Post last week's placing and acquisition of First Base, Falanx (FLX) has completed, what we hope will be, its last reshuffle at the top. The key men, executive chairman Mike Read and COO John Blamire stay in situe. And that is what really matters.

I have never had as many comments to an article as my piece on Dignity (DTY) back in January. It was a very good debate as picked up by Tom a few days later HERE, and different readers have very different views on the stock. The reality is we are back to around where we were - just sub 10 quid a share - after the shafting the company took after its 'we need to cut the prices of our funeral plans' comments back in January after today's full year numbers.

ADVFN (AFN) has today published its list of big advertisers on its website, oops I meant to say its awards for outstanding contributions to financial services. As ever I take the list of winners with the gravity that is merited. They really are the cornerstone of the financial calendar these days. But one fact screams out at me: BrokerMan Dan Levi was on a hat-trick as share blogger of the year - surely he had the title in the bank. But he's been robbed. 

Okay, Bluebird (BMV) is a corporate client of broker SP Angel so take this report with a pinch of salt but analyst John Meyer is no fool - although he sometimes lacks a sense of humour. And the 24 page report is very detailed. And of course we own the shares and I do think they are cheap at 3.8p although I'm not sure that i am as optimistic as Meyer. Anyhow, he is the expert and writes: 

As you know I do not always agree with Richard Jennings of Align Research but on the matter of Pathfinder Minerals (PFP) he is spot on and I support his efforts to oust CEO Nick Trew and toff Tory MP Sir Henry Bellingham, of 3DM infamy, 100%. Jennings has published a new letter with a dire warning to anyone prepared to back Trew & Sir Hal. Perhaps the campaign slogon for comrade Jennings should be "For the many not the Trew." Maybe that needs work?  Jennings writes:

Hello Share Pushers. Sure, Russia isn’t the flavour of the month following the hoo-hah about the allegedly poisoned ex-secret agent and his daughter. But my humble experience of companies operating in countries which are currently controversial is that the share price can be held artificially low. And the effects of all news stories don’t always last forever.

I am £155 and two teeth worse off after my encounter with Sir Laurence. I explain all. I am still not 100%. In the podcast I look at Milestone (MSG) where I have a hot rumour, Sabien (SNT), BlueJay Mining (BJAY), Tiso Blackstar (TBGR), Blenheim Natural Resources (BNR) and Telit Communications (TCM).

Cyber security services group ECSC (ECSC) has announced results for 2017 including noting “corporate decision-making cycles have been longer than anticipated”, but with CEO Ian Mann arguing “following a year of transformation, ECSC now has a platform to pursue the opportunity in the cyber security market”. Hmmm…

Wildwood and dim t UK restaurant company Tasty (TAST) has announced results for the 2017 calendar year – with “highlights” including; “Revenue up 9.7% to £50.3m” and “The financial performance of the group was in line with the board's revised expectation”. Hmmm, “revised expectation” hey…

AIM-listed jam tomorrow investment company Tern plc (TERN) has announced that its principal investee company, Device Authority, has a new strategic partner in the form of NSE-listed (National Stock Exchange of India, not the NYSE!) Larsen & Toubro Limited. It looks like a big player but…..

You rather lose count after a while. The first 2017 profits warning was on August 7, when mortgage fraudster and fugitive from US justice Uzi Katz served up the interims. Thereafter with insider dealer Yosi Fait taking over Telit Communications (TCM) has served up so many profits warnings that I have almost lost count. And today there is another...

No-one could ever accuse AIM-listed Minoan (MIN) of doing anything quickly, but this morning’s announcement appears to suggest that things are finally moving. It is still speculative (both in terms of whether two deals happen, and how long they’ll take) but the shares are a buy.

You may remember that in a podcast (HERE) on 4th March I recalled a horrific 22 hour trip from Kalamata, via Athens Airport, to Bristol made hellish not just by snow but by the behaviour of EasyJet (EZJ) staff who repeatedly lied to me and fellow passengers. last night I sent that podcast to EasyJet CEO Johan Lundgren with a note:

AIM-listed Ariana Resources has released production guidance at its JV operation at Kiziltepe in Turkey for 2018. The big headline is that the forecast gold production has been upped to 20,000 oz, but there are a few more interesting nuggets to be found.

With its shares suspended pending clarification, long time aggressive accounting, cash guzzling, AIM uber dog Servision (SEV) has updated those dumb enough to hold its shares, despite all the warnings here, about the slide into the abyss.

Hands up, judging by the share price reaction in Greencore (GNC) shares today after its trading update my optimism (last discussed here) about the prospects for the UK's leading sandwich provider and particularly its US-led expansion was overdone. But as one of my early career investment mentors once noted 'what happens, happens. What matters is how you react'. So what to think about today's newly 'improved' share price?

Generally, I’m wary of the reasons for companies which are already listed on other exchanges deciding that they want to be dual-listed on the AIM market. This is especially the case when it comes to ASX companies operating in the natural resources sector, as in general the track record for those hasn’t been great, with often very little of substance being achieved despite large sums being raised on AIM. There are exceptions though...

Hello Share Packers. Very sadly, my Christmas present has died. I’ve always wanted to see Ken Dodd live. And my thoughtful son Jack bought me a ticket to his May appearance in Manchester - and Doddy’s death is a dire blow to anyone with a sense of humour. Which has nothing to do with my subject for today. As now’t currently strikes my fancy by way of a blistering tip, I’ll cheekily enlarge on a couple of thoughts on this glittering website by the brilliant David Scott. He begins a long article with a couple of the best ways to gauge share value.

Previously writing on HaloSource (HALO) last month, I noted developments again pointing to tight financials. There’s now a further announcement from the company…

I am not at this point naming him or the Nomad (individual and firm) or the NED who turned a blind eye. But this is, as they say, developing. Elsewhere ahead of a visit to the dentist I discuss the joys of reading my Dad's Guardian, Frontera Resources (FRR), Realm Therapeutics (RLM), Hemogenyx (HEMO), and Draganfly (DRG).