{"id":109530,"title":"Share Talk Weekly Small Cap Movers & Shakers, Saturday 19th August 2023","publisher":"Share Talk","author":"sharetalk","published":"2023-08-19T09:42:32+00:00","modified":"2023-08-19T09:52:16+00:00","canonical_url":"https://www.share-talk.com/share-talk-weekly-small-cap-movers-shakers-saturday-19th-august-2023/","markdown_url":"https://www.share-talk.com/share-talk-weekly-small-cap-movers-shakers-saturday-19th-august-2023.md","json_url":"https://www.share-talk.com/share-talk-weekly-small-cap-movers-shakers-saturday-19th-august-2023.json","category":"Small Cap Review","categories":["Small Cap Review"],"tags":["Abingdon Health","Beacon Energy","Deutsche Bank","FTSE 100","FTSE 350","Glantus Holdings","Harvest Minerals","Hydrogen Utopia International","Inspirit Energy Holdings","Pathfinder Minerals","Premier African Minerals","Serinus Energy","Tan Delta Systems","TERN","verditek"],"featured_image":"https://i0.wp.com/www.share-talk.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Stencil-Google-Chrome-2023-04-19-at-2.47.43-PM.jpeg?fit=1231%2C615&quality=89&ssl=1","format":"news","language":"en-GB","content":"Fintech firm **Glantus Holdings PLC (AIM: GLAN),** a UK small-cap, has succumbed to the ongoing trend of take-private offers affecting the junior market.\n\nIn recent months, Glantus engaged in discussions with private equity investors, a move that followed a profit warning, falling cash reserves, and an earlier workforce restructuring. This week, the company accepted a £17.8 million offer from Finnish procurement specialist Basware, a deal that valued Glantus at a 67% premium over last Friday’s closing price.\n\nCEO Maurice Healy praised the deal as a “compelling opportunity for shareholders to cash out at a significant premium to recent share prices.” Following this news, Glantus’ stock rallied nearly 60%, hitting an 11-month peak of 33p with a market capitalization of £16.8 million.\n\nThe junior market is witnessing a surge in take-private deals, illustrated by recent cases like Numis Corporation’s acquisition by Deutsche Bank, energy group Solgenics, Applied Graphene Materials, and others. This trend has sparked debates on whether AIM retains its role as an effective growth platform for companies, with some suggesting that reduced bureaucracy might help. Critics argue, as highlighted by Proactive Investors, that “burdensome regulation, exacerbated by stringent ESG reporting mandates, has imposed additional costs on firms aiming to list on AIM, many of which have limited resources.”\n\nGlobal Market Update: China’s economic slowdown is rippling through global equity markets. The FTSE AIM All-Share Index declined by 3% this week. Similarly, both the **FTSE 100** and **FTSE 350** fell over 3.6%, while the US Nasdaq blue-chip index dipped almost 2%. In the UK, persistent wage growth is fueling calls for additional interest rate hikes. Despite a recent dip in UK inflation to its lowest since February 2022, the current rate of 6.8% is still too elevated for the Bank of England to consider easing monetary policy.\n\nAIM New Listing and Market Movements: In a positive development, **Tan Delta Systems PLC (AIM: TAND)** saw its shares rise after its AIM debut, with the real-time equipment monitoring and data analysis specialist raising £6 million at 26p per share.\n\n**Beacon Energy PLC (AIM: BCE)** enjoyed a surge of 39% after an update on its Schwarzbach well in Germany indicated promising oil-bearing reservoirs.\n\nIn the renewable energy sector, **Hydrogen Utopia International PLC** rebounded 18% after dismissing concerns regarding its financial health, while **Verditek PLC (AIM: VDTK)** in the solar energy field rose by 10.5% after announcing a potential collaboration with Net Zero Valley.\n\nIn the mining sector, **Pathfinder Minerals (AIM: PFP)** saw a 24% increase in shares following the appointment of new Executive Director Paul Barrett.\n\nNotable gains were also seen in the healthcare sector. **Abingdon Health PLC (AIM: ABDX)** rose by 25% after Tesco announced it would stock the company’s saliva pregnancy test Salistick.\n\nHowever, some firms faced challenges, with** Tern PLC (AIM: TERN)** experiencing a nearly 9% drop following its interim results, and **Serinus Energy PLC (AIM: SENX)** plummeting as much as 31% after revealing lower revenues in its H1 2023 results due to falling oil prices.\n\nOther significant declines this week included **Harvest Minerals** at 46%, **Premier African Minerals Ltd (AIM: PREM)** at 30%, and** Inspirit Energy Holdings PLC (LSE: INSP)** at 19%."}