It has been suggested to me that my criticism of Zak Mir’s Lift Global Ventures (LFT) is driven by jealousy in that The Sith Lord is clearly coining it in.  Au contraire. It is because everything about this stinks. And if the FCA and Aquis Regulation were not so utterly useless they would be all over this. Let me explain why.

Hello Share Smokers. What with worries about China, Ukraine, supply problems et al, you would expect the Honkers Bonkers bank (HSBA) to be up against it. Not so, according to the latest half year results. HSBC’s big cheese said ‘We are confident of achieving a return on tangible equity of at least 12% from 2023 onwards, which would represent our best returns in a decade.’

The share price of 888 Holdings (888) has remained pretty weak during the completion of its acquisition of William Hill, and as a result of revenue in the final quarter of 2021 showing a substantial fall.

As I noted in early June, ‘I know there has been a little bit of controversy between writers on this website about certain sectors, but allow me to double down on the tobacco space (as an investor naturally, I’ve never touched the horrible stuff personally)’. What followed was a value love-up for British American Tobacco (BATS), which complemented my positive positioning in Imperial Brands (IMB). In a world however of technology behemoth love, tobacco is not so much in favour…

BT Group (BT.A) has seen its share price drop quickly over the past few months, and following the publication of its quarterly results yesterday and news on Huawei it is trading at close to its lowest share price in recent years.

On 18 November 2019 I wrote to the clowns and buffoons who describe themselves as the NEX Markets Regulation department, no sniggering at the back please, with slam dunk evidence of three monstrous lies told by Lyin’ Chris Cleverley’s Block Commodities (BLCC), formerly African Potash (AFPO) until it was slung off AIM after I proved it was engaged in wholesale fraud.  The twits at NEX acknowledged my letter and have clearly done nothing about it as Lyin’ Chris has issued a new release showing how he has broken all the rules. Again!

I know it is Black Friday tomorrow but if you want some black humour then I point you towards an article in this morning's broadsheet press about the horribly expensive lending facilitation company Amigo (AMGO) which observed that 'Investors who bought at 275p in the flotation in July last year have lost 78 per cent of their money'. I can imagine the wealth of many people who have utilised the company’s services has been equivalently impacted...

At last, after years of up and down movement that’s really amounted to little more than stagnation, my shares in National Grid (NG.) seem to move along. The company, being a near monopoly, has a welcome defensive character to it. And that’s because if the Grid goes under so do most lighting and heating systems for a usually chilly Britain...

Is shorting Neil Woodford stocks like shooting fish in a barrel? I argue not and explain why it could be dangerous. I look at the FCA enquiry into Woodford and question whether its remit will be wide enough. Then, touching on the Fiske (FSK) AGM statement I look at calls for more regulation in the wake of the Woodford scandal.

Hello, Share Scribblers. While not generally a fan of utilities, I do keep a long-time holding of United Utilities (UU.), which manages water and sewage in the North West of England. A recent trading statement shows the company is holding up well...

Looking back a couple of months to my appearance on Tom's radio show many of the views I expressed there have aged pretty well. Long/buy calls such as Barrick Gold (GOLD in the US) and easyJet (EZJ) have performed appropriately whilst dogs such as Metro Bank (MTRO) and Dignity (DTY) keep woofing. I remain amazed that shares in bad boy St James's Place (STJ) have so far shrugged off a bunch of disaster stories about its overcharging culture...you can guess my continued negative thoughts on that one. However, one share which I mentioned and has not behaved as I would have hoped in the last couple of months is Imperial Brands (IMB)...

I have written about GVC Holdings (GVC) a number of times this year, after making it one of my tips of the year back in late December. I have been critical on many occasions this year, predominately because of the ludicrous share sale by the Chair and CEO just days after loving up the full year numbers and prospects. Rather appropriately the share sale was at 666p. The number of the beast, indeed! Today's interim numbers read well on an overall basis...

Hello, Share Finders. The most heated rows in our house aren’t about politics, but how we recycle our stuff. I put anything plastic or metal in our orange recycling bag. My wife takes it out and puts it in the landfill bag. She argues, rather loudly, that the council is picky about what they take and will refuse whole bags with the wrong sort of tin or plastic. I ought to ring up Pennon (PNN) for advice...

Hello, Share Meshers. With respect to my brainy colleague Chris Bailey who seems to think that investing in tobacco companies is ok, I do not invest in anything which says on the packet that it might adversely affect health. But there is now a more pragmatic reason to consider for avoiding shares in tobacco companies...

There are, in fact, two Neil Woodford disasters today. The other one is covered in bearcast HERE. Meanwhile, having updated on 28th December that Woodford Investment Management had increased to a more than 24% shareholding, a “Trading update” from Provident Financial (PFG) today – and, natch, the shares are currently circa 20% lower, heading towards 500p, on the back of it…

Many years ago the appearance of the company’s auditors on site would send shock-waves through the work-force. Everyone would do absolutely everything by the book and mind their Ps and Qs – and breathe a sigh of relief when the bean-counters departed the scene, according to my late mum who spent a youthful period out of school working for Guinnesses in Dublin.   

Plus500 (PLUS) has announced results for the first half of 2018, including emphasising “we have had a very successful first half with two major milestones; another record set of first half results including an exceptional first quarter performance and completion of our move up to the Main Market”. However, having recently exceeded 2000p, the shares have responded materially lower towards 1700p. Hmmm…

As the old saying goes, 'where there's muck there's brass'. Rubbish and recycling company Biffa (BIFF) shareholders have had an alright ride since the company came back to the market in late 2016 but today's update contains the fascinating assertion that the company's CEO Ian Wakelin has 'advised the Board that he no longer wants to hold a full time executive role and that he therefore intends to leave the Company once the Board's succession plan has been implemented'.

Another excellent column in yesterday's Sunday Times on regulation provides some inspiration for today's bearcast. But here is my friend Luke Johnson in full flow at the UK Investor show. Enjoy.

I commented in the aftermath of the big sell off (which was just a correction at the time) that a good many companies had interesting yields. I subsequently bought a bit of BT (BT.A) at around 225p as I suspect at the next results I’ll be bagging a yield of 7% or a little more. Now I want to look for another nice payout: what will it be?

Putting a portfolio together involves making decisions by comparing and contrasting one company against many others and wrapping it all up in some overriding sector/macro strategy. Simples, right?! For reasons too obvious to state, the financial sector had a shocker during the global financial crisis and which, in due course, led to the creation of a new competitive grouping - the 'challenger banks'. As one traditional name (Lloyds Bank - LLOY) and one new challenger name (Metro Bank - MTRO) have both reported today, let's compare and contrast and see if either pass muster. Prepare the cage...

A “Trading Statement” announcement from mobile games company Mobile Streams (MOS) sees the shares currently more than 10% lower, heading towards 3p. Uh oh…

Having previously concluded on shares in Lighthouse Group (LGT) at 11.75p that they could prove good value, I note that they are currently higher today on the back of a results announcement for the 2016 calendar year…

Uh-oh. A Friday, 3:39pm “Business Update & Strategy/Board Changes” announcement. I’ll give you whatever odds you want on this being good news from mobile messaging, marketing and payments company Zamano (ZMNO)… It ain’t…

Already suspended ShareProphets AIM-China Filthy Forty play Asian Citrus (ACHL) announced this morning that there has been a bit of a delay in getting its circular together in relation to a property acquisition first announced back in August which seemed riddled with related party issues. Since then the company’s shares have been suspended from trading on the Casino amid allegations of accounting irregularities which have led to a delay in releasing its FY16 accounts. 

Well, all of the remaining ShareProphets AIM-China Filthy Forty got their numbers out yesterday - with the exception, of course, of the now suspended MoneySwap (SWAP) and Asian Citrus (ACHL) whose auditor is taking a rather close look at the bank accounts. The ouzo will have to wait, but the pop-corn went down well anyway. Included in the last-minute Charlies was Taihua (TAIH) and a rather large looking Red Flag is to be found here. Let me explain….

In the wake of the Radio Four broadcast regarding AIM fraud on Tuesday, and as we approach the climax of the September reporting season, two companies on the ShareProphets AIM-China Filthy Forty which have now reported prove beyond doubt that the regulation of Sham Sheriff Marcus Stuttard’s beloved world’s most successful growth market is completely unfit for purpose. Those two companies are Jiasen (JSI) and Aquatic Foods (AFG). Mr Stuttard and his team of Oxymorons at AIM Regulation may protest that they are doing a good job and that there is no problem. The facts clearly demonstrate otherwise.

There is no doubt that AIM is an incredible cash-raising machine. According to the most recent AIM Factsheet (to June 2016), published by the London Stock Exchange (HERE) £41 billion has been raised in new issues, and a further £56 billion in further issues of shares – a whopping total of £97 billion. Over the 21-year life of the Casino that is a very impressive average of £4.6 billion a year.

Last week’s AGM held by the London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) saw some biting criticism of AIM from our very own Tom Winnifrith and also from Mark Bentley of ShareSoc. What better way to counter the barrage than for the  Sham Sheriff, Mr Marcus Stuttard, to get a soft interview in The Times (see HERE)? But in the article Mr Stuttard reveals that he simply has no idea at  all. Unless, of course, there is a completely different AIM market on Planet Zarg…..

We have today penned an open letter to George Osborne regarding the ever-growing scandal of the ShareProphets AIM-China Filthy Forty. Mr Osborne, you will remember, is keen to see greater links forged between the London and Chinese markets. Under the circumstances we are deeply concerned about this and call for a full investigation. 

In the annual report from the Herald Investment Trust top fund manager Katie Potts does not hold back. Katie sounds like me without the bad language. She states:

With the Financial Reporting Council now having written to Tom Winnifrith to thank him formally for his work in exposing the multiple frauds at Quindell (QPP), the question arises as to how the oxymorons at AIM Regulation managed to ignore all the evidence they too were sent. Add to that the ongoing fiasco that is the ShareProphets AIM-China Filthy Forty (number 13 due to be booted off the Casino on Thursday) and there is surely a king-sized omlette on their collective faces.

As previously flagged HERE there is some mystery regarding a warrant exercise announced by AIM-listed Tern plc (TERN) on 17 August (see HERE). I wondered where these warrants, which were exercised at 0.02p, had come from. Following quite a bit of enquiry, it is still unclear. What is also unclear is where the responsibility may lie. So this is not an attack on Tern plc, or its Directors, or its Nomad. It is more a case of how the current regulatory set-up has once again failed investors. In this case it is in a small way, but next time?

One the golden rules of investing is the one which says that companies whose profitability is dependent on politics and government regulation should never be too highly rated and even then, prepare for possible disappointment. Such now is the case of Ladbroke (LAD) shares. To its problems is added the fact that the government plans for the greater taxation of gambling (or ‘gaming’ as some lime to call it.) Technology is changing the economics and commercial opportunities for betting companies, as it is changing much else. And wherever technology goes so too does Her Majesty’s Treasury and with tax revenue collectors following up behind. That must make nonsense of those early cash flow models around at Ladbrokes, carefully and thoughtfully built to anticipate future cash flows if and when the company starts its recovery.