Loving The Stock Market
There is a certainly a cycle as far as the start of my love for the stock market, and where we are now. 1973 saw the OPEC oil embargo and the chaos that ensued. As a 7 year old I was captivated by the news headlines of the time, and how it affected the markets. 53 years later we appear to be back to square one. The interesting aspect is that even though we know that we should not be wholly dependent on commodities from unstable places, we have not done much, or at least enough to alleviate the consequences of geopolitical strife.
Also, from a personal perspective my enthusiasm for the stock market, and the then bowler hat brigade may have gone full circle too. Rather like politics which I did not enter because I thought I might not be good enough (clearly the bar has gone lower), I did not get into the stock market, because I felt I may have come from the wrong background. This may have been true in the 20th century, but of course great strides have been made in the 2000s. One wonders though, whether enough strides have really been made. In the old days people would tell you directly whether they did not like the cut of your jib. These days one can only guess: is it me, or is it them? Perhaps the real answer to the conundrum is whether I would do it all again? Alas, I see too many closed shops, too many mafias and still, too many barriers, whether regulations, cost or people. That said, if you are prepared to run up a down escalator and get to the top, one would imagine there are still great rewards to be had. Of course, follow your dreams, and do not let the prospect of them turning into nightmares put you off.
TACO On Hold
Last weekend things were on the edge and apparently at breaking point regarding Trump / Iran. But this weekend with tomorrow’s imminent deadline of destruction if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened, things look arguably much worse, unless someone blinks. Judging by the US President’s recent track record one would have expected him to chicken out by now, and perhaps the recovery of the downed fighter pilot may allow him to do so. Nevertheless, the Iranians seem to be rather more tenacious, and certainly rather more well equipped that previous judged. The best that seems to be on the cards is that the deadline may be moved / fudged. In the meantime the headline remains what will happen to oil / gas prices, and how much the world can take in terms of paying top dollar for them. Anything over $100 for WTI obviously seems and feels sky high. What is more ominous is that above $120 there is really nothing on the chart between there and $150. Perhaps will all just have to stay at home, both in terms of driving and flying?
This Week’s Risers
Of course, Aquis is such a buzzing market, and we had the shortened holiday week, so there was only one stock of note there on the upside: Delta Gold (AQSE:DGQ). The company continues to be a shining light, helped along by its being a “technology company developing intellectual property in the quantum computing sector.” Normally such buzzword companies (AI, and Bitcoin Treasury were the last ones), do not last more than weeks or months as stock market darlings. However, with the backing of star investor Purebond and the recent Penn State deal, it would appear that the shares are bouncing well from the recent pullback.
One of the better aspects of the small cap area of the stock market is that just when you think it may be over for a company, it bounces back strongly. This is a good description of the current state of affairs at T-Rex leather handbag specialist BSF (BSFA). The company has been written off by the shorting conspiracy brigade on several occasions. However, a successful placing this week and the appointment of a new adviser has underlined that the company is back, and means business.
Although Raspberry PI (RPI) sounded like a winner from the moment it came to the stock market a couple of years ago, it has been a surprisingly rocky ride for the shares. That said, with the market cap fast approaching the £1bn mark, and a strong announcement this week, it could be that things are set to settle. Shares of the low cost computing specialist rose nearly 60% this week as the company pointed to materially higher revenues for 2026. While costs many remain a concern, it could be argued that the shares having already been knocked down already factor this in.
I have to admit that I perhaps I do not cover Falcon Oil & Gas Ltd. (FOG), as much as I should. But then again, hardly anyone else looks at it at all. That said, the shares soared this week as it announced that Shenandoah SS2-1H achieved an average 20-day initial production flow rate of 10.3 million cubic feet per day over 2,632-metres across a 57 stage stimulated length within the Amungee Member B-Shale in the Beetaloo Sub-basin, Northern Territory, Australia. Indeed, being big in the Beetaloo meant that the shares rose 31% on the week.
There was also a decent rise for Catenai (CTAI), the AIM-quoted provider of technology and digital solutions. The shares jumped 18% as the company noted that Alludium Ltd, its investee company and developer of a no-code AI Agent Operating System, has achieved ISO 27001:2022 certification and received its SOC 2® Type II attestation, enhancing its potential to sell to enterprise clients.
Finally, a company which has certainly has got its act together in recent weeks is CleanTech (CTL). Helped along by its new in-house CEO we see progress being made at pace. The latest is that the exploration and development company advancing sustainable lithium projects in Chile, reporting the results of its independent Pre-Feasibility Study (“PFS”) for the Laguna Verde project. CTL said the PFS demonstrates positive technical foundations and compelling economic outcomes of the Project at PFS level, marking a significant milestone in the Company’s development pathway. Completing the PFS, which includes the first declared JORC (2012) compliant reserves, enables CTL to accelerate engagement with potential strategic partners. One can now probably say that any share price for the company under 10p represents a ground floor entry on further, significant milestones.
