The Telegraph: House prices fell unexpectedly last month as mortgage borrowers prepare for a jump in interest rates. Typical property values declined by 0.2pc during September, reversing 0.2pc growth in August, according to the Nationwide house price index. The figure was much worse than analysts had forecasts, with most expecting prices to remain steady.
Comment: With mortgage rates well above the alleged inflation level, and of course, always higher than they are in the EU, and with horrific levels of stamp duty, income tax and energy bills, it is surprising that house prices are down just 0.2%. But with the prospect of new interest rate rises, mansion tax and the Budget, renting, or just glamping somewhere in a field currently appears more attractive than bricks and mortar.
RentGuarantor (RGG), a leading provider of rent guarantee services, which includes property protection, to tenants and landlords in the UK1 private rental sector, is pleased to provide an unaudited trading update covering the nine months ended 30 September 2026 and a material upgrade to the Board’s expectations for the financial year ending 31 December 2026.
Comment: One noted a few weeks ago when the shares gapped up to 90p that the shorting conspiracy took a pot shot at RGG, presumably trying to scare the bulls out of their positions. Now with the rallying continuing, and a strong RNS, let’s see if the shorters have another go at jumping in front of the train.
Halo Minerals PLC (HALO), the copper development company focused on the recovery of critical minerals from legacy mining waste, notes the recent movement in the Company’s share price. The Board confirms that it is not aware of any operational, financial or corporate reason that would account for the recent decline in the Company’s share price. The Company remains focused on advancing the Playa Verde copper and gold tailings reprocessing project in Chile and confirms that progress continues in line with the milestones and objectives outlined in the Company’s recent announcement regarding completion of the Class 3 Engineering and Bankable Feasibility Study Update. As previously announced, the Company is progressing the principal workstreams required to move Playa Verde towards Final Investment Decision (“FID”), including:
Comment: There is no reason indeed for the share price decline in HALO, especially given the speed of FID, and the magnitude of the Playa Verde asset. This should be one of the first companies of its contemporaries on the London market to get to production. Indeed, I would venture to suggest that there was no need for today’s RNS apart from to underline that at £8m market cap the company is as cheap as chips.
Critical Mineral Resources plc (CMRS) announced a strategic equity investment of US$2.0 million (approximately £1.51 million) from Nebari Natural Resources AIV II, LP, a fund managed by Nebari Partners, LLC., a specialist natural resources investment and finance group focused on funding mining companies through development and into production. The investment follows a detailed investment review process and establishes Nebari as a strategic shareholder with a right of first refusal to provide construction finance for the Company’s flagship Agadir Melloul copper-silver project and its future mine developments.
Comment: CMRS has, perhaps on the sly, we have seen CMRS shares bounce off their lows in recent weeks. Presumably, some in the market sniffed that the type of strong news we have been treated to today was on its way. It certainly suggests that our technical target of 3.05p should be on its way in coming days.
Valereum Plc (AQSE: VLRM), a company aiming to become the global market leader in the tokenised digital markets sector, is pleased to announce its unaudited results for the six months ended 30 June 2026. The Company stated on 21 January 2026 that the Share Subscription Agreement with Quorium Global Photonics SPC (“QGP”) “materially strengthens the Company’s balance sheet”, and that the Company had exchanged 49.9% of its share capital for “$200m of fully verified asset backed notes, as well as $79.5m ($15.9m for 5yrs)”, and that the Company was “now a cash-flow positive company with a robust balance sheet”. On 26 January 2026, the company stated that the “the completion of the transaction has added $200 million to our balance sheet”.
Comment: One the face of it we have great news: $200m added to the balance sheet of VLRM. That said, the current market cap of the company is £20m. Go figure.
Tungsten West (TUN), the owner and operator of the Hemerdon tungsten and tin mine in Devon, UK, announced the appointment of Katherine Callaghan, who will join the Board as a Non-Executive Director of the Company and Chair of the Remuneration Committee with immediate effect.
Comment: It is interesting that when one is with seasoned investors / market participants, they can go off topic and talk about the stocks of the year. One of them certainly is TUN, with the recent highlight being that UK government has invested up to £71m. The conclusion was that the government getting involved is the kiss of death (governments haven’t got a clue on how to spend money), and that anyway the chances of getting stuff out of the ground is minimal (the geology). Harsh. Let’s see if the cynical experts get it right.
Tap Global Group plc (TAP), the regulated crypto-fintech, announces its first purchase of Solana (“SOL”) for the Company’s Digital Asset Income Strategy (“DAIS”), a yield-earning reserve of digital assets deployed through the Group’s established proprietary Tap Earn programme. The purchase follows the first DAIS acquisition of 3 BTC, announced earlier this week.
Comment: Buying a Solana one day or a BTC the other does not really seem to be worth of a full RNS, and one could argue that it is not really material. That said, one has to give some credit to TAP for its recent charm offensive with the market.
Aimia Inc. (ALL) announce the admission of its common shares to trading on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange, and dealings will commence today at 8:00am BST under the ticker symbol “AII”. Aimia Inc. is a diversified conglomerate focused on enhancing the value of its holdings. Headquartered in Toronto, Aimia’s priorities include increasing its intrinsic value, reducing holding company costs, reducing the discount of its share price to the intrinsic value of its businesses, and redeploying capital to make investments in undervalued companies.
Comment: One presumes that Aimia is one of the first foreign companies to get a cheapo listing on the AIM market in an effort to repopulate the overpriced / undervalued and illiquid exchange – compared to the US of course. That said, this is a £100m plus market cap company, so we should rejoice to some extent.
Imaging Biometrics Limited (IBAI) updates shareholders on the quarter to 30 September 2026, in which its operating subsidiary, Imaging Biometrics LLC (“IB”), strengthened its commercial pipeline and entered active discussions with a number of prominent US academic medical centres and health systems. IB develops FDA-cleared, CE and UKCA marked quantitative imaging software, specialising in brain tumour care. IBAI said “The two new subscriptions this quarter add to a customer base built over many years – a proven and growing foundation. IB is in discussions with some of the most respected institutions in US neurology and cancer care, IB Vista gives us a single, proven platform to deploy on, and our job is to convert that pipeline into recurring business.”
Comment: A recurring revenue business is clearly many a company’s goal. That said, to achieve this anywhere near the biotech space is something which would certainly be a standout. Therefore, having just a £2m market cap when it has FDA cleared IP, seems rather mean on the part of the stock market.
Pantheon Resources plc (PANR), the oil and gas company developing the Kodiak and Ahpun oil fields in close proximity to pipeline and transportation infrastructure on Alaska’s North Slope, announced the appointment of accomplished energy executive, David Wilkins, as Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Max Easley with immediate effect. Mr. Easley is leaving Pantheon to take on another senior executive role with a large operator in Alaska. He will remain with Pantheon for a period of time to ensure a smooth handover and continuity of business. Michael Spencer, Chairman of Pantheon Resources, commented: “I am pleased for Max as he takes on another pivotal role in the region’s energy sector. I thank him for his contributions to Pantheon and wish him every success. I am delighted that David Wilkins has taken over as CEO. His depth of experience and exemplary track record having led one of the largest operators in Alaska will serve us very well as we progress execution of our strategy.”
Comment: Having a legend on board in the form of Michael Spencer could and should mean that PANR is fully de-risked, even if it never produces any fossil fuel. Well, almost.
Time To ACT plc (AQSE: TTA), the Aquis-listed specialist engineering group, provides the following update. Its Diffusion Alloys subsidiary has received an order for a coating Project of approximately £600,000. The ultimate customer is a US Oil & Gas major. Diffusion Alloys was the only company selected to tender for the work. The order, which will be executed in the 2027 calendar year, includes a down-payment of approximately £300,000. TTA said “This order is part of the order intake that we have already flagged for September and is pleasing in many respects. One, it is the first large Project order placed with Diffusion Alloys for some time after the recent slack period. Two, it confirms that Diffusion Alloys is a globally recognized brand that is capable of winning work well beyond its home market in the UK. Three, it signals to me the unique status of our capacity and capability for the coating of large parts. Four, it shows that we are able to structure orders with attractive payment terms which mean that a job remains cash-flow positive through the execution of the work. Five, both this order and other potential orders that we are working on have an escalation clause which allows us to pass on any increases in wholesale gas prices, which is important for maintaining profit in these volatile times.”
Comment: It would appear that the Chief Executive & Chief Strategy Officer of Time To ACT plc thinks he is Sir John Harvey Jones. While we have charted the shares higher in recent days, and are looking for 65p by the end of next month, it is interesting that the company is delivering “we shall fight them on the beaches” speech, off the back of just a £600k order.
Coiled Therapeutics (COIL), the clinical-stage precision oncology company developing differentiated small molecule therapies for genetically defined cancers, announces that the leadership team will host a live interactive presentation on the Engage Investor Platform on Tuesday 6 October 2026, at 3:00pm BST.
Comment: So is Engage Investor like Investor Meet or is it more of a Proactive Investor? Does it have an audience of significance and does it have highly skilled and knowledgeable operatives who have a passion for the stock market, and knowledge that spans decades?
Pulsar Helium Inc. (PLSR), a primary helium company, is pleased to announce that, further to its announcements dated June 30, 2026 and August 3, 2026, it has signed, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Pulsar Helium MN Inc., and accepted a proposal from Chart Energy & Chemicals, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Baker Hughes Company, which operates as dedicated segment of Baker Hughes following the July 2026 acquisition of Chart Industries, Inc. The Proposal represents the agreement contemplated in the Company’s August 3, 2026, announcement and establishes a staged framework for the supply of equipment for Pulsar’s proposed Rare Gas Hub in Minnesota for an aggregate value of $85.5 million paid in stages on achievement of applicable milestones under the Proposal before applicable taxes, duties, shipping, commissioning and other items or adjustments not included in the Proposal.
Comment: PLSR is getting its ducks in a row in terms of the road to production, and with a blue chip counterparty – Baker Hughes. That said, it may be that in coming months it is the company’s efforts in Greenland which start to come to the fore, and drive the share price.
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.
