Hello Share Ticklers. It’s been some time that I’ve suggested you look again at a British bank. But that doesn’t mean my general enthusiasm for the sector has gone away. In fact, it’s grown stronger - for two reasons.

Some bears are on the pitch, they think it's all over, it is now - I refer to Conviviality and that is what I expect to be chanting within 24 hours. The game is almost up. At 5.42 PM prompted by reports that it was already in administration from, inter alia, Sky and the Daily Star, Conviviality updated us all on progress. Okay it is not in administration yet ...but it may well be there by tomorrow.

Project management and technical consultancy, WYG (WYG) has updated including “our current trading performance is in line with recent market expectations… encouraged by the progress being achieved through a number of distinct actions we are taking to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our operations”. The shares though remain down at circa 35p…

In this bearcast I cover Sosandar (SOS) as Cynical Bear pretends to be Ben Turney on steroids and then turn my fire to all the bad news that UK Oil & Gas (UKOG) is sitting on and may release well after hours tomorrow. Then I look at Gloo Networks (GLOO) which is linked to BCA Marketplace (BCA). Gloo is at every level a total fecking scandal of greed and well everything. I should warn you that there is a bad language alert as Gloo is everything that is wrong about the AIM Casino. If you like bearcasts then remember that at UK Investor on April 21 one of many highlights will be a live bearcast with myself and Paul Scott. Make sure you book a free ticket HERE using the promotional code WINNIFRITH

Media and entertainment group Time Out (TMO) joined AIM at 150p per share in June 2016 and, despite the shares having recently slid to 130p, reckons “clear progress has been made in 2017”. Hmmm…

One minute everyone is celebrating the rescue deal to save fully listed Interserve (IRV) and the share rally strongly to peak at over 110p. Now all of a sudden, we are back to 82p. Perhaps it is the 25% dilution at 10p to come which has sunk in – or perhaps it has something to do with a story yesterday in the most excellent Construction News which tells of a horror story at an Energy from Waste project in Glasgow – from which Interserve was sacked in 2016. According to the report, Interserve could be on the hook for £95 million. The silence form Interserve if deafening.

Over fifteen years ago I think to remember going to my local DFS (DFS) and really irking the salespeople by paying for my sofa upfront and in full. Clearly I am financial illiterate as I should have taken up the four years free finance and whatever other inducements were thrown at me at the time...but regular readers will know I am no fan of debt at any level.

Hat Tip to the great Waseem for this but after yesterday's death spiral conversion from UK Oil & Gas (UKOG) here are all the death spiral conversions to date. If I was Cynical Bear I would now be offering a prize for anyone who can show the trend. But I am not as I am a mean bastard with a reputation to protect. So here is the data:

Previously writing on Real Good Food (RGD) I reiterated a poor financial state and questioned what price further bailout funding? There’s now a “Funding Update” announcement…

For some reason shares in Poundland owner Steinhoff International (Frankfurt: SNH) rallied 20% pushing its market cap back over €1 billion, albeit still down 90% since it was engulfed in scandal last December.

Hello Share Bashers. I’ve been banging on about how the gushing price of oil should make us think again about investing in oilers. The cost of Brent Crude is up again as I write. Of course, the likes of Shell (RDSA) and BP (BP.) immediately spring to mind. But the smaller producers will benefit, too. Especially as many of them have still to recover from a pounding from the oil price tanking.

I make no comment about the latest outing by the boss of Online Blockchain (OBC). You will see in the declaration that I don't own the shares and that is not likely to change.

Last week I hoped that GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) backing away from a mega deal which would have seen them splurge US$20bn odd on the consumer unit of American pharma name Pfizer was an early sign of a new commitment to not building an empire and maybe even considering splitting the company up into its constituent parts.  Well that slammed that door closed today with news that they are buying out the shares in a consumer healthcare jv they have with the Swiss pharma giant Novartis for a cool US$13 billion. 

AIM-listed investment company Tern plc (TERN) announced its full year numbers for last year. It is not quite the record-breaking speed of previous years, but getting them out before the end of March isn’t a bad effort. However….well, there are the excuses and then there is cash.

Barely a day goes by when someone does not have a go at Nick "not for the Many but for the "Trew the man who has earned £170,000 a year for running Pathfinder Minerals (PFP) into the ground.

What is it with small and mid caps on the London market and their inability to budget for tax bills? I start to wondser how many FD's out there received their training in such matters from the late Sir Ken Dodd or from Lester Piggott. Following on from the debacle at Conviviality (CVR) next up is Nature Group (NGR).

What a great day. Telit (TCM) is under investigation by the FCA and Eqtec (ETQ) has really screwed up although why can't its PRs tell the truth for once and admit that its change of strategy was because I caught them all with their pants down and exposed them? This scandal begs real questions of Nomad Northland - hey chaps have you handed back the £75,000 yet? I also look at Optibiotix (OPTI) where last week's share purchase looks all the more prescient after news today.  I look at Mosman Oil & Gas (MSMN) which is a dog whatever Zac Phillips is paid to say.  I comment on Quartix (QTX) - insider dealing or bad luck?  I comment on cash strapped SalVarx (SALV) - time for Jim Mellon to get his wallet out again methinks. And I look at Quadrise (QFI) where a placing looks inevitable after today's debacle. If you like bearcasts then remember that at UK Investor on April 21 one of many highlights will be a live bearcast with myself and Paul Scott. Make sure you book a free ticket HERE using the promotional code WINNIFRITH

A Trading Statement announcement from Quartix Holdings (QTX) commencing “the board reports that trading for the two-month period to 28 February 2018 was in line to deliver management's expectations for the full year. The company has made excellent progress in its core fleet business in the USA and France since the start of the year”. Sounds fine then, but what?... the shares currently more than 10% lower, at around 340p, in response? Hmmm…

Telit Communications (TCM) and its advisers, notably PR morons Adrian Duffield and Chantal Woolcock of Instinctif, really are fucktards of the highest order. They have had to correct a statement fessing up to an FCA investigation in a material way which changes its meaning. God help these clowns.

The word on the Street is that embattled Pathfinder Minerals (PFP) CEO Nick "not for the many but the " Trew is, via spiv bucket shop Keith Bayley Rogers trying to raise not £450,000 but just £200,000 at 0.6p. He is struggling to raise even that much because everyone knows he has been offered the same funds at a far less dilutive 1p but has rejected them. This placement is all about securing votes to win an EGM.