Alliance News: Migrants will be told they need to spend up to a decade in the UK before they can apply for citizenship and English language requirements will be increased as part of the government’s immigration crackdown.
Keir Starmer will promise to “tighten up” all elements of the system as ministers look to bring down net figures, but are facing pushback against plans to stop foreign recruitment of care workers. The prime minister is expected to say that “enforcement will be tougher than ever and migration numbers will fall” as a result of the policies in the Immigration White Paper, set to be unveiled on Monday.
Comment: For a government that is paying through the nose to enable mass migration, this is a strange (unbelievable) White Paper. Reading between the lines, there is nothing here to stop international welfare seekers coming here in the first place. Stopping care workers from abroad will make the already horrific cost even higher in the social care space. That said, given the way that everything this government says is the opposite of what it is doing, or what happens, it might as well be ignored.
Cobalt Holdings announced its intention to float on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange and to admit its shares to the Equity Shares (Commercial Companies) category of the UK Financial Conduct Authority’s Official List. Admission is expected in June. The electric vehicle battery material maker intends to raise around USD230 million via its “global offer”.
Comment: The problem with small companies coming to the London market is that the costs and the red tape are too great, with no upside. The problem with larger companies coming here is that they may as well go to the US where they will have greater liquidity and a higher rating. But do not let that put anyone off. By the way, who has the PR here? Tavistock, Buchanan, Alma?
Rome Resources (RMR), the DRC-focused tin and base metals explorer, provided a further operations update following the decision to re-mobilise to the Bisie North site, previously announced on 24 April 2025. The Company is currently operating helicopter support from Kisingani and drilling operations have now resumed. RMR said “We are very pleased to be back to drilling and look forward to completing the programme in a timely manner. Assays from the last three holes are now in-house and the Company will advise the market of their results along with a detailed technical update on the strategy for the current drill programme in the coming days.”
Insig AI (INSG), the data science and machine learning solutions company, announced that the Company will be presenting at the Mello2025 investor event on Tuesday 3rd June 2025, to be held at The Clayton Hotel & Conference Centre, Chiswick High Road, London, W4 5RY. For further information and tickets (use code ShareM2550 for 50% off ticket price) for the Mello2025 conference, www.melloevents.com/mello2025.
Comment: It has to be said, that being at the Clayton Hotel is like going back to a 1975 episode of The Sweeney. One almost expects to see Regan and Carter there nursing a pint. That said, INSG has been one of the best small cap risers this year, and would be well worth having a chat with to ask who they did it.
MTI Wireless Edge (MWE), the technology group focused on comprehensive communication and radio frequency solutions across multiple sectors, announced that its subsidiary Mottech Water Solutions Ltd has secured a significant contract worth approximately Euro 1.0 million from a long-term customer in Italy to be delivered within 2025.
Comment: There was a rug pull for MWE in March in the wake of the company shooting itself in the foot with the “very difficult conditions comment. That said, the latest contract win will hopefully lead back to the old peaks through 65p.
Likewise Group (LIKE), the UK flooring distributor, announced its audited Final Results for the year ended 31 December 2024. Group Sales increased 7.4% to £149.8 million (FY23: £139.5 million). Sales in Likewise Floors increased 15.5%. Adjusted Profit Before Tax was £2.0 million (FY23: £2.3 million) reflecting additional investment, particularly in H1 2024.
Comment: Running to stand still is the impression here, not helped by the rather low margins. That said, people will always need flooring to stand on.
ITM Power (ITM) announce it has signed an agreement with a customer, who wishes to remain confidential at this stage, confirming its selection as the supplier of over 300MW of electrolysers to produce green hydrogen for use in a power plant in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, thereby avoiding carbon emissions.
Comment: The customer may want to keep things quiet, but the shares rising through the roof in recent days suggest that the contents of Spycatcher were better kept under wraps.
Tekcapital (TEK) the UK intellectual property investment group focused on creating valuable products that can improve people’s lives, announced that its portfolio company Guident Corp. has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement on Form S-1 with the SEC relating to the proposed initial public offering of its common stock. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined. The initial public offering is expected to take place after the SEC completes its review process, subject to market and other conditions.
Comment: Given that UK spin offs have generally gone like a lead balloon, it is logical that Guidant goes for a US IPO, and misses all the fun and lovely service providers we have here in London.
Dekel Agri-Vision (DKL), the West African agriculture company focused on building a portfolio of sustainable and diversified projects, provide an April production update for its Ayenouan palm oil project in Côte d’Ivoire, along with continued positive momentum in the operational performance of the cashew processing plant at Tiebissou, Côte d’Ivoire.
Comment: We are still waiting for DKL to make a serious impression on the London market.
New Frontier Minerals Ltd (NFM) is pleased to report geochemical assay results from the Harts Range Project, located 140km north-east of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Australia. High-grade assay results at two new prospects, ‘Paddington’ and ‘Westminster’ confirm significant heavy rare earth element (HREE) targets west of Bobs Prospect.
Comment: While the share price and performance in terms of exploration are solid, the company did not do itself any favours with the name change. Those who are keen enough can look up what it was.
Tirupati Graphite (TGR), the specialist flake graphite company and producer of this critical mineral for the global energy transition, announced that it has received total subscriptions for its placing of zero-coupon Convertible Notes of £4.5 million. Acceptance of new subscriptions has now closed. The total includes the first round of subscriptions earlier in 2025 and significantly exceeds the Company’s target to raise at least £2.5 million from the placing.
Comment: New management looks to have sorted out the TGR situation a while back, and deliver all the things that the old management were supposed to years ago. A sign of this is the very well subscribed placing, that hints we are looking at a phoenix rising from the ashes.
Oriole Resources (ORR), the AIM quoted gold exploration company focused on West and Central Africa, provide an update on its 90% owned Mbe orogenic gold project in Cameroon, including very significant positive drilling results. 125 gold-bearing intersections now returned from the first eight drill holes on the Project.
Comment: ORR looks like it could be the next OMI or even the next THX. The party looks to be starting, and the guests keep on arriving. A return to 2024 highs at 0.35p looks imminent.
Venture Life (VLG), a leader in product innovation, development and commercialisation within the global consumer healthcare sector, announced that it has entered into a binding agreement with BioDue S.p.A, a contract development and manufacturing organisation based in Italy and a portfolio company of The Riverside Group, for the sale of: Biokosmes SRL and its non core products, for a consideration of €62.0 million (c.£53.0 million) on a cash free, debt free basis.
Comment: For some strange reason, which one knows the answer to, VLG has never had the stock market interest, or the valuation it has deserved. This is likely to remain the case, but with plenty of cash in the kitty now, it does not really matter.
Alkemy Capital Investments (ALK), announced that it has entered into an exclusivity agreement with Ara Advisers LLC, a global private equity firm specialising in industrial decarbonisation, in connection with a proposed investment in Alkemy’s wholly owned subsidiary, Tees Valley Lithium Limited. Alkemy has signed an exclusivity agreement with Ara, giving them the sole right to negotiate terms for a strategic investment in TVL by 31 July 2025.
Comment: While we await big funding news it is certainly the case that ALK has been making all the right noises for when the cash finally arrives. On this basis at 135p the stock seems quite cheap. The July date of cours implies that there will be white smoke above the Vatican by then.
N4 Pharma (N4P), the UK biotech developing Nuvec®, its proprietary gene delivery system to enable advanced therapies for cancer and other diseases, is pleased to announce positive results from its first in vivo study evaluating the use of its Nuvec® proof-of-concept programme, N4 101, an orally delivered anti-inflammatory treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
Comment: Although N4P will always give the impression that any share price rise will be met with a prompt fundraise RNS, today’s news does seem worthy of a sustain move to the upside, even if a cash call is around the corner.
Cobra (COBR), the mineral exploration and development company advancing a potentially world-class ionic Rare Earth Elements discovery at its Boland Project in South Australia, announced that it has completed a 10-hole, 423m sonic core drilling programme at Boland. At Boland, ionically bound REEs enriched in dysprosium and terbium occur within permeable sands and are amenable to in situ recovery, a low-cost, low impact mining process with high environmental stewardship.
Comment: Given that REEs are the new rock and roll at the moment after the China export ban, COBR should be swinging at the moment. But somehow this is not yet the case.
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.
