Having in end-January results stated “confidence for both achieving current year board expectations, as well as the group's longer-term performance”, a 3:07pm “Trading update” from Conviviality (CVR)…

From the FCA's spreadsheet of short positions required to be disclosed to it, the following shows the shorted AIM shares with positions from 2017 and thus far in 2018 (by net short position %) - and if this position has increased (red), reduced (green) or remained unchanged (black) since last week...

Hello, Share Chisellers. Mostly I suggest you look at small-cap and penny shares. But every portfolio needs a few ’safer’ stalwarts to keep an even keel. One such company for me is Legal & General (LGEN). Now, most insurance companies have seen their share prices bloat in the last year or so and that happy trend continues.

Even though the event is still almost 7 weeks away on April 21, the Global Group UK Investor Show is now more than two thirds booked out - A highlight of the show is the tale of the two fund managers below: Mark Slater & Neil Woodford. Slater is the UK's most successful fund manager of the past decade. He will give the final speech of the day explaining where he sees the market, what shares he is buying, what he is selling and why. If there is a man to follow it is Mark. Neil Woodford is perhaps the country's highest profile fund manager and makes millions for himself. 

I see that AIM-listed Milestone Group (MSG) has had its shares marked down below their nominal price of 0.1p today: they are now 0.09 – 0.1p bid to offer. Given that the company has a desperate need for cash, that’s a problem – especially when it passed on the opportunity to put resolutions for a capital reorganisation to its forthcoming AGM.

Previously writing on The Real Greek and Franco Manca operator Fulham Shore (FUL) in September it was ANOTHER restaurant group profit warning. Yesterday afternoon (3:36pm) saw a “Trading Statement” announcement from the company. Uh oh…

I am a bear of Pantheon Resources (PANR) as explained again in today's bearcast. The City's No 1 oil analyst Zac "the knife" Phillips of SP Angel does not seem to be much of a fan either. In his morning email he opines: 

Writing on industrial chains and related power transmission products supplier Renold (RNO) in October it was Again “Trading Update” = Profit Warning. Now another “Trading Update” announcement…

It’s amazing what can be done when one’s back is against the wall. For the third month running, the guys at RM2 International (RM2) have found some cash from behind the sofa and can put some money in the meter. Its RNS this morning is its most upbeat in a while although I'm not sure it will alter the long-term outcome.

The Mrs plays Radio 4's Today programme to annoy me. Today it was some lazy and greedy lefty teacher bleating on about how overworked and underpaid she was. Try being an entrepreneur  - the folks whose efforts pay your bloated wages - you pampered bitch.  From that I look at IQE (IQE) and why Getafix is wrong with his comments today, Pantheon Resources (PANR), Polemos (PLMO), RM2 (RM2), Andalas (ADL), Katoro (KAT) and Renold (RNO).

Sooner or later UK Oil & Gas (UKOG) will have to fess up that Broadford Bridge flow rates are not very good at all and its shares will slump. While we wait for that let's just ask who is lying about a sidetrack well?

Writing on Starcom (STAR) last month it was from “breakeven position or a small loss” to now a loss “materially higher” than this – with a placing inbetween!. The remote tracking and monitoring technology company has now announced its 2017 results…

Bluebird Merchant Ventures (BMV), has served up more good news from the land of the dog eaters, that is to say South Korea.

I cautioned on Restaurant Group (RTN) with the shares towards 300p last year and at above 275p in January. There’s now been an announcement of 2017 results…

Hello Share Shelvers. When Uncle Tom writes about IQE (IQE) we know we can expect a disparagement of its record on making money. He questions the company’s valuation, believing the shares to be worth less than they are currently valued at. That’s a reasonable view and it’s based on the fundamentals. But does it give proper credit to the company’s future potential? I think not - which is why I wrote a piece suggesting that shorters were taking a big risk with IQE.

Writing on InnovaDerma (IDP) in January with the shares towards 230p, I concluded at least ahead of further comfort of the second half weighting expected actually being delivered, I avoid. Now a 10:13 “Trading Statement”. Uh oh…

You know that I view soft soap paid for interviews with folks like Proactive in a deeply negative way. But Steve O' Hara of Optibiotix (OPTI) comes, I believe, across well and explains the import of recent announcements. In this interview O Hara gives the sort of hard numbers I have used in my writings on this stock. Paul Scott shows an extremer double standard in describing this as "nudge, nudge wink, wink" - I just called it talking to a company which is what anyone sensible would do. I explain why Scott is talking cock and applying double standards HERE. As for Optibiotix, do your maths listen to the whbole interview ( the last 30 seconds are very interesting), the shares are incredibly cheap at 62p offer and will go to well over 100p this year if half of what O'Hara says in this interview comes good. BUY.

I do try to be balanced from time to time and despite all his troubles, there’s been a few green shoots for Neil Woodford in relation to Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT) in recent weeks, most notably with a substantial round at Atom Bank…….although much more funding is still required.

AIM-listed Tern (TERN) has announced a placing this morning, raising £650,000 (gross) at 2.55p, and that it has terminated its death spiral facility with immediate effect. This is very good news indeed. I don’t suppose shareholders will be feeling the love just yet, given the destruction of Tern’s share price since last summer, but at least the rot seems to have been stopped.

Roll on the Easter break in just over three weeks I say because those of us who track, appraise and opine about corporate names from around the world have now racked up two months' worth of earnings appraisal...and still they come thick and fast in the UK. So another pot pourri offering from me.