Last year on an AGM update from foundries and machining business Castings (CGS) I concluded a current market cap, with the shares at around 425p, of circa £185 million… I’m happy to continue to monitor for new management Machining turnaround with the shares on the watchlist. Now this year’s AGM update…

I start with a discussion of how young and inexperienced most sell side analysts are and why that bodes so badly for the horrors that will emerge in the coming bear market. I move onto Versarien (VRS) a pointless deal and accounts that contradict themselves, I look at Burford (BUR) and the sex tapes allegations as well as my own on Napo and then finally at forex service ProphetFX which is drowning in red flags as is AIM Casino rubbish Nostra Terra Oil & Gas (NTOG)

It was only a month ago I commented on Rockhopper Exploration (RKH) and speculated on some of the matters surrounding the SeaLion development. Several developments have occurred since which have reconfirmed my positive stance.

Previously writing on homeware and fashion retailer Laura Ashley (ALY), I concluded including the continuing rapid trading deterioration concerns – particularly in terms of what the balance sheet will look like by the year-end. The company has now announced results for its year ended 30th June 2019…

Often I am left wondering what the point is of quite a number of small mining companies listed on AIM, as all they seem to do is raise small amounts of money to keep the business ticking over without ever actually achieving anything of note.

In media and in mining Frank Giustra has a Midas touch. He believes that we are on the third and final phase of the gold boom cycle that started back in 2001, and the next cycle will be the largest of these moves.

AIM-listed Cloudbuy (CBUY) reported its interims to the end of June yesterday and the news seems to me to be utterly grim: revenues of just £0.5 million, a loss of £0.7 million and a balance sheet showing net assets of MINUS £6.5 million complement the accumulated losses of £16.7 million. At least the company seems to be consistent! The statement at least refrained from telling us it was pleased to announce the numbers but my sell stance is thus far vindicated: last offered at 3p, the shares now stand at just 2.4p.

I have written a couple of articles on the Mecca Bingo and Grosvenor Casino operator Rank (RNK), concluding last time that 'Rank is not so dank after all...the share still remains below the (interesting) 160p level. Worth a punt!'…

The news blackout at Woodford cash-guzzling dog Verseon (VERS) continues, but at least the shares did not slip any further yesterday. That is more than can be said for fellow kennel cohabiter Xeros (XSG) as the fine disruptor of washing machines tries to get £10 million of new money to avoid the free taxi ride to the corporate undertakers.

Hello Share Scrimpers. Attracting negative publicity at the mo is the National Grid (NG.). It’s just established that the recent power cut was caused by the rare event of a bolt of lightning putting out two big power stations and seeing the electricity supply depleted. But, as far as I remember, no such setback has occurred before. And given all the power stations that feed into the Grid and all the infrastructure needed to supply power everywhere, this is an efficiency record to be proud of. But what about the shares?...

Hat tip my esteemed stockbroker, I flag up a major red flag for global equity markets. I discuss a hot rumour of the real reason the FCA swooped to shut down broker SVS. I look at Canadian Overseas (COPL), Avanti Communications (AVN), Sound Energy (SOU), Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT) and Brady (BRY).

Previously writing on Frontier Smart Technologies (FST), it was noting 47.6% shareholder Science Group (SAG) hits out following update announcement – that including a dig that throughout the (35p per share) offer period “the Frontier board maintained its position that it ‘strongly recommends that Shareholders neither accept the Science Group Offer on its current terms, per the offer document distributed to shareholders on 2 July 2019, nor sell any Frontier shares via the Panmure Gordon dealing facility’”. There has since been Frontier “Board Change” and now a “Board Transition, Refinancing and Strategy” announcement…

A couple of days after Greene King (GNK) got scooped up by a Hong Kong billionaire, and on the day that Cobham (COB) announced the scheme particulars for its mooted takeover by a US peer, I read that plumbing and bathrooms kit company Ferguson (FERG) is thinking about switching to a US market listing. So woe betide the future of the UK market? In my opinion not at all...but you just have to face facts…

Previously writing on Gulf Marine Services (GMS), in December I noted warns but argues there will be longer-term improvement; It’s got to be around for that first though! – concluding still bargepole / sell as the shares slumped below 10p. Today a “Corporate & Board Update”…

In the wake of the Muddy waters attack on Burford (BUR) Roger Lawson of ShareSoc has published a detailed set of proposals to tackle what he sees as a big problem as you can see HERE. He makes a couple of suggestions which we can agree on as being utterly sensible. But he fails to grasp that existing laws can deal with other issues, the problem is that they are never implemented. He goes on to make a number of proposals which are naive and would gag websites like this in the extremis making London markets, already a great place for fraudsters and shameless promoters to do business, even more friendly for such folks. They would be a disaster as I explain in detail.

A trading update from Brady (BRY) commences; “Brady plc (BRY.L), a leading global provider of trading, risk management and settlement solutions to the energy and commodities sectors, announces that, over the course of the first half of 2019, Brady has had positive engagements with existing customers, and the recurring revenue is in line with expectations”. The shares are currently around 35p – down more than 35% though!...

In early 2019, I wrote a series of articles on what has become a widely known minibond scandal.  On 6 January 2019, I flagged up a swathe of red flags at London and Capital Finance Plc (“LCF”) (now in administration).  On 3 February 2019, I asked whether Blackmore Bond Plc was another minibond disaster in the making? Well it looks increasingly like that was yet another incredibly prescient call, the latest warnings signs are:

No publicity is bad publicity, goes the old showbiz saying but for Neil Woodford any publicity is bad publicity these days. However, no news is bad news for him, and that brings me back once again to his disruptive medical play Verseon (VERS) which must be teetering right on the edge by now.

I have been on hols the last few weeks in the UK, but could not miss the disruption resulting from the power outage on the grid on the 9^th August. Being the sort of chap I am, it did not take me long to turn my thoughts to which small cap companies could be beneficiaries of this. I came up with one – RedT Energy (RED). But its shares are suspended pending an RTO finalisation. Bugger! Meanwhile I can rant a bit awaiting its re-list on where we are and why...

Hello, Share Swampers. The world is changing. And part of the move is away from fossil fuels, including petrol. So it makes sense for armchair tycoons like us to look for companies in tune with this growing trend. Cadence Minerals (KDNC) is one such firm...