On the occasion of the news that Neil Woodford had been fired as manager of his soon to be wound down flagship Equity Income Fund, the great man posted a comment on his Pravda-esque blog saying that he could not accept the decision.  His arrogance did not surprise me. What shocked me, as I noted HERE, were the comments by unit holders which were universally supportive of Neil.

From the FCA's spreadsheet of short positions required to be disclosed to it, the following shows the shorted AIM shares with positions from 2018 and thus far in 2019 (by net short position %, those in bold not on the list at the start of 2019) – and if this position has increased (red), reduced (green) or remained unchanged (black) since last week...

Hello Share Thrashers. As I write, nobody has any idea if the Brexit debacle will move forward or back, so let’s take the opportunity of reviewing a share owner’s benefit which is often disregarded and shouldn't be. I refer to the perks. Here’s the latest list of some of the best companies for rewarding share-owners.

Early last month I noted on ‘M1G’ and ‘M2G’ boiler energy efficiency technologies company Sabien (SNT) the subscription is for £326,427 of shares at 0.11p each, with it added “on 11 June 2019, the board announced that it expected to report revenues for the year-ended 30 June 2019 of approximately £1.2 million (2018: £0.51 million) and a small profit before taxation (2018: loss of £1.65 million). The board confirms that it has traded in-line with expectations… net cash (excluding the proceeds of the subscription) amounted to approximately £0.67m as at 2 September 2019”. There has since followed the results and now, after the shares have recently shot higher, a “Corporate Update”…

Shares in AIM-listed Eddie Stobart Logistics (ESL) remain suspended pending interim results and financial clarification, but that has not stopped a third potential bidder – Wincanton (WIN) – entering the fray. Eddie Stobart now has three potential suitors – DBAY, which was involved in its original demerger from Stobart Group (STOB), and an outfit headed by Andrew Tinkler – who was sacked by Stobart Group after a messy campaign to remove its then chairman, and Wincanton which now has twenty-eight days to decide whether to make an offer. So is this all good news?

The FT says today that no-one emerges from the Neil Woodford scandal with any credit. I beg to disagree with the PR cocksuckers at the deadwood press yet again. Meanwhile three folks who do emerge with real credit are now negotiating a book deal. I also look at Brady (BRY) and its crazy share price and in detail at uber dog Plutus Powergen (PPG)

Yesterday Pantheon Resources (PANR) confirmed that Haliburton has handed its 25% interest in the Alaskan Alkaid project and Phecda prospect back to the company for nothing.  As one of the world’s leading oil services companies, Haliburton has surely confirmed Pantheon has a further crap asset to add to its growing portfolio.

Individuals not companies commit fraud, lie via RNS and break securities rules. And it is individuals not corporates who must be punished for their crimes.  Otherwise getting caught for white collar crime becomes simply another “cost of doing business”. In that vein I have again written to the FCA and AIM Regulation about Brady (BRY) where I do not accuse anyone of fraud or lying but I do accuse them of heinous rule breaches.

Previously writing on self-styled “leading innovator in sustainable specialty polymers” Itaconix (ITX), in July 2018 I noted a fundraising at 2p per share comparing to 6.75p on the shares being suspended and it still only stating “the net proceeds of the fundraising will provide the company with at least 12 months of working capital”… for me on this Woodford dog, natch, it remains bargepole ahoy. Today a “Trading Update” – what now from this, another of Neil’s ‘leading innovators’,?…

I enjoy using the search function on this website because you can always learn something from articles written months or even years ago. Almost a year ago I wrote on international hotel chain InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) that 'the company changed its CEO last July. The new incumbent is clearly trying to forge a distinct direction rather than live just off the legacy of his highly successful predecessor. That can be a dangerous thing to do too at the wrong point of the economic cycle'. That all seems very true, but the reality is in the last year the share has gone up. However reality is not so different…

Company upon company is reporting they’re suffering amidst “heightened macroeconomic and political uncertainties of recent months” – or words to that effect. The quote there was from a trading update last month from Solid State plc (SOLI)… but the update also included that, notwithstanding… “trading in the first four months of the year has been very strong… is confident that profits for the year ending 31 March 2020 will be significantly ahead of expectations… consider there may be opportunities to generate further incremental sales later in the year”…

Neil Woodford cash-guzzling NEX-listed dog Rutherford Health (RUTH) – the former Proton Partners – had been keeping a low profile in the wake of Neil Woodford’s sudden departure from the financial services scene. Of course, without Woodford around, there are questions as to who will have to foot the bill for his remaining £32.5 million funding commitment offered to Rutherford at listing in order to get the IPO away. Yesterday Rutherford announced a £20 million “impact-linked” loan facility from Triple Point Investment Management – but what are the terms? Is this money to replace the Woodford commitment? Is the loan secured or not? What is the interest rate? Is there an equity kicker? And what on earth is an “impact-linked” loan anyway?

Hello, Share Miners. Though I normally ignore charts as a way of predicting the future course of shares, I do carry out the simplistic task of seeing where the trend is going – believing that the most useful market cliche is ‘the trend is your friend’. And one share which almost always seems to creep forward these days is Capita (CPI)...

The 10th September-announced half-year results from “regenerative medical devices” group Tissue Regenix (TRX) included “we anticipated that the year would be significantly weighted towards the second half, as announced on the 4 June… We continue to expect that this will be the case… demand for our products is strong”. Now a “Trading Update”…

Ariana Resources (AAU) has followed recent half-year results with its Ardala operational licence being renewed for 5 years, with the operating permit increased in area substantially…

Previously writing on bathroom and kitchen products company Norcros (NXR), in November it was concluding somewhat nervous about both the UK and South Africa trading environments and note a current 227p to sell is near multi-year highs. As such, though considering there further upside scope on delivery to plan, we opt to play it safe and bank the gain here. Sell. How’s that call looking approaching a year on? – and on the back of a “Trading Update” from the company today…

Is shorting Neil Woodford stocks like shooting fish in a barrel? I argue not and explain why it could be dangerous. I look at the FCA enquiry into Woodford and question whether its remit will be wide enough. Then, touching on the Fiske (FSK) AGM statement I look at calls for more regulation in the wake of the Woodford scandal.

Building materials group with “leading regional or national positions in the merchanting markets in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands”, Grafton (GFTU) has issued a trading update for the third quarter of 2019 – this “brings forward a planned update scheduled for 12 November 2019”. Uh oh – that doesn’t tend to be a good sign…

No doubt Roger Lawson reckons that Matt Earl should have run the dossier below by the Luxembourg based company first. It is long but damning and the shares are crashing on the back of it. Enjoy.

Well, there were no redemptions yesterday as both Woodford Income Focus and Woodford Equity Income are now gated. But the letter from Link (the ACD) telling Income Focus’ investors of the suspension of dealings seems to me to be a little misleading as it looks to me to be an attempt to re-write history.