Nobody does. And yet these things do go under all the time. You...

Once a deal is signed off, the administrators will issue a letter to shareholders informing them that there will be no return of capital on their holdings. That's the time you can book your capital loss. Until then you will have to wait.

Nobody does. And yet these things do go under all the time. You need to watch carefully for the warning signs. It's difficult because companies put the best possible spin on their operations. I got burnt for thousands on SO4, and I regard myself as being especially careful after getting scorched badly when I rode Arrium all the way into the ground, averaging down all the way!