Previously writing on company with a particular focus on risk management technology for capital markets KRM22 (KRM), I concluded that with ‘the noted cash/debt position, still cash burning despite significant cost measures in place currently and contract signing delays even last year, still currently avoid / sell’. Now half-year results and “New Debt Facility”…

In today’s podcast, I look at Supply@ME Capital (SYME), Berkeley Energia (BKY), Novacyt (NCYT), Franchise Brands (FRAN) and also at Versarien (VRS), its loathsome boss Neill Ricketts, the death spiral provider Lanstead and what it is not telling us all. 

On September 3, Papillion Holdings (PPHP), one of the (sub) Standard List dogs run by colourful value destroyers Charles Tatnall and James Longley, announced yet another RTO deal. Shares in the company, which is clearly insolvent, have been suspended for an eternity pending one RTO or another but will this move into gold mining go through? The whole thing is bonkers.

I wrote on ClearStar (CLSU) just over a year ago with the shares at 65p, concluding I wouldn’t want to own. Now “pleased to announce… a recommended offer to be made by Hanover”…

Lucian Miers: I wrote recently that I thought that Amigo Holdings (AMGO) was a prime candidate for bankruptcy by the year end. While I still think this is the case, I have closed my short for now as I expect a lot of volatility as this wonderfully entertaining soap opera reaches a crucial stage later this month…

You think of innovation and naturally one’s mind turns to disrupting the world of bread rolls. Of course. In this latest insight into how your hard earned cash is spunked by Innovate UK, it is time to head to Bolton and to bread maker Warburtons.

Gary Newman provided excellent commentary on Friday on the latest in the evolving demise of Hurricane Energy (HUR) from AIM O&G darling to AIM gambling fodder, while I was busy picking up my milk float and learning to drive like Ernie. Tom commented in Bearcast how he also saw a debt for equity deal looked like a probable outcome. I’m not sure I see the investment case even that favourably when I start to drill into the detail.

I noted on Monday how shares in Manolete (MANO) were tanking. So what to do? Natch, issue a panicked trading statement at 4.25 PM on Tuesday to reverse the rot. An unscheduled trading statement in the face of a sliding share price is always a bit of a red flag. And this statement was a total horror in the way that it boasted of the settlement of a major claim. It only serves to show how utterly aggressively this company presents its accounts and thus why you’d be bonkers to own the shares.

Hello, Share Baggers. A sad story of the moment is all those folks in Oregon who’ve lost their homes and their possessions. Could you live with that? The tragedy will focus minds on the value of water in that beleaguered state and its neighbour California. The shortage of rainfall over there has caused fires to spread and destroy.

First writing on Tex Holdings (TXH), on 16th April last year I noted “Update on Trading” three and a half months after year-end… and at 4:55pm!, concluding sell / avoid. I most recently updated reviewing proposed related-party bailout… but will it be allowed to return to the Main Market (even Standard segment)?!. Now “Delisting Announcement”…

I address this point first. The poems to which I refer can be found HERE. Then I look at Amigo (AMGO) where my pal Lucian Miers has got it 100% wrong before considering Pensana Rare Earths (PRE) where folks were right to ignore the advice of HotStockRockets. This play on green shite will, I sense, head far higher.

B.P. Marsh & Partners (BPM) “is pleased to provide the market with an update on trading for the six months ended 31 July 2020”, including of specific developments within its portfolio of financial services businesses investments…

AIM-listed graphene outfit Haydale (HAYD) has released yet another RNS Reach this morning, this time boasting of contracts for provision of services for the collaborative development of graphene and nano-particle enhanced products with Dowty Propellers. Woopie-do……

Previously writing on commercial flooring and specialist construction group Mountfield (MOGP), in June with the shares at around 0.75p I questioned why no further update on the cash position and particularly noted a lower order book and lower margins, concluding to avoid. The shares had recently risen to 0.95p, but are currently down to 0.60p on a results announcement…

Back in July I concluded about bus and train operator FirstGroup (FGP) that ‘councils and governments appear supportive but shareholders always have to worry when a subsidy game is propping a company up materially’. Today’s AGM trading update exhibits similar themes…but also slips in a surprise profit running ahead of expectations (‘small adjusted operating profit for the seasonally weaker first half of the financial year’) comment. Hello a near 10% share price rise (although not yet a return of the share price to levels seen throughout the second quarter). So what is going on?…

Former cash-hungry Woodford dog, AIM-listed Eve Sleep (EVE) has released its interims this morning. On the face of it there is plenty to cheer but a deeper look still offers plenty to worry about for shareholders.

Shares in Bidstack (BIDS) are the biggest risers on the AIM Casino today, up 25% at 6.3p thanks to news that it has an exclusive contract to deliver native in-game advertising for Hyper Scape – a futuristic, free-to-play, urban battle royale game that was officially launched by Ubisoft on 11 August 2020.

This is very good news. We are now just 30 days from Bluebird Merchant Ventures (BMV) being the owner of not 50% but 100% of two, close to production, Korean gold mines which ultimately can produce at 100,000 oz a year but can be up to 30,000 oz really very quickly. A market cap of below £18 million patently fails to discount this…

Hello, Share Pickers. A company I often keep you posted on is City of London Investment Group (CLIG). Its numbers just came out and caused the share price to jump by 8% (though it later settled a bit). Probably because it coped well with the virus, though that’s not surprising because this is a far-sighted group which actually prepared a plan against a worldwide epidemic ten years ago. Such an impressive example of foresight has paid off…

Previously writing on ‘cardholder not present’ payments technology company PCI Pal (PCIP), in July with the shares up above 40p I concluded whilst the cash has since been topped up, the rate of burn still concerns and remains key to monitor. As such, despite the top-line growth, I currently continue to avoid. Now the company argues “pleased to announce full year results for the year ended 30 June 2020”…