Previously writing on Studio Retail Group (STU) earlier this month I noted hopefully my warning of “funding crisis ahoy” last month was heeded as now it’s ‘Intention to Appoint Administrators’!. In that I noted ‘the major shareholders include Frasers Group (FRAS) of Mike Ashley (in)famy (28.89%), Schroders (18.94%) and Lombard Odier (11.26%) – and what odds of Ashley now buying this out of administration with nothing for smaller shareholders?’. Today a “Sale of Studio Retail Limited”-titled announcement…

Tharisa plc (THS) has announced agreements with “BEE shareholders Thari Resources owning 20% and The Tharisa Community Trust owning 6%” to acquire their interests to make a wholly owned subsidiary. What now, with the shares having responded up to 144p to buy?

This podcast covers Trevor Brown, Braveheart (BRH), today’s shocking warning, Remote Monitored Systems (RMS)/Nanosynth (NNN), Peterhouse Corporate Finance and why AIM Regulation needs to say that enough is enough and bring this sordid shit show to an end.

Eurasia Mining (EUA) which was only recently being touted for sale by Russia’s VFB Bank, now facing Western sanctions, has insisted that the new Western sanctions will have no impact on its operations. Whatever you say comrade Schaffalitzky.

Many stock pickers say something along the line of ‘I spend ten minutes a week looking at macroeconomic matters … and nine of those are wasted’.  Even as a complete investment geek, I would agree there is some truth in that.  But the reason why I spend about 25% of my time on macro matters is that it helps improve your batting average as a stock picker.  Your focus should be bottom-up orientated but regularly doing some top-down stuff is helpful…especially to avoid being in deep panic mode re inflation, interest rates, government policy shifts or geopolitical matters.  After all, the whole point of the ‘fear and greed index’ is that you are doing the opposite of the norm at extremity moments.  And talking about the norm, how is life going one at one of everybody’s (but not mine) favourite website Rightmove (RMV)…?

Today is another day and another month where the fraud that is Supply@ME Capital (SYME) has paid back a portion of what it termed a loan but was clearly a death spiral by issuing another 489 million shares to Mercator. Okay, £500,000 repaid only £5.6 million to go and with the shares trending ever lower that will require an utter blizzard of new shares for Mercator to forward sell. But that is not the end of the dilution.

Changing auditors for a listed public company a month before the Group’s year end isn’t a planned event as planned rotations are indicated upfront in the audit report and accounts and the notice to the Annual General Meeting.  As I pointed out in my note yesterday, such a late change is indicative of a tension between the company and its auditor’s even if that does not rise to the level of the auditors saying that there are no circumstances that the auditors wish to bring to the attention of creditors.

Online fashion retailer Boohoo (BOO) has performed terribly for anyone who has been invested over the past year or so and has seen its share price drop by around 75% during that time.

Hello Share collectors. Lloyds Bank (LLOY) took a hit yesterday even by the standards of a sad day when war broke out in Europe. The shares had been moving up, albeit very slowly, for some time before full year results came out yesterday. They weren’t so bad, it’s just that the City seemed to have expected something rather better.

Apparently a well known entrepreneur noted for putting lingerie and a sex toy on expenses once had a minor problem getting through security at Zurich airport when she was wanted on criminal charges in Malta. Perhaps learning from that lesson why not get a second passport to use in emergencies? 

I start with events in Ukraine and offer a few thoughts. But I also look at a few companies notably Eurasia Mining (EUA), Versarien (VRS), ADVFN (AFN)  – one of which is, I think, a buy – and also, en passant, the fraud that is Supply@ME Capital (SYME) and in the context of bitcoin tanking, Argo Blockchain (ARB).

Previously writing on financial markets technology and related services group Arcontech (ARC), in November with the shares heading down towards 100p I noted I right to have questioned “confident we will return to growth”. So what of now-announced results for its half-year ended 31st December 2021?…

Previously writing on online specialist bathroom retailer Victorian Plumbing (VIC), in December with the shares at around 100p I noted ANOTHER warning having only listed in June. AIM IPO roll-call of shame…. The shares last closed at 82p, so what of an AGM trading update today?…

It seems that Clem Chambers knew that Yair Tauman has the votes in the bag to oust him at an EGM that Tauman has called and thus the ADVFN (AFN) CEO has said that he will be leaving the firm on Monday. The terms of his departure, approved by his fellow troughers on the current board, are revolting.

I know what many of you are thinking today: why don’t I hold 100% cash in my portfolio this morning? Or maybe 100% gold? Or have been super short the Russian markets. Hindsight Asset Management is always the best performer but – patently obviously – it does not exist and never will. And if you are smart you will realise – whether we are talking about markets or any other challenges – what matters is not what you might have (or probably have not) predicted, but how you react and see the future.

Vladimir Putin has gone for it: his troops went into Ukraine last night alongside missile attacks on Ukraine’s military and, according to broad media reporting, cyber-attacks were unleashed. As diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation were exhausted, it is now clear that Putin had decided to go in some time ago. The markets’ reaction has been to sell off, but oil is up and Gold is strongly higher.

After hours yesterday Eurasia Mining (EUA) insisted that it faced no impact from the sanctions imposed on Russia by the EU, UK and US.  A few hours later Russia launched air and missile attacks on Ukraine and tanks started rolling in for what looks like a full invasion. Eurasia shares have slumped this morning by another 31% to 11.6p but that still values this company with minimal revenues and a monstrous cash guzzle at £349 million or almost £400 million on a fully diluted basis. That is crackers and here is why.

On 23 September 2021 the AGM of Versarien (VRS) voted to reappoint PWC as its auditors. Today we discover PWC has resigned and been replaced with the rather less top drawer BDO LLP. And there is more. This stinks.

Hello Share Mashers. After Covid, Britain may never be the same again. Many in the huge army of new home workers won’t travel to work any more. And there’ll be more home cooking going on. You can’t make meals without the right pots and pans and the more you cook the more you need. Which is probably why a company called ProCook (PROC) is cooking on gas at the moment.

Previously writing on photonic components and systems manufacturer Gooch & Housego (GHH), in November with the shares around 1130p I noted full-year results argued “very optimistic” but that the rating looked to already factor in much and there remained risks. The shares are currently up today…but to 1045p, so what of the company’s AGM trading update?…