellular Goods (CBX), the CBD company floated by Jonathan Bixby, Mike Edwards, Andy Frangos, Peter wall of Argo Blockchain (ARB) infamy, and serial liar, John Story.
Hello Share Followers. The medical sector is likely to pay more juicy dividends in the humble view of this old punter. Covid has concentrated minds on the need to pour more dosh into the NHS and other services to meet a growing demand from an ageing population and to deal with the huge logjam caused by the pandemic. So let’s take a peek at ConvaTec Group (CTEC).
Gold miner in Kazakhstan, AltynGold (ALTN) states that it “is pleased to announce its 1Q22 production update” and the shares have moved up to 130p, so what’s the latest?...
Describing itself as a “global leader in LED lighting for heavy industrial applications” Dialight (DIA) has issued an AGM trading statement including that it “has traded well… Longer term we are increasingly confident of our prospects given our leading sustainability products and significant market opportunity”. So what of a share price currently up to 336p?...
As you grow old, you should learn from investing. In that vein, I discuss my 1997 encounters with Adonis Pouroulis of Chariot Oil & Gas (CHAR), and why I'd not touch Chariot with a bargepole. I also discuss investing in a bear market, what we should do and the irrational decisions others will make, looking at AAA, Asimilar (ASLR) and Audioboom (BOOM). I then examine Guild ESports (GILD), and what I believe is an upcoming placing at 1p. That will also kick Cellular Goods (CBX) in the golden balls. Finally, I discuss renting out the Greek Hovel, as you can see HERE, and urge the 95% of listeners yet to donate to Rogue Bloggers for Woodlarks, to do so HERE.
With a hat tip to reader J, here is another red flag. That is to say, Eurasia Mining (EUA) deceiving investors with the first RNS, after its utterly unexplained share suspension.
Homewares group Portmeirion (PMP) has issued an AGM trading statement including that it “is encouraged that the group continues to grow and… confident that our ongoing strategic investments in factory automation and online platforms will enable future growth in top line sales and that ongoing improvements in productivity will further enhance margins over the long term”. So what of a share price currently of 435p, down over 8%?...
Fevertree (FEVR) has issued a trading update, which seems to read well, but the shares are down and will fall further. Let me explain.
Volatile times as also shown earlier this week in the United States, with the shares of two huge retailers, Walmart and Target, having their worst days since the stock market volatility of 1987. Interesting times out there. And it is a busy day in the UK market too, with three of my holdings giving an update…
Each January, AIM-listed Verditek (VDTK) - chaired by Tory toff, Lord David Willetts - would issue a trading statement, covering the calendar year. It was never anything to write home about, as, despite announcing huge orders ahead of a discounted placing, none would turn into actual er….orders. So, this was typically a January confessional. But in 2022, there was no trading statement.
The Greek Hovel is now, after eight years, complete. No longer a hovel, it is a luxury eco palace, with a pool operational from early June until the end of September, a massive library and all mod cons. The thick stone walls keep it cool in the summer and warm in the winter. If you fancy splendid isolation in the Paddy Leigh Fermor land of the Mani, it is the place to be. And it is now available for rent, as you can see below.
Hello Share Fans. Methinks it’s time to look again at the admirable Creightons (CRL) as it has endured a prolonged price drop for no pressing reason that I can see. Only last autumn the shares were above 130p but this Spring have been as low as 50p. Well, maybe above 130p was a bit optimistic but this is a company which makes popular stuff. And it does it cheaply.
Medical technology group Deltex (DEMG) has updated on its AGM that “there are encouraging signs that the group's revenues in the UK and USA are beginning to recover”. So what of a current 1.10p share price?...
In today's podcast, I suggest 3 questions you should ask of a certain speaker at UK Investor, and I shall be very proud of anyone who has the nerve to do so! I look at Eurasia Mining (EUA); Kavango Resources (KAV), run by flip-flop, Ben Turney; Strip Tinning (STG); Deepverge (DVRG); Audioboom (BOOM); and Nanosynth (NNN), where I slash my target price to 0.1p. 95% of you have yet to donate to Rogue Bloggers for Woodlarks. Come on, I am sure you can spare a tenner - please do give HERE.
On 16th February Strip Tinning Holdings (STG), describing itself as “a leading supplier of specialist connectors to the automotive sector”, was “pleased to announce the admission… to trading on AIM… £11.5 million of gross proceeds have been raised… at a price of 185 pence per ordinary share… £8.0 million for the company and £3.5 million for certain selling shareholders… The directors believe the placing and admission will enable the company to accelerate its growth plans and underpin its early mover advantage in the EV battery sector, further enhance its profile in the markets in which it operates and assist with attracting, retaining and incentivising high calibre employees”. So what of now a “trading update” little over three months later?...
Bitcoin did not crash during Q1; that happened later. As such, today's Q1 numbers are irrelevant. Even so, as you would expect from the scallywags who run this company, Argo serves up a masterclass in the study of what a “profit” is. It is, of course, just a matter of opinion.
As I observed back in January I am “not a global fashionista nor a chav...but still a Burberry (BRBY) shares fan”. With events since, unsurprisingly the share is down but I can live with that as - at various points over the last few years - I have bought the stock at an average price below the current sub 16 quid share price level. But what do today’s full year numbers to the start of April tell me about both recent and upcoming trading realities?
First, there was Atlas' pledge not to dump any more shares - which it immediately did. Then came the idea that it had cleared its death spiral debt, with the buried-deep-in-the-release admission that it had taken out another. Spoof two! Today, Vast Resources (VAST) becomes a hat-trick hero in the AIM sewer hall of infamy.
Jubilee Metals (JLP) has announced a performance update of its new and expanded fully integrated South African Inyoni PGM and chrome operations and its Zambian southern copper strategy. So what’s the situation, with the shares having responded up to 15.4p?
Wishbone Gold (WSBN) has announced it has signed a drilling contract for its Wishbone II gold-copper project in Northern Queensland, Australia and that deployment for drilling is dependent only on weather in the area improving.
Thanks to Yair Tauman, he is no longer able to draw a £300,000 salary and an even bigger expense account at ADVFN (AFN), so what now for Clem Chambrs? There was the hilarious attempt to stag the disastrous IPO of Lift Global Ventures, but a man needs more in life. So as you can see below Clem is now a celebrated artist with his work showing later this week in a "flash" exhibition in Paris. In case you are in Frogland I also bring you a couple of Clem's masterpieces. They don't float my boat but maybe you have a "different" taste?
Hello Share Marchers. Though it seemed likely it would rise, the share price of BT Group (BT.A) continues to underwhelm. You would think all those home worker signing up to its powerful broadband would send its income soaring. But latest number shows underlying revenue of £20.8 billion. That sounds a lot but it was 2% down, though underlying EBITDA inched up by 2% to £7.6 billion.
On Monday 16 May at 7.40 AM, shares in AIM listed Bulletin board darling Eurasia Mining (EUA) were temporarily suspended at just under 8p “pending an announcement.” At 6.18PM on Tuesday 17th (today) came that announcement. Eurasia “confirms it has no material new developments to notify” and so trading will resume on Wednesday 18th. So the shares were suspended for two days for an announcement that nothing had changed. That is insane. It gets more insane.
Lucian Miers’ (the bear raider) top three UK short positions are:
A “Trading Update - FY22 in line with expectations”-titled announcement from tissue converter group Accrol (ACRL) sounds good given the current macro climate. So what of a current 26p share price?...
In today's podcast, I look at: Vast Resources (VAST) and the bogus bear squeeze; Eurasia Mining (EUA); Powerhouse Energy (PHE); Kinovo (KINO) and the fallout from my scoop yesterday, which is now confirmed; Made.com (MADE); and why Petropavlovsk (POG) is a zero. Also, do grab a (free) ticket to UK Investor on Saturday; tomorrow, I shall give the question you must ask one of the presenters. The Rogue Bloggers for Woodlarks have now raised 21% of their target. To the 95% of listeners yet to donate, please do so HERE.
As a lifelong non-smoker it is a bit ridiculous how much of an investment fan I am of Imperial Brands (IMB) shares, which are up over 8% today after the company’s first half numbers. But if everything that was potentially bad for you was not allowed and taxed then investors in a bunch of other consumer, defence, industrial, commodity and other areas would not be allowed. Given the world’s stock markets do tend to have to figure out over time if a sector and/or company is justifiable or not, my view is that all adults - and pension funds - can figure out whether they want to invest somewhere or not.
Online bathroom retailer group Victorian Plumbing (VIC) has announced results for its half year ended 31st March with founder and CEO Mark Radcliffe emphasising “relentless focus on investing in quality and innovation has resulted in revenue growing 39% on a two-year basis”. Having only though listed in June last year, what about on a one year basis and what’s the financial impact of its “investing”?...
30-year mining veteran, "Andy", discusses how everything in markets comes down to supply and demand. Logistics, contracts, and shipping are all essential factors in trade. Markets are complex, and risk mitigation is important, especially with the fluctuating prices of commodities. Sometimes, margins are tight, and companies can easily lose money - particularly if they're not hedged accordingly.
Naughty, naughty Nomad Liam Murray of Cairn Financial for signing off on today’s release from AIM perma-dog Catenae (CTEA) for it is only a partial ‘fess up. With the shares already suspended for failing to gt accounts out for the yar to September 30 2021, things look truly grim.
Yesterday at 7.40 AM, an RNS appeared saying that trading in shares in Eurasia Mining (EUA) had been “temporarily suspended pending an announcement.” 24 hours later we still have no news. Good news travels fast, etc, etc. I considered possible reasons for the suspension HERE but, there is another possibility.
I may have, in the past, suggested that Mr David Lenigas was a shameless spiv who promoted worthless penny shares via either dramatic exaggeration or, as in the case of UK Oil & Gas (UKOG) even worse. I may have suggested that Big Dave talks out of his posterior and should be whipped out of town and sent back to his native Australia where the core DNA will make him feel right at home. If so, I apologise.
Hello Share Riders. Regular readers will know this old punter favours REIT companies. These are outfits committed to paying over most of their profits to shareholders by way of dividends. Today’s offering deals in buildings in the Smoke and home counties. It’s called Capital & Counties Properties (CAPC), known as Capco.
In today's podcast, I cover Eurasia Mining (EUA), Made.com (MADE), Vast Resources (VAST) and Petropavlovsk (POG). I have more shocking news on Kinovo (KINO), whose shares should be suspended, and discuss FinnCrap (FCAP). I promise never to mention the company again if its CEO, smug Sam Smith, donates £100,000 to rogue bloggers for Woodlarks. Of course, she won't. So I must ask the 95% of Bearcast listeners yet to chip in: please make your donation, HERE We are now at 20% of target - go on, make it 21% by tomorrow!
Online sportsbook, casino and gaming marketing company B90 Holdings (B90) “is pleased to announce that it has raised £731,000 (before expenses)… at a price of 5.75 pence per share”. How ‘pleasing’ is this?...
At 7.40 AM, an RNS appeared, announcing that trading in Eurasia Mining (EUA) shares had been “temporarily suspended pending an announcement.” It is now 1 PM, and there has been no announcement. So, what is going on? It could be good news for the shareholders, though I suspect it may not be. But who knows?
It is only ten and a half months since online furniture seller Made.com (MADE) listed on the Main Market, raising £100million by issuing new shares at 200p while existing shareholders lobbed out a cheeky £90 million of stock onto gullible institutions. Today, after a dismal profits warning, the shares are just 56p to sell. Meanwhile another rat has left the sinking ship as it burns through its ill gotten IPO gains ever more rapidly.
Previously writing on group now describing itself as “a leading developer of radiation and bio-detection technology solutions for the advanced imaging and CBRN detection segments” Kromek (KMK), in July with the shares down towards 15p I reviewed “well-placed to capitalise on the substantial opportunities”, concluding still a sell. It today provides an update, with its year ended 30th April.
Vast Resources (VAST) is blessed with having the dumbest investors going. They fell for the last spoof RNS which, in a just world, would see the issuers banned from the markets, and bid the (worthless) shares up to 2.4p. Today there is a new monster spoof and the shares are 56% up to 1.3p offering the bears another chance for a slam dunk free short. The company says it has refinanced its Atlas death spiral leading the "marks" to assume that there is no more death spiral overhang. But buried at the bottom of the release is ????
Still branding herself after the colour of her hair dye, the blonde, Julie “lingerie on expenses” Meyer is today again spamming her GPDR non-compliant mailing list trying to persuade folks to join her at her latest investment conference. This email from the fugitive from a 6 month jail term here in the UK is her most insane yet. She insults the French, the Queen and invests a whole new island off Wales, North Anglesey. It is of course just Anglesey, or rather Yns Mon. Maybe she should visit the place as the North Wales Police are keen to have a word following her recent wasting of Police time.
Some good news and some less good news for easyJet (EZJ) today. Call me radical but I have booked an easyJet flight for later this year, which is a tiny bit of positive news for its finance team. The less good financial news is that the company is going to have to “offer new and existing cabin crew a £1,000 bonus at the end of the summer holiday season, as airlines battle to retain and recruit staff”. Frankly though, a bit like any company, if it doesn’t have happy and motivated staff it will ultimately struggle. I remain a fan despite a lower share price this morning. And what about Greggs (GRG), which published a trading update this morning? After all a couple of months ago I asked the question “At what share price will I want more than just a vegan sausage roll from Greggs?”...
After the crypto crash here is a handy summary of how the industry works, all in just one tweet. It is not a ponzi.
Hello Share Fans. There’s growing support in the City for a big utility. That company is SSE plc (SSE). And the reason for the optimism is that it seems more interested in alternative energy than most other gas and electricity suppliers.
Building services company TClarke (CTO) has issued an AGM trading update including that “trading in the early months of the 2022 financial year has continued to be strong… the outlook for TClarke continues to be very positive”. Sounds good!
Kefi Gold & Copper (KEFI) has announced recent advancement toward multi-party financing, as well as further development of the Tulu Kapi gold project in Ethiopia.
In this podcast, I discuss a double dose of suffering - but not that which I promised - and beg you to donate to Rogue Bloggers for Woodlarks, HERE. I also discuss two companies where something stinks badly: HUI International (HUI) and Audioboom(BOOM). And, yes, I have seen the story in the loathsome Mail on Sunday. It stinks, too!
Now describing herself as "the blonde", after the colour of hair dye she uses nowadays, Julie "lingerie on expenses" Meyer is struggling to persuade fund managers to attend her Greek conference. For the spam to her mailing list comes almost daily, and is increasingly insane. Today's offering is a classic. Julie compares herself to Meghan Markle, driven out of Britain only by a hostile press. So, nothing to do with that six months in Holloway, then?
Here are five long reads that have nothing to do with shares. Put the kettle on, find a comfy chair. You have the time, don’t you?
You probably saw that, late last week, Rolls-Royce (RR.) held its AGM, giving a year-to-date update. How exciting for shareholders! But how did they get on?
Grab a cup of tea, sit back, and test your knowledge against the other ShareProphets members. Write your score in the comments, there are no prizes, and most important of all – no Googling!
These are the most-read articles and most listened-to Bearcasts of the week. The most read non-Tom article is Ferrexpo looks like a good recovery buy with large upside as long as its operations in Ukraine continue uninterrupted by Gary Newman at a sexy Number Six or Number 11 if you include Bearcasts.
AEX Gold (AEXG) is pleased to announce its addition of mineral exploration licences No. 2020-41 and 2021-11, covering areas in South Greenland.
His point is about the structure of one of a raft of uber-dog IPOs of 2021, Seraphime (BUMP). But that structure is common to a number of other dogs and willl be their downfall. I am in agony as I prepare for bed for reasons explained HERE. But tomorrow I shall do a 20 mile Woodlarks training walk none the less. Please think of my extreme pain as I walk towards Chester and if you are among the 96% of listeners yet to donate to this great cause please do so HERE
Until late 2019 shorting shares in Fevertree (FEVR) was an extremely unsuccessful strategy. Its has been a great British success story: a powerful global brand that in twenty years has conquered all before it with superb marketing of a great product.
This is a cheery way to start the weekend. Analyst David Hunter does not mince his words. He discusses how:
I pointed out in bearcast yesterday the utterly whiffy state of affairs at HUI International (HUI),the bastard little sister of Powerhouse Energy (PHE) with regard to a 500,000 Euro investment in Irish company Trifol Resources Ltd. An advisor has now made a shocking admission to me…
Hello Share Mates. One of the seven deadly sins is sloth. And while it doesn't necessarily lose shareholders a lot of money, it stops them making it. The major manifestation of laziness in Shareland is allowing companies which have been going nowhere for a long time to rot in your portfolio.
Previously writing on maternity and nursing wear group Seraphine (BUMP), earlier this month with the shares down towards 30p I remained bearish. The shares last closed at just above 29p but why are they currently a further approaching 7% lower just today?...
In today's podcast, I discuss Elon Musk and Twitter; Vast Resources (VAST) & associated scumbags; Optibiotix (OPTI); Condor Gold (CNR) and why comrade Jim Mellon must pay up soon; and the complete and utter Irish jackanory spouted by Hydrogen Utopia (HUI) and Powerhouse Resources (PHE): those holding shares in either company are certifiable. We are now just £68 away from £10,000 in the Rogue Bloggers for Woodlarks (plus gift aid) fundraise. On Sunday, I really will do a 20-mile training walk. If you are amongst the 96% of listeners yet to donate, please do so today, HERE.
Fulcrum Utility Services (FCRM) states in a trading update that its “core multi-utility contracting business has remained relatively unaffected by… the UK energy market has continued to experience considerable turbulence”. So what of a current 7.3p share price, down nearly 20%?...
Today's shocking news is not evidence of illegal behaviour, I am told by a member of the death spiral community. I am not so sure. But investors were indeed deceived by Vast Resources (VAST), Atlas and Beaumont Cornish, which signed off on the May 3 release. The incident brings “the world’s most successful growth market” into disrepute, and I have written to Marcus Stuttard, the bogus Sheriff and head of the Oxymorons at AIM Regulation, urging him to investigate possible illegality and to censure all those involved.
Back in January, I believed that my shares in Sage Group (SGE) - the “British multinational-enterprise software company, based in Newcastle upon Tyne” - had hit my 800 pence target, and thus that it was time to take my profits. A few days later, I did. But what do I think today, after a fall to around 670 pence?
Bitcoin has rallied overnight, and is back above $30,000; that will, no doubt, convince more millennials that BOTFD is the way to make money in a Ponzi. But will the rally continue? If not, this poses – as I flagged up yesterday, here – massive questions for Argo Blockchain (ARB). Bear raider, Boatman, which exposed a host of red flags at Argo, took to Twitter to raise additional issues, and we followed up with an e-chat.
Ms "Lingerie on Expenses" has rebranded herself as “the blonde”. Even that claim is untrue, I am reliably informed. But, as she flees British Justice and a six-month jail term, Meyer has sent out an email inviting folks to her next summit in Greece. The poor bubbles: have they not suffered enough already? This is one of her most bonkers communications to date, as you can see below.
I recently covered Serinus Energy (SENX) as a speculative buy based on the likelihood that the results for the first quarter would be good and the company would have benefitted from high commodity prices and fairly low Capex.
Ha, gotcha. What a spoof. On May 3rd, Death Spiral provider, Atlas, and Vast Resources (VAST) made an RNS statement, announcing that Atlas would not convert any more loan notes. The stock was a ten-bagger in days, going from 0.02375p to a peak of 0.24p. Well, guess what? I do hope the morons buying were well-lubed up!
Hello Share Wranglers. Like most infrastructure jumbos, Balfour Beatty (BBY) is making a strong recovery after the setbacks of Covid. So confident is the company that in the first quarter of 2022, it has re-bought nearly £20 million's worth of its own shares. And that's not all. It expects to have repurchased £150 million's of its stock by the year's end. The outfit happily boasts that it will continue to make higher profits for the rest of 2022.
Packaging group Macfarlane (MACF) has announced “a solid start to 2022, with first quarter sales and profits from continuing operations ahead of the same period in 2021… expectations for the full year are unchanged”. So what of a current 120.5p share price?
In today's podcast, I discuss the FTSE 100 sliding; bitcoin's crash; Coinbase; Online Blockchain (OBC); Argo Blockchain (ARB) and 3 questions Peter Wall MUST answer; Cellular Goods (CBX), where Wall today stepped down as chair (odd timing); Verditek (VDTK); the shame of Innovate UK and ex-footballer and NFT spiv, Michael Owen; Petropavlovsk (POG); and Versarien (VRS), where a cash crisis looms. Now, to brace myself: the mother-in-law will arrive at her new home in just a few hours.
Kefi Gold and Copper (KEFI) has announced further drill results and news from Saudi Arabia.
Previously writing on Concurrent Technologies (CNC), in January with the shares at 88p I concluded cautiously. The shares last closed at 87p but are currently below 80p on the back of full-year 2021 results.
Back in February I concluded about Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) that it was an “absolutely fine company to use if you are an investor, but in my opinion you do not need to buy its shares…carry on avoiding…”. The share back then was about 1100p and today it is below 850p, i.e. levels last seen back in 2013. Spot the rationale for this with revenue falling in an investment market that is unsurprisingly more and more competitive. I will have another look after its full year results in early August, but would still avoid the shares at least until then. Meanwhile, how am I feeling about BT Group (BT.A) shares after the publishing of its full year numbers earlier today?…
Previously writing on ventilation systems and window and door hardware company Titon Holdings (TON), in February with the shares at 80p I noted it’s further margin pressure ahoy and continue to avoid. The shares last closed at 90p but, on the back of results for its half-year ended 31st March 2022, are currently down to 75p.
As its old auditor walked, and the new one needed more time, today’s results for the 12 months to March are unaudited interims – the prelims will be for the 18 months to 30 September. But one cannot dodge the numbers: even Neill Ricketts is forced to ‘fess that Versarien (VRS) may soon run out of other folks’ cash. Anyone holding the shares is, thus, certifiably insane.
Apparently the charmer below was discovered yesterday in a hut in the village where a senior AIM geologist is on site right now. I invite you, to consider what you see and supply a suitable caption for the photo in the comments section below. I shall kick off with:
Lift Global Ventures (LFT) - a cash shell that buys assets in the financial media world - was listed at 3p on 29 April, after a fund raise which brought in £1.73 million. That, we are told, was “oversubscribed”, which is obviously a testimony to the brilliance of its CEO, the Sith Lord Zak Mir. Every bandit in town is on the shareholder list, as well as upstanding blue-chip investors like David Lenigas and ex ADVFN boss, Clem “a legend in his own expenses lunchtime” Chambers.
Hello Share Pickers. When uncertainty stalks the world’s economies, it often pays to seek out promising insurance companies. They can thrive on nervousness as more people turn to their protective policies. One lesser known, but still substantial, company to consider is Beazley (BEZ). It recently issued a trading statement for the three months to the end of March. And it’s rather a jolly one.
Hostel market-focused online travel group Hostelworld (HSW) has announced an AGM update including “performance to date has been stronger than we had initially expected… we are seeing the recovery continue across all destinations and demand segments. In particular, booking demand into Europe, our largest destination in 2019, has almost fully recovered to 2019 levels with some markets exceeding 100%… trips from the US and Canada into European destinations at 2019 levels”. So what of a share price rising above 86p?...
First thing this morning AIM-listed Trafalgar Property (TRAF) announced a board appointment, and the shares shot out of the traps like rocket on speed, trebling in the first two hours of trading. The excitement was to do with the arrival of Dr Paul Francis Challinor as an executive director. Dr Challinor specialises in indoor hydroponic vertical farming – so the tomatoes-in-test-tubes have returned!
Online competitions company Best of the Best (BOTB) states it “is pleased… revenue performance for the period has been consistent with the market guidance issued at the time of its interim results on 19 January 2022, with pre-tax profits slightly ahead”. What does that mean re. a share price currently up to 440p?...
I start with some great news: my mother-in-law is moving to the next village tomorrow. Watch out Farndon! Then, I look at Trafalgar New Homes (TRAF); Fevertree (FEVR); Mirriad (MIRI); Supply@ME Capital (SYME); Dignity (DTY); and Zephyr Energy (ZPHR).
A week ago solid-state battery technology company Ilika (IKA) made a “Goliath Scale-up Update” announcement, emphasising “Scale-up plans validated - highlighting cost-saving benefits at higher volume production levels”. That helped the shares remain above 100p and they last closed at 95p before today a trading update...
It is now over a year since I wrote about ITV plc (ITV). I am trying to think if I have watched the channel since then but certainly, judging by the over 40% share price fall since, it was wise to observe last May that “if you don’t own it…you can chill…overall like the majority of TV in my opinion a bit of a yawn”. Have I changed my mind at any level today?
In just two weeks, the new death spiral provider, Venus, has dumped 3.32 billion shares on Bulletin Board Morons. If it is allowed to, it will likely dump another 15-20 billion. But the fraud, Supply@ME Capital (SYME), is insolvent even with the Venus cash, as I noted earlier. I have asked the FCA to step in and save private investors from being mugged.
I warned comrade Malcolm Stacey and you all that his March 7 enthusiasm for advertising group Mirriad (MIRI) was misplaced and dire results with a piss poor set of excuses vindicate this perma bear once again. Crack out the ouzo. At 21p, down 14% so far today, the market cap is £59 million making this still a stonking short.
On 27 April, the fraud Supply@ME Capital (SYME) announced that it had issued 2,770,000,000 shares to death spiral provider Venus and on 10 May it announced that it had issued a further 550,000,000 shares to Venus following which its issued share capital is now 40,789,339,950. If Venus was, as some, of the Bulletin Board Morons are suggesting building a stake then it would now have a stake of 8.1 %.
Hello Share Followers. We all know big oil companies are on a roll. But a reasonable way to take a sideways punt on the sector is to look at outfits that supply the oil trade. A company that might be worth keeping an eye on is Hunting (HTG). This firm makes and supplies engineering gear for the industry.
