The investment case for Purplebricks (PURP) is looking increasingly ragged. Even the analysts, not noted for being quick off the mark, seem to be losing faith – JP Morgan slashing its price target from 400p to 188p, and Berenberg really coming to its senses by replacing its 460p target with an 80p target. The disruptive growth story is now in shreds after February’s profit warning...

Direct Line Insurance (DLG) is a rather unusual company. It does not flog its policies on comparison websites. You would think this would reduce the size of premiums. But when I compared the cost of insuring my jalopy, admittedly some months ago, I found I got a few better offers from comparison sites...

Perhaps in 20 days time limp dick sad excuse for a journalist, the liar, Jamie Nimmo of the Mail On Sunday will report on this development at Argo Blockchain (ARB) and tell his dwindling readership that “he can reveal”. I can reveal the board has been given the option of buying the underlying crypto business for just £1.

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. With the show having been in the last week of March, here’s a first performance update...

I have known for a while that Yourgene (YGEN) was to upgrade its broker from FinnCrap to Stifel. It is a big upgrade. But I was told that FinnCap would be kept on as joint broker for three months during part of which Stifel is in a research blackout period. Something happened last Wednesday and FinnCap was fired with immediate effect. I shall endeavour to establish what it was but maybe it was just that FinnCrap’s last research note was so bad that it was felt that no research for 40 days was better than another note from the same shite analyst. Perhaps FinnCap did something worse. I am digging. What you, my fellow shareholders want to know about is the placing and acquisition.

Previously updating on point of sale, payment and loyalty systems group Universe (UNG) just over a year ago with the shares lower towards 5p, I wrote 2017 results, outlook “solid”… other than a “significant uncertainty”! – concluding I awaited a more reassuring announcement before considering from the watchlist. Recent results have now been followed by a “Directorate Change”…

I explain why there was no podcast yesterday - we all have our crosses to bear. Then it is onto Plus500 (PLUS) and Bidstack (BIDS) formerly Kin Group, formerly Fitbug. Now: how about you join Adam Reynolds and Susan Dando and be a Superstar HERE

TV and multimedia content producer, Zinc Media (ZIN) “is pleased to confirm that Mark Browning has joined the business as Chief Executive Officer… brings many years of leadership, experience and a clear track record of successfully managing significant growth in the TV production and media sectors and joins the company from ITN Productions, where he most recently acted as Group Managing Director”, with Browning seeing “plenty of growth potential in the TV businesses, both domestically and internationally, and through Zinc Media's digital arm”. Potential then, with the shares having sunk to 0.3p from towards 0.70p when I last wrote?...

Thank you to all of you who have donated to the Rogue Bloggers for Woodlarks appeal this year. As you might just know, the rogue bloggers (nine confirmed so far) will walk the 33 miles from Horse Hill to Woodlarks on May 25 and we realy want you to sponsor us HERE

A “New Store Opening and Trading Update” from fishing tackle and equipment retailer Angling Direct (ANG), which the company “is pleased to announce” and sees CEO Darren Bailey “very excited to have opened our Nottingham store” and also stating “whilst other areas of the retail sector may be experiencing difficulties, we are delighted that our strategic focus on customer experience and service, as well as positioning our stores in the correct locations, is driving our growth and brand value”. Great news then?...

I have loved up Biffa (BIFF) on these pages before, calling the UK's premier business waste collection company in November a buy based on 'big themes...such as tighter regulation, recycling and participation in energy from waste'. The shares have risen - along with the general market - since November but what has caught my eye today are comments from the company that 'UK recycling confusion' needs to be 'sorted'...

Minoan (MIN) has announced results for its year ended 31^st October 2018 and that “the group has recently received an approach and is in discussions to create a joint venture on one of the five hotel and villa sites... The discussions around value indicate that, if completed in line with those discussions, a figure would be realised at an indicative value which the board believe that shareholders would find attractive”…

Hello, Share Climbers. While the old shares have been at a standstill for Easter, the oil price has continued its race upwards. At the same time, the big London protest has been focussing minds on global warming. This seems to have worked for the campaigners as there’s been a lot of debate on the media about the planet’s worsening pollution. Radio Four has been full of it and Sir David presented a frightening programme about this mega issue in one of BBC TV’s prime Easter slots. So what does all of this mean for those of us with shares in the big Footsie oilers - and the smaller black stuff producers, as well?

PDS Biotechnology (PDSB) joined Nasdaq just over a month ago following the merger of AIM-listed Netscientific (NSCI) investee PDS and previously Nasdaq-listed Edge Therapeutics. Netscientific – itself an investee of Neil Woodford - proudly told the market the listing was at $10 per share, but by the time the RNS came the following morning, the shares had already collapsed to $8.51.

Diamond miners seem to be out of favour at the moment, but many experts are predicting better things to come for the market, with demand increasing and supply falling, especially when it comes to large or rare coloured stones.

It is all a bit half speed today with the UK (and European markets) closed but there were a couple of stories that caught my attention.  A couple of weeks ago  I told Edward Bramson - who has taken an activist position towards Barclays (BARC) via his Sherborne Investors vehicle, to take a chill pill. 

Debt, debt & more debt

From kidnapping the neighbours cat to locating Woodford's buried bodies, Tom's Bearcasts are easily the most popular items on the ShareProphets site. Here are the 20 the ShareProphets readers listened-and-relistened to.

Here haven’t been so many diabolical after-hours announcements as there used to be, but ahead of the Easter double bank holiday – at 6.19pm on Thursday evening – AIM-listed Modern Water (MWG) showed that the tradition is alive and kicking. Its investors might have gone home but ShareProphets was watching….

Neil Woodford, Julie Meyer, and, wouldn't you know it, Chris Oil are all subjects of the 20 most read ShareProphets stories of 2019. Read these crackers for an indication on how the rest of the year will go.