Alliance News: The UK economy grows by 0.4% in July, accelerating from 0.3% in June and comfortably beating market expectations for no growth, according to the Office for National Statistics. Growth is broad-based, with services output rising 0.4%, production rebounding 0.2% after two monthly declines, and construction edging 0.1% higher. Manufacturing output increases 0.9%, led by gains in electronics, pharmaceuticals and basic metals, although mining and quarrying contracts 4.4%. Compared with a year earlier, GDP is up 1.6%, while the economy expands 0.4% over the three months to July from the previous three-month period, matching the pace seen through June and marking the eighth consecutive rolling three-month period of growth. Despite the stronger monthly reading, production output falls 0.5% over the three months to July, and construction declines 0.5%, reflecting weakness in new work and the energy sector.
Comment: It would appear that one can tax one’s way to prosperity, perhaps those on benefits are boosting the economy with their spending / holidays? Those arguing that we have a cost of living crisis would appear to be wide of the mark, even as production is a concern.
Cobra (COBR), a South Australian mineral exploration and development company advancing the Wudinna Heavy Rare Earth Project and the Manna Hill Copper Project, is pleased to report its unaudited half-year results for the six months ended 30 June 2026. COBR said “The Company enters the second half with two differentiated South Australian critical-minerals opportunities advancing in parallel: a potentially low-cost, controlled-aquifer ISR rare earth project and a significant copper-gold system with a scalable shallow skarn and deeper porphyry potential. We remain focused on disciplined technical de-risking and delivering the next value-defining milestones.”
Comment: COBR was first on the block in terms of the rare earths space, which when it came to market was certainly not flavour of the month as it is now. That said, the shares appear to be on the move once more, attempting to build on last year’s 3x rally.
Buccaneer Energy (BUCE), an international oil & gas exploration and production company with development and production assets in Texas, USA, and an emerging European onshore gas strategy, shared a recent interview with Chief Executive Officer Paul Welch on the SmallCapPix platform. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdFvYONRESc The interview outlines Buccaneer’s progress in building a low-cost, cash-generative production base in Texas, alongside the Company’s strategy to scale into European onshore gas opportunities.
Comment: Even with fossil fuel through the roof, it would probably be the case that even an interview on Oprah would not be enough to end the ongoing bear run in shares of BUCE. But perhaps one just has to keep on trying and hoping, especially perhaps via a channel with more than 670 subscribers. In fact, the PR / IR game relies on who can sell best to CEOs, rather than experience, audience reach, cost, or effectiveness, which is what makes it such an interesting area.
KEFI (KEFI), the gold and copper exploration and development company focussed on the Arabian-Nubian Shield, with projects in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, provides a further update following its announcement on 7 September 2026 regarding the serious security incident at the Company’s Tulu Kapi Gold Project in Ethiopia. The Company is pleased to report that all employees who were affected by the incident have been accounted for and there have been no further fatalities or injuries sustained. The colleague who tragically lost his life in the incident has now been laid to rest. The Company’s thoughts remain with his family and with all those affected by the incident.
Comment: It would appear that most in the market has taken the view that last week’s news from KEFI both was a one off, and rather goes with the territory as far as operating in places such as Ethiopia. This probably means that anything under 1p will look like a buying zone, once the dust settles.
Fiinu plc (BANK), a fintech group, creator of the Plugin Overdraft®, announces its unaudited half-year results for the six months ended 30 June 2026. BANK said “The first half of 2026 has been a period of significant operational progress and active management across both of the Group’s principal businesses. For the Plugin Overdraft®, our primary focus has remained the commercial deployment of the technology. We have continued to progress our partnership with Conister Bank and, following the period end, agreed an updated implementation and commercial framework and moved the platform into the production environment. Work is now focused on launch preparation, with the first production deployment targeted for around year-end 2026. We believe this represents an important step towards establishing a live, scalable platform from which the proposition can subsequently expand.”
Comment: It would probably have been quicker, cheaper and easier to set up a new bank and then offer the punters an overdraught through that, than the journey BANK has been on. We have been ready for launch for quite a while, and are still being re-assured that this will be sooner rather than later.
Renalytix plc (RENX), a precision medicine diagnostics company focused on kidney disease, announced that on 8 September 2026 and 9 September 2026 James McCullough, Chief Executive Officer, bought 340 American Depositary Shares (ADS) at an average price of US$3.875 per ADS. ADS consist of 50 Ordinary Shares of £0.0025 each. Following these purchases, James McCullough is interested in 3,447,096 Ordinary Shares1 representing 0.57% of the issued share capital of the Company.
Comment: Shares of RENX are already up over 120% over the past month, so it can be said that the CEO is hardly buying at the bottom. However, chart wise the saucer formation on the daily timeframe does suggest that there is more to come on the upside towards one year resistance at 8p- 9p in coming weeks.
LPA Group (LPA), the innovation-led engineering company that designs and manufactures electronic and electro‑mechanical components and systems, announced a trading update for the current financial year ending 30 September 2026. The Company has experienced strong trading, resulting in increased revenue, and adjusted earnings for FY26 are now expected to be ahead of current market expectations. In addition, reported profit before tax for FY26 will benefit from exceptional income arising from the accelerated payment on a contract due to a change in customer requirements. The Company’s guidance for FY27 remains unchanged.
Comment: A classic strong RNS from LPA, albeit from a company with a relatively low profile, so there is the danger of it being missed on a Friday. Nevertheless, it can be seen that the shares are up over 130% so far this year, with the market cap just over £10m. Those looking for a bite sized growth opportunity may want to look here.
