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Strategies & Market Trends : Booms, Busts, and Recoveries -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TobagoJack who wrote (41458)	11/14/2003 4:19:15 PM
From: Cogito Ergo Sum	Respond to of 74559

Actually Jay, this time I was just engaging in some Friday afternoon banter on a day where gold teased us greatly but at days end all my ups and downs leave me basically flat ... with lots to think about this weekend to resume the up trend ..... I haven't thought of opportunities yet re: corn, possibly too late to party ?. The corn reference was (as I heard it) re: more spending on ethanol for fuel... No opening up of closed lands was biggest thing I got from the energy news.. regards Kastel

To: TobagoJack who wrote (41458)	11/14/2003 4:35:12 PM
From: elmatador	Respond to of 74559

The new dotcom Published: November 14 2003 15:33 \| Last Updated: November 14 2003 15:33 China is the new dotcom. Just as in 2000, the mention of a dotcom operation could prompt an immediate share price increase, any reference by a company to business with China seems to do the same today. Just look at the wild west ferment among London mining companies. Entrepreneurs are flocking to the City to raise money on the basis of a few mineral deposits that might one day serve China. Investors' enthusiasm for natural resources companies has seen the FTSE mining sector outperform the wider market's strong rally in recent months. Antofagasta, the Chilean copper miner listed in London, is a serious contender for joining the FTSE 100 following the 60 per cent increase in its share price since June. Even UK Coal, Britain's biggest coal producer, has been lifted by a big rise in world coal prices. Its shares have outperformed the market by 47 per cent in the past five months. Xstrata, BHP Billiton and Lonmin have all benefited from the rush into resources companies and a boom in commodity prices, with shares up by more than 40 per cent since June. The euphoria surrounding the miners is reminiscent of the bubble in technology, telecoms and media stocks three years ago, which left many investors nursing large losses when it burst. Indeed, some of the dealmakers and entrepreneurs who were involved in the dotcom boom are now turning up in London to raise money for new mining ventures. Investors such as Robert Hanson, son of Lord Hanson, has emerged as a backer of Ivanhoe Mining, which is trying to develop mineral deposits in Mongolia. Jim Slater, a prominent UK investor, has recently listed Galahad Gold in London. Brian Gilbertson, former chief executive of BHP Billiton, chairs Vedanta Resources, an Indian-based metals group, which plans to raise £420m with a London listing. Certainly this year's increase in commodities prices has been dramatic. Base and precious metals have risen to their highest points for many years on the back of recovering world industrial production and increasing Chinese demand. But how far this reflects an actual increase in consumption or a speculative run-up in price is the subject of much debate. Hedge funds and speculators have moved into commodities in recent months and this has amplified some of the pricemoves. Copper which has hit its highest point for six years has been buoyed by speculative activity. Many miners say the sharp rise in price is not reflected in a full order book for the metal. Aluminium is another metal where prices are riding high, but the supply and demand equation is roughly in balance for now. Martin Squires, commodities analyst at JP Morgan, points to nickel, which this week hit a 14-year high, as a market where sufficient supply is not expected to come through in time to satisfy rising demand. It takes several years to bring a new mine or production plant onstream and investment in resources capacity slumped during the late 1990s when prices were going nowhere. But the problem for miners is that often by the time new capacity is available, demand has died down. Chinese consumption has been a driving factor for resources companies' shares. But it probably cannot continue to grow at its current breakneck speed without the economy overheating. Another risk for investors is the rapid rise in freight costs, which are now at record levels. This makes it much more expensive to ship resources around the world and tankers are not built in a day. The recent rise in the miners is probably overdone, but investors may look at playing the commodity boom another way - by investing in shipping shares. Britain is obviously not the shipbuilding centre that it once was, but there are several companies that stand to gain from an increase in freight rates. Listed shipping brokers such as Clarkson and Braemar Seascope have seen their shares more than double this year. But Exel, the logistics and freight forwarding company, and Salvesen, the shipping operator, have both yet to benefit from the commodity boom. Their shares have underperformed the market this year, but both have recently been added to a couple of stockbrokers' buy lists. If the gold rush continues, their time may come. deborah.hargreaves@ft.com

To: TobagoJack who wrote (41458)	11/15/2003 12:00:34 PM
From: Jim Willie CB	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74559

Jackass First Promotional Article: Athlone (ATH.V=ALMLF) WATCH IT RISE TO A MULTIPLE PRICE JOIN IT OR MISS IT, a huge opportunity for profit "farm-ins" are the most optimal business model I've seen step in, take over, recoup costs immediately, then share profits, after somebody else found the natural gas fields wow, like taking candy from a Canuck baby !!! / jim 321gold.com Athlone: An Emerging Energy Explorer Jim Willie CB November 17, 2003 Symbol: ATH.V in Canada, ALMLF for US equivalent Corporate website: athlone.com A unique and highly profitable opportunity has presented itself with an embryonic little Canadian company, headquartered in Vancouver. Athlone is in the process of breaking onto the scene with a large scattering of natural gas drilling projects. In doing so, it will break loose to emerge among several medium-sized energy exploration firms working in western Canada. Several months ago, the company, under the leadership of CEO Paul Reynolds, was seeking and evaluating mining properties. He seized the opportunity to enlist a near legend in the Canadian natural gas industry. The course was changed from a focus on minerals (precious metals) to a focus on resources (oil & gas). Current conditions are suitable for major success in the near term for locating large pools of gas among current targets. Behind the scenes is David Smith, a 28-yr veteran with Shell Canada, who has been instrumental in the exploration and development of 15 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and oil equivalent in his illustrious career. At today's gas prices this represents an astounding $70 billion value. With his guidance Athlone is now kicking into gear, acquiring ripe properties in the western provinces of Canada. Athlone has installed Smith as the executive for exploration, where he can duplicate his oft-repeated success. This man has the magic touch, and is backed by experienced and successful board members. Both Smith and Reynolds have experience in western and northern Canada. They have reviewed 40 projects, and have so far acquired rights to three, including a large project. Two weeks ago, shareholders got final word of the contracts to secure the large array of Saskatchewan properties, with favorable working interest. This is a pure gas project. Their independent owners are eager to secure savvy corporate backers who wish to farm in and begin production. "Farm-ins" are a wonderful financial device for quickly participating in an existing, but stalled, project which has already demonstrated viability and production capability. The stalled independents lack the cash that Athlone has available, but do have the gas targets. Athlone would enjoy initial financial advantages for picking up the yoke. ATHLONE NEGOTIATES $4,085,000 FINANCING athlone.com Mon Nov 10, 2003 SASKATCHEWAN GAS PROSPECT athlone.com Mon Oct 27, 2003 MANAGEMENT APPOINTMENTS, OPTIONS GRANTED athlone.com Tues Sep 2, 2003 The scope of these Saskatchewan properties under contract is vast, stretching 15 miles by 30 miles, offering a potential one million cubic feet of natural gas production per day, per section. Currently, Athlone has 140 sections tied up with potential to add more ground. Smith believes they have the potential for exploiting 400 sections in all, with a section defined as a total of one square mile of land. Connecting pipelines are within close proximity to existing delivery systems, and will be completed at the optimal point in time. Many details are provided in the links above. The financial contract calls for Athlone to be first in line to recoup its upfront costs, then to share profits with their new partners. These are largely ten to twenty-year-old oil exploration wells, whose logged data indicates gas at relatively shallow depths. Gas was never exploited due to low prices and lack of infrastructure at that time. ---------- it continues with references to Dr Richard Appel's two opinions on Athlone, his track record, and strong financial justification for investing in the energy sector, with reasons owing to depletion, declining USDollar, continued Fed debasement of currency, commodity speculation, and weather spikes ... / jim