"this weakness being caused by friends of the company who are investing in the company's future through a PP."

It's a pretty picture you paint here but let's not get all maudlin. They are investing in their own future and using the company and every angle it offers to get there though it may disadvantage others in the short term. The company is just a vehicle. It's all about gain and it takes the vehicle to get there. I would change the "friends" of the the company to opportunists of the company. The former is not a criticism just my view of the way the biz works. The use of the word "friend' in relation to market transactions is a bit misplaced for my sense of it's use.