The Dark Destroyer

225 days ago

Speaker line up almost there – it’s time to book your seats at Sharestock 2024 on September 7 at our farm in Wales, now almost 50% sold out

As of today just under half the seats for the third Sharestock event on 7 September are now booked. If you have been before you know why but this year’s event will be bigger and better than any yet. Here is why you should make sure you have a seat HERE today.

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275 days ago

Sharestock 2024 it's 7th September at the Welsh Hovel & Matt Earl, the Dark Destroyer, almost completes the speaker line up at the Welsh Hovel, book your seat today!

If you have attended for either of the past two years you know what fun it is. My plan is to do at least two more years but we shall see. There are so many variables in life. Anyhow we are all set for 2024 and the date is fixed at Saturday 7th September. We now have a nearly complete speaker line up and it is top notch!

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326 days ago

Tom Winnifrith Bearcast: the Dark Destroyer warns Boohoo will have to raise £200m

I start with Joshua’s bonus Welsh lessons then it is onto Boohoo.com (BOO) with my thoughts and those of matt Earl. There is Tintra (TNT) and also Belluscura (BELL) and TMT Aquisitions (TMTA). Finally we have a date for Sharestock 2024 ( 7 September) as you can see HERE

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532 days ago

BREAKING: Mirada…. And another one bites the dust

Despite the presence on its board as a NED of Matt Earl, the Dark Destroyer, the 15 year AIM sewer career of Mirada (MIRA) is almost at an end. Unable to raise finance on the Casino and disappointed with its share price, though its inability to generate cash and its mountains of debt might just have something to do with it, the Spanish-based media software group is going to delist.

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779 days ago

BREAKING: Jim Mellon, Matt Earl and Malcolm Burne join the fun – Sharestock 2023 now open for bookings

Some folks said that I did not give them enough notice about ShareStock 2022 so they were on holiday, could not find anywhere to stay or had accepted a prior engagement. So for 2023 I am giving you almost a year’s notice of an even more unusual event! We start with some amazing new speakers:

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784 days ago

Tom Winnifrith Bearcast: Time for eco loons to head to Devon to strip naked and confront David Bramhill again

In today’s podcast, I look at Darktrace (DARK) as its shares slump again, Avacta (AVCT) , Novacyt (NCYT), UK base rate rises, nanosynth (NNN) and the dishonesty of journalist smearing and trolling Union Jack Oil (UJO). PS, Matt Earl, the Dark Destroyer, tells me that he has added to his Darktrace short today.

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793 days ago

Tom Winnifrith Bearcast – The Dark Destroyer 5 - Darktrace (& PL) Nil

A few logistics on shared cabs etc for Sharestock first. Then Darktrace (DARK), Funding Circle (FCH), Alien Metals (UFO), Cenkos (CNKS), FinnCap (FCAP), Shield Therapeutics (STC) and Restaurant Group (RTN)

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811 days ago

A hopping mad Matt Earl on Darktrace – you’d be mad to own the shares

Last week the Dark Destroyer agreed to do a conference call with a few fund managers to discuss Darktrace (DARK). Some sad feck recorded the call and passed the recording to the Sunday Times which ran a big story “exposing Matt’s undisclosed short”. If only financial journalists on the deadwood press understood that short disclosures are only visible over 0.5%. So, for Darktrace that would be c. £18 million, way too big for Earl’s Shadowfall oufit. Earl is hiding nothing.

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811 days ago

EXCLUSIVE: Boohoo.com – The Dark Destroyer Matt Earl spells out the cash need and the way shareholders were fleeced

Over the weekend I explained HERE why Boohoo.com (BOO) could go bust. Given the shocking corporate governance history here arguably it SHOULD go bust. Boohoo is just a bad actor on the PLC stage. Matt Earl, the Dark Destroyer, was an early critic of Boohoo but even with the shares having crashed to 44p, giving a £560 million market cap, he warns of massive problems ahead and quantifies the extra cash need: £200 million.

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849 days ago

Fevertree warns – told y’all, worse still to come

Lucian Miers and I both warned that this would happen as, I think, did the Dark Destroyer Matt Earl. Chris Bailey is a non-drinker and disagreed. Never trust a non-drinker, as my pal Evil Knievil (not a non-drinker) would say. On 19 May Fevertree (FEVR) told us to expect flat FY EBITDA of £63 million to £66 million. Today, less than two months later…..

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1111 days ago

Are you smarter than myself, Jim Mellon, Richard Jennings & Matt Earl? Do the Pioneer gobbledygook test

Aquis listed Pioneer Media (PNER) run by serial promoter and related party deal specialist Mike Edwards or, as he now likes to be known, “Mike Edwards”,   has put out a release today about the acquisition of CryptoPunk 8869 in Canada. It is pure unadulterated gobbledygook but that is the point. I have asked several very smart folks including the Dark Destroyer and Jim Mellon if they understand it and can explain it but they cannot. Neither can I. But few are brave enough to admit it and so the narrative that this makes sense, that the Emperor’s New Clothes are just splendid goes unchallenged.

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1122 days ago

When a regulator works with a short seller you know the target is in trouble

Since, a few weeks ago, Matt Earl launched his first bear dossier on Civitas Social Housing (CSH) its shares have fallen by 25% to 91p. The company did issue a response to the first dossier published by the bear raider known as “the Dark Destroyer”.

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1130 days ago

Is this game set and match to Matt Earl, the Dark Destroyer & Shadowfall in its battle with Civitas Social?

The RNS today is headlined “response to further letter from short seller. “ Sure Matt Earl’s Shadowfall is short but he is also a brilliant analyst who has exposed so many frauds over the years. Surely the correct headline should be “lack of response to brilliant analyst who has exposed so many frauds over the years.” For the other thing about this response is that it is not a response at all, it appears a recognition that Civitas (CSH), has no response.

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1266 days ago

Matt Earl, the Dark Destroyer - lessons from Wirecard and some read across shorts

Matt and his Shadowfall company earned great plaudits when it came to exposing the Wirecard fraud. He has today published a report on lessons all should learn and some read across shorts. Enjoy.

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1280 days ago

Detailed analysis: First Derivatives cleaning up its act thanks to me, Matt & the FRC but still a joke valuation

Thanks to the pressure applied by major dossiers and a string of exposed published by myself and by the Dark Destroyer, Matt Earl, a new management team at First Derivatives (FDP) has started to clean up its act. I got the FRC to force it to change its misleading accounts. And the old, very whiffy related party/Panama Pump deals of the ancient regime are gone. But yesterday’s results show that without the gloss of aggressive accounting and dodgy deals, what is left is a dull business but still one on a glamour rating. My original bear call – sell at £46 on 28 June 2018 – was spot on. The shares are now £22.25 to sell but still a slam dunk sell. Here is why…

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1457 days ago

Future buys GoCo for £594 million but will this paper over the lack of growth cracks?

The short answer according to Matt Earl, the bear raider known as the Dark Destroyer, is No!

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1462 days ago

Matt Earl, the Dark Destroyer, takes aim at Blue Prism publishing devastating dossier (below)

Matt Earl of Shadowfall, aka the Dark Destroyer, has published a devastating dossier on £1.6 billion capitalised Blue Prism (PRSM). The company is yet to respond but it is hard to see what it can say in the face of clear dynamite. The dossier is below in full. The shares appear to be utterly uninvestable.

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1639 days ago

The Dark Destroyer Matt Earl launches new attack dossier on Boohoo

Ouch. This is a compelling read from Matt Earl and his Shadowfall company which is short of Boohoo.com (BOO) and makes a very compelling case indeed as to why the shares are overvalued. The dossier is below , in full.

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1653 days ago

Carson Block of Muddy Waters launches shocking new attack & dossier on Burford

At the ShareProphers shares show this weekend carson was a star happily explaining why Burford (BUR) could be a zero. If you have not watched the great man in flying form do so here. at the same event Matt Earl, the Dark Destroyer, also weighed in. Now Carson has savaged Burford in a new dossier which I publish in full below. Explicity he accuses the company of misleading investors, noting:

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1670 days ago

The Dark Destroyer Matt Earl on why he is short St James Place

I view St James Place (STJ) as a long term short since it has always and continues to provide a truly appalling service to its customers. You can fleece punters to reward staff and shareholders for only so long but eventually you reap what you sow and for me that makes this company uninvestable. The Dark Destroyer offers up a more detailed financial analysis of why his Shadowfall fund is short. Enjoy

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1708 days ago

Tom Winnifrith Bearcast: chatting with Nigel Wray and tweeting back to the Banning Buffoon

The Dark Destroyer, aka Matt Earl, has branded Andrew Monk, the Banning Buffoon for his call to ban shorting in a fiery twitter exchange. I discuss why Matt is right on all counts. I chatted to Nigel Wray, Britain’s Buffett, at length today about the markets, individual shares, the coronavirus, the shape of the recession, consumer attitudes and most interestingly about commercial property, which he knows a bit about. I also discuss Sosandar (SOS), Finncrap (FCAP), Arden (ARDN), WH Ireland (WHI) and other Nomad/brokers and when the FCA will have to step in to check their solvency. Finally a few words on the Government’s daft £330 billion loan scheme.

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1755 days ago

The Dark Destroyer Matt Earl's Shadowfall outft publishes daming 69 page dossier on Future PLC

We have been all over Future PLC (FUTR) this week with a three part special as you can see HERE. But now Matt Earl, the UK’s smartest bear raider has gone short and published a major and damning dossier. You ignore the Dark Destoyer at your peril. His report is below.

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1861 days ago

The Dark Destroyer Matt Earl publishes daming 71 page dossier on Eurofins Scientific

No doubt Roger Lawson reckons that Matt Earl should have run the dossier below by the Luxembourg based company first. It is long but damning and the shares are crashing on the back of it. Enjoy.

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1907 days ago

FREE Podcast: ShareProphets Radio Edition SEVEN with Tom Winnifrith - Matt Earl is explosive

In this seventh edition of the ShareProphets Radio podcast sponsored by Turner Pope, this week, in order I discuss why Burford scrutiny is so welcome then interview Matt Earl, the Dark Destroyer, on Avanti (AVN) , Burford (BUR), IQE (IQE), First Derivatives (FDP), Versarien (VRS), Quindell (QPP)) and Kerry Group. After a few more thoughts from me on scrutiny of smaller AIM stocks I interview Steve O’Hara of Optibiotix (OPTI) and then discuss one area where I disagree with him on strategy.  If you like this and can’t wait seven days for more of the same you should listen to my Bearcast every day.


To listen to episode 6 of Shareprophets Radio click HERE

To listen to episode 5 of Shareprophets Radio click HERE


To listen to episode 4 of Shareprophets Radio click HERE


To listen to episode 3 of Shareprophets Radio click HERE


To listen to episode 2 of Shareprophets Radio click HERE


To listen to episode 1 of Shareprophets Radio click HERE

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1907 days ago

Tom Winnifrith Bonus Bearcast: Burford's statement does not wash and indeed raises many more red flags

Burford (BUR) has today issued a statement regarding Napo and the 2013 accounts. The statement, below, itself fails to address the two critical key points and indeed raises a stack more red flags as I discuss in some detail having chatted at length about this to the Dark Destroyer, Matt Earl.

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1927 days ago

Matt Earl Tweet, who is a very funny bear then?

Just to show that bears can tell jokes, here’s a Burford (BUR) tweet from Matt Earl. the Dark Destroyer.

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1994 days ago

70 Page Dossier from the Dark Destroyer Matt Earl takes apart Kerry Group

Shadowfall, the company run by bear raider Matt Earl, the “Dark Destroyer” has today published a 70 page dossier on 18 billion euro capitalised Kerry Group (KYGA). It is a pretty devestating analysis. The report can be accessed in full below.

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2241 days ago

Matthew Earl, the Dark Destroyer sticks the knife into First Derivatives ( he's right)

The September letter from Matt Earl to investors in his Shadowfall fund has found its way, via Winnileaks, into my possession. I gather Matt does not want it published but Winnileaks works both way Mr DD! I had a pop at First Derivatives (FDP) myself back in June despite it hailing from God's chosen lands of Ulster, as you can see HERE.  Matt goes into far more detail in the 47 page document you can see below. 

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2389 days ago

UK Investor Show Video 2018 The Bears session Lucian Miers, Matt Earl, Tom Winnifrith & Nigel Somerville

And the next video is the bears with myself, the Dark Destroyer Matt Earl, the Bard of the Boleyn Lucian Miers and a cameo by Nigel Somerville on Advanced Oncotherapy (AVO). On the agenda Telit (TCM), Tesla (TSLA), Mitie (MTO), IQE (IQE), RM2 (RM2),Avanti Communications (AVN), AIQ (AIQ) and a good stack more.

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2483 days ago

BREAKING: Bombshell 36 page dossier from the Dark Destroyer Matt Earl - IQE shares grossly overvalued

Matt Earl, the bear raider known as the Dark Destroyer is riding high after a string of recent big wins including Mitie (MTO). His next target is IQE (IQE) currently valued at c£890 million. Launching his new hedge fund Shadowfall Matt has produced a damning 36 page dossier which we reproduce in full below.

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2554 days ago

The Dark Destroyer warns that Mothercare won't exist in two years time

I was uber bearish on Mothercare (MTC) in yesterday's bearcast and could easily see it go to zero as I explained in full. My confidence in that assessment is reinforced by comments made by Matt Earl, the Dark Destroyer who is the Mothercare specialist in the global shorting conspiracy.

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2656 days ago

Mirada trading statement, feel that cashburn - placing ahoy

With apologies to my fellow bear Matt Earl, the Dark Destroyer, who is a NED at Mirada (MIRA) but today's trading statement moves swiftly from gushing about jam tomorrow to a a damning admission of the monumental cashburn which leave the balance sheet holed beneath the waterline. It is placing ahoy and for a company of this size that means bucket shops and a deep discount

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2667 days ago

Matt Earl, The Dark Destroyer says Purplebricks denial does not wash

Infamous short seller Matt Earl, aka the Dark Destroyer, has gone to war with Purplebricks (PURP) questioning its absurd valuation and also its response to last night's hatchet job on the BBC Watchdog programme. Earl notes:

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2920 days ago

The Dark Destroyer, Matt Earl warns Mitie shares to crash below 100p

Following yesterday's grim results from Mitie (MTO), the bear raider Matt Earl says that he went short at 210p last week and added to that short at 189p expecting the shares to halve or worse from here.

The "Dark Destroyer" comments:

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3263 days ago

Video: Tom Winnifrith, Lucian Miers, Matt Earl and Graham Neary 8 stocks going to Zero from Gold & Bears

This was one of the sparkiest sessions at Gold & Bears and I loved it. Each of myself, the bard of the Boleyn (Lucian Miers), the Dark Destroyer (Matt Earl) and Baby Bear (Graham Neary) selelected two stocks we thought were going to zero and explained why. They were: Fastjet (FJET), AO World (AO), Gulf Keystone (GKP), Slater & Gordon (SGH), Avanti Communications (AVN), Plus500 (PLUS), Tungsten (TUNG) and - bugger me - I can't remember Matt's other pick. Watch the video to find out, its a stormer.

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3283 days ago

15 More tickets for Gold & Bears on Offer for Saturday as new SuperBear stocks to zero session takes shape

We have now had a few last minute return tickets become available for Gold & Bears on Saturday and you can get your hands on them today. We will email them out tonight. And with speakers from across the world lined up Saturday looks set to be explosive. The SuperBears 7 big name stocks to go to zero session with myself, Lucian Miers, Graham Neary and the Dark Destroyer Matt Earl is set to really get the lawyers excited!

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3447 days ago

Tom Winnifrith BearCast Special - looking back to 2001 & the 2015 New Media Bubble

In this podcast I look back to my own experiences of the dotcom bubble of 2000-2001 you see I remember it well, the lunacy, the excess and how it all ended in 2001-2002. It ended in tears. My mind is drawn to this as I contemplate the New Media bubble of 2015 and signs that it too will end in tears. I refer to two excellent articles, one on Zero Hedge HERE and the other on this website by Matty Earl, the Dark Destroyer (HERE). Both offer real insight. And I then speculate on why New Media will blow up and on the wider ramifications.

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3556 days ago

Tungsten – A weedy Response is an open invitation to sell

After hours Tungsten (TUNG) responded to a dramatic fall in its share price with a statement that was so weedy that it almost makes me tempted to go short, something I have not done before. If this was aimed at getting punters to buy the shares it failed. CEO and AIM entrepreneur of the year 2014 (another reason to short) Edmund Truell still has serious questions to answer. 

Quite pointedly he knows that Matt Earl’s analysis HERE and HERE has spooked investors but has not answered his points made by the Dark Destroyer.

The company had c£27 million of cash as at October 31 but seems to be happily burning c£2.5 million a month. Now I refer you to the statement and the underline is mine:

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3684 days ago

Reader Poll – which of the 10 stocks in the Bear Portfolio will crash most by Christmas

So far the bear portfolio of Matt Earl (the Dark Destroyer), Evil Knievil (the fat man), Lucian Miers (the Bard of the Boleyn) and Tom Winnifrith (the Sheriff of AIM) is down by an average of 18.2%. Today one stock leaves the portfolio (New World) having duly collapsed and in its stead goes African Minerals (AMI) which will collapse. But which of our 10 shorts do you think will slump most by Christmas. The deadline for voting is midnight tonight as things are moving rapidly with at least one constituent.

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3757 days ago

The Top 10 Shorts for the summer reviewed – Naibu leads the way

A month ago myself, Evil Knievil, Lucian Miers and Matt Earl (the Dark Destroyer) agreed on a sort of joint top ten UK stocks to short for the summer. Since then the FTSE 100 has fallen by 8%.  As you can see below our average fall is 10.51% so we are doing okay so far. Only two of the ten are up. 

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3757 days ago

Naibu – a Poem by MP Earl, aged a bit more than 17 ¾

With a hat tip to EJ Thribb from Private Eye, Matt Earl, the Dark Destroyer, has penned a poem in honour of joke China AIM company Naibu (NBU) after its comedy statement of today. It reads:


Mr Lin throw Quangang in the bin.

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3778 days ago

Reader Poll – Which will be the next High Profile share price collapse from our Top 10 Shorts

Ten days ago, Lucian Miers, Matt Earl (The Dark Destroyer), Evil Knievil and I served up our top ten shorts in London. One of them, Avanti Communications (AVN), has already done the decent thing and issued a profits warning. So who will be next to see its shares price slump. Who do you think it will be? 

As a reminder, the original article is HERE. 

Deadline for voting is midnight Sunday in case one of the ten wishes to fess up on Monday Morning

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3780 days ago

Globo – Uh, Oh….

It is no secret that I am not a fan of Globo (GBO) – perhaps I shall have to treck up from the Mani to Athens for another visit. I sense things are getting exciting. For the bears.

Firstly I draw your attention to this absolutely devastating critique by Matt Earl, the dark destroyer out late yesterday.

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3785 days ago

Evil Knievil, Lucian Miers, Matt Earl and Tom Winnifrith – the top 10 stocks in London to short for summer

Anyone who was at UK Investor 2014 knows that the Bears session (HERE) saw some great calls. And so ahead of a long sweaty summer I asked Evil Knievil, Matt Earl (The Dark Destroyer) and Lucian Miers for their top 5 shorts of the summer and for good measure I add in my own. Between us we have thus compiled the top ten stocks to short in London!

Starring with the heavyweight – Evil Knievil. His top 5 are:

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3798 days ago

Watch Evil Knievil, Matt Earl and Lucian Miers on video at the UK Investor Show 2014 – how right they were

You may not like short sellers but the bear raider panel at the UK Investor Show 2014 called things right on a range of stocks from blinkx (BLNX), to Globo (GBO), to Quindell (QPP) as you can see in the video below. Evil Knievil, Lucian Miers and Matt Earl (The Dark Destroyer) have all promised to return for another main stage masterclass at UK Investor Show 2015 on April 18.

The 2015 show will also feature Nigel Wray, Paul Scott, Ed Croft, Mark Slater, Ben Edelman, Amanda Van Dyke, Dominic Frisby, and Vin Murria – in fact 50 big name speakers. Tickets are now on sale at £60 (Golden Ticket) and £12 (Investor ticket).

But you can buy early bird tickets at a 50% discount up until midnight tomorrow (Monday 30th June) HERE.

The 2014 video is below…

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