Mark Watson-Mitchell - 05.01.2026 This morning Gulf Marine Services (LON:GMS) , a leading provider of self-propelled, self-elevating support vessels to the offshore energy industry, has announced a two-year extension (comprising one year firm and one year option) to an existing contract for one of its mid-size vessels operating in the GCC. This extension relates to a separate contract and a different vessel from the contract extension announced last Tuesday. Management Commen

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 05.01.2026 It has been announced this morning that Auction Technology (LON:ATG) has rejected eleven unsolicited, conditional proposals from its largest shareholder, FitzWalter Capital Limited, with the most recent offer being 360p per share in cash, stating that these proposals fundamentally undervalue the company. The Group's shares, which closed at 270p on Friday night, could well trade above that possible Offer Price on the back of this morning's ne

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 02.02.2026 This morning, the FTSE100 Index broke convincingly through the 'magical' 10,000 level, rising to 10,046.25, before easing back to the current 9,980.76 on the back of some profit-taking. The FTSE's rise has shown that the performance of the Dow Jones Index has been somewhat laggardly, with suggestions that US players are confused over Trump's recent international moves. Undoubtedly, our market has the 'taste' currently and expectations are tha

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 30.12.2025 Yet another one bites the dust! The £543m cash bid by IPF Parent Holdings, a newly formed company in the same group as BasePoint Capital LLC, for International Personal Finance (LON:IPF) is worth 235p a share in cash for its shareholders. Plus an added 9p per share of dividend to be paid to holders in late February this year. IPF, which is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index, has seen its shares rise from 121p since last February - showing an

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 30.12.2025 As the current year draws to a close, it is more than encouraging to see that the FTSE100 Index, the UK market's official barometer, is edging ever closer to breaking the 'magical' 10,000 goal. Just 95 points in it now, with the FTSE100 standing at 9,905 as I write. It has been up to 9,907.81 at its best this morning, which was 41 points better on the day. It may well slip back from the current level, but it could well be encouraged by a more

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 30.12.2025 This morning Gulf Marine Services (LON:GMS) has announced a two-year contract extension for one of its Mid-size vessels operating in the GCC region, which includes one firm year and a one-year option, increasing the company's backlog to $607m. This extension is seen as a strong endorsement of the company's strategy and fleet performance, positioning GMS to deliver sustainable value with a robust backlog and a supportive industry outlook. The

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 29.12.2025 Still in a very early stage of development, the £38m-capitalised chipmaker is watching its shares edge higher, but on very little business. As I have suggested before, I believe the group needs more cash on hand to fund the company's progress as it seeks to win and book more contracts, especially within the 'space sector' - and I know it will happen! With the appointment, in early July this year, of Panmure Liberum as a Joint Broker alongsi

Mark Watson-Mitchell – 29.12.2025   After having peaked at 32.50p just three weeks ago, the shares of SolGold (LON:SOLG)  are now trading at 25.65p. However, the £772m-capitalised mining group has now confirmed agreement with Jiangxi Copper  for a £867m cash bid of 28p a share. My view is that holders should sell straight into the market as quickly as possible, with an immediate view to reinvest elsewhere. The group’s shares have been quite a performer this year, having risen

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 26.12.2025 I thought that you might like a moment of light relief, as I recall a story told to me some years ago by an amusing old broker friend of mine. Never short of a drink or two while standing at the bar, supporting it, of course, he recalled a tale from his distant past. Financial Planning explained by a very enterprising Irishman. Paddy bought a donkey from a farmer for £100. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day. In the morning,

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 24.12.2025 Following on from yesterday's contract news item, this morning, Gulf Marine Services (LON:GMS) , a leading provider of self-propelled, self-elevating support vessels to the offshore energy industry, has announced the award of a contract covering one of its Large-class vessels in the Middle East. The contract spans a total of two years including options. Management Comment Executive Chairman Mansour Al Alami stated that: "We are extremely happ

Mark Watson-Mitchell – 23.12.2025 Yesterday morning the Christie Group (LON:CTG) announced that it had sold off its loss-making subsidiary Vennersys – which was a signal of strong corporate management. This morning the company has issued a very positive Trading Update stating that it anticipates a stronger full-year performance than previously expected due to robust trading in the latter part of 2025, particularly in its Professional & Financial Services division. The compan

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 22.12.2025 News comes from the North Shore of Alaska today that will not please shareholders in Pantheon Resources (LON:PANR) . The group has today provided a corporate update and shareholder letter, highlighting that while the Dubhe-1 well has confirmed mobile hydrocarbons, it has not yet achieved the desired production outcome, leading to a pause in testing to conserve capital and await spring conditions for more cost-effective operations. The company

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 22.12.2025 The Rank Group (LON:RNK) has this morning reported that it has been impacted by a fraud in its Spanish interests, to the value of some €7.1m. The news could well hit the shares in the market today, if it does have an impact, with them dropping by up to 20% or so, then I would suggest that 'cheap buyers' - who recognise the value of the group's equity - will pounce on the stock taking advantage of the Spanish hit. This Morning's News Rank decl

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 18.12.2025 Just nine days ago I featured the shares of the SSP Group (LON:SSPG) following its latest corporate announcement. The shares were then 178p - this afternoon they are 206.20p, a near 16% rise in just over a week. However, a month ago the shares were 137.50p - so the subsequent rise has shown over a 50% gain. The Business SSP is a global leader in the operation of food and beverage outlets in travel locations, employing around 49,000 colleagues

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 18.12.2025 This morning Currys (LON:CURY) has reported a significant improvement in its financial performance for the half year ended 1st November, with group adjusted profit before tax reaching £22m, a 144% year-on-year increase, and group free cash flow rising by 68% to £84m. The UK and Ireland segment showed strong momentum with a 6% revenue increase, driven by gains in recurring service revenue, credit adoption, B2B sales, and new categories, while

Mark Watson-Mitchell – 17.12.2025 Yesterday the Hollywood Bowl Group (LON:BOWL) , the UK and Canada's largest ten-pin bowling operator, announced its 2025 Final Results showing improving margins. The £460m-capitalised group reported a strong financial and operational performance for the year to end-September, with revenue increasing by 8.8% to £250.7m. Group adjusted EBITDA grew by 4.2% to £91.2m, while statutory profit after tax rose by 15.7% to £34.6m. The company returned

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 17.12.2025 The much better than expected fall in the CPI has this morning created quite an impetus in its wake. With the very strong chance of the Base Rate falling down to 3.75% tomorrow, London's equity market barometer - the FTSE100 Index - has risen a convincing 165 points to almost 9850. That reduces the gap to the 'magic' 10,000 Index level to a mere 150 points. While that move could well spur a greater push by the Dow Jones Index, after yesterday

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 17.12.2025 The economic news this morning is that the rate of inflation fell far more quickly than expected last month, that now leads the way for another cut in interest rates tomorrow. Prices rose by just 3.2% in the month, the lowest level since March, and down from 3.6% in October. That now marks the third consecutive month of falling inflation. The expectations of City economists were for a much more modest fall in the CPI, the headline measure of

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 17.12.2025 It may not mean too much in terms of the market's general upward push but I have noticed that the shares of Currys (LON:CURY) and AO World (LON:AO) have been edging gently higher. Currys shares are 127.70p, ahead of announcing its Interim Results tomorrow morning. The AO World stock is looking mildly better at 109.20p. I remain a fan of both electrical retailers. Analysts Ben Hunt, Wayne Brown and Anubhav Malhotra, at Panmure Liberum , rate

Mark Watson-Mitchell - 15.12.2025 Analysts Rahim Karim and Jens Erhenberg, at Cavendish Capital Markets , have today initiated their research coverage on Ramsdens Holdings (LON:RFX) , with a weighty Target Price of 480p for the group's shares. They noted that: "Since its IPO in 2017, Ramsdens has delivered consistent growth and established itself as a leading player in the UK market. Although its exposure to the gold price creates an element of variability in the group’s earn