Evil Diaries

Simon Cawkwell, AKA Evil Knievil, with his latest trading and gambling exploits – writing exclusively for Master Investor.

I have used Gillette Sensor holders and razor blades for at least thirty years. However, when ordering more blades the other day, I got £30 worth for an outlay of £60. I must have misread the deal on Amazon. But it caused me to wonder whether there is any practical competition to Gillette and therefore…

Accrol (LON:ACRL) was floated perhaps two years ago. After a few months, when the price had got to around 150p astonishing losses fell to be disclosed – so much so that this toilet paper roller looked to be out for the count. But ACRL has its fans and it was all a question of its affairs…

Well, I got caught out on Clear Leisure (LON:CLP). Somehow, I had got it into my head that there wouldn’t be yet another placing. So, I merrily went on tucking them away. So, you can understand my disappointment on learning of another placing – 63 million at 0.95p. I understand that this stock has gone…

I was a bit surprised by a story in yesterday’s Sunday Telegraph to the effect that the total assets falling to be distributed by the administrators of Beaufort Securities was of the order of £500 million to £850 million but that the fee charged by PwC for this would be of the order of £100…

At the last general election, I did not bother to vote since the notion of the Conservatives being upstaged in Kensington struck me as ridiculous. But, unbeknowst to me, the boundaries had been changed. So, Labour won by twenty votes – I was not alone in my idleness. The result is one Emma Jane Coad.…

Opportunity knocked at the open today since 888 (LON:888) got knocked 10% on the grounds that the FOBTs in their betting shops would be restricted to a £2 stake. The only drawback to this trading decision is that 888 has no betting shops and, therefore, no FOBTs. I paid 308p. Do not forget that the major…

Friday afternoon was cold and damp and we had to walk from a parking point in the Hurlingham to All Saints Church on the north side of Putney Bridge for Tony Shearer’s memorial service – he died of a brain tumour a few months ago. He had been an approximate contemporary of mine at Rugby…

Johnston Press (JPR) used to have a big private investor following. Nowadays, at 9.5p, it is capitalised at a trivial £10 million. But that conceals a huge £220 million debt problem which must be settled next year on or before 1st June 2019. Can they do it? I for one do not know the answer to…