In this podcast from the Welsh Hovel as it is battered by Storm Dennis I discuss Nostra Terra (NTOG) ahead of a podcast with former site editor Flip Flop Ben Turney on Monday, Gervais Williams and his rile in this sorry tale and his problems and the fate of Sirius Minerals (SXX) and why certain tedious establishment suits need to start being honest with folks who have lost millions.

Perhaps you remember the farce that was Lenigas Cuba (LGC)? It was not an IPO that covered David Lenigas in glory. The merde seems to have continued....

Tired of Bulletin Boards where, just now and again, someone dares to point out inconvenient truths like the fact that CEO James Draper is a liar and the fact that the company needs a bailout placing within months? Would you rather discuss with like minded souls whether you will invest your Bidstack (BIDS) derived millions in a fleet of Porsches orf a fleet of Ferraris? Fear not! Here is the answer, a bear free paradise for you and your fellow morons to tell lies to each other and say how wonderful the latest podcast with Justin the Clown Waite was.  Fear not, bears will not be permitted to join and spoil your paradise. Fabbo.Hat tip BC.

The forecast death of ShareProphets AIM-China Filthy Forty play Walcom (WALG) seems to be stretching out long enough for your average Wagnerian opera. But yesterday the company announced that the fat lady is, at last, on her way.

From the FCA's spreadsheet of short positions required to be disclosed to it, the following shows the shorted AIM shares with positions from 2019 and thus far in 2020 (by net short position %, those in bold not on the list at the start of 2020) – and if this position has increased (red), reduced (green) or remained unchanged (black) since last week...

Further to my article last weekend which pointed out that someone at former David Sefton outfit Iconic Labs (ICON) couldn’t add up with reference to its RNS of 4.08pm on Friday 7 February (no-one-is-watching o’clock) announcing a capital reorganisation, a week later the company finally got around to correcting it…….at no-one-is-watching o’clock (4.09pm) yesterday. Perhaps yesterday’s crony capitalist lunch at shareholders’ expense was alcohol-free.

Fully-listed NMC Health (NMC), under a short attack by Muddy Waters, has updated on the shenanigans of the holdings of founder Dr Shetty and those of Khalifa Bin Butti and His Excellency Saeed Bin Butti and associated companies. It seems that a stack of shares were indeed pledged and have been sold as enforcement of security. Oh dear, oh dear – I wonder what the chocolate teapots round at the FCA will make of this, especially as it sounds as though the Bin Buttis has their shares pledged and sold without their knowledge. And then there is the read-across to Finablr (FIN) which appears to be grappling with the same issues.

Okay it is paid for Proactive so this is not exactly Jeremy Paxman. There are no hard numbers on the big deals and that is no shock, we will have to wait for a formal half year trading statement for that ( or maybe sooner) but this is a confident showing. My numbers are HERE and the STRONG BUY stance is unchanged.

Who the hell is William Battrick you say? Easy, he was one of the founders of Versarien (VRS) and so knows the company better than most folks. Indeed William was a director up until 10 March 2016. In 2015 he helped ramp the shares, buying 54,000 at 17p to take his holding to 7.69 million shares, 7.3% of the then equity.

I have been contacted by an elderly academic who has written up the events of Virginia Woolf's 1932 tour of Greece. She claims to have been in Delphi when they discovered the body of my great Uncle David Cochrane. I rather doubt it and discuss this a) because it fascinates me and b) to annoy No Gold. Then it is onto Predator Oil & Gas (PRD) - is it placing ahoy?  Versarien (FRAUD), Eurasia (EUA), Ascent Resources (AST), Sound Energy (SOU) and James "Dracula" Parsons and finally uber dog Mosman (MSMN).

Yet again shares in Versarien (VRS) have risen on a rumour which appears to come from the company itself. Once again there is a false market and so once again I have written to AIM Regulation urging it to force the company to come clean.

Shareholders in Sound Energy (SOU) have lost more than 95% of their cash thanks to the appalling ramping and hype and value destruction of just one man…James Parsons. The Sound fiasco would kill off the careers of most CEOs but Parsons is like Dracula, he leaves one rotting corpse behind moving to suck the financial blood from a fresh corporate. Today’s victim is Ascent Resources (AST).

Yesterday another dog cursed by the hex that is a Gervais Williams investment, that is to say Nostra Terra Oil & Gas (NTOG), published details of a sack the board EGM and the management’s case for staying on. What, in a cowardly fashion, it refused to do, as I believe it should have done is publish the letter that the requisitioner, Eridge Capital run by flip flop Ben Turney, wanted to send to shareholders. Fear not… the letter, outside of all paywalls, is below. Nostra Terra shareholders should read it and vote to sack chairman Ewan Ainsworth - in light of the scandalous pay revelations below - and hapless Lofgran after this bombshell.  Sack the board!  

Back when I was a callow youth about to start my undergraduate studies, the ritual of opening my first bank account (until then a Post Office savings account was my sole financial product interaction) provided a wonderful social insight. If I recall correctly, all the cool, well-heeled kids had accounts open for them at Barclays (BARC) or Lloyds (LLOY) as a continuation of their parental banking allegiances. I just went for the bank that offered me the most money as a joining inducement...and that happened to be NatWest… I read today in the latest quarterly thoughts from Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) that this tainted name - courtesy of largesse a decade plus ago by 'Fred the Shred' and others - will change back to NatWest Group later this year...

OptiBiotix Health (OPTI) has announced “a significant milestone” in extension of the use of its LP_LDL probiotic strain into functional foods and its presence into South America. So what you say?...

AIM-listed Turkish gold-miner Ariana Resources (AAU) has announced that due diligence regarding its proposed part-sale of the Kiziltepe and Salinbas gold projects for $30 million is still underway, and that the parties have agreed a one month extension to complete due diligence. So the good news is that the deal is still on, but we will have to wait another month before it is confirmed (or not!)...

Hello Share Takers. We’re all aware that the Chinese virus puts a damper on the stock market. Lately, it's been hard to spot any shares rising in value at all. But I have a golden trio of companies that have been rising, even when all around are falling. Allow me to remind you of those which are keeping my portfolio ahead...

Previously writing on technical fluid power products company Flowtech Fluidpower (FLO), I noted indeed it wasn’t set for “another year of solid progress”! on a trading update for the year to 31st December 2019 as the shares fell towards 100p. They have fallen further since but are currently recovering above 100p on a “2019 Trading update & restructuring activities”. Hmmm – haven’t we already had this?...

I start the podcast with my torture in trying to transfer a pension from the Daily Mail to my SIPP. It got so surreal this week but I might be making, expensive, progress. Then I look at how we often jump to easy conclusions when a share price falls. I am guilty of one such lazy jump. I refer to Versarien (VRS) and UK Oil & Gas (UKOG) in this section. I also have questions for Versarien and its hapless Nomad Bobbie Hilliam of Quindell infamy about the recent spike in its share price. Then I look at Bidstack (BIDS) and investors in denial and finally at Ian Smith and MXC Capital (MXCP) which is leaving the AIM Casino which is NOT what it should do. Smith is in denial too.