If you’d invested in: Bango and Vernalis

If only

Cambridge-based Bango (Aim: BGO) develops technology that enables payments to be made via mobile phones. Bango collects a fee on each transaction made. Revenue was up by 200% in the year to 31 December, with strong growth predicted this year too. Losses narrowed to £4.6m from £5m the year before, and the firm expects to break even in the "near term", with profitability coming in the "medium term". The shares have risen by more than 150% in the last 12 months.

Be glad you didn't

Pharmaceutical firm Vernalis (Aim: VER) markets cough and cold medicine, antibiotics and migraine treatments in the US via its office in Pennsylvania, with more cough and cold products under development at its research centre in the UK. Latest interim results for the six months to

31 December showed losses rising and revenue falling. But the firm has plenty of cash and no debt. Investors have been abandoning the shares, however. The stock price is down by more than 50% in the last year.

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