“Distil plc (AIM: DIS), owner of premium drinks brands RedLeg Spiced Rum, Blackwoods Gin and Vodka, Blavod Black Vodka, Jago's Cream Liqueur and Diva Vodka, is pleased to provide an update on trading for the first quarter of its current financial year”. However… it intra-day (10:13am) and the shares are currently at 1.20p – approaching 15% lower!...

TomCo Energy (TOM) seems to have become very popular all of a sudden with the share price almost doubling in the last few days.

You know I have had a bit of a downer on housebuilders for a good little while now. More recently - back in April – I noted on Persimmon (PSN) that:

This morning’s data from Morningstar shows that Neil Woodford’s Income Focus fund (WIFF) put in a new low yesterday in terms of its total assets. There was a 0.38% slippage in NAV per unit, but redemptions again took their toll.

In today's bearcast I look at FinnCrap (FCAP and two of its rotten clients: Telit (TCM) and Anglo African Oil & Gas (AAOG), at vile greed at Attis Oil & Gas (AOGL) , formerly Mayan/Northcote and at the latest FRC sanctions for shoddy audit work by Delotte and audit partner Helen George. I look at Weald Basin news from IGAS (IGAS) and what it means for Uk Oil 7 Gas (UKOG) et al and at daft Sound Energy (SOU) rumours.

I see that Versarien (VRS) has finally got rid of Patrick Abbott so that he can devote more time to defending the charges of securities fraud for which he has been indicted. I wrote back in March that his employment demonstrated a huge lack of judgement by CEO Neill Ricketts – as did the failure to disclose the matter at the time. That he should be fired so soon (eight days) after publicly standing by him a second time after further charges were revealed compounds the sense of management incompetence...

Well it looks like it's hats off to Tom Winnifrith: AIM-listed Sosandar (SOS) has reported full year numbers to March 2019 and the bald numbers are that it clocked up a loss of £3.5 million and ended the year with cash of £3.6 million. I think we can see how the maths is heading! But I’m not so sure the numbers are quite that bad...

The great success that was the 2019 Global Group UK Investor Show saw three 'Dragon's Den' sessions where a number of CEOs each gave a 1 minute (well, supposed to be!) pitch and three 'Dragons' at each session each picked a stock for a £1,000 investment. Here’s the latest after another month...

Hello, Share Twizzlers. This old punter generally finds that if the Footsie is rising in spectacular fashion, as it is now, then we might as well put penny shares on the back burner. That’s because most traders realise you don't have to attach big risk to your money if you can still make dosh from the (usually) safer jumbos...

Firstly, thank you for all your kind messages about Uncle Chris.  Earlier I revealed a real scandal at Anglo African Oil & Gas (AAOG) HERE. But actually I made a schoolboy error and it is far far worse than I depicted. I also comment on Sosandar (SOS), a situation which is enough to turn even the most loyal and vociferous of shareholders to drink. Then I look at First Derivatives (FDP), Telit (TCM) and its latest admission, forced by myself, that it does not give a FF about AIM Rules. Finally a look at Purplebricks (PURP).

Filtronic (FTC) “is pleased to provide the following trading update for the financial year ended 31 May 2019… Trading during the second half of the year was broadly in line with market guidance”… Hmmm; “broadly in line” tends to equate to ‘slightly behind’ – but a current sub 8p share price after an approaching 15% fall?...

Love it or hate it … you just cannot ignore gold … it is after all a “bellwether”. Originally a bellwether was a bell tied around the neck of a castrated ram (a wether) who would lead the other sheep and give the shepherd a ready reckoner on the movements of the flock. In financial markets it just refers to a leading indicator. 

Remote meetings technology group LoopUp (LOOP) has updated on trading commencing; “The group continues to see strong demand for the LoopUp product. In addition to a £2.34 million contract renewal with leading global law firm, Clifford Chance, new landmark accounts wins during H1 2019 include a major European investment management association, a leading television broadcaster in Australasia, the world's largest private dispute resolution provider, and numerous major international law firms… However,”… Uh oh…

News this morning, as I predicted on this site on Monday HERE of an £8.25 million raising by Anglo African Oil & Gas (AAOG) looks to be a disaster for existing shareholders once again under David Sefton's watch. 

The last time I talked about the shares of Sainsbury (SBRY) I concluded that the results were 'truly all over the place'. After today's update I would say the data has actually got worse…

This morning’s numbers from Morningstar show that Neil Woodford Income Focus Fund (WIFF) again had a better day yesterday as the NAV per unit edged ahead by 0.23%. So is it time, finally, for a glass of (someone else’s) champagne? Er….not quite.

Independent Oil and Gas (IOG) has been on a roller coaster of a journey over the last few years, with plenty of highs and lows. Some aspects have been of its own making, such as the unsuccessful appraisal drill of Skipper back in 2016 and some due to external influences like funding by what increasingly looks like a chain of fraudulent financial backers in London and Capital Finance via London Oil and Gas.

Previously writing on cyber-security software group Defenx (DFX), in October I reviewed “First draw down under the Convertible Loan”… but much more needed? – concluding …a current 10.5p share price and Defenx has stated “the board believes that the business will become cashflow positive during 2019”. However, on December 2015 AIM listing the company emphasised itself as “fast growing, profitable and cash generative” – and it joined at a 148p per share placing price! Certainly still on the bargepole list; sell. Now it’s been “Suspension of trading on AIM”…

Hello Share Graders. It’s my birthday. But reaching the age of 34 is a worry. It’s made me die my hair grey. The day is also unusual in that I can’t find any penny shares which I dare to commend to your further examination. So let me turn to one of the biggest commodity companies in the Footsie. A firm with a market cap of £38 billion...

Previously updating on cosmetics manufacturer and brand owner, Creightons (CRL) we stated, with the shares at 28.5p, we expect the results to highlight the value from such a valuation. The company has now announced results for its year ended 31^st March 2019 and that it is “actively looking at opportunities to develop or invest in brands and businesses which will allow us to take the group forward and meet our medium term ambitions”…