Back in July I observed that Next plc (NXT) ‘shares might not be cheap but they are quality’. Since then the stock has traded either side of an £80 share price, including being up 2% today after the publication of H1 numbers. With all the challenges for the clothes sector, you have had plenty of opportunities to buy Next shares over the last five years at a 40 quid or below share price. The share price this year though has been nicely above the previous all-time highs in late 2015 when the world was a different place for all of the biggest clothing names. Whatever happened to most of them?! Next has always been a bit different.

The results for the year to March 31 2021 came out on August 31 but the audited annual report is not out until today, the day of Chill Brands (CHLL) AGM so a second AGM will be needed to approve this sad document. I can see why Chill does not want folks reading the report for it contains multiple horrors all of which indicate that the shares are going to crater. My target price remains 0p-5p but, after today, 0p looks far more likely.

AIM-listed Yu Group (YU.) has posted its interims to June 30 this morning and claims a profit of £0.9 million – a good effort. Better still, the balance sheet shows that YU was technically solvent (just) at the period end. There are, however, a few observations to make on that! Call me a pedant if you wish.

Simec Atlantis Energy (SAE) rather surprised a few investors with an after-hours placing RNS yesterday at a whopping 48.4% discount to the closing price of 4.85p just minutes before. Of course to any regular reader of this site it should come as no surprise whatsoever – I have been warning for the last 2 years! But there is worse to come in my view.

Hello, Share Lovers. In the past, this old punter has avoided companies with ‘Cloud’ in the title. But despite my earlier forebodings, there’s a lot of good business going on in ‘clouds’ these days. That’s because more and more companies and individuals find it’s cheaper and easier to ‘outsource’ data to the ether.

On 10th June Go-Ahead Group (GOG), one of the UK’s largest bus and train operators, made a trading update including that its full year results were scheduled for 9th September. In late August this was changed to 30th September, stated as “reflects ongoing discussions with the Department for Transport regarding the historic calculation of the Southeastern profit share over a number of years… and related additional matters”. Now an announcement including that the results announcement “has been postponed. A revised announcement date will be confirmed in due course”. Two delays and now no date scheduled doesn’t bode well…

I receive an invitation to an online pot conference. More signs this sector is hot and thus one I shall avoid. I mention Chill Brands (CHLL) which is not hot and which could see its shares suspended by Friday. I discuss why the Tiger Royalties (TIR) portfolio is toxic and could implode. Surely its Nomad Roland “fatty” Cornish can peer over his ever expanding belly and see the danger? I discuss en passant Go Ahead (GOG) and in more detail interims from Powerhouse Energy (PHE). Then to why HEIQ (HEQ) numbers today are so dripping in red flags as yet another recent IPO ( 10 months ago) comes crashing down.

Shares in the fraud Chill Brands (CHLL), formerly the fraud Zoetic (ZOE), are falling again and now trade at a new year low of 24.75p to sell. With suspension possible as soon as Friday, with almost no sales now in the US and with the market cap still a bonkers £53.3 million, of course, anyone with half a brain cell should sell.  But then nobody with half a brain cell would own the shares in the first place. The big question is when will the long delayed annual report arrive? What do you think. Vote below:

Osirium Technologies (OSI) has announced results for the first half of 2021, emphasising “good progress against our stated strategy… we are encouraged by the continued trading momentum as we enter the second half”. The shares have responded currently to 21.5p, 14% lower and a £6.3 million market cap, so what’s going on?…

For 17 years I have been pointing out the lies and frauds committed by Eden Research (EDEN). I could paper my bedroom with the lawyers letters it and its partner in crime 3DM (now in administration, having blown £65 million of other folks cash, sent me). I could paper another few rooms with the online harassment I received from the 3Dimmers, whipped up by shamed promoters Old Mother Mike Walters and Johnny “the Rat” Townsend. Here we are and I am still on the case although how the regulators have allowed this farce to continue for so long really does cause me to despair. Retained losses now stand at £40 million!

Sometimes I look at a company and think its shares are just too cheap at the current market cap and is pretty much being priced to fail, yet in some cases there certainly doesn’t appear to be anything fundamentally wrong that suggests that to be the situation.

Running an investment company should cost peanuts, especially when its portfolio is tiny. Yet with a portfolio now worth just over£1 million, the Colin Bird run Tiger Royalties has just ‘fessed that in the first half of 2021 its running costs were £148,204.  If you are spunking £300,000 a year running a portfolio of c£1 million then even Warren Buffett (23% a year) would eventually go bust. And Colin Bird is no Warren Buffett.

Itaconix (ITX) “is pleased to announce its unaudited interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2021”. The shares have responded currently approaching 7% lower to 8.3p. So “a leading innovator in plant-based specialty polymers” or still another Woodford pick dog?…

Asset manager Jaime Carrasco of Canaccord Genuity warns that we’re about to re-enter the storm that began back in 2008. He says, “Get your ship prepared.”

I may not have been on a plane since January 2020 but I still like easyJet (EZJ) shares and was pleased to read earlier today on the ‘31 for 47 rights issue of 301m New Shares at 410p per New Share…valid acceptances representing approximately 93.0%’. Whilst most money raisings will induce volatility, earlier this month I wrote about how I backed this deal. Frankly, I am amazed that 7% of investors failed to do this. That’s their mistake in my view. Easyjet remains a buy for me. I might even get the chance to travel on one of its planes over the next year. Also earlier this year I talked about looking for the opportunities to buy the ‘British multinational diversified engineering business’ Smiths Group (SMIN) when its shares fell below £15.

Hello, Share Swallowers. When a company I’ve commended quite a bit posts more interesting news then it justifies a little more coverage. Especially when that news chimes with one of the company’s policies which first attracted attention in the first place.

Central Asia Metals (CAML) has announced results for the first half of 2021 and said that the outlook for the remainder of 2021 is positive, including strong demand for the metals that it produces.

The CEO of Microsaic Systems (MSYS) Glenn Tracey is “thrilled to report this transformational performance for the first half of 2021”. The shares have responded to the half-year results announcement to currently 0.22p, more than 12% lower! So what’s going on?…

I explain why there was no bearcast yesterday. Then I look at the part this household is playing in the fuel crisis. It is all about psychology. Then a look at Real Good Food (RGF) and companies delisting before a look at the pathetic punishments for the enablers of fraud at Patisserie Holdings (CAKE) I also look at what Australian regulators are doing to tackle pump and dump twitter gangs while the FCA jerks off on more ESG porn doing nothing about tackling real crime. I flag up Aura Energy (AURA) in this regard.

We on this website, have warned you numerous times abut the financial house of cards, built on sand, which is All Active Asset Management (AAA). But still folks discuss what colour Porsche they will buy when they sell. They assume that the shares must be worth at least 80p, based on the current £120 million fundraise closing, at that price, on October 28.