Minding the London Stock Exchange’s Business
Independent and Fearless Financial Journalism Funded by Readers
Even a few of our detractors have now come around
Fleeing a six month jail term and damned by British Judges Julie "lingerie on expenses" Meyer continues to hobnob with Greek political and business leaders. If this was a bubble on the run and doing the hobnobbing with British Tories and banksters the UK press, pitiful as it is, would be all over it.
It is almost as if reporter Jon Robinson from Business Live was taking dictation from PR fluffies Powerscourt as he reported on boardroom share buying at musicMagpie (MMAG) here. Claiming the bosses were “doubling down” by buying £300,000 of shares at 52.5p is “doubling down” when, as I pointed out HERE, the same bosses had sold £15.7 million worth of shares at the IPO less than a year ago is just 100% misleading. It gets worse…
I start with thoughts about yesterday’s walk, especial thanks to Jonathan Price, Steve Moore, Robert Lewis and Lucian Miers and his son, the other five rogue bloggers who managed all 34.2 miles. Lucian as the logistics meister who also got another stack of relatives to join us deserves especial credit. Thank you to all who sponsored us, it is not too late to donate here. Then onto what I see as corruption, the misuse of taxpayer cash by so many in the corporate world. It is legal but immoral but I sense no one really cares which saddens me.
Nigel Somerville agonised at the weekend about who to vote for on May 6. In answer to his questions various of our writers will, over the coming days suggest who is worthy of your support. Next up is Tory Councillor Chris Bailey explaining why you should vote for the party of sleaze and corruption.He opines:
This podcast is all about the Woodford scandal of today. The corruption of the Sunday Telegraph in trading a scoop for dishonest journalism and the scandal that the disgraced fund manager may be back after less than 20 months of not screwing around with other folks’ cash. Why must people like Lucy and Neil be stopped and who will stop Neil? Lucy, I fear, is destined for great things in the corrupt world of the deadwood press.
The financial sections of newspapers like to have articles about celebrities as, they can use a photo and they believe that brings traffic. But when it comes to dealing with celebs either laziness or corruption kicks in. Last week I flagged up the appallingly untrue Mail on Sunday coverage of Dragon’s Den star Sarah Willingham and her grossly overvalued (in part to the MOS ramp with its wrong numbers) and scandalously conflicted Nightcap (NGHT) POS company by Harriet Dennys. This week I turn to David Beckham who features in a Daily Mail article by Francesca Washtell which is also a disgrace.
Say what you like about AIM dog Angus Energy (ANGS) but it has provided us all with a colourful cast of characters during its short and inglorious history on the AIM Casino. Right now, the man at the helm is Lord Lucan but how lucky does he feel in having as his non-executive chairman, a fellow Irish aristocrat Paddy Clanwilliam. Paddy also sits on the audit committee and is paid £68,000 a year for his sterling efforts.
Lib Dem grandee Lord Timmy Razzall may have changed the name of Boxhill to St James House (SJH) but this company which has been mired in so much corruption and fraud remains an uninvestable uber dog even by the standards of the AIM casino. Results earlier this week were covered in bearcast yesterday but perhaps merit further scrutiny. They are shocking, breach IFRS on numerous counts and quite simply aim to decieve. Nomad Allenby should be walking.
Boatman Capital has been the scourge of Babcock (BAB) but now shows it is not a one trick pony. Its next target is AVZ Minerals. It is Oz listed but the report is a fascinating insight into the seedy world of mining. We thus bring it to you in full below.
In today's podcast I look at Saga (SAGA), Dev Clever (DEV), Diversified Gas & Oil (DGOC), RM2 (RM2), Falanx (FLX), Yourgene (YGEN) and IQE (IQE).
Agronomics (ANIC) is an AIM listed firm which knew full well on Friday that it was set to raise £4.5 million at 5p - as against a 5.5p mid. So here is what to do. Leak the story to the fraudsters fave journalist, Ben Harrington, who will give it an utterly misleading write-up in the Mail on Sunday in return for the "scoop." MoS readers fill their boots on Monday and the shares move higher - they are now 6.5p. So Harrington and the Fail on Sunday get another "scoop", the Spiv clients of broker Peterhouse get to flip the stock and thank Peterhouse which earns 5% to pay for the coke and hookers and the company is cashed up. The only folk who get screwed are readers of the Fail on Sunday who are buying shares on the basis of completely fake news.
In today's podcast I look at Audioboom (BOOM) in light of today's placing "scoop" in the M ail on Sunday and also what it says about the corruption of the deadwood press. I also comment on the virtue signalling by silly business minister Kelly Tollhurst re diversity on FTSE 100 boards. Suffice to say she, scores a gamma double minus for data analysis.
I start with news of a washing panic at the Greek Hovel. Then I look at why the mainstream financial press are part of the problem not the solution to stockmarket over-promotes and indeed outright criminality. In the podcast I look specifically at The Times on Neil Woodford and at The Sunday Times on Hollywood Bowl (BOWL) and Midas in the Mail on Sunday on the IPO of AJ Bell (AJB)
The Mrs thinks her dad was born in Chennai. I explain the relevance of this as I discuss Mercantile Ports & Logistics (MPL) and more evidence that has fallen into my hands suggesting that it is doomed. Elsewhere I look at Purplebricks (PURP), Angle (AGL) and the corruption of Fleet Street, Brokerman Dan again showing that he did not train as a journalist but as er..something else as he looks at Big Dish a stock where I have no knowledge or financial interest I also look at the disgraceful news today from Nick "not for the many but the" Trew at Pathfinder Minerals (PFP) and at ITM Power (ITM)
I am sorry if I sound a bit one track minded today but you will remember that African Potash (AFPO) sent me a fascist lawyers letter ( c/o now three time losers against me Memery Crystal) demanding I pay it £2,000, unpublish my articles on it, never write on it again and pay it damages on top back in September 2016. Natch I declined the offer and the fraud that is Potash has been in freefall to insolvency ever since. Moral of the story: don't mess with The Sheriff of AIM. Now, I have a question for Lord Peter Hain of sleaze who chairs the company's remuneration committee.
In the past week I have flagged up two prime examples of why the established financial media is part of the problem of AIM corruption not the solution HERE and HERE. Today the same paper, the Torygraph, serves up a third. I refer you to the market report written by pouting Tara Cunningham ( see below).
Sable Mining (SBLM), the AIM listed piece of Turkish run by Andrew Groves - the long time business partner of ex cricketer Phil Edmonds has been forced to deny that he has been indicted for trial on charges of bribery and corruption in Liberia. Okay Andy whatever you say....
I believed in Insetco (INC) briefly but then warned folks to sell quite explicitly as new information came up. I labelled it a bargepole stock HERE - you cannot say that you were not warned. I can only hope that the BB Morons who say they buy everything I say sell did just that. The moral here...
Yesterday I reported the story of an AIM CEO, who shared his first hand experience of the City corruption that enables the illegal forward selling of placements. Today I publish a second account, from a separate CEO, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity. Over the years, a number of companies on AIM have suffered illicit coordinated market attacks against their share prices. There has long been a suspicion of direct City complicity in these abusive assaults, involving regulated brokerage firms and market makers. Thanks to the vagaries of libel law and the City’s conspiracy of silence this is a story nearly impossible to report on, but the comments of CEO 2 serve as a warning to private investors in this utterly bent market.
AIM Regulation and the FCA’s inability or unwillingness to tackle rampant market abuse involving the illegal forward selling of placements on AIM has cost companies and shareholders hundreds of millions of pounds. The problem has become so widespread that it is widely seen as the cost of doing business in the lower reaches of the market. This is unacceptable and two current CEOs of AIM-listed businesses have spoken out about the parlous state of play. Below I share the first testimonial, given on the condition of anonymity.
What can the London Stock Exchange do to restore confidence to AIM? The “world’s most successful growth market” is ailing and no amount of spin can cover up its decay. According to the latest statistics, at the end of July AIM hosted 1,066 companies, the lowest number since the end of 2004. There have been a mere thirty-seven new issues so far this year, of which one was a transfer from the main market and eight were re-admissions. Having failed so miserably to police its market, the London Stock Exchange now faces an immense challenge proving to the investment community that it has the wherewithal to arrest AIM’s increasingly terminal decline.
Two bad things today. West Ham kick off what is bound to be another season of Premiership disaster and more importantly my cat Tara seems to be very sick. Seeking distraction I read the Sunday financial press and feel disgusted, a sense of being made nauseous by the stench of corruption everywhere. Afren, Quindell, the financial press, it is tempting just to give up on shares. Is not the whole game rigged by the crony capitalists? It is not. But a lot of it is as I explain in this podcast. I end by explaining why my emails will go unanswered for days and twitter ignored almost completely for the next seven weeks. I have an urgent deadline.
New World Oil & Gas (NEW) has not issued an RNS to confirm whether or not Bill Kelleher has repaid the several hundred thousand dollars he owes the company or if he has left his role as a well-paid technical advisor. Frankly, New World should have done, but we’ve now been passed some other interesting information concerning one of the directors’ wives. It appears that the Kazakh Department of the Agency for Public Service and Anti-Corruption is seeking the arrest of Peter Sztyk’s wife for “misappropriation or embezzlement of entrusted property”.
I am not in a fit state to write much today so I shall communicate via BearCasts. There will be a regular podcast later but ahead of that I shall run a series of Quindell fallout specials. I start with the role of the dying industry that is Fleet Street and the deadwood press. It is part of the problem of crony capitalism and corruption on the AIM casino not the solution as I try to explian here.
Afren (AFR) has taken a massive hit following the suspension of two of its directors, and it could well have further to drop. Last week’s news that the CEO and Chief Operating Officer had received unauthorised payments benefitting them personally has already knocked more than £500 million off the market cap of this oil and gas producer.
I note that some people have started objecting to my language here. Fuck you. You are not paying to read me and no-one is forcing you to. But using naughty words does not stop this being journalism. And I note the objections only started recently…
