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To: ms.smartest.person who wrote (1844)	11/28/2006 2:09:25 PM
From: ms.smartest.person	Respond to of 3198

Aurelian investors frolic at end of rainbow Other junior explorers look to cash in By Nicole Strandlund - Business Edge Published: 11/24/2006 - Vol. 6, No. 24 * The Gold Rush: Aurelian Resources Inc. (TSXV:ARU) Recent Price: $37.01 Action: At its November peak price, up 9,248 per cent in under a year. 52-week high: $43 (Nov. 1, 2006) 52-week low: $0.46 (Dec. 30, 2005) Aurelian is one of those stories you wish you could tell around the campfire - a speculative bet that hits the roof. The Ecuadoran gold mining company hit the motherlode this year, and investors who took a shot are dancing with the leprechaun at the end of the rainbow. You want to join in, you say? You're not alone. Junior exploration companies are scurrying to scoop up property around Aurelian's key sites, hoping to become the next big water-cooler story. Plexmar Resources (TSXV:PLE) controls Peruvian properties near the border with Ecuador. Goldmarca Limited (TSXV:GRL) has property 530 metres east of the Aurelian find. Skeena Resources (TSXV:SKE), Oromonte Resources (TSXV:ORR) and Lateegra Resources (TSXV:LRG) are also in the ring. Will any of these companies be the next to hit the jackpot in them thar hills? Perhaps. But whether you're a part of the celebration at the end depends on whether you're willing to chase rainbows. * The "SAD" Story: Vicwest Income Fund (TSX:VIC.UN) Recent Price: $10.65 Action: Down $6.40 or 37.5 per cent in a week, from $17.05 on Oct. 13, 2006 52-week high: $19.95 (Aug. 14, 2006) 52-week low: $10.38 (Nov. 13, 2006) 'Tis the season for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and as the weather turns colder, so do the earnings of this fund. Revenue of the fund's Ontario-based Vicwest business unit, which manufactures metal roofing, siding and other metal building products, fluctuates with the seasonality of the construction industry. Although his words may not lighten the blues of unitholders, Robert Skull, president and CEO of the company, is taking the news in stride. He attributed third-quarter drops in revenue to a return to "more historical levels" from the record-breaking numbers of 2005 and forecasts further revenue decreases in the fourth quarter, also due to seasonality. So there may be a little more sliding to do. But remember - you have to get to the bottom of the hill before you can pick up your board and climb to the top for another run. * The Magic Gates: Four Seasons Hotels Inc. (TSX:FSH) Recent Price: $93.10 Action: Up $20.95 or 29 per cent in one day on news, from $72.11 on Nov. 3 to $93.06 on Nov. 6. 52-week high: $95.35 (Nov. 6, 2006) 52-week low: $54.21 (Dec. 8, 2005) This Gates may not be pearly, but he is magic. On Nov. 6, Bill Gates and Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud (reputedly the wealthiest businessman in the Muslim world) joined Four Seasons Hotels' CEO Isadore Sharp in a bid to take the hotel chain private for $3.7 billion cash, or $82 per share. In the deal, Triples Holdings Ltd., the Sharp family's holding company, would own about 10 per cent of Four Seasons' shares through a class of special voting shares. The balance of the stock would be split equally between Kingdom Hotels International, a trust established by the Saudi prince, and Gates' Cascade Investment LLC. The hotel company has established a committee to review and consider the offer. Pending board and shareholder approvals, the deal will likely be completed by the first quarter of 2007. The company's quarterly results released Nov. 9 missed analysts' expectations, but that hardly made a blip on the stock's radar. * The New Kid on the Block: Hostopia.com Inc. (TSX: H) Recent Price: $6. Action: Opened for trading Nov. 13. 52-week high: $6.25 (Nov. 13, 2006) 52-week low: $6.00 (Nov. 13, 2006) Hostopia.com is a Florida-based wholesaler of private-label web, e-mail and application hosting services, with an operations office in Toronto. If you've never read IPO documentation before, Hostopia.com's might be a good place to start. Even those who typically consider financial reports a cure for insomnia may enjoy these records. IPO filings offer a rare peek into the workings of a company, including executive salaries (all less than $160,000 in Hostopia.com's case) and risks the company faces - it is sort of a worst-case scenario document. But Hostopia.com may not only be a good read, it may be a stock to watch. The company's revenue has doubled in two years, from $8.98 million in 2004 to $17.96 in 2006 (year ending March 31) and its net earnings have increased from a loss of $144,000 in 2004 to a profit of $2 million in 2006. Second-quarter results were slated to be released Nov. 15. (This article is not intended as investment advice to buy or sell any mentioned securities. Investors should do due diligence before investing. Quotes are based on results through Nov. 13.) (Nicole Strandlund can be reached at nicole@businessedge.ca) web watch: nicole@businessedge.ca copyright 2004 Business Edge businessedge.ca