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Gold/Mining/Energy : SOUTH AFRICAN MINING -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: baystock who wrote (224)9/20/1998 5:02:00 PM
From: sea_urchin  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 472
 
Ram : They haven't a snowball's chance chance to get back ONE dollar --- the billion is simply a joke.

But, I'm sure someone, somewhere, will reflect the billion in a fantasy balance sheet in order to justify that the shares are worth $100 each. Or whatever.

But, you can never tell. Maybe Randgold will buy the company for $5 and then reflect the billion in its balance sheet!

A billion dollars US of new "assets" might cause the shares to move.



To: baystock who wrote (224)9/20/1998 6:21:00 PM
From: POLARBEAR  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 472
 

note RANGY rating Congo a low "C", and thus staying clear of trouble :)

Randgold grades every African country on a scale of A to D in four key categories: geological opportunity, political stability, economic situation and infrastructure. These ratings are then pooled to give an overall rating for each country, which guides investment decisions.

Countries which score overall "A" grades are those in which Randgold will invest its own money in grassroots exploration. Its most recent ratings list Burkino Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Mali, Senegal, and Tanzania as grade "A" countries.

Although a country's geological endowment is not the deciding factor in its rating, each of the current top performers scores an "A" for its known gold deposits. Without exception, they are also rated "B" for political stability -- arating which Mr Reynolds says would also extend to South Africa.

Assessments of geological potential are based on data from government departments and previous mining operations, as well as opportunities to acquire further data. A top grade generally reflects an "open file policy", which guarantees access to geological archives.

Countries which secure an "A" for geology but received a lower overall rating include Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger and Zimbabwe (which achieved "B" grades), and the Democratic Republic of Congo -- formerly Zaire -- which is richly endowed but scores poorly in the other categories and ranks as a "C" overall.

Countries which score an overall "B" are not beyond investment, but will not be considered by Randgold while other opportunities exist in "A" grade countries. "C" countries are often in the midst of rapid change following a revolution, a change in government, or the introduction of a new economic policy. Alternatively, they may fall into the category defined by Mr Reynolds as "insufficiently known". Those countries with "D" grades are those where investment is inconceivable.



To: baystock who wrote (224)9/20/1998 8:19:00 PM
From: Giraffe  Respond to of 472
 
>>But that is the risk of investments in 3rd world countries. At least RANGY has their assets spread over several countries.<<

Seems like Banro had all their eggs in one basket and now that basket is tucked under the arm of some guy in dirty fatigues carrying an AK-47 who is being shot at by a bunch of other guys in the middle of some godforsaken jungle.

Not where I'd want to put my money.