IQE is the leading global outsource supplier of customized epitaxial wafers to the semiconductor industry.

Their technology is of most advanced like AFM means Atomic Force Microscopy and moves a minuscule cantilever over an objects surface, a sharp tip passes over dips or rises punched in the surface and reads out digital information. This technology is not going to slow down it is going to speed up and has to replace most existing forms of memory storage by virtue of capacity and size.

The future of nano-technology, these tiny/minute robots would need very small processors and most sure strained silicon could provide these.

The low share price is due to uncertainty as to when the cash will run out, but I don't think this will happen as cash is of 12 to 15M and NAV of 30p, and losses are going to drop on the next 3 month and we could have profits on the Q4 2004.

Latest news from the Chairman were" The Group remains confident that it is in a strong position within the outsourcing market, although the protection of its cash position is paramount.
With a broad product portfolio allowing the customer base to use IQE as a 'one stop shop', a large available production capacity and a strong balance sheet, the Board believes the Group will benefit strongly as the overall semiconductor industry recovers and will continue to strengthen its position as the leading outsource supplier of advanced wafer products to the sector. "

Nearly all the recent results have been encouraging. Q4 accounts are being completed (30th Dec 2002). IQE know where they stand, if things had got worse their would have been a trading statement by now, and with Amberwave (IQE's partner) increasing its Asian presence, this is a bullish trend and a good point to pick up the shares @ 4.25p

Intraday

5 month MA and Indicators

Currently [at 1214h] Buys and Sells about equal - not really consistent with a 13.5% price drop?

Notable that Sells considerably outweigh Buys on 23 and 18 January.

23/01/2018 4,847,445 6,124,56 10,972,014

22/01/2018 6,090,012 6,533,487 12,623,499

19/01/2018 6,799,402 6,815,566 13,614,968

18/01/2018 4,131,915 6,552,626 10,684,541

17/01/2018 4,709,407 3,657,739 8,367,146

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-24/sony-falls-after-jpmorgan-downgrade-over-slowing-iphone-demand

massive volume today
average is about 11m but already 30m

must surely be many forced and panicked sales

Showing 15M buys to 14M sells but you can't trust those numbers. It is the momentum that matters. Looks like all chip makers are being hit after weakening iPhone reports. Am I the only one with an iPhone X?

Colourful!

Was the 100p a chance for many to close the shorts?
Is bouncing from that point

hard to tell, but as posted elsewhere, it is perhaps worth noting that AAPL continues to drift gently south while DOW continues to roar - as do AMZN and GOOG

44m traded as we head towards the close, 11m being the norm

Good trading for the brave. I'm not one of them, just sticking to my ISA holding!😀

Quite a tree shake. I made some money but it was squeaky bum time for a while. Lets see what tomorrow brings.

ultimately 49m traded!

iturama, if you can afford an X then this kind of trading is probably just pocket money for you??? ;o) (am plodding along with 4 year old Nexus 5)

Declared short interest now 12.2%

even i am finding the above rather worrying

We are assuming that the institutions who have opened these shorts have done considerable research and are confident of their conclusions. Some of that surely must be due to their hope that the Apple sales figures are going to be poor?

certainly the latter
as a precaution may cash in my AAPL sipp position with a decent 20% profit

if AAPL numbers are good next month, both AAPL and IQE will soar

i must also try to find the original QL article which i am sure was the prod that got me to buy IQE

Do those hedge funds have better info that Deutsche, Citi and Barclays etc? Maybe. Certainly cannot be ignored but you pays your money..
I must say that the practice of shorting does give "investing" a bad name. I would like to see the whole business more transparent.

i may i assume the 3 institutions you mention still rate IQE as hold or better?

The trouble with broker notes is that they never have any kind of time scale, so their target price probably doesn't consider any kind of short term movement.
The shorters were correct about CLLN. If the company is robust enough, the shorters will move on to seek out weaknesses elsewhere.

Cash generation has never been one of IQE's strongpoints, I think this is part of the reason for shorting, let us hope this can be improved in future.