If you don't mind going against the crowd, take a look at some of the 'peerless' companies listed on the market. They offer unique opportunities

How often do you back companies that don't fit into any obvious sector, slot or niche? You know, those curios engaged in such a unique line of work that they seem to have no rivals. In my experience, these peerless wonders are often over-looked by the market for the simple reason that there are no benchmarks by which to judge them.

I recently spoke to Keith Young, chief executive at AIM business Murgitroyd, the worlds' only quoted patent and trademark attorney. According to Young, the group's uniqueness definitely has disadvantages. He says 'there are those who don't invest in us because they like benchmarking [and] there's also a category of investor that doesn't understand us.'

At present, Murgitroyd is emerging from the uncertainty in the global intellectual property market, caused in part by Gulf War II, is making a credible assault on Europe and, following a round of restructuring, is looking a leaner beast than ever before.

The half-time numbers to November showed profits power up from £7,000 to £243,000 on a 14 per cent hike in turnover to £5.8 million. Young assures me that prospects in Europe are 'exciting', due largely to the burgeoning market for patent applications.

Issued at 121p, the shares currently trade at 157p, giving the debt-free venture a market cap of £13 million – or just over one times annual sales. In my view, one worth picking up.

The allure of ARC

Another AIM stock in a unique space is ARC Risk Management, the self-styled 'global security' company that recently raked in £750,000 via an institutional placing at 1.5p.

City folk say ARC has no identical, directly comparable competitor for its red24 security information service. This offers 24-hour security and safety advice to 'important' individuals as well as a unique preventative and reactive service for those that get into a spot of bother.

If, like me, you've been following this unusual concern you will have noticed that its business deals have been starting to rack up.

ARC now has a data licensing agreement with World Access for red24, as well as long-term agreements with household name HSBC as well as insurer Hiscox. The World Access deal will help expand red24 in the US.

Its financials are showing improvement – in the half to September, pre-tax losses widened from £189,000 in 2002 to £328,000, but this figure represented a 50 per cent reduction on the previous six months. Turnover improved from £132,000 to £507,000.

For the full year, Seymour Pierce's John Beddoe expects a £643,000 loss, swinging to a £225,000 profit and earnings of 0.11p for 2005. ARC holds many speculative attractions.

Christie's appeal

Something of an anomaly on the main board is Christie, which has no obvious comparative rival – due largely to its sheer range of interests – and only blue-blooded broker Cazenove following the stock.

The business embraces Christie & Co, a business sales and valuations arm, and financial services business Christie First. It also comprises Pinders, which values and appraises businesses and business premises, has a retail software solutions business and, just to mix matters up a little more, a retail stocktaking business.

In September Christie posted outstanding interim numbers with sales up 47 per cent to £31.6 million and profits powering ahead from £147,000 to £1.1 million.

There are no forecasts available ahead of the full year figures out in April, but the 113p price gives a market cap of less than £28 million, which is less th`an the group's interim sales. I feel there's more to come from these shares.