I noted back in February that property group Hammerson (HMSO) had ludicrously turned down a Hail Mary bid approach - at approximately a 70% share price premium to the then share price - and was consequently (correctly) being hassled by activist investors. Roll forward five months and all of this counts for double with the shares driven lower by further property sector pessimism…

For Boris 20-02-20 is a very important date (if he survives this long, he will not be the shortest ever PM)...

My mini dividend munchers portfolio is still ticking along, and an update is long overdue as we head into the summer holiday season - as I’ve not written about it for three months or so. The aim was to beat putting cash in the bank even though markets are feeling very toppy. After all, interest rates available are below the rate of official inflation figures and bonds yields are rubbish. So how am I doing?...

Hello, Share Pranksters. As I’m a responsible sort of chap I initially baulked at commending Victrex (VCT) to your further scrutiny. It makes plastics. So one thinks of polluted oceans. But this company makes a lightweight plastic which is used instead of metal. That still sounds a bit un-green, I know. Until I realised that this lighter plastic is used in cars and planes instead of heavy metals. And that saves on fossil fuels...

Back in March I covered Highlands Natural Resources (HNR) and its announcement that it was diversifying into cannabis, as well as highlighting concerns over the high level of costs associated with running the business.

Shares in self-styled “technology provider for modern TV experiences” Amino Technologies (AMO) were above 200p as recently as early October, when they were then hit by a warning of “an intensification of external macroeconomic headwinds”, including “higher than expected component price increases”. However, consumers wanting to enjoy content at the time and location of their choice has remained a clear trend and there has since also been a “transformation programme”. This is actually a stock we tipped in 2014, on which we banked big gains at 141p in 2015. Now at a 128p offer price, we ride again…

I predict lots of deal excitement in the London market on Monday morning, with the weekend press all excited about a London Stock Exchange (LSE) apparent takeover approach to a global financial data peer.  There are precious few numbers on the proposed combination currently kicking around but the mooted level of cost synergies appears very low to me. 

In today's podcasts I look at calls to ban OIECS, Unit Trusts, in the wake of various disasters include the Neil Woodford affair and make my own suggestion of reform. I also again look at commercial property stocks and an unfolding catastrophe hitting the sector.

Is there anything better than sitting back and reading a well-written article on a lazy Sunday? Every week ShareProphets features some long form journalism that you'll find of interest. Grab your cuppa and enjoy these five articles.   

Yesterday a new name joined the Standard List of the London Stock Exchange: that of BSF Enterprise (BSFA). It is yet another cash-shell to join the sub-standard list – as if we really needed any more – but a name sprang out at me and that name rang a bell.

You could not dream up a more perfect weekly reader's top five articles than what we got this week.

On Wednesday evening Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) passed another important milestone on the road to bankruptcy by showing that even with record deliveries of 95,000 vehicles in Q2 it is incapable of making money. Having promised in Q3 last year that the company would be profitable from now on-in and not require further funding, having raised $2.4 billion in May, it has now racked up losses of $1.3 billion in the first six months of the year. The departure of the last remaining grown up, co-founder JB Straubel, who has been selling stock all year, is also cause for grave concern...

In this podcast fund manager Brent Johnson  argues that Gold’s recent breakout is significant, but he thinks that we will revisit $1380 once more. When we bounce off that level, the bear market will likely be over. He recommends everyone own some gold but cautions that doesn’t mean it will pay off in the short term. People should own gold as insurance against the hubris of governments and bankers. 

In this podcasr I look at Sports Direct (SPD), the economic mess in the Eurozone that lunatics like Malcolm Stacey want us hooked up to and at Kier (KIE) - when did it become uninvestable and is there a bull case?

From the FCA's spreadsheet of short positions required to be disclosed to it, the following shows the shorted AIM shares with positions from 2018 and thus far in 2019 (by net short position %, those in bold not on the list at the start of 2019) – and if this position has increased (red), reduced (green) or remained unchanged (black) since last week...

A half-year trading update from self-styled “the leading retailer and manufacturer of PVCu replacement windows and doors to the UK homeowner market”, Safestyle UK (SFE) includes “revenues for the period will be c.£64.4m, 6.4% higher than H1 2018 with May and June being c.15% higher than the same months in 2018. FENSA installation statistics for the first half indicate that the market has declined in volume by 8.2% versus H1 2018… The group continues to improve its margins and operational KPIs versus the prior year and has delivered good progress during H1”. Having reached more than 90p again in May, the shares though currently remain around 66p…

Neil Woodford’s Income Focus Fund (WIFF) put on 0.3% in NAV per unit yesterday, according to Morningstar. In theory that should have increased the size of the fund from the previous close of £287.15 million to £288.01 million before redemptions.

Hello Share Takers. The victory of our new prime minister caused the stock market to take its biggest leap for some months. And though it did retrace the next day, the Footsie is bounding up again, as I write. It may be the noisy optimism of the bloke, but there are other reasons why the Boris effect is energising the market.

In today's podcast I look at Dev Clever (DEV), Tesla (TSLA), Mothercare (MTC), Versarien (VRS) and Block Energy (BLOE). Enjoy.

Questions have to be asked when a company produces a headline rate from a well test; the CEO goes on an interview road trips talking about how much free cash flow will be generated; £12 million is raised via an equity issue – and then subsequently initial production rates are just a third of what investors were expecting!