Writing on “the third largest chain of specialist retail carpet and floor covering stores in the UK”, United Carpets (UCG) in September I noted that it attempts to mitigate that it “believes the business is well positioned for future trading” but asked half-year results including a formal profit warning ahoy?. Those December-announced results though included “recent trading performance has shown some more encouraging signs which, if sustained, should result in a better second half result and a reasonable outcome for the year”. Today a “Trading Statement”…

Amid all the hoo-haa over Neil Woodford’s transfer of unlisted dogs from his equity income fund (EIF) in return for Woodford Patient Capital Trust (WPCT) paper, it seems he has been again pressing the sell button. Of particular interest is the sale of 1.5 million shares in Provident Financial (PFG), shares over which only a few days earlier he had offered a letter of intent to accept the all-paper offer from Non-Standard Finance (NSF). What a spiv!!...

Previously writing on fashion retail company Quiz plc (QUIZ) in January it was Christmas revenue +8.4%... so why an approaching 30% share price decline?, that towards 25p – though I concluded that with “continued uncertainty with regards to consumer demand and associated spend”, I’d want more cash flow comfort so it was only on the watchlist. The shares had recovered to above 32p – before today a “Trading Update”…

Akin to the complete geek I am, I had an answer when recently asked the question which sector was the most difficult to analytically appraise. Forget technology or even biotechnology, my pick would be insurance because unlike the other two areas - which overtly often require specific knowledge - it can sucker you into thinking you have it cracked only to bite you where it hurts in ways and means you barely understand. So onto Aviva (AV.) whose full year numbers came out earlier today – and which has been in the news over recent months for being naughty boys by trying to undertake a compulsory purchase of some of its expensive preference shares…

Over on the LSE Asylum they are getting terribly excited about a Parliamentary Petition to ban shorting AIM stocks. If they can just find another 98,000 morons to sign (I’d start with the Frontera (FRR), Quindell (QPP) and Cloudtag (CTAG) shareholder lists) then this idea will be debated. Fraudsters must be praying they do...

SDX Energy (SDX) seems to be one of those AIM natural resources companies that has largely been forgotten about by private investors, but it has an awful lot going on over the coming 12 months, and beyond, and if even some of what it has scheduled goes to plan, then I would expect the shares to trade a lot higher...

I may well be a dinosaur and am prepared to accept my irrelevancy but @Air_Chief is a cheapskate poltroon as you can see below.

Hello Share Pushers. With the price of oil once more rising, if only slowly, investors will be happier to own oil shares. But it might be more prudent to take advantage of the demand for the black stuff by buying into firms which are not actual producers, but instead the companies which supply oilers...

Fox Marble (FOX) “is pleased to announce the resumption of production after the usual winter shut down in our Prilep quarry in Northern Macedonia” – and with the deployment of additional equipment and a new customer…

Early this year we showed the Shorted AIM shares at the start of 2019. How's the performance following February? (those in bold remain from 2018)...

Previously writing on automotive sector acoustic and thermal insulation group Autins (AUTG) in October, it was with the shares falling further from the mid 30p’s; “many opportunities to grow and diversify” - why the ‘cost base steps’ then?. The shares are currently again lower to 20p on the back of “pleased to announce” full-year results. Hmmm…

Forgive the title. It is the new song by my pal Dominic Frisby which you can see below. It covers Brexit and is, I think, rather funny, no: it is pure genius. In my podcast, I look at Red Emperor (RMP) and the other Winx plays, Mirriad (MIRI), FinnCrap (FCAP), Akers Biosciences (AKR), Independent Oil & Gas (IOG) Nautilus Marine (NAUT), a real dog, and finally I have a hot deeply discounted placing rumour on I3 Energy (I3E). If you enjoyed this bearcast, follow Jim Mellon and support the Rogue Bloggers for Woodlarks HERE.

Surveillance technology and networked security systems company Synectics (SNX) has announced results for its year ended 30^th November 2018 and that “the pipeline of identified new business that the group expects to win and deliver in 2019 is strong, and we expect to benefit from growing momentum in certain market sectors”…

Veteran find manager David Brady believes gold will bottom and rally once the Fed reverses policies. Until now all we have seen is a verbal reversal, the Fed has not yet switched gears.

Its latest results statement commences “CAP-XX (CPX)… a world leader in the design and manufacture of thin, flat supercapacitors and energy management systems, is pleased to announce its interim results for the half-year ended 31 December 2018”. The shares have though responded currently more than 7% lower, to around 7p…

I loved up 'the leading provider of corrugated packaging' DS Smith (SMDS) here in early December, observing that it was "boxing up an interesting opportunity for investors looking out over the next year. I would buy anticipating the share having a '4' in front of it at some point in 2019 as a minimum". Today's update is notable for two reasons. The first is that trading is going well. The second is that it has de-risked the balance sheet following the sale of its Plastics division…

Swallowfield (SWL) has announced interim results including that “we... believe results will be broadly in line with market expectations for the full year demonstrating profitable growth”. “Broadly in line” usually is slightly behind but with still “profitable growth” is an 11.5% share price dump, to 172.5p, justified?...

Hello, Share Climbers. I said I may go back to Ashtead (AHT), the tool and building plant hire company - and latest numbers yesterday look good to me. However, we all know it’s quite rare for a company’s share price to rise on reporting its latest results - and as I write the shares are down 2.5%. So let’s take a look at the results and see if we now have a buying opportunity, enhanced by the day’s drop in share price...

You know how Chris Oil and others blather on about how oil wells have a 50% or 25% COS? Well here is a note from the City's No 1 oil analyst Zac Phillips of SP Angel covering the Winx well in Alaska which puts this into context. Enjoy.

I cover WH Ireland (WHI) and the crisis engulfing the small cap world in a serperate bearcast HERE but touch on its downfall in the main bearcast. I look at Mirriad (MIRI) which needs to fess up as to how much cash has not yet been spunked, Rose Petroleum (ROSE) and insolvent Cabot (CAB) and the panic sells created by the demise of City Financial Investments, the bid for Independent Oil & Gas (IOG) and at Debenhams (DEB) where the worst is yet to come. If you enjoyed this bearcast, follow Jim Mellon and support the Rogue Bloggers for Woodlarks HERE.