Hello Share Punchers. House building seems to me a promising sector and my favourite member of the group continues to be Berkeley (BKG). The future looks bright with underlying sales reservations slightly better than before the virus.

There was no Bearcast yesterday as I was a) knackered after a tough Rogue Bloggers for Woodlarks training walk and then b) a bit pissed after Ireland’s triumph over the infidels. You can now donate to the 2022 Rogue Bloggers walk on June 11 HERE. In today’s podcast I discuss Optibiotix (OPTI), a long chat with Steve O’Hara and an, in my view, mistaken, but for him massive, call by Lemming Investor. I also cover SkinBiotherapeutics (SBTX). The Russia/Ukraine podcast I refer to is HERE

Back in August last year I observed that “when the FTSE 100 dumps next, have a look at Prudential (PRU)”.  So given that markets have been volatile year-to-date and the insurance giant has in the last week published its full year 2021 results, how am I thinking about the stock today?

Grab a cup of tea, sit back, and test your knowledge against the other ShareProphets members. Write your score in the comments, there are no prizes, and most important of all – no Googling!

This week we have annual results from fully-listed Centamin (CEY) on Wednesday and I’m hoping for production guidance from AIM-listed Ariana (AAU). But with the Gold price all over the shop it will also be interesting to see how the coming week plays out for fully-listed investment trust Golden Prospect (GPM).

Here are five long reads that have nothing to do with shares. Put the kettle on, find a comfy chair. You have the time, don’t you? 
 

What a week! A week ago Gold was at $1973 and threatening to take out the all-time high from August 2020 at $2063. It squeaked over $2070 intra-day on Tuesday then in a volatile week dropped back down to $1960 on Friday, before recovering to close the week at $1991. Silver had a similar whip-saw week, as did markets in general – and I fancy that we are in for more of the same next week as Ukraine continues to play out, the Fed announces its first interest rate hike (or not….) and inflation continues to run amok.

These are the most-read articles and most listened-to Bearcasts of the week. The most read non-Tom story is For those who like taking big risks, Polymetal offers potentially huge upside if the situation in Ukraine is resolved – speculative buy by Gary Newman at Number 2 or Number 8 if you include bearcasts.

Fresnillo (FRES) has announced 2021 results and on-going challenges but also confidence in its prospects. Really?

I see that amid some optimism that we might see peace in Ukraine the FTSE 100 is staging a bit of a rally as I write.  And with that all sorts of stocks among the small and mid-caps are heading higher. Of course, I pray for peace. If we get it then all stocks will be marked higher but for how long?

H&T Group (HAT) has announced results for the 2021 calendar year and that looking ahead it “is well positioned”. Is it?

Julian Pike brands himself as a specialist in reputation management so surely being accused of fraud, as you can see below, means that he must defend his own reputation by firing off a libel writ at once?

Hello Share Hunters. I don’t know about you, but I feel totally on edge and sad at the mo. I’ m not sure whether its the madness in Ukraine or that my share portfolio is well down in value. I hope, for the sake of my humanity, that it’s the former. And I think it is. Because as I’ve argued before the Footsie often soars when the initial shocks of war are out of the way. Ordinary share owners can’t do anything to make Putin stop. But we can minimise any damage to our portfolios. 

Engineering components coatings company Hardide (HDD) is “delighted that the first half of the year has started strongly with sales expected to be over 40% higher than the same period last year… optimistic that the increasing demand from existing customers and the high-volume potential of a number of projects will result in the group achieving its previous upward sales trajectory”. The shares have responded up to 33.5p, but what does the company’s AGM update mean financially?…

I discuss with reference to Tulsi Gabbard, who I admire immensely, and Nigel Farage, who I don’t, what makes someone a Russian asset. Neither Nigel or Tulsi are but that won’t stop certain loons from saying they are. Then a bit more on dangerous fake news. Then I look at Pearson (PSON), Novacyt (NCYT), Nightcap (NGHT), Deepverge (DVRG), Chill Brands (FRAUD) and Supply@ME Capital (FRAUD).

Previously writing on SRT Marine Systems (SRT), in January with the shares up to 47p I noted interims having shown a more than £3 million loss on revenue of £4.7 million, with a swing to a £1.4 million net current liabilities position and also £1.7 million of non-current liabilities and that I retained caution HERE. Now the company’s “pleased to announce… concluded its Bookbuild process, successfully raising gross proceeds of £4.9 million through the placing”. So what about a more than 11% share price fall to 34.25p in response?…

As Deepverge (DVRG) burns cash and prepares for this year’s bailout placing, the journalist trolling arse of a CEO Gerry Brandon is playing his usual game of spoofing the morons who comprise his shareholder list and ramping the shares with announcements that are designed to mislead a group of investors with a collective IQ of less than that of a cheese sandwich. Last year Gerry the arse broke AIM Rule 11 with the pre-placing ramp, this year it is more nuanced spoof.

Oh dear. Oh dear. The chaps running Omega Diagnostics (ODX) really are incompetent poltroons.  I wonder how my favourite Saltire waving troll Craig Inglis – who first inspired me to start investigating this POS -  feels about the latest dire news: The UK Health Security Agency rejecting an application for approval of the professional-use VISITECT® COVID-19 Antigen test. Ooops.

Newcastle-upon-Tyne touch sensors manufacturing company Zytronic (ZYT) has announced a trading update including that “revenues for the first five months are approximately 25% ahead year-on-year and we are maintaining operating margins at the improved levels of last year. The order book is 45% ahead of the same period last year”. That sounds good, but what does it mean tangibly?…

Have you enjoyed the last week in the financial markets?  It certainly has been volatile but such is life in the stock market world and – as I have observed before – if you see volatility as more of a threat than an opportunity, get somebody else to manage your investment portfolio as it will make you a lot less stressed and a lot wealthier.  Meanwhile for us obsessed with the world of the financial markets the key always remains how you react.  And that brings me this morning to the just announced FY21 numbers of SIG (SHI).