Early this year we showed the Shorted AIM shares at the start of 2019. How's the performance at the end of November? (those in bold remain from 2018)...
I lose count of how many warnings cash guzzling chip producer IQE (IQE) has now issued in its current sequence but, as I predicted, another one has arrived. The worry must be now that iby Q2 2020 it will find itself right up against the limits on its new £57 million bank facility.
From the FCA's spreadsheet of short positions required to be disclosed to it, the following shows the shorted AIM shares with positions from 2018 and thus far in 2019 (by net short position %, those in bold not on the list at the start of 2019) – and if this position has increased (red), reduced (green) or remained unchanged (black) since last week...
IQE PLC (IQE) has today announced that it is buying out its partners in a JV in Singapore. Quite simpoly this JV has been a financial disaster, not that this was ever reflected in IQE's accounts.Now it seems to have imploded with IQE's partners walking away. Amazingly the shares are up on the deal at 62p. This is madness and this remains a stonking short.
Bulls claim to be delighted. Having issued a shocking profits warning on June 21, IQE has served up half year numbers which reconfirm full year guidance. There is no follow up profits warning. Well not yet. But bears have real reasons for cheer. Having stated in June that it could operate within its existing £27 million overdraft into Q1 2020, we see today that the company has secured an additional £30 million asset financing (expensive debt). Ok, no bailout placing pro tem but a sign that cash continues to be burned.
From the FCA's spreadsheet of short positions required to be disclosed to it, the following shows the shorted AIM shares with positions from 2018 and thus far in 2019 (by net short position %, those in bold not on the list at the start of 2019) – and if this position has increased (red), reduced (green) or remained unchanged (black) since last week...
We have not heard from Equities First Holdings (EFH) for a while, but regular ShareProphets readers may remember the scandal which emerged five years ago whereby directors of AIM companies announced they were buying shares when, if fact, they were selling vast numbers of them to EFH with the right, but not the obligation, to buy them back. Such fine enterprises as Rob Terry fraud Quindell (QPP – now Watchstone), Igas (IGAS, under Andrew “piggy” Austin), Cloudbuy (CBUY), Angle (AGL), Optimal Payments (OPP) and, of course, IQE (IQE) were all dragged in. Well now Drew Nelson, CEO of IQE has done another deal with EFH – and the announcement stinks. Has the company learned nothing from last time, when all of the above companies had to restate and restate again?
We warned you two days before the most recent profits warning from IQE that one was on the way, HERE, and when it arrived it meant that the company was a slam dunk cert to need a bailout placing. Today we discover that Canaccord has been axed as Nomad and replaced by Peel Hunt while Citigroup joins the party as co broker. This can only mean one thing, that bailout placing is imminent. So with the shares at 52.4p on Friday (and overvalued at that) at what price do you think the placing will be at? Vote below with a deadline of midnight tonight.
Early this year we showed the top shorted London-listed shares at the start of 2019. How's the performance at the end of June? (those in bold remain from 2018)...
The Sheriff of AIM is surely entitled to a celebratory breakfast ouzo at his hovel in North Wales? On Wednesday I flagged up a profits warning from the Krauts at Siltronic and suggested that IQE (IQE) was likely to follow. Less than 48 hours later the Cardiff dog duly barks. As a long term bear I have repeatedly warned silly sell side analysts, Thirsty Paul Scott and others that this company is a crock…once again I stand vindicated. And so to detail….it is grim.
From the FCA's spreadsheet of short positions required to be disclosed to it, the following shows the shorted AIM shares with positions from 2018 and thus far in 2019 (by net short position %, those in bold not on the list at the start of 2019) – and if this position has increased (red), reduced (green) or remained unchanged (black) since last week...
Malcolm was talking his own book on IQE (IQE) this morning and I did my best to put the bear case HERE. However this response to Comrade Staceys post of earlier, in the comments section, from bearish fund manager Duncan Stewart merits a wider audience. Over to the great Scot:
