As you may have gathered on Tuesday, Malcolm’s long-suffering wife reckons that he has been spending too much time in The Punter’s Return and so has organised a holiday in Denmark, Sweden and Russia where Mr Stacey hopes to discover the magic money tree and an updated theme for his next novel. We left him having just arrived at Copenhagen airport, but our senior reporter has now updated us on his progress since…

AIM-listed online ladies clothing purveyor Sosandar (SOS) had its AGM today and offered a few nuggets of information which suggest that things are pretty much on track with management expectations. Since we already know that management is “very comfortable” with the forecast numbers offered by house broker Shore Capital (I would translate that as meaning easy to beat!) and we know those numbers (see HERE). So that looks pretty positive. Mind you, we were not offered actual numbers for summer trading as the Adam Reynolds computer keyboard struck again!

An 11:25am “AGM Trading Update” from “the third largest chain of specialist retail carpet and floor covering stores in the UK”, United Carpets (UCG). This an ‘update’ not provided in previous years and now done so intra-day and with there clearly a tough UK retail climate. Hmmm…

I have had one of those days which happen all too often when I think I want to retire. Blame Laurence Smith. All is explained in this podcast. I look at today's news from Premaitha (NIPT) which is certainly a bolt from the blue, comment on the nature of corporate lying, ref Frontera (FRR), cover RM2 (RM2), Optibiotix (OPTI), Sosandar (SOS) and Online Blockchain (DOG).

“Drunken Sailor” commented to me a few days ago; “I would find it useful if you could do occasional reflective pieces on ones that go wrong and any lessons to learn from them.” OK Drunken. Here goes…

Seeing Machines (SEE), the “computer vision technology company that designs AI-powered operator monitoring systems to improve transport safety, has published its audited results for the year to 30 June 2018”. Not ‘pleased’ to do so then? – though I note “highlights” emphasising “five program awards now under contract with global OEMs to be delivered through multiple Tier 1 automotive suppliers” and “revenue up 117% to A$30.7 million”…

Ariana Resources (AAU) has announced that, having recently completed a soil sampling programme at its Ivrindi project, “seven new highly anomalous targets (exceeding 1,000ppm As) were identified within the Ivrindi tenement. Five of the newly identified targets are semi-contiguous over 1.3km and directly along strike of the main mineralised structure at the Kinik prospect, suggesting that the mineralisation continues east of the historic easternmost drill hole”…

Yesterday Frontera Resources (FRR) received a second lawyers letter from convertible loan note provider Yorkville in regard to the $2.65 million outstanding debt on which it is now in default. The letter accused Frontera of lying to investors.  Frontera has not disclosed that letter, or its contents nor has it repaid the sums due to Yorkville Instead it has issued another RNS which is simply misleading. It is doubling down on lying and apparently Nomad cairn is fine with that?

We all know UK retail is in a tough spot but problems for Kingfisher (KGF) are ironically not in the UK, where today's half-year numbers were correctly discussed as a 'solid performance' benefiting from continued growth at Screwfix and the self-inflicting wounds at peers that aided B&Q. The trouble is a 15% fall in underlying pre-tax profit mainly due to a 30% fall in profitability in the group's second-largest market France…

Previously writing on LightwaveRF (LWRF) in June it was from “real energy and excitement” to CEO ‘stepping down’ in less than two weeks!, with I concluding even if there is “real energy and excitement within the company”, it’s, as usual, the ability to generate cash which should prove key. On these bases, it’s currently bargepole ahoy / sell. The shares have though just risen on the back of an announcement; “Lightwave rated the best UK HomeKit solution”…

As you may have gathered yesterday, Malcolm’s long-suffering wife reckons that he has been spending too much time in The Punter’s Return and so has organised a holiday in Denmark, Sweden and Russia where Mr Stacey hopes to discover the magic money tree and a theme for his next novel. We left him at Heathrow, but our senior reporter has now updated us on his progress…

It has now emerged that Brokerman Dan attacked what he thought I said about Angus Energy (ANGS) without actually listening to what I actually said despite us giving him a 24 hour pass for bearcast access. He spouts an awful lot of piffle in his latest article but declines to print corrections. Poor Dan. Oddly on one major point he is almost correct. Moving on, I also look at Cenkos (CNKS), Frontera (FRR), Rosenblatt (RBGP), i3 Energy (I3E), MySquar (FRAUD), Online Blockchain (OBC) and Kellan (KLN).

“Specialist full service supplier of technical fluid power products and services”, Flowtech Fluidpower (FLO) updated on trading in July – but the half-year results announcement today is currently accompanied by an approaching 30% share price fall, towards 120p. Hmmm…

I see that ShareSoc is praising Tern (TERN) for holding a conference call to which anyone can dial into and at which Al Sisto will answer pre-submitted questions. I wonder..

Writing on results from MediaZest (MDZ) last month I concluded sell / bargepole, though note the shares currently ahead today on the back of a “Trading update”…

Shares in AIM-listed graphene play Haydale (HAYD) are off again to 44p (mid, last seen) following full year results to June this morning. Following a profit warning in June, when I said this was a bargepole stock at 78p and suggested that we were in for a £6 million loss before tax, cash would be down to around £5 million at year-end and another big cash-call was on the way, let’s see how my Mystic Meg powers are holding up……

One of my few vices in life is sugar. I have parlayed this into stock selection via a recommendation on Tate & Lyle (TATE), which I last wrote up HERE. The company held a capital markets day late last week and the one presentation slide that stood out was one which talked about 'sugar replacement is a key market opportunity globally'. Well of course it is. Gluttons like me want to both have our cake and eat it and one way to do this - without becoming significantly obese - is to focus on non conventional sugar options, a market which Tate & Lyle has been active in with its Sucralose product.

On tipping shares in redT Energy (RED) at a 7.4p offer price in July we noted we looked for German project funding and other orders to drive a re-rate. The shares are currently higher, above 9p, on the back of an “Update on German Grid Project Funding”…

Shares in Neil Woodford uber dog RM2 (RM2) are up by 59% at 0.875p. That means that the market cap has jumped by £14.4 million to £38.8 million on the back of a contract win termed “significant” but which clearly is not and does not change the fact that this company is five minutes away from midnight, that is to say bankruptcy. It’s got to be placing ahoy.

CyanConnode (CYAN) “is pleased to announce” both “the receipt of a $11.6 million purchase order relating to a smart metering deployment by an Indian state-owned utility” and “the consolidation of its European operations”. Hmmm…