Early this month on HaloSource (HAL), I wrote emphasises “significant milestone”. Er, how’s this Woodford dog’s balance sheet? - concluding it looks prudent to currently be especially wary of apparently ‘good news’ here. Now a “Trading Update”…

In light of Cynical's piece earlier this week I discuss what happens next to Neil Woodford and his funds and it is not good. Of course some of us - not the useless FT - predicted it all a long while back as you can see in this excellent video from UK Investor show 2018 here

From the FCA's spreadsheet of short positions required to be disclosed to it, the following shows the shorted AIM shares with positions from 2017 and thus far in 2018 (by net short position %) - and if this position has increased (red), reduced (green) or remained unchanged (black) since last week...

It could be that the current market turbulence is no more than an entry point for easily the most successful investment strategy of the last ten years: BTFD (Buy the fucking dips) but I sense that this time we might be about to discover who has been swimming without trunks.

Hello, Share Carriers. Despite Uncle Tom’s denouncement of me as a money tree worshipper, I bring to you another more optimistic view of our shares and why I don’t think we should be selling right now. And it’s all because I’m one of the very few denizens of Shareland who see that there is a cynical strategy going on, which, as usual, began in the USA. 

It is Oxi day here in Greece and I explain the historic context of that which brings me to why the EU has enabled conman Darren Winters to keep cheating the vulnerable and parting them from their money. I then look at Crawshaw (CRAW), Blue Jay Mining (JAY), Great Western Mining (GWMO) which is the ultimate penny dreadful, SalvaRx (SALV) and VR Education (VRE). And I should warn my old pal, the offshore based asset stripper, Jim Mellon that I have more bad news for him over the weekend.

A “Statement re media speculation” from Crawshaw Group (CRAW), including “the board confirms that it is considering a number of remedial actions to address the key issues it has identified, which may include raising additional funding through an equity capital raising”. Uh oh – hopefully my prior warnings were heeded…

AIM-listed Imaginatik (IMTK) has beaten the odds and signed up a new Nomad to replace FinnCap which slipped out of the back door a month ago. Good news – and on deadline day too. And so WH Ireland steps up to the plate. We also learnt that the company got a placing away – at just 1.1p, plans an Open Offer and has signed up for a death spiral toboot. Great stuff – but I won’t be interested for now and here is why.

Distil (DIS), owner of RedLeg Spiced Rum, Blackwoods Gin and Vodka, Blavod Black Vodka, Jago's Cream Liqueur and Diva Vodka, has announced results for its half year ended 30^th September 2018 emphasising “our strong brand performance, operational improvements and continued tight control of overheads enabled us to deliver a maiden first half profit during the period”…

The country’s, easily, largest and ,certainly, most exciting, one day event for those who want to make more money from shares, UK Investor, is still nearly six months away but already more than two thirds of the 135 exhibitor PLC stands have been reserved. And we have an almost complete all star speaker line-up headed by Luke Johnson, Vin Murria, Mark Slater & Nigel Wray...

The markets are starting to show signs of weakness and although we are yet to see any major downwards correction, it is starting to look more likely that we will get one.

You may remember that PR man Henry Gewanter has taken Julie “Lingerie on Expenses” Meyer to court over unpaid bills. On 2^nd August Gewanter won his case because Ms Meyer simply failed to file a defence. But now using the firm of Shakespeare Martineau, her 19^th lawyers, most of the other 18 having failed to receive payment, Ms Sex Toys on expenses has struck back in her own, typically mendacious, way….

Slightly belated update on the end-September portfolio listings this month but the ‘good’ news is that I am no longer fighting this battle alone and a small, parochial rag called The Financial Times has started to pick up on the issues, although they don’t get all the story, natch!

A half-year trading statement from identity technology group GB (GBG) emphasises “trading performance is in line with expectations, with underlying organic revenue growth of 11%” and “our pipeline is looking strong… we remain confident in meeting full-year consensus revenue and profit expectations”. The shares have though responded currently more than 5% lower towards 480p. Hmmm…

Hello, Share Skimmers. Maybe the word Osirium means something to you, but I own up to ignorance of the subject. And I do wish directors would not choose obscure names which are hard to remember. That said Osirium Technologies (OSI) looks a firm worth keeping tabs on.

In today's podcast I look at Purplebricks (PURP) and whether Neil Woodford is going nutso, Tesla (TSLA), RPS Group (RPS), Debenhams (DEB) and Feedback (FDBK)

The Daily Telegraph has been on this story for eight months but Britain’s most loathed businessmen has used his vast wealth to take out legal injunctions stopping the press from publishing details. However that has been blown apart by Lord Peter Hain of sleaze using Parliamentary Privilege  to name Green and Hain’s comments can now be reported. The scumbag former Labour minister has for once in his life done the decent thing and told the House of Lords today:

There is a tendency to look at the gold price in US dollar terms simply because that is the currency it nominally trades in within the bullion wholesale market. The bias is reinforced by the headline writers who do likewise… yet meanwhile in other currencies gold has been in a stealth bull market these last 4 years. 

The Deloro affair should have seen more heads roll at Mayan Energy (MYN). That it has not just shows what a regulatory joke the AIM Casino has become. Over to the City’s No 1 oil analyst Zac “the knife” Phillips of shamed Nomad SP Angel of MySquar (FRAUD) infamy. Zac, who may be shite at Latin but knows his oil, opines:

Fund manager Jaime Carrasco feels that recent market activity is a good signal of what is coming. He says, “There aren’t many safe havens left, and one of the few is precious metals.” In this latest podcast from Palisade Capital, Jaime mentions that the Comex chairman commented that gold should be above $5000. The paper market has been suppressing the price of gold through derivatives. People need to understand they are living in a complete facade and when this game is over, there will be a re-balancing.