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David Blackwell, the FT’s Smaller Companies Correspondent, has worked on the company news desk since the early 1990s and has followed Aim (the Alternative Investment Market) closely since its launch by the London Stock Exchange in 1995. His Small Talk column, which appears on Fridays, covers a broad range of issues affecting smaller listed companies, including those on Aim and Ofex. He has twice been Aim Journalist of the Year, and also won the award for best research at the Aim 10th birthday awards in October 2005.
In previous posts at the FT he has been Commodities Editor and worked on the International Company News Desk. - -
Public relations immaturity in getting message across
The perception of many chief executives that small caps are too often ignored has been exacerbated by the success of Aim in attracting more than 1,700 companies
Bullish Ambrian disregards history to buy Nabarro
The name of Nabarro Wells will for ever be associated with the LSE’s first fine of one of its nomads under the tighter Aim rules introduced early last year
Dividends prove crucial to Aim investors’ perceptions
The conventional wisdom of most boards of Aim companies is that dividends are not so important as capital growth
Textbook case of how to develop a company on Aim
Investors far-sighted enough to predict the surge in oil prices might have been prepared a year or so back to risk a punt on some of the oil and gas exploration companies listed on Aim
A small but appreciative audience for private equity
For companies and institutions with cash or equity easily available, parts of the small-cap arena represent a buyer's market
Superconductors could hit the right note for Zenergy
Aim investors should abide by the adage that if something looks too good to be true, it usually is. However, there are some amazing stories that cannot be easily assimilated
Pioneer finds first-rate reasons for secondary listing
Liquidity is a holy grail for the companies that make up the long tail of Aim. A newcomer is endeavouring to build a business by using the traditions of Chinese medicine
Aim’s Chinese oaks need remninbi revaluation
Chinese companies on Aim had a pretty good year in 2006. No less a fan than Clara Furse, chief executive of the London Stock Exchange, praised them as “tomorrow’s oak trees”
Amid the flak it's regulation with an Aim that's true
A survey of the Aim market suggests that the debate on appropriate levels of regulation is far from over
Very lucky to have got away scot-free for so long
Costs for companies on Aim and Plus are set to rise by at least £460 this year. That is the minimum levy to be imposed by the FRC, which regulates UK corporate reporting


