Following General Meeting approval last week, Petropavlovsk (POG) “is pleased to announce that the refinancing of the outstanding Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Ltd loan has been completed following an initial drawdown on a new US$240 million facility with JSC Gazprombank by the Kimkano-Sutarsky Mining and Beneficiation Plant LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of IRC Limited”…

Wirecard is a German company which looks like a Norfolk and walks like one and where the FT - to its credit - has done sterling work making that clear. The German regulator has responded by banning shorting of this stock. A letter from Safkhet capital to the foolish Krauts explains why this is folly. This is a very clear explanation of why it NEVER makes sense to ban shorting.

Hello Share Trouncers. From time to time I’ve commended the Footsie satellite king Inmarsat (ISAT) to your further researches. It did very well - for a time. Though Uncle Tom weighed in at one stage, wondering about the company's prospects...

We have now confirmed with two sources that cash shell PCG Entertainment (PCGE) is in advanced talks about a reverse takeover which will see it buy paid-for research provider Align and IR platform Vox Markets...

Tasty (TAST) Chairman Keith Lassman states “I am pleased to be reporting on the group's annual results for the 52 week period ended 30 December 2018”. The shares have responded currently to 6.5p – 23.5% lower!...

Alba Mineral Resources (ALBA) has updated that “we are pleased to see continued stable production reported from the Portland Sandstone and look forward to further updates from the operator as the programme continues” (Alba: 11.765%)…

As a long time Brexiteer I am sure Mark Slater will have a few things to say about the UK leaving the EU the day before The Global Group UK Investor Show on Saturday 30^th March. More importantly, in just 7 days’ time, the most successful fund manager of the past decade will be using that famous “Slater nose” to give his view on the market but will also be explaining exactly which shares he is buying and selling and why.

I’m sure some investors must have wondered what the directors of AIM listed oil and gas outfit Highlands Natural Resources (HNR) had been smoking when they announced yesterday that they were diversifying into cannabis!

In today's bearcast I take a very detailed look at IQE (IQE) and explain why the shares are worth 40p max, potentially half of that. I also cover Blue Jay Mining (JAY), Yourgene (YGEN), Tomco (TOM), Cloudbuy (CBUY) and F40 member POS Walcom (WALG). If you enjoyed this, I think, profanity free bearcast, follow a bloke from the Grim North who donated enough to buy a whole house in the welfare safari and support the Rogue Bloggers for Woodlarks HERE.

Surface Transforms (SCE) has updated including “we are pleased that current shareholders continued to support our strategy to become a series production supplier of carbon ceramic brake discs to the large volume original equipment manufacturer automotive market. We look forward to the future with confidence”. This from a “£1.9 million placing” announcement…

Recently Argo Blockchain (ARB) announced a “Strategy Update” including “as a result of the challenging conditions, the company has ceased accepting new mining subscriptions and will terminate all existing mining-as-a-service contracts by 1st April 2019”. Particularly not good as the company only listed in August 2018! – that at 16p in an IPO our own Tom Winnifrith stagged (unsuccessfully); by the time of the noted announcement the shares had fallen to around 3p – but they have now recovered a bit and there looks a good chance of more to come…

After a bunch of polarised press articles which focused on her gender and nationality just as much as her operational performance, the Kingfisher (KGF) CEO Veronique Laury is off - after reflecting that the next stage of her 'One Kingfisher' programme is apparently best handled by somebody else. Many would appraise that whilst the ideal of her 2015-launched corporate effort was initiated with the best intentions (focus ranges, simplification), it has been a dog's dinner of strategic application. Certainly the difficult economic backdrop for any company with big DIY brands such as B&Q and Castorama (in France) has not been exactly perfect...but for every challenging big picture economic aspect, there have been some positive aspects such as the Bunnings self-implosion in the UK or the continued positive structural development of the Screwfix brand...

I warned you that Tomco (TOM) was pumping ahead of a placing. Some poor saps ignored that advice and paid up to 4.5p per share earlier this week. I hope they lubed up well as this morning £600,000 was raised at just 2.75p. Ouch! But this money will be pissed away just like all the other monies this POS company has raised. The City's No 1 oil analyst, Zac "the Knife" Phillips of SP Angel is damning in his morning email to clients. The great man opines:

AIM-listed jam-tomorrow investment company Tern plc (TERN) has released its FY18 results. Last year’s numbers were full of holes and I thought it pretty clear that it needed more cash, even if the auditor thought otherwise. But the Tern rocket went into full gear, the shares raced ahead and it got its cash. Now the shares have again crashed back to earth, changes have been made to accounting matters and Device Authority seems to have been downgraded – although its valuation seems to equate to sticking your finger in the air! But it is the same old jam tomorrow story and not enough cash...

Hello, Share Twirlers. Having just reminded myself that the p/e I have for Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA and RDSB) is a mere 11, I think it may be time to look at this giant company again. It was at least two years ago that at least one big bank was opining the B shares worth 2800p, yet, after posting much bigger profits since then, the price still languishes at around 2400p...

Pot is clearly the new blockchain. Whatever. I do not pretend to understand this insanity. I am just too old.  Anyhow the latest Primary Bid offer is from Highland Natural Resources (HNR) and if you want to play you can do so here.

In today's podcast I explain why Julie Meyer has spurred me to battle on, though I do consider calling it a day now and again. I look at Quindell (QPP), London & Capital Finance, Neil Woodford, and flag up that the FCA has opened or stepped up an enquiry into another company I covered in some detail. You can speculate which, more details when Winnileaks comes good.  I look at Red Emperor (RMP), IQE (IQE), Verseon (VERS) and Blue Jay Mining (JAY). If you enjoyed this, I think, profanity free bearcast, follow a bloke from the Grim North who donated enough to buy a whole house in the welfare safari and support the Rogue Bloggers for Woodlarks HERE.

Apologies for missing it on Friday, but it turns out that there was yet another disaster for Neil Woodford on Friday as its Norwegian play revolutionising the world of chip and PIN, Thin Film (OB:THIN), announced a strategic update and corporate restructuring after hours. Uh-Oh……a strategic review! No wonder he was in such a bad mood as he lashed out at critics offering false analysis and fake news.

We have warned you time and time again that Blue jay Mining, the stock promoted shamelessly by disgraced share promoter Old Mother Michael Walters and SP Angel's John Meyer on the basis of bogus "imminent" offtake deals was one to avoid like the plague. The shares are off by 20% today at 9.1p and, a reliable City source, says that investors are being sounded out about a material placing. But at what price?

Previously writing in December on women's clothing and accessories retailer Bonmarche (BON) it was “extremely poor” sales, though argues “confident in the strategy” & “well prepared to weather the storm”. Really?. Today a further “Trading Update”…