The oxygen of publicity should never, ever be underestimated. As I noted here, after all the bad headlines and challenges associated with high fees and a dodgy self-serving corporate culture, 'there is only one way out of all of this for St James's Place and that is a root-and-branch business change which is driven by key managers at the top'.  Well finally we might be seeing this. 

I commented on Reabold Resources (RBD) in September, and in particular highlighted the company had some serious questions to answer related to the Gaelic Resources Ltd transaction. I note some 520 million shares being declared as sold in large transactions (over 15 million per declaration) on Friday. What’s going on?

This has nothing to do with shares or investing or anything. It's the end of the weekend and we've organised a quick pub quiz. Grab your own beer, there are no prizes, and for Pete's sake, no Googling! Only I get to do that. If you are so inclined, please enter your score in the comments. The highest score still won't get a prize.

My little list of slam-dunk sells for 2020 from the aim Casino has got off to a good start. One month in to the year, Tern (TERN), URU Metals (URU), Walcom (WALG) of the ShareProphets AIM-China Filthy Forty, Yu Group (YU.) and Catenae (CTEA) have already posted a collective 9.8% loss on a bid to-bid basis and at least two are already scraping the barrel to keep the lights on.

Is there anything better than sitting back and reading a well-written article on a lazy Sunday? Every week ShareProphets features some long form journalism that you'll find of interest. Grab your cuppa and enjoy these five articles. 

Tom Winnifrith writes: Two days ago on this very website I gave four reasons why I have never been so bullish about Optiubiotix (OPTI) with the shares then at a 60p offer. Now the offer is 67p and the shares are still a massive buy at up to 80p with a target to top slice at 125p achievable within months.

Excluding ShareProphets radio 23, the most read non-Tom article this week is Avacta - It Gets Even Better by Malcolm Stacey,back on the leaderboard at #11 or  #18 if you include Bearcasts. 

I start with a few words on Brexit Day and how we celebrated it HERE in Wales. Then with case studies Toople (TOOP) and Haydale (HAYD) I look at clear Nomad and adviser failings harking back to those at African Potash (AFPO) and suggesting why it is vital that, now, heads start to roll. I also discuss Future (FUTR) and Optibiotix (OPTI) and suggest that you all follow the great example of No Gold HERE 

Having sent a missive to AIM Regulation yesterday concerning AIM-listed Haydale (HAYD) and its Trading Update which appeared to admit to contravention of AIM Rule 11, the company issued a clarification RNS which appeared to me to completely contradict the original one, and both were signed off by Nomad Arden Partners under the watchful eye of the fine upstanding Mr Paul Shackleton, of China-fraud Naibu (NBU) and Daniel Stewart infamy. Call me old-fashioned, but the two statements appear to me to be impossibly contradictory – and that brings me to AIM Rule 10. Thus I have written again to AIM Regulation.

Yesterday I raised a number of concerns relating to the acquisition announced by uber-dog Toople (TOOP).  I fear there are more. We can start with the fact that the RNS needs to be re-issued as it refers to the wrong companies. Then there is a matter of a potential £900,000 black hole which could sink Toople completely…

Two sources whom I trust told me that Eurasia Mining (EUA) was doing a placing via Optiva.  And so I ran the story, first giving the company the opportunity to comment, an opportunity it passed up on. The shares had been falling for a few days and that is normally a good sign, on the insider dealing plagued market that is the AIM Casino, that a placing was underway. So I guess a few folks sold on the basis of the article. Fear not folks, count it as a lucky escape.

Updating on Columbus Energy Resources (CERP) last week, we noted the potential Saffron well catalyst is with there also current production and other potential. Now a “Operational Update - Trinity Inniss”…

From the FCA's spreadsheet of short positions required to be disclosed to it, the following shows the shorted AIM shares with positions from 2019 and thus far in 2020 (by net short position %, those in bold not on the list at the start of 2020) – and if this position has increased (red), reduced (green) or remained unchanged (black) since last week...

Solid State (SOLI) was a 500p offer price, October last year, share tip. It has since updated positively and, following a share price rise to well above 600p, there’s this month been director shareholding announcements…

Hello Share Twirlers. A few years ago I wrote my fastest-moving book Attishoo. It was about the common cold. What it was and how to avoid it. The cold is a coronavirus and there are more than 200 different varieties. That’s why we keep getting one cold after another. We only acquire immunity from one type of germ at a time.

Following my letter to AIM Regulation this morning, AIM-listed Haydale Graphene (HAYD) has attempted to quell the reaction to yesterday’s trading update, which appears to show that the company was allowed by its Nomad to breach AIM Rules by offering a clarification. But it is attempting to clarify the unclarifiable.

45 years of family pain comes to an end at 11 PM tonight. But the Mrs has hidden the EU flags i was going to burn. I shall make one out of paper for my bonfire. Pictures later. In today's podcast I also look at French Connection (FCCN), Toople (TOOP) and Oracle (ORCP)

One day short of four months on from its first announcement, AIM-listed Vast Resources (VAST) has at long last confirmed receipt of the first tranche of the death spiral funding it said it would not do. So yesterday’s announcement that the cheque really was in the post this time appears to have been true. Quite why it has taken so long remains a mystery, but whatever: let the death spiral commence. But how much actual cash does Vast gain from this charade?

We have been all over Future PLC (FUTR) this week with a three part special as you can see HERE. But now Matt Earl, the UK's smartest bear raider has gone short and published a major and damning dossier. You ignore the Dark Destoyer at your peril. His report is below.

Ramped by Bulletin Board Morons, Toople (TOOP) is the sort of uber dog with fleas that should have been shot and put out of its misery eons ago. Today we have results, an acquisition and a bailout placing. Let’s start with the numbers.