investment information, news and comment on the UK's smaller quoted companies

the latest from SQC...

Latest Market News:

Christie Group – 2025 Finals to show over five times profit increase, shares on 7.6 pe, mkt cap £32m with £9m cash

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 20.04.2026 Next Monday, 27 th April, the Christie Group (LON:CTG) will declare its Final Results for its 2025 trading period – they should show a very strong profits advance, helping to push the professional business services group’s shares a great deal higher. The group has a long-established reputation for offering valued services to client companies in agency, valuation services, investment, consultancy, project management, stock audit and invent

The SQC Research 2026 Market Recovery Portfolio - up 15.85% in 19 trading days!

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 20.04.2026 The ten companies selected were as follows: AO World (LON:AO.) @ 85p now 92.50p +8.82% Ashtead Technology Holdings (LON:AT.) @ 390p now 480p +23.08% Chemring Group (LON:CHG) @ 485p now 559.50p +15.36% Costain Group (LON:COST) @ 177p now 191.20p +8.02% Currys (LON:CURY) @ 128p now 131.70p +2.89% Filtronic (LON:FTC) @ 145p now 233p +60.69% James Fisher & Sons (LON:FSJ) @ 470p now 489p +4.04% Ramsdens Holdings (LON:RFX) @ 340p now 39

Metro Bank – firmly positioning as one of the UK market leaders, shares up nearly 20% in seven weeks and heading higher

Mark Watson-Mitchell – 17.04.2026 At the start of last month, we featured the shares of Metro Bank (LON:MTRO) ahead of the reshaped banking group announcing its 2025 Finals. The group’s shares were then trading at 122p, earlier this week they touched 148p, before closing at 141.60p last night. Yesterday the £953m-capitalised company sent out its 2025 Report and Accounts, with its AGM to be held on Tuesday, 2 nd June. 2025 Final Results On Wednesday 4 th March, the group

ASA International – shares up 246% at 214p, finals show real value with so much more upside, TP 370p

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 15.04.2026 This morning the near £214m-capitalised ASA International (LON:ASAI) has announced its Final Results for the year to end-December 2025 – they were excellent. The group, which has a strong commitment to financial inclusion and socioeconomic progress, is one of the world's largest international microfinance institutions, providing small, socially responsible loans to low-income entrepreneurs, most of whom are women, across Asia and Africa.

Quartix Technologies – eagerly awaiting next week’s AGM Trading Update, shares 265p, brokers TP 400p

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 14.04.2026 Capitalised at just £128m, Quartix Technologies (LON:QTX) is one of Europe's leading suppliers of subscription-based vehicle tracking systems, analytical software and services. It recently released a very good set of results for last year, and I am looking forward to the group’s pre-AGM Trading Update, due on Wednesday, 22 nd April, which could well help to push the group’s shares, now 265p after a 9% rise yesterday, back up towards the

Hunting – hopes for a promising AGM Trading Update due this week, shares 506p, brokers TP 540p

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 13.04.2026 This coming Wednesday, 15 th April, will see the £740m-capitalised Hunting (LON:HTG) hold its AGM to cover its trading year to end-December 2025. It is also expected to issue a pre-AGM Trading Update, with the possibility of comment on the progress of potential new contract orders. This morning, against a lower market, the group’s shares have risen 16.50p to 506p – possibly in anticipation of some bullish comments. The Business Established

Concurrent Technologies – reporting better than expected results and increasing order intake, shares 195p, TP 270p

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 13.04.2026 This morning the £169m capitalised Concurrent Technologies (LON:CNC) reported its 2025 results, showing a better-than-expected profits advance, up 25% on a 14% increase in sales. The Colchester-based group is a designer and manufacturer of leading-edge computer products, systems, and mission-critical solutions used in high-performance markets by some of the world's major OEMs. Concurrent reported a strong financial year with revenue increasin

The SQC Research 2026 Market Recovery Portfolio - up 12.73% in 14 trading days!

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 13.04.2026 The ten companies selected were as follows: AO World (LON:AO.) @ 85p now 95.50p +12.35% Ashtead Technology Holdings (LON:AT.) @ 390p now 472.60p +21.18% Chemring Group (LON:CHG) @ 485p now 547p +12.78% Costain Group (LON:COST) @ 177p now 197.60p +11.64% Currys (LON:CURY) @ 128p now 134.10p +4.77% Filtronic (LON:FTC) @ 145p now 194p +33.79% James Fisher & Sons (LON:FSJ) @ 470p now 481p +2.34% Ramsdens Holdings (LON:RFX) @ 340p now

Mark Watson-Mitchell

Director of SQC Research

Mark, who has over sixty-three years’ experience in the UK stock market, established SQC Research in 1993. He previously worked for four stockbroking firms and an investment fund management business. Prior to SQC Research he published financial and investment magazines and newsletters.

His writing portfolio has covered weekly feature articles on smaller companies for the Financial Weekly, Shares Magazine, Fleet Street Letter, USM Investor, Portfolio Intelligence, UK-Invest and other investment websites including watshot.com, and a number of monthly publications including Fleet Street Letter, Penny Share Focus, Penny Share Guide and the New Issue Share Guide.

His regular appearances on BBC TV, Bloomberg TV, CNBC, The Money Channel, Channel Four and BBC Radio always featured smaller companies and he also made several appearances on

Channel 4's 'Show Me The Money'.

Mark, who has held several directorships in AIM and other quoted companies, is now also a very regular contributing author to the UK Investor and masterinvestor.com websites.

Opinions not advice

investment information, news and comment on the UK's smaller quoted companies ​