Digging a hole in the road should not merit an RNS but when you are desperate to ramp your shares ahead of the next bailout placing, needs must.

I start with a few words on UK press coverage of the mid terms. No the Democrats have not won! Then I look at bitcoin and its woes, Argo Blockchain (ARB) - bust by next week? - Revolution Beauty (REVB), Boohoo.com (BOO), Novacyt (NCYT) and Nightcap (NGHT) and the problems a CEO has when the media blows smoke up his or her arse for too long.

Bioplastics and radio frequency technology company Biome Technologies (BIOM) has issued a trading update commencing that “Group revenues for the quarter ended 30 September 2022 were in line with management expectations at £1.9m and were 77% ahead of the similar period last year” and including “encouraging signs from the uptick in demand from the large opportunity we have been pursuing for some time; growth from the broadened customer base and the portfolio of scale opportunities”. What though of a share price currently up approaching 50% on the announcement to 75p?

Dragon’s Den “star” La Willingham tells shareholders in Nightcap (NGHT) that for her the past year has been “eventful, fun and, at all times, rewarding”. With her bonus scheme and that for her husband Michael Toxic, that may be true for her family. The shares listed at 10p, peak ramped at 33.5p and the last placing was at 23p. The shares are now just 9p-10p after today’s dire results. So anyone who has ever bought a share in this company since its  January 2021 listing and who still holds is now out of the money. Do mug punters in Willingham's vanity PLC regard this experience as “fun and rewarding?” It will only get worse for them.

I have always argued that promote Ben’s Creek (BEN) is uninvestable on the basis that its CEO Adam Wilson of Atlantic Carbon and Daniel Stewart infamy is a scallywag and also that its assets which sent the last owner into bankruptcy were piss poor.  Today comes news of a share transaction that stinks and an explanation that does not wash.

BP (BP.) has announced third quarter results emphasising “net debt fell for the tenth successive quarter; we are investing with discipline; and we are delivering on our commitment to shareholder distributions - announcing a further $2.5 billion share buyback”. So what of a now slightly further higher 486.45p share price?

Sylvania Platinum (SLP) has announced “best quarterly production since the COVID-lockdowns in early 2020. This increase in production ounces and the 2% higher PGM basket price recorded in the quarter, resulted in stronger profits”. The shares have currently responded up to 92p and there looks more to go.

As we all face a cost of living crisis with the poor and the young hardest hit, Andrew Bell insists that Opera needs more subsidy. Is this a more tenable position than his defence of the Red Rock Resources (RRR) share price? I start with that then onto the two big losers from yesterday's surprising mid terms in the USA. Then onto Kefi Gold & Copper (KEFI), Ithaca Energy (ITH), MGC Pharmaceiticals (MXC) - which looks like a possible zero - and Dignity (DTY).

OptiBiotix Health (OPTI) has announced the opening of an online shop on Tmall.com for its Go-Figure products and that it has launched GoFigure shakes containing patented weight management aid SlimBiome on Tmall China. What of this and of a share price edging up to 19p to buy?

UK hospitality business comprising cocktail-led bar and restaurant brand '63rd+1st', fast casual dining brand 'Fridays and Go' and American-themed 'Fridays', Hostmore (MORE) has announced “a major new marketing campaign for its Fridays brand”, emphasising “in an environment where consumers are putting more thought into where they spend their money, we recognise the importance of elevating our positioning”. Really?

Secondary lender PCF Group (PCF) was an AIM sewer high-flier with its shares trading at above 40p just over 4 years ago. Today after news that it was winding down its loan book and delisting the shares are just 0.56p and the man who is to blame for the chain of events that led to today’s bombshell  is David Bull, until August chairing Eight Capital Partners (ECP) and running the Audit Committee as a NED as its bastard big brother the fraud Supply@ME Capital (SYME). Is he the most toxic bean counter in the small cap world?

Previously writing on laboratory services company SourceBio International (SBI), last year with the shares at 137.5p I concluded to avoid with changes to travel PCR testing expected to impact. The shares last closed at 111p and today a “Trading Update and Proposed Cancellation”-titled announcement.

It must be because I spend too much of my time dealing with the global quarterly corporate earnings season that when I see a bunch of UK corporate “trading update” announcements, I know that they will leave more questions unanswered than dealt with. To give the Americans or the Europeans their due, at least every three months any reasonable market cap company will punch out a good quarterly update and a conference call. However, among FTSE 350 names in the UK, good luck hoping for this.

Previously writing on Gym Group (GYM), last year with the shares around 282p I concluded that it looked to need to deliver very impressively to justify the valuation. The shares last closed at 123.6p and are further down today on the back of a “trading update”, so what’s going on now?

Ithaca Energy (ITH) has IPO’d today at 250p giving it a market cap of £2.5 billion making it the biggest London IPO of the year to date. Well done Goldman Sachs. There is a big push to get Joe Retail buying in the after market. But is that a smart move? Top analyst Ashley Kelty of Panmure Gordon thinks not and in an email, below, sent today has savaged the issue.

Hello Share Gatherers. This old punter is lucky in still being pretty nippy in the walking department, but a look around your neighbourhood will show you an increasing number of older folks have difficulty getting around. That’s including with there a huge backlog in the replacement of knees and hips and here’s a company that will benefit from this worrying situation.

Specialist retailer of fresh cream cakes Cake Box Holdings (CBOX) states that it “is pleased to announce the appointment of Liberum Capital Limited as joint corporate broker to the company with immediate effect”. With the shares currently down, to 108p, in response, why might the market not be pleased?

I am no longer tipping Red Rock Resources (RRR) as, I feel that its failure to monetize assts and thus prove what they are claimed to be worth has gone on for too long. Why can't it monetize even one asset? The failure to do so means more fund raisings and that, to me explians why the shares I still own after almost three years have been such a duff investment for me. But boss Andrew Bell has another excuse...

Maybe I shall save the celebratory ouzos for tonight and double up as I watch liberal tears as we see a Red Wave in the mid terms. I discuss that briefly then go on to look at Applied Graphene (AGM) and what it is like running a company facing corporate death as well as the ethics of my scoop last night. I look at Online Blockchain (OBC), Mello destroying its brand c/o Zamaz (ZAMZ), Argo Blockchain (ARB) and a couple of points about Seraphine (BUMP) from an accounting perspective and in terms of changing consumer behaviour and also how as a bear one can do non financial DD.

UK online electrical retailer Marks Electrical Group (MRK) has announced results for its half-year ended 30th September 2022, emphasising “Continued trading momentum, resilient profit performance and strong market share gains” and that “acceleration of revenue growth in October and strong start to November leave us well positioned to achieve our full year targets”. So what’s the detail and what of a current 72.5p share price?