“Robotic Process Automation” group Blue Prism (PRSM) has updated commencing “the board is pleased to report that the strong sales momentum seen in the first half of 2018 has continued, with a strong second half, particularly in the fourth quarter”. So why a current 15% share price decline, to sub 1400p?…

I am back at the Greek Hovel and the noise outside is quite unbelievably torrential rain. I discuss the weather and how stunning the Hovel now looks. Photos are starting to go up HERE on TomWinnifrith.com. I look at Optibiotix (OPTI) and today's stunning news. Cynical Bear needs to get ready to send me another bottle of ouzo. I look at Xeros (XSG), Thomas Cook (TCG) and Telit (TCM) where the clock is ticking ever louder. I have a few more words on the IPO of FinnCrap.

The results announcement for its half-year ended 30th September 2018 from IT consultancy group Triad (TRD) includes “encouragingly, gross margin as a percentage of revenue has increased to 18.5% (2017: 16.8%)”, “the group's cash position remains extremely healthy… has declared an interim dividend of 1p (2017: 0.5p)” and “the group has made good progress with a number of business development activities aimed at strengthening our profile and increasing our client base across the public and private sectors”. The shares are currently, er, more than 25% lower, towards 45p in response. Hmmm…

Another day, another Woodford disaster story hits the headlines – this time in the form of AIM-listed Xeros Technology (XSG), which Cynical Bear had postulated would be this year’s RM2 disaster. Well, it’s run out of money again and guess who’s footing the bill (with other people’s money)?

The stock market can be a cruel mistress and whilst I am enjoying a celebratory sausage roll due to the strong trading update from Greggs (GRG), Thomas Cook (TCG) has disclosed more local difficulties...with a second profits warning in about two months…

If you wish to ignore my advice go ahead and pony up 28p a share (a £48 million market cap) in the IPO of smug Sam Smith’s FinnCap via Primary Bid HERE. But I would not. Here are the hard numbers which show what a joke this IPO is...

Hotel Chocolat (HOTC) has announced the opening of the first Hotel Chocolat store in Japan, emphasising a “hugely encouraging” reaction – this following house broker Liberum having noted on September-announced results “management has developed Hotel Chocolat into the leading UK premium chocolate brand and is now expanding that strategy into new international markets. The combined market size of the USA, Japan and Scandinavia is some 4.6x that of the UK and with sensible plans in place, the next stage of Hotel Chocolat’s growth profile looks very interesting indeed”…

Bluebird Merchant Ventures (BMV) “has completed a review of all data to date, related to the Kochang gold and silver mine. As a result it has derived an initial estimate of the mineral potential available for the redevelopment of the mine”…

Restaurant ‘yield management’ (i.e. reservations with discounts to fill spare capacity) platform company BigDish (DISH) has updated including, “we note the recent share price volatility… but believe the overhang in the market has now been removed and we look forward to future positive market updates”…

Hello Share Scratchers. At this merry time of year, I usually recommend Diageo (DGE) for your share list. The reason is obvious...

In addition to tearing into Frontera Resources (FRR) in his morning email, the City's number one oil analyst Zac Phillips, albeit of shamed SP Angel, also reviewed the 152p per share offer from Norway's DNO for Faroe Petroleum (FPM). To paraphrase a famed piece of Norwegian football commentary, ‘Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani, Executive Chairman of DNO, can you hear me, can you hear me’…

One of the questions I am asked most frequently is what will be the cause of the next financial crisis. This question is asked by those who understand that this crisis is coming but want to pin down the date or a specific turn of events that will help them know when to react. My answer is always the same...

The City's number one oil analyst Zac Phillips of shamed SP Angel has plunged his bloodied knife into cash strapped Frontera Resources (FRR) after today's joke RNS. In his morning email the great man opines: 

For all the reasons explained in yesterday's bearcastI'd rather eat my own toes than invest in the FinnCap IPO. But if you take a different view you can subscribe for shares at 28p, in a minimum size of £100, via Primary Bid HERE.

A “Placing, Open Offer and Trading Update” announcement from the former Proxama, now Location Sciences Group (LSAI), including “the directors believe that further funds will enable Location Sciences to maintain its leading position in the UK location data and insights market and allow the company to accelerate the growth of Verify, its leading location data verification product, both in the UK and overseas”. Hmmm…

Okay, he is a conceited, overpaid, arrogant mother so I don't really feel sorry for him but I explain his appalling problem at doomed RM2 (RM2). I also look at Inspirit (INSP), Sabien (SNT) and Tomco (TOM) all three of which should be taken out and shot as their sole purpose on the AIM Casino is as a funder for the coke and hookers used by crony capitalists in the City. I explain a flaw (or two) in Malcolm's thesis today as I look at three retailers in trouble: Marks & Spencer (MKS), Debenhams (DEB) and Mothercare (MTC).

Bathroom and kitchen products company Norcros (NXR) has announced results for its half-year ended 30^th September 2018 and that it “remains confident…to make further progress in line with its expectations for the year to 31 March 2019”…

Not much to excite in today's regulatory news statements although I did note that my old mucker Greencore (GNC) did announce in a terse statement that:

Frontera Resources (FRR) is, as you know, completely out of cash, drowning in debt and facing two pieces of litigation either of which could see it lose all its assets, D-day in one case could be within a week. In such a bleak position there is only one thing to do: Issue a spurious release and then get the whore blogger Malcolm Graham Wood to pump the shares to try to get a bucket shop discounted placing away. But surely shareholders in this company are not that stupid? Er....

Following a week of intense share price weakness, Audioboom (BOOM) has served up, what looks like, a panicked trading statement. It is long on blather but fails to mention the one thing that really matters: the looming cash crisis. This company could be out of money and insolvent by Christmas, indeed sooner, but free speech denying, family on the payroll poltroon of a CEO Rob Proctor fails to address that elephant in the room. I suppose that there is some good news.