These are the most-read articles and most listened-to Bearcasts of the week. The most read non-Tom article is Fun (or not) at easyJet, Unilever and Rolls-Royce by Chris Bailey at number three or number eight if you include Bearcasts.

These are the most-read articles and most listened-to Bearcasts of the week. The most read non-Tom article is How is Rolls-Royce getting on? by Chris Bailey at a non-leaderboard Number 12 or Number 18 if you include Bearcasts.

You probably saw that, late last week, Rolls-Royce (RR.) held its AGM, giving a year-to-date update.  How exciting for shareholders!  But how did they get on?

I was a bit busy on Friday and missed two things.  The first was that Rolls-Royce (RR.) shares pushed up nicely, which is good news given I am a fan of the stock (as last noted here, in February).  I was pleased to read that “the owner of Air India is looking to snap up around 30 Airbus aircraft, which are powered by engines built by the UK’s leading engineering group”.  That was nice, but the real reason for the rise in shares was a few bid rumours based on the fact that, as the Mail on Sunday puts it, “arch-rival BAE Systems (BA.) could be a contender”.  All good fun…but don’t ever bet on bids alone.  Meanwhile, I want to talk about Imperial Brands (IMB)…

The last day of a month always has a bit of market excitement, typically involving investors who fiddle around with their portfolio to ensure they are not too embarrassed when their end of the month portfolio is published. But there is more to think about this end of the month, with the headlines that the ‘Moderna chief predicts existing vaccines will struggle with Omicron’ having naturally induced a bit of (negative) excitements for the markets today. Hello the FTSE 100 lurking again at the c. 7,000 index point level. And then we also had the full year latest update from easyJet (EZJ)…

I wrote about WH Smith (SMWH) back here  at the start of the month, concluding that I would continue to avoid the stock but look forward to itsnext set of numbers in November to help justify whether both its Travel and High Street businesses were set to make any progress or not. 

After being a fool who bought some Rolls-Royce (RR) stock a year and change ago and then again when it raised money at a significant discount in the early Autumn to make sure it would survive, I will write a longer piece about its full-year numbers in March when the reality about making and looking after plane engines will be a little more straightforward.  Instead, today it is time to revisit my old pal PZ Cussons (PZC) which I last wrote up here in September when the shares were about 210p. 

Having meandered through my views on the issues Boris’s increasingly windy policy brings, let me turn to opportunities, or more to the point the paucity in many respects of the opportunities for you and I as mug punters to make money

Lockdown in our part of Wales starts in just under two hours. The Mrs has already escaped to England with Joshua. I am staying here but need some supplies so must rush to get them from a store where they don’t make you wear a face nappy before the North Wales fuzz sets up roadblocks on the bridges over the River Dee. Before my Dukes of Hazard style contraband run, I discuss various conspiracy theories over Rolls Royce (RR.) and IAG (IAG). I look at the massive issues now hanging over Verditek (VDTK) as I expose its latest desperate ramping and another past lie. Finally, Dev Clever (DEV), what is going on with Asimilar (ASLR) and Mark Horrocks as its share price slides again.

I recently covered Rolls Royce (RR.) as being worth a look as a long term investment once it had managed to refinance its balance sheet, and news on that front came today.

Rolls Royce (RR.) is one of the most famous British companies, and even though it no longer associated with the car brand, it is still renowned around the world for its engineering prowess. But despite its reputation, it has struggled in recent years and the arrival of Covid-19 in combination with a poor set of results for 2019, not to mention impending debt repayments, caused the share price to plummet back in late February and throughout March. Since then, apart from a brief recovery in early June when the markets bounced back, it has seen a further decline and is now trading at close to an 85% discount compared to where it was a couple of years back…

I start with a few words on the summer weather here in Wales. then it is on to Big Sofa (BST). Then onto a few words about Neill Ricketts, Versarien (VRS), Rolls Royce (RR.), me, Cheryl Cole and the company's latest promo video HERE. Finally, onto Wirecard a German Norfolk which tests the Roger Lawson thesis on how to deal with short sellers to destruction as it implodes. 

In today's podcast I tempt fate - as I am about to record a video with Matt Earl - in defending Boohoo's (BOO) boss. I discuss the shares vs cash debate, Rolls Royce (RR.), sharp share price moves, ref Skinbiotherapeutics (SBTX) and what the real unemployment number will be as furloughing is wound down. And now for a long training walk for the Woodlarks walk in 2 weeks time. We are now at 36% of target: please donate today HERE

I have no guests in this week's show which is sponsored by Open Orphan PLC (ORPH) where things look increasinly promising. Check out its new corporate presentation HERE. I start with events at Bidstack (BIDS) detailed in free to read articles HERE and HERE where one gender fluid shareholder will, I can reveal in this podcast, shortly be served by eight parties he defamed. That is 8 seperate libel cases he must fight. It should be ruinous. But why is Bidstack lying? I discuss. Then it is onto why shares in general are racing higher. Is that justified? I discuss the forthcoming Shareprophets Shares show on May 9 with its quite amazing speaker line-up. Book your ticket for 70 hours of amazing video content for just £9.99 HERE.  Then I look at why Versarien (VRS) also tried to bamboozle investors over the nature of its dealings with Rolls Royce (RR). If you like this podcast and can't wait seven days for more of the same and are tired of being a cheapskate you should listen to my Bearcast and enjoy our cracking writen exposes and analysis every day HERE.

I start with a few words about how business is setting the pace on ending the Coronavirus lockdown and wonder if the Government's hand will be forced. On the subject of Covid 19 my latest podcast is live HERE and explains why I believe the Government has made the biggest blunder in history.  I then reveal what Versarien (VRS) does not want you to know about its "hook up" with Rolls Royce and ask if SP Angel is earning commission on the death spiral and if so why is it not being declared? I look at Tullow (TLW), Open Orphan (ORPH), Novacyt (NCYT) and Collagen (COS). And I suggest that you really should buy a ticket to watch the greatest ever line up at a British investor show HERE.

It has been very busy over the last few weeks but I really appreciate it when readers comment on my articles, even if they have a different perspective or conclusion. After all, this is what makes a market – so keep them coming. So playing a little bit of catch-up with some of the comments that have been posted on my articles...

I last wrote on Rolls Royce (RR.) in September where I noted that 'stuttering engines at Rolls-Royce sounds like a horror show - imagine being on a plane if it all went wrong! - but I would buy the shares now and below seven quid if Mr Market gives an opportunity. Ultimately I see them testing the high of the last 52 week range at c. 10 quid again'. And despite what was undoubtedly a very messy update yesterday, I retain that view today…

Petrofac (PFC) has seen its share price get absolutely hammered in recent weeks, and although some will probably think I am mad, I can see a buying opportunity here at these levels.

Over the years I have heard a lot of rubbish about asset allocation – your choices between equities, bonds, ‘alternative investments’ and cash – being an 80%+ determinant of your return as well as the notion that stock picking is futile and we should all save time and money buying a bunch of cheap-as-chips tracker funds.

In the Thursday earnings season results frenzy I knew that Rolls Royce’s (RR/) interim management statement was going to be of the ‘excitable’ nature when the first emboldened headline of the statement was ‘fundamentally strong portfolio of products’. 

Rolls Royce (RR.) has had a real roller-coaster of a year so far, including profit warnings and disappointing financial results. The FTSE100 listed aerospace and defense company had just about recovered the losses to its share price from the profit warning that it issued last October, when it announced in mid-May that it was reducing its marine business and set-off on another downwards trajectory.

Hello Share Scribblers. I’m getting really worried now about the effects of the booming pound sterling on our share values. The rate is now around 1.43 euros to the pound. Yet it doesn’t seem too long ago that a pound was only worth one euro.

Back in October I bought shares in Rolls Royce (RR), saw them ride up to over £10.50…and Monday – after another profits guidance warning – saw them back at the aforementioned c. £8 level.  A true Grand Old Duke of York share: riding up to the top of the hill and then riding down again. 

If you want me to analyse a stock for you just drop me a line at sqmir@hotmail.com - Today I look at AFC Energy (AFC), Aminex (AEX), Rolls Royce (RR.)

My second choice for the traditional Christmas share consideration and selection game has the following merits. It is a share that has performed well over the long term but having underperformed the market this year. It looks attractive on a technical interpretation of the share price chart and is well supported by fundamentals on low estimated measures of value. It is of course, Rolls Royce (RR.) which I last visited in October when the shares were 800p and looking, I thought, particularly bombed out. 

My observations recently on Rolls Royce (RR.) HERE concentrated on market valuation and value. I now add some further thoughts by way of explanation of what ‘headwinds’ faced the management at the interim stage as well as an assessment of the current share price  based on a so called “technical” evaluation of the share price chart. 

The latest profits warning looks near term and marginal in its impact. The shares of Rolls Royce (RR.) have lost all their former premium and at 803p look good value. A great opportunity for serious long term investors to pick up this long term  technology growth stock at what looks like a low valuation of earnings.  

Well what a week and if you are a Rolls Royce (RR/) shareholder what an end to the week…but more on the perils of owning one of the favoured holdings of institutional professional fund managers in a minute. 

Where is that dam Quindell (QPP) video? I am really getting pissed off now, I was promised it last night and it has still not arrived. Fingers crossed. Meanwhile the podcast is back on an up day for the markets – an opportunity to offload duff stocks in my view. This bearcast covers:

It has been a bad year for Rolls-Royce (RR.) so far, but it still looks a good bet for the longer term. Its shares are currently trading in the 930s, well off of the highs of close to 1,300p that it hit at the start of the year, and meaning that over £6 billion has been wiped off of its market cap in recent months. 

A glance at the Rolls Royce (RR) share price chart shows that in the last half year it has been trading, approximately speaking, between 1000p to 1100p; a neat  10% trading range. Last seen, the share price at 1020p was getting close to that trading support level again. So is the Rolls share price going to bounce again and is the level of 1000p looking like a launch pad for further long term share price growth in due course?