On a very quiet morning for corporate news investors attention is drawn to rising tensions in the Middle East after the US accused Iran of involvement in an apparent attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman yesterday.With safe havens in demand precious metals miner Fresnillo (FRES) gains 2.4%. The FTSE 100 retreats 0.3% to 7,346.96.Recruitment firm SThree (STHR) is up 3.6% on reporting a 9% r

UK stocks decline in early trade on Friday as crude prices continue to slide, sending oil producers into the red. Industry giants Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) and BP (BP.) are among the major drags on the blue chip fallers as Brent crude drops 0.1% to $39.68 per barrel and West Texas Intermediate loses 0.2% to $36.68 per barrel. The carnage also sparks a 7.7% slump at Premier Oil (PMO), among the wors

London shares sag in early deals, following lower US and Asian markets, as miners and financials retreated. Ballast was also provided by some big-ticket corporate news with supermarkets a feature thanks to disappointment from Morrisons (MRW). The market is looking to Bank of England's interest rate and quantitative easing (QE) calls later today.Miners are under pressure once more, again, with BHP

Oil services minnow Mycelx (MYX:AIM) is in free-fall - down 65.7% to 45p - as it warns challenging conditions in the sector will persist into the second half of the year and adds that a major project it hoped to win is not progressing.Its experience shows that even good technology can struggle to gain traction in a conservative industry - particularly when spending is being pared back. The scale o

A falling gold price and weakness in Asian markets adds to disappointment over updates from some of the big miners and this is putting pressure on the FTSE 100 - down 48.77 points at 6720.30.BHP Billiton (BLT) falls 3% to £12.13 as better-than-expected iron ore output is offset by weak commodity prices. BHP spin-off South32 (S32) continues to have a terrible time on the stock market, down a furth

Latham (James) (LTHM:AIM) 577.5pSheet and hardwood supplier Latham has been consistently profitable for the past 10 years, more than doubling operating profit in the same period. The Hemel Hempstead-based company is expected to grow earnings per share 19% to 39.5p this year.Leaf Clean Energy (LEAF:AIM) 34pRenewable energy investor Leaf Clean is a closed-end fund in run-off. At a meeting in July 20

The UK is the perfect environment for nurturing new businesses. Private investors can get involved at a very early stage in a company's development through venture capital trusts (VCTs). The risks can be high, but so too the potential rewards.Start-ups are risky due to the long lead time involved in building up a company and the higher probability of failure. Their size also makes them more volati

The market is reacting with scepticism to Mycelx (MYXR:AIM) full-year expectations despite the first half facing a hit from customer delays. The shares are down 10.7% to 437.5p. The AIM-quoted concern, headquartered in Georgia, owns a patented technology which separates hydrocarbons from waste water.Confidence in the long-term future has led the group to hire new staff and add fresh infrastructure

Private hospitals operator Spire Healthcare looks set for a near-£1 billion IPO valuation with the range set at between 210p and 300p per share. Final pricing is expected next week (18 Jul) for the flotation first covered by Shares last month.Housebuilder Taylor Wimpey (TW.) slips 1.3% to 115.6p despite a trading update revealing a strong first half performance. The group remains on track for ope

Around half of water technology specialist MyCelx's (MYX:AIM) future revenue growth is expected to come from recurring sales of consumable filters.Since these products entail very little extra overhead the company is operationally geared and this raises the prospect of earnings upgrades. At 500p the shares trade on 48.5 times 2014 consensus forecast earnings and 22.2 times for 2015. As such they a

Downgraded earnings estimates and an uncertain outlook for the price of crude mean the oil services sector does not look like a compelling value opportunity even after its significant underperformance of the broader market in 2013. A selective approach is necessary and investors need to be wary of companies which are chasing growth for its own sake. Small-cap names have probably already travelled

Our Plays of the Week portfolio is presently delivering one of our best performances in many years. While a rising stock market does provide a good starting point, we have beaten the time-equivalent returns from FTSE All-Share by a simply enormous amount. Several our stock selections have provided gains well in excess of 100% gains this year.In the past 12 months, our Plays portfolio has delivered

Three different parties have got British machine gun manufacturer Manroy (MAN:AIM) in their sights, sending the small cap's shares up 48% to 82.9p. It confirmed preliminary takeover talks with Belgium's Herstal, Italy's Beretta and Nevada-based US Ordnance. The announcement triggers a formal takeover offer period, meaning the potential bidders have until the end of Christmas Eve to announce an int

LEDs designer Dialight (DIA) is feeling the squeeze again with its obstruction lighting arm still under the cosh. New business for lights put on tall buildings, mobile masts and wind turbines, for example, have failed to materialise as hoped. This will hit full-year expectations. Dialight continues to see rapid 50%-plus growth on the industrial installation side, but investors mark the shares 14%

Genus croppedAnimal genetics specialist Genus (GNS) lost 10% of its value when its pre-tax profits dropped 30% to £38.1 million in the year to July. A 10% dividend rise to 16.1p per share highlights management's confidence in rising demand fuelled by good harvests. (MD)Fluid MycelxWater technology specialist Mycelx (MYX:AIM) could be in demand following next week's interims (16 Aug). Shares in th

Our Plays of the Week portfolio continues to hugely outperform the broader stock market, a reflection of the rewards on offer from well-researched share selections. Over the past 12 months, our portfolio has produced a 10.7% return (before dividends) versus a mere 4% gain from the FTSE All-Share on a trade-related, 'time-exposed' comparable basis.Shares Plays of the Week +10.7%FTSE All-Share +4.0%

Interest in water technology specialist Mycelx (MYXR:AIM) should continue to build as the group moves towards break-even and accrues valuable contract wins. House broker Numis believes the group will generate pre-tax profits this year of $1.8 million against a pre-tax loss in 2012 of $1.6 million. Although the shares have already shot 40.7% higher in the last six months, they still trade at a 24%

The average oil field produces three times as much water as it does oil and this is a big issue for crude explorers and producers, especially in regions where water is scarce. Mycelx (MYXR:AIM) has a patented technology used by oil companies to separate hydrocarbons from waste water and the installation of its first system in India could be the start of a torrent of positive news from the £33 mil