For a lark this week, three of us visited one of the "posh" pubs in town where they run a very upmarket quiz, reputed to be the best in the area. And, to the obvious displeasure of the usual winners and mine host and the delight of many of those who never win), we walked of with first prize. A sudden silence descended upon the place as the result was announced. Great fun! We probably won't go back but it was nice to make our mark. This weekend we have to find a home for a large bucket full of frog spawn and about a thousand tadpoles which have come from our pond. Apart from Martini (who knows nowt about tadpoles), does anybody have any sensible suggestions as to what we should do?

I think the FTSE recovery at the beginning of the week took everyone by surprise. Not that it had happened but the way of it. On Monday a rise of 174 points saw the index rise to 5576. With many stocks appearing oversold, Tuesday too was a good day with a further 151 points added to the FTSE100. It looked much more comfotable at 5728. Alas, by Wednesday the continued bad news emanating from the US took its toll and the FTSE100 dipped back 114 points. Thursday was rescued by bargain hunters and the fall restricted to a mere 25 points. By that stage the FTSE100 stood at 5588. On Friday most inices were well up throughout the day, although trading appeared thin and they were under pressure in the afternoon as the US markets opened uncertainly. Despite the pull-back, the main index finished 45 points ahead at 5633. The techMARK fared less well, losing 25 points on the day and ending still well short of the 2000 mark at 1918.

A Manchester training day & FOCUS group has been organised for 19th April. Although the training venue is yet to be agreed, the Focus Group is likely to have a distinctly Oriental feel - a Chinese restaurant in Hale well known to regular Group attendees. If you are interested in either "event", please click on the thread for details.



The Weekly BB Review

With the final results now picked over and digested, Robotic Technology Systems (RTS), jayno seemed to be the only one interested. The results were great, the prospects appeared good and the chart suggested that maybe there was a hope of recovery. Alas, Friday's performance took them back into no-man's land.

To avoid Forsaken feeling too miffed that his propensity for research was being undervalued (or overlooked), Dil resurrected Fountains (ex Fountain Forestry) (FNT) from the previous week. Mart sounded a tad upset that he'd missed the signals as the share price recommenced its clamber northward. It has been a good month for the forestry manager and it certainly avoided the trauma of the bad days. There doesn't seem to be anything in its way now - provided the analysts forecasts are something like correct. (I think gordgeko had been visiting a different type of plantation this week. ;=)) (March Chart)

Haystack has continued his interest in Business Post through t'ik and t'in. With humbugg, the fish and BF early into BPG rising again on back of Ecommerce deliveries and advocating holding tight. As March ticked along, ARICHARD and dodddy took an interest. Last week circus8 was concerned when the price hiccuped a bit but there was no need for concern. As Haystack was delighted to announce, healthy progress of over 10% Friday put them back on track. It has been a bumpy ride since this thread began (Chart) but worthwhile for those who have gone the distance.

Aquila brought M&S on the recovery path? (MKS) back to the top of the heap, having picked up on an excellent thread on the Free BB (Informed rumours of M&S to miss targets) started by bundmar on Monday. As Skinny and Scripo pointed out, the rationalisation plans received internationally poor press and have certainly done nothing to improve the store group's tarnished public image. On the two threads only Rayrac and Edelbrock seem to have faith in the fundamental values. By the look of his website, getrich seems to pin more hopes on winning a lotto prize than making money out of M&S. All-in-all it was a good week for the company so someone is keeping the faith!

Don't know what was going on at Cambridge Antibody (CAT) this week and, more worryingly, neither did Rayrac. Gerard J is looking for £30 which last week would have seemed ridiculous, but after this performance who's to say. DaveJB and mab sound far from convinced. (The week's chart)

When medina began Glass that will not need to be cleaned back at the end of February, it provoked little response. The fact that Pilkington had come up with a brand new and unique concept in glass seemed to me worthy of at least a hearty eround of applause. Edz enthusiastically posted up the whole story but only hi-there seemed interested. Then along came dr agon and Rayrac to give the thread a boost, the latter frustrated that so few were taking an interest. (The thought of jACK up a ladder with a chammy and a bucket may make you think it worthwhile if the shares bomb!) bobsims and Ladron joined the party. Sadly, the week's share performance didn't reflect the confidence expounded here and Friday's 7p fall will have done nothing to instil confidence. However, with the shares at this level, the downside is tiny in comparison to the potential - IMHO.

In Spot the spelling mistake..., Kayak spared a few blushes by pointing out a fairly basic error in the banner ad for City Index. (Quickly resolved by Tomj). As the thread continued it was evident that the BB is badly in need of a spell checker. Although how quite it would handle some of the more flowery phrases which crop up on a regular basis, I don't no. ;=)

Maybe its the current mix of bad weather, bad news and bad vibrations, but something seems to have triggered a lot of thoughts about moving to sunnier climes. In Alicante - Cost of Living, mowgli contemplates chasing a job in sunny Spain. Acronem is a big fan and full of useful info as he currently resides in Menorca, although it sounds as though he may head for the mainland later this year. JonC too sounds clued up and both Ladron and proactive are already out there and enjoying every minute. It all sounds very attractive. I must say we have considered such a move for a while and it is only a matter of when.

Meanwhile, in the Land of the Free.......

Scoot.com came under renewed scrutiny this week as the price drifted still further towards oblivion. In SCOOT Something is afoot here, apolloE was wondering if it was an attractive buy at 12.25p. He, Biggles10 and amulkern were buyers although the latter was intrigued that although the bulk of transactions were buys, still the price continued to fall. Douglas-Davies took the opportunity to mention stop losses - most appropriate with stocks like this - while banger couldn't think of one good thing to say about the company. As raheem reported on, Investors Chronicle were advising sell. In the event, a lot of investors must have done just that on Friday as the share price lost another 8%+. Good luck to all who sail in her, but keep your life jacket close to hand.

Proteome Sciences fall from grace since January has been nothing short of spectacular but was arrested this week when the company announced a tie up with Kings College in a project to address neurodegenerative diseases. Proteome Sciences results in big news CJD + Stroke tests carries as much information on the company as you are likely to need. The weekly chart gives a mixed picture, the pattern screwed up by Friday's 2p fall. milacs was among those concerned that the publication of results was delayed. True that this generally causes some anxiety amongst investors, especially when share performance has been poor. As Meg Ryan rightly points out, this company is little more than a shell, providing a platform for forming partnerships and collaborations. This latest announcement, while welcome, is not a revenue earner and will therefore likely be seen as a drain on company resources at a time when money is not too freely available. This week's temporary improvement will, I fear, dissolve and not be repeated until a firm date is announced for results. I hope I'm wrong.

Last week Benchmark was concerned at some anomalies in Premier Oil - Trading Pattern (PMO). A welcome upbeat statement from the company on Tuesday (".... pleased to announce the start of contractual gas sales from the BHP Petroleum operated extended well test on the Zamzama gas field in southern Pakistan...") provided a clue for the big buying activity spotted by speculator31 and Benchmark, although the identity of the investor remains a mystery. Teeps just seemed happy that someone was buying and stabilising the price. By the end of the week the share price had recovered much of the fall earlier in the week to end at 19p.

Digital Animations showed a small sign of hope for fans at the end of this week. Digital Animations Group - The next Microsoft! is maybe a little over-the-top as a thread heading but there is no doubt about the potential of the company's skill in creating intelligent avatars - whether a digital newsreader or popstar. Gordoncurrie is a long term fan of TMmy, the virtual popstar although bozzman is far from convinced that it is a money spinner. As Mart discovered, there was a problem accessing the company websites this week. I managed to get in but it was a slow process. But then, I'm not blessed with the luxury of a cable modem. The good news? The share price added 5p friday and reversed the trend - at least for a moment.

I have followed Morraly's weekend spreadbetting debacle since it started; using it more recently as an antidote to the depressing state of the markets. I would like to award this week's Poster of the Week award to Morraly bankrupt for keeping me amused and interested over the months this thread has been running. Maybe if I put as much thought into investing as he does into forecasting the number of corners Fulham will get in a football match, I can turn things around. Congratulations Morraly! Please drop me a line with a delivery address and I'll get your prize on its way.


Good Hunting!

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