(Alliance News) – The UK economy achieved minor growth in August, numbers on Wednesday showed, aided by a rise in production. The Office for National Statistics said UK gross domestic product edged up 0.1% in August from July, in line with the FXStreet cited consensus.
“Production grew by 0.4% in August 2025, whereas services showed no growth and construction fell by 0.3% in August,” the ONS said. The reading for July was downwardly revised, however. GDP is now reported to have shrunk 0.1% in July from June. The ONS had previously reported it had tread water.
Comment: Given that anyone with any money or sense has already left the country, and anyone with any sense is on benefits, whether they are British or not, for the GDP to be above 0% is a result. Presumably, the Budget next month will eliminate any last vestiges of growth in the economy, which is Labour’s true goal.
Synectics (SNX), a leader in advanced security and surveillance solutions, provided an update on trading for the year ending 30 November 2025. The Company is pleased to confirm that trading for FY 2025 is expected to deliver revenues of approximately £67m (FY24: £55.8m) and PBT of no less than £5.7m (excluding the share-based payment charge) (FY24: £4.7m).
Comment: We all love a good surveillance solution, especially our spying addicted non-threatening Chinese friends. So it is boom time for SNX. It can be said that the company deserves a market cap of rather more than the current £50m.
Eco Buildings Group (ECOB), a technology-driven modular housing company quoted on AIM, provided an operational market update outlining its geographic expansion strategy and technology roll-out which the Board believes will position Eco Buildings to become a leader in affordable, sustainable, high-quality housing delivery. ECOB said “I am pleased by the progress Eco is making as we continue to successfully expand our technological and manufacturing capacity. Our aim is to deploy our unique technology in all countries where there are acute housing shortages, across both developed and emerging economies.
Comment: The recent transformation at ECOB has been so strong that the company can put out a repeat of what we already know RNS and the shares will rise yet further. It is great to see the company finally have its time in the sun: the Ikea of modular housing…
Solvonis Therapeutics (SVNS), an emerging biopharmaceutical company developing novel medicines for high-burden central nervous system (“CNS”) disorders, announced that it has successfully raised £1.25 million (gross) through a direct subscription with certain institutional and existing strategic investors. SVNS said “This financing marks an important time for Solvonis as we evolve into a broader CNS biopharmaceutical company. Our focus now spans addiction, psychiatry, and neurology – three interlinked areas of enormous unmet need. The continued support of our core investors enables us to accelerate our discovery work and deepen our development programmes across these pillars, advancing our mission to deliver innovative therapies for high-burden CNS disorders.”
Comment: SVNS takes advantage of the shares recent outperformance, as well as biotech being one of the hottest areas of the London stock market to raise a decent chunk of change. The secret here remains the company’s focus on large, addressable markets, with the goal of developing blockbuster treatments.
Gunsynd (GUN) provided an update on the Bear Twit Project, in Northwest Territories, Canada, in which the Company holds a 100% legal and beneficial interest. Following the completion of a recent reconnaissance sampling program by Critical Discoveries Ltd (“Critical Discoveries”), Gunsynd has received assay results confirming high-grade lead, zinc, and silver mineralisation, accompanied by elevated concentrations of gallium, germanium, and copper.
Comment: GUN’s new strategy of changing from being gamekeep to poacher, or investor to developer, already seems to be paying off. This is both in terms of market sentiment, as well as results such as today.
Iofina (IOF), specialists in the exploration and production of iodine and manufacturers of specialty chemical products, today provided an update regarding its activities during Q3 2025. In the Period, Iofina Resources produced 215.8 metric tonnes (‘MT’) of crystalline iodide from its eight IOsorb® plants in Central and Northwest Oklahoma (Q3 2024: 163.9 MT). This represents a 32% increase in production, with 75 MT produced in September 2025 after IO#11 came online in July 2025.
Comment: We already know from recent interviews here with the company, as well as today’s sterling results that IOF is currently firing on all cylinders, and has the prospect of scaling up yet further within its current niche offering.
URU Metals (URU) announced the appointment of GF International (Pty) Ltd to undertake a combined ground gravity and frequency-domain electromagnetic (“EM”) survey over two priority targets at the Company’s Zeb Nickel Project near Mokopane, Limpopo, South Africa. The work is designed to refine conductor geometry and generate decision-ready drill targets.
Comment: URU seems to have put the bear attacks of the past behind it, and is joining the rest of the junior explorer space in aiming to be, or being in a bull run after many years in the wilderness.
Gold and Silver’s Record Run: What It Means for Investors in 2025
Buccaneer Energy (BUCE), an international oil & gas exploration and production company with development and production assets in Texas, USA, announced that construction has commenced at the location of its upcoming Allar #1 well, the first of two planned development locations in the Fouke area of the Pine Mills Field.
Comment: At first glance BUCE looks like a subscale explorer in the way that Nostra Terra was. Indeed, that is what it looks like on a second glance. That said, the chart does hint at a turnaround towards the 0.03p plus zone.
Mindflair (MFAI), the company investing in next-generation technology focused on AI, announced that a webinar providing an update on the three Sure Valley Venture (“SVV”) funds and their investee companies in which Mindflair is invested will take place at 4pm BST on Tuesday 21 October 2025.
Comment: It is generally accepted that we are in one of the greatest bull markets in the history of the world as far as next generation technology is concerned. Shares of MFAI are so far up 12.5% this year.
B HODL (AQUIS: HODL), the first British company founded for Bitcoin accumulation and revenue generation from the Bitcoin in its treasury, has been notified that on 15 October 2025 Frederick New, Chief Executive, purchased 72,881 ordinary shares at an average price of 13.69p in the Company. Following this purchase, Frederick New holds 2,114,881 Ordinary Shares, equivalent to 1.51% of the issued Ordinary Shares.
Comment: One could say that the director share buying at HODL since it came to market has been relentless. That would be an exaggeration, at least in terms of the quantum of buying. But at least it has been supportive of the share price at a time when the BTC brigade need all the support they can get.
EnSilica (ENSI), a leading chip maker of mixed signal ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), announced the following update on current trading and for the financial year ended 31 May 2025. The Company generated solid new business momentum in FY 2025 alongside producing strong levels of Non-Recurring Engineering (“NRE”) and recurring supply revenue from existing contracts.
Comment: It is difficult not to have a soft spot for ENSI as a potential tech unicorn, and certainly the growth outlook does seem to back this up. Unfortunately, we are not in the U.S. and London investors so far seem underwhelmed.
Videndum (VID) provided an update on trading for the three months to 30 September 2025 and ongoing negotiations with its RCF lenders. Following seasonally low activity in July and August, recent order intake has been strong, particularly in the US. As at 30 September 2025, the order book was up c.40% year-on-year, a significant improvement on the prior period.
Comment: Shares of VID, which almost no one / hardly anyone has heard of, fell off a cliff in July, and have continued to dive. It will be interesting to see whether today’s upbeat news manages to turn the tide for the stock at the lows, as it probably deserves to.
Pulsar Helium Inc. (PLSR), a leading helium exploration and development company, announce that it has filed a preliminary short form base shelf prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces and territories of Canada. The preliminary short form base shelf prospectus, when made final, will allow Pulsar to offer and issue, from time to time over a 25‑month period, common shares, debt securities, warrants, subscription receipts and units up to an aggregate offering amount of US$50,000,000.
Comment: It makes sense that PLSR is putting itself in a position where it can raise cash, even though in the RNS it says it “currently” has no plan to raise capital. Clearly the operative word here is “currently.” That said, with the share price rocketing and helium set to be coming out of the company’s ears, this is not a biggie “currently”.
Helix Exploration (HEX) the helium exploration and development company with near-term production assets within the ‘Montana Helium Fairway’, announced breakthrough scientific results from its flagship Rudyard Project, underscoring significant potential for geological hydrogen generation at the Rudyard Project. If confirmed at commercial scale, the hydrogen at Rudyard has the potential to represent one of the cleanest and most cost-effective hydrogen resource known on Earth-potentially meeting and exceeding the U.S. Department of Energy’s “Hydrogen Shot” goal, which aims to reduce the cost of producing clean hydrogen to $1 per 1 kilogram within one decade (the 1:1:1 goal).
Comment: It would appear that HEX is trying to copy PLSR with its latest announcement, blowing the doors off the impasse in the share price, and the perceived existing fundamentals of the company. Let’s see if the hype works, and we get the big share price breakthrough above 30p.
Disclaimer & Declaration of Interest:
The information, investment views, and recommendations in this Zaks Traders Cafe interview are provided for general information purposes only. Nothing in this interview should be construed as a promotion or solicitation to buy or sell any financial product relating to any companies under discussion or referred to or to engage in or refrain from doing so or engage in any other transaction. Any opinions or comments are made to the best of the knowledge and belief of the commentator but no responsibility is accepted for actions based on such opinions or comments. The commentators may or may not hold investments in the companies under discussion.
