House Positions for C:APHA from 20190104 to 20190104

House	Bought	$Val	Ave	Sold	$Val	Ave	Net	$Net
79 CIBC	501,594	4,087,981	8.15	430,896	3,508,615	8.143	70,698	-579,366
80 National Bank	66,130	540,293	8.17	8,100	66,027	8.151	58,030	-474,266
2 RBC	211,338	1,716,889	8.124	184,809	1,506,393	8.151	26,529	-210,496
7 TD Sec	378,139	3,075,428	8.133	352,371	2,876,192	8.162	25,768	-199,236
9 BMO Nesbitt	78,459	637,830	8.129	57,387	468,988	8.172	21,072	-168,842
65 Goldman	18,202	148,494	8.158	5,200	42,387	8.151	13,002	-106,107
62 Haywood	9,936	81,177	8.17	0			9,936	-81,177
143 Pershing	7,170	58,381	8.142	585	4,726	8.079	6,585	-53,655
13 Instinet	42,700	347,665	8.142	36,800	299,897	8.149	5,900	-47,768
124 Questrade	73,469	598,781	8.15	69,551	567,064	8.153	3,918	-31,717
39 Merrill Lynch	276,709	2,263,092	8.179	273,369	2,224,588	8.138	3,340	-38,504
85 Scotia	138,893	1,129,262	8.13	137,650	1,120,420	8.14	1,243	-8,842
57 Interactive	1,380	11,225	8.134	648	5,294	8.17	732	-5,931
99 Jitney	75,500	615,912	8.158	74,800	608,032	8.129	700	-7,880
6 Infor	1,500	12,170	8.113	1,000	8,190	8.19	500	-3,980
101 SG Capital	400	3,300	8.25	0			400	-3,300
14 ITG	200	1,620	8.10	0			200	-1,620
48 Laurentian	800	6,472	8.09	800	6,520	8.15	0	48
36 Latimer	188	1,537	8.176	379	3,083	8.135	-191	1,546
28 BBS	370	2,982	8.059	600	4,924	8.207	-230	1,942
25 Odlum	0			2,000	16,410	8.205	-2,000	16,410
19 Desjardins	21,898	178,120	8.134	26,860	218,790	8.146	-4,962	40,670
88 Credential	25,967	210,212	8.095	49,837	408,779	8.202	-23,870	198,567
53 Morgan Stanley	2,800	22,742	8.122	50,700	412,546	8.137	-47,900	389,804
1 Anonymous	332,128	2,711,150	8.163	501,528	4,084,850	8.145	-169,400	1,373,700
TOTAL	2,265,870	18,462,715	8.148	2,265,870	18,462,715	8.148	0	0

The Old Pump And Dump Raged In 2018

The old pump and dump scam has been around since the beginning of time, but 2018 brought two examples of how social media can help bring it on at high speed.

The hype around bitcoin and cannabis stocks helped launch the prices of both way beyond any realistic fundamentals. In the case of the cryptocurrency, there were no fundamentals – just an intangible belief they were worth something. That belief jolted the price of the cryptocurrency by 1,638 per cent from April 2017 to December 2017. Over the course of 2018 it plunged to one-fifth of its perceived value.

Some cannabis stocks weathered 2018 better than others, but the hype surrounding Canada’s legalization of recreational cannabis starting Oct. 17 boosted the sector as a whole (measured by the Horizons Marijuana ETF) by 80 per cent in the preceding two months only to give it all back once expectations became reality.          

By the time both reached their highs the pump and dumpers had cashed out and, in some cases, taken short positions. It’s hard to tell the difference between true believers and pump and dumpers on social media but here are three warning signs that you might be getting played:

• It can only go up: Advice that doesn’t recognize the risk of something going down in price is bad advice. In investment lingo it’s called “talking your book.” In most cases the advice is coming from someone who owns the security and wants to get everyone on board to move the price higher.  
• Act now before it’s too late: Creating a false sense of urgency is an old trick to discourage investors from properly researching their purchases.
• It’s complicated: Many pump and dumpers try to bamboozle their marks with jargon that doesn’t add up. That’s especially true with bitcoin’s pretzel-like mathematical formulas that seem to prove it is the currency of the future.

How bitcoin can have any value is a bit of a head-scratcher even at the current price but that’s not to say cryptocurrencies or cannabis stocks are worthless. Prices of any investment boil down to underlying earnings, and if the earnings can’t justify the price in 2019 – it’s all just hype.  

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca

GMP Securities raises CRON from C$14.00 to C$24.00

Cronos Group (TSE:CRON) had its price target boosted by equities research analysts at GMP Securities from C$14.00 to C$24.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday. GMP Securities’ target price would indicate a potential upside of 40.19% from the company’s current price. Separately, Canaccord Genuity increased their target price on Cronos Group from C$9.00 to C$17.00 in a report on Monday. 

Dec 12 2018 TSE:CRON opened at C$17.12 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.58, a quick ratio of 5.74 and a current ratio of 9.02. Cronos... 

https://www.tickerreport.com/banking-finance/4008685/cronos-group-cron-pt-raised-to-c24-00.html

Post/CP say Aphria rejects Xanthic's overtures

Post/CP say Aphria rejects Xanthic's overtures

Aphria Inc (C:APHA)
Shares Issued 249,762,289
Last Close 12/28/2018 $8.52

Monday December 31 2018 - In the News

The Financial Post reports in its Saturday edition that Aphria shares shot up as much as 14 per cent early Friday before easing back as investors responded to an American company's takeover proposal that valued the cannabis company at $2.8-billion. 

A Canadian Press dispatch to the Post says that Aphria shares were off their early highs at $8.46 after 30 minutes of trading at the Toronto Stock Exchange, up 89 cents from Thursday's close at $7.57. Ohio-based Xanthic Biopharma, which does business as Green Growth Brands, announced after Thursday's close that its offer valued its own shares at $7 each and Aphria shares at $11 per share. Aphria responded before markets opened on Friday, saying the actual value of Xanthic shares is substantially lower than the announced offer price and, at current market rates, undervalues the Leamington, Ont., cannabis producer. In early trading Friday, 

Xanthic shares fell 7 per cent to $4.60, down 38 cents, at the Canadian Securities Exchange. At that price, its offer of 1.5714 Xanthic shares would value Aphria shares at about $7.23. 

Aphria said in a statement Friday that "their proposal falls short of rewarding our shareholders for participating in such a transaction."

© 2018 Canjex Publishing Ltd.

Unfortunately, Mr. Hodson says no end is in sight. As long as (a) investors continue to panic, and rush to sell any stock targeted by short sellers, and (b) regulators do nothing, then we are likely to continue to see Canadian companies attacked by "short and distort" reports posted on the Internet.