If you'd invested in: Obtala and Advanced Oncotherapy

published 10 February 2017

If only...

Obtala (Aim: OBT) is an east African food and timber producer, with operations in Mozambique and Tanzania. Its farm division produces fresh produce for domestic and international markets, while its forestry division supplies the domestic market in Mozambique. It's not currently profitable, but the management team believes the "equity market hasn't recognised the value" of its assets. The share price has, however, risen by more than 200% in the last year.

Be glad you didn't

Advanced Oncotherapy(Aim: AVO) develops particle beam therapy systems for cancer treatment, with a research centre in Switzerland and manufacturing plant in the US. The company is hoping to open a treatment centre on Harley Street, but termination of a contract to install two systems in hospitals in China has dented investors' confidence and could see the company facing a legal battle. A boardroom reshuffle may be adding to investors' jitters. The share price has fallen by over 50% in the last year.

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Ben studied modern languages at London University's Queen Mary College. After dabbling unhappily in local government finance for a while, he went to work for The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh. The launch of the paper's website, scotsman.com, in the early years of the dotcom craze, saw Ben move online to manage the Business and Motors channels before becoming deputy editor with responsibility for all aspects of online production for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News websites, along with the papers' Edinburgh Festivals website.

Ben joined MoneyWeek as website editor in 2008, just as the Great Financial Crisis was brewing. He has written extensively for the website and magazine, with a particular emphasis on alternative finance and fintech, including blockchain and bitcoin.

As an early adopter of bitcoin, Ben bought when the price was under $200, but went on to spend it all on foolish fripperies.