Bns Telecom Share Discussion Threads

[mattybuoy] 29/2/2008 15:41

Just went into Trading Halt ...

[pecker1] 29/2/2008 15:29

BTP has a booth at the PDAC in Toronto which starts on Sunday. Wonder what they say to visitors or will they announce drill results later today or Monday am?

[frizzers] 22/2/2008 20:05

Those of you who were The Silver Summit and saw the excellent presentation by Marifil mining, an explorer in Argentina, and then bought stock at 50c will have been disappointed to see the stock drift down to almost 30c.

Despite

striking gold on one property

then

cutting base metals and indium on another.

Then they announce today that they have struck platinum and the stock is up 45% on the day so far.



If only BTP could get these results out!

[rob ejs] 21/2/2008 21:12

It's a possible scenario but if that was the case then Bhati seems to have been sucked in by an over optimistic Dr John Finlay because he wouldn't have done the below without it imho. All speculation though, I just wish the bloody results would land and we can know either way!

Filing Date Transaction Date Insider Name Ownership Type Securities Nature of transaction # or value acquired or disposed of Unit Price
Jan 14/08 Sep 06/07 Duras, Greg Direct Ownership Options 00 - Opening Balance-Initial SEDI Report
Sep 05/07 Sep 05/07 Bharti, Stan Direct Ownership Warrants Full Warrants 11 - Acquisition carried out privately 4,914,065
Sep 05/07 Sep 05/07 Bharti, Stan Direct Ownership Common Shares 11 - Acquisition carried out privately 4,914,065 $0.110
May 28/07 May 22/07 Bharti, Stan Direct Ownership Common Shares 10 - Disposition in the public market -9,000 $0.137
May 28/07 May 24/07 Bharti, Stan Direct Ownership Common Shares 10 - Disposition in the public market -130,000 $0.135
May 28/07 May 24/07 Bharti, Stan Direct Ownership Common Shares 10 - Disposition in the public market -19,000 $0.135
May 28/07 May 25/07 Bharti, Stan Direct Ownership Common Shares 10 - Disposition in the public market -89,000 $0.135
May 22/07 May 16/07 Bharti, Stan Direct Ownership Common Shares 10 - Disposition in the public market -35,000 $0.140
May 22/07 May 17/07 Bharti, Stan Direct Ownership Common Shares 10 - Disposition in the public market -17,000 $0.140
May 16/07 May 14/07 Bharti, Stan Direct Ownership Common Shares 10 - Disposition in the public market -200,000 $0.150
- Amended Filing

[smilewithme] 21/2/2008 18:06

Platinum and Palladium – Great for Franconia Minerals

JPMorgan sets $26 price target for Stillwater on palladium strength.



Well, how does that concern companies in the Duluth District such as Franconia, Polymet and Duluth Metals?

There are supply concerns in South Africa that are driving the price of PGMs a lot higher. (Platinum around $2150/oz and Palladium around $510/oz) And, we are seeing more interest in North American miners.

Stillwater are the only US producer of Palladium and Platinum – understand that they mine, per year, around 600,000 ozs PGMS.

Polymet should become the second producer followed by Franconia and Duluth.

Since I am more familiar with Franconia:

Franconia, , plan "combined annual production of 74 million lbs copper, 19 million lbs nickel, 2.9 million lbs cobalt, 7,400 oz gold, 33,000 oz platinum and 68,000 oz palladium over a 26-year mine life at Birch Lake and a 24-year mine life at Maturi"

That's around 100,000 ozs per year (with I believe similar ratios to Stillwater)

Stillwater market cap is around $1.7 Billion compared to Franconia's $91 Million ie Stillwater is around 20 times bigger than Franconia but it's PGM production is only 6 times bigger (than FRA potential) !

Now, Franconia's main value is Nickel/ Copper. The PGMs only account for around 15% of the total.

That's remarkable. Using only Franconia's PGM and Stillwater as an example, FRA could once it is in similar production have a market cap of around $300 million – for PGM metals alone.

Eventually, the marker should waken up to the PGM potential of the Duluth District companies.

[richoneday] 20/2/2008 19:15

Interesting that Alternative Networks are at 1x Revenues and BNS are at a third of that?

Profit is always a good leveller but BNS ripe for takepver IMHO

[mr le n] 20/2/2008 19:07

BTP mentioned again

I must confess I would like to have seen the stock close nearer the high of the day, but the chart still looks bullish. It all depends on its drill results, which, hopefully, will be published by the time you read this.

Well, that didn't happen

[red ninja] 19/2/2008 12:58

If they were already stunning then surely you would release without the Rhodium results and wait for those later ?

[smilewithme] 18/2/2008 16:14

energyi

cheers and I like the £ 130.75 for SLV....another ten bagger from here ;-)

[energyi] 18/2/2008 00:49

dont forget Franconia Minerals FRA on TSX, who should be in platinum production in the US in 2011

Symbol : Company...... AMC/oz*:Stk price/ Primary listing

ARQ.t- : Anooraq.......... 11 : C$ 2.82 / Toronto - 1690733

FRA.t- : Franconia Min'ls. xx : C$ 1.53 / Toronto - 1914001

--

MAJOR Platinum stocks

The world's three major PGM stocks, were, and continue to be led, by
Impala (IMP SJ, R299.00),
Anglo Platinum (AMS SJ, R1215.00),
Lonmin (LMI LN, £32.61)

The number 4 producer, Northam (NHM SJ, R56.00),

Tier II platinum stocks
such as Aquarius over.
Tier Two names, viz.,
Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP, £16.43)
Northam Platinum (JSE: NHM, R57),
and then the bigger explorers,
Ridge Mining,
Platinum Group Metals (TSX: PTM, C$3.70),
Platmin (TSX: PPN, $7.75).
North American group, comprising
Stillwater Mining (NYSE: SWC, $14.04),
North American Palladium (TSX: PDL, $10.27).

[smilewithme] 17/2/2008 16:38

Seismic shift for platinum stocks
South African issues, not least power, could see its platinum stock names rearranged in a way unimaginable just months ago.

Author: Barry Sergeant
Posted: Tuesday , 12 Feb 2008

JOHANNESBURG -

Well known platinum stocks have reacted belatedly to runaway records in a number of PGM metal prices, led by platinum and rhodium hopping to records day after day, as triggered by electricity problems in South Africa, which produces about two-thirds of the world's platinum group metals.

For months, it seems, just two PGM stocks - Aquarius (AQP LN, £6.92 a share), and Eastplats (ELR CN, C$3.25) - were trading in line with rising metal prices. The world's three major PGM stocks, were, and continue to be led, by Impala (IMP SJ, R299.00), with Anglo Platinum (AMS SJ, R1215.00), the biggest in terms of output, lagging, and Lonmin (LMI LN, £32.61) stumbling.

All told, platinum stocks across the board, including explorers and developers, are currently trading an average - simply measured - of nearly 35% lower than recorded 12-month highs in stock prices. A number of South Africa's issues have been well canvassed since the country's mines were hit by crippling power outages on January 24, not least upcoming mining royalties, and an increasingly sour political climate.

South Africa's Big Three platinum mines are tributes to man's endeavour to accomplish very difficult things. Besides the challenges of hard rock mining, some of the world's most complicated in-line smelters finally produce a multi-mineral matte that spends months in refineries, finally trickling out as refined platinum, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium, osmium, palladium, gold, nickel, copper, and yet further metals and minerals.

The number 4 producer, Northam (NHM SJ, R56.00), also runs smelters, and sends its final matte-type product offshore for refining. Tier II platinum stocks such as Aquarius typically hold offtake agreements with one of the Big Three; Impala runs a special division, Impala Refining Services, for this purpose. Offtake agreements save the smaller stocks from the huge capital investment required for smelters and refineries, and the expensive, rare manpower to keep it all turning over.

From a smelter viewpoint, Merensky reef remains most in demand (requiring lower smelter temperatures), followed by UG2, and still-rarely seen Platreef. On this score, given the dire need to use less electricity, the best targets - companies with shallow Merensky - would be Platinum Group Metals (PTM CN, C$3.51), at 200m down, followed by Wesizwe (WEZ SJ, R10.15), at about 600m down. Eastplats is relatively shallow, but with UG2, and an existing offtake agreement with Impala. And while Wesizwe may be deeper than Platinum Group Metals (with an offtake agreement with Anglo Platinum), Wesizwe offers a higher grade resource, and no offtake agreement as yet.

The sudden new era in South Africa has produced a veritable alphabet soup in the platinum sector. In research published this week, analysts at Royal Bank of Canada singled out a number of platinum names with low(er) electricity demand (shallow) high grades or high margins (to cope with cost increases), bottom quartile costs (shallow with high grades), good ore (in the case of the PGM companies, sought after high sulphide ore) and finally, having the potential to expand, even in a constrained electricity environment.

Companies that fit all or most of these parameters will likely also become very highly sought after by those that have none or very few of these attributes, the analysts argue. If electricity problems are the central driver for the analyst's "stock picking" attempt, good value is found in Platmin (PPN CN, C$7.28), Eastplats, Platinum Group Metals, Anooraq (ARQ CN, C$3.26), and Platinum Australia (PLA AU, A$2.59).

While Northam is moving towards a substantial longer term expansion, it is seen as being on the spot now in terms of flexibility, and could be attracted into either targeting or merging with Platmin and/or Aquarius. Much of Aquarius' advantage lies in its absence of smelters and a refinery, and top grade management. In the current environment, smelters and refineries are seen as "a problem" for Anglo Platinum and Impala.

This raises the question of whether the Big Three can declare force majeure on offtake agreements, which typically carry a margin around 10%, against an internal margin of around 50% plus. It makes simple economic sense to replace third party material with in-house stuff. At the very least, it's common sense to cut down third party ore in order to cut down internal electricity consumption.

Taken to the extreme, it would be possible to simply mine ore and sell sans even milling and concentrating to one of the Big Three. This could be attractive for the potential buyers, given the need for Merensky, and could even see the Big Three cutting back on mining UG2. This would leave the third party miner with very low electricity costs indeed. Some names such as Aquarius are seen as shining on this kind of analysis, but its existing offtake agreements stand for now.

[smilewithme] 17/2/2008 16:30

energyi

dont forget Franconia Minerals FRA on TSX, who should be in platinum production in the US in 2011

"A preliminary economic assessment shows that the company's Birch Lake and Maturi deposits near Babbitt over a 26-year mine life, could each year produce 74 million pounds of copper, 19 million pounds of nickel, 2.9 million pounds of cobalt, 68,000 ounces of palladium, 33,000 ounces of platinum, and 7,400 ounces of gold"

[energyi] 17/2/2008 03:27

Sorting the platinum winners
A roadmap to potential merger & acquisition activity in this red- hot sector.

Author: Barry Sergeant
Posted: Friday , 13 Apr 2007

JOHANNESBURG -

Sky-high platinum, palladium and rhodium prices have intensified speculation over potential merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in South Africa's Bushveld igneous complex, host to the world's biggest contiguous platinum group metal (PGM) deposits.

South Africa's new minerals policy, along with sustainable growth in global demand for PGMs, have spurred the creation of a number of junior PGM players, now all in play, alongside the long-established stalwarts, Anglo Platinum (JSE: AMS, R1220 a share; OTC: AGPPY, $168.5 a share), Impala Platinum (JSE: IMP, R235; OTC: IMPUF, $29.75), and Lonmin (LSE: LMI, £34.22; JSE: LON R485).

There is also Russia's Norilsk, which produces significant ounces of platinum and especially palladium, but as byproducts to nickel. Norilsk, indeed, produces more palladium that the rest of the world put together.

Previous M&A activity amid the Bushveld complex has included Lonmin, which acquired Messina, and more recently, AfriOre. African Platinum (AIM: APP, £0.54) is currently under offer by Impala. On Thursday, the stock price of Eland Platinum (JSE: ELD, R102.50) shot up on an official cautionary that it's involved in talks. On Friday, Ridge Mining (AIM: RDG, £1.19) jumped in London as investors continued to speculate about which platinum junior may become the next play for predators.

In the background on Friday, palladium moved up for the seventh consecutive day to $375 an ounce, near its highest in almost a year, and platinum moved to around $1,272 an ounce, the highest since November 21 when it touched $1,403. Precious metals are hot, with PGMs leading precious metal equities as hefty market prices for byproducts such as nickel help to top up burgeoning corporate cash flows.

Beyond the three major platinum diggers, the so-called Tier One PGM stocks, specialists also follow Tier Two names, viz., Aquarius Platinum (LSE: AQP, £16.43) and Northam Platinum (JSE: NHM, R57), and then the bigger explorers, Ridge Mining, Platinum Group Metals (TSX: PTM, C$3.70), and Platmin (TSX: PPN, $7.75). Then there is the so-called North American group, comprising two established players in Stillwater Mining (NYSE: SWC, $14.04), and North American Palladium (TSX: PDL, $10.27).

Then there are the outliers: Anooraq Resources (TSX: ARQ, $2.30), Eastern Platinum (TSX: ELR, $2.07), Platinum Australia (ASX: PLA, $1.68), Wesizwe (JSE: WEZ, R11.30), and Nkwe (ASX: NKP, $1.19), among others.

Outside Tier One and Two, Eastern Platinum carries the highest market value, at $1.2bn. Last year Eastern Platinum graduated to "Canada's largest" PGM producer when it acquired an indirect majority stake (69%) in Barplats, with interests in operations and projects in the Bushveld complex at Crocodile River, Kennedy's Vale, Spitzkop, and Mareesburg.

Analyst Mark Smith at RBC Capital Markets has developed a sophisticated model for valuing PGM stocks, but thankfully, the analysis of the smaller PGM stocks can be usefully focused on the so-called adjusted market capitalisation (AMC) per ounce, based on the most generous definition of resources. The numbers suggest that Pan Palladium is by far the "cheapest" stock, at just $2 AMC (also known as enterprise value) per ounce.

This is followed by Ridge Mining at $7, Anooraq ($8), African Platinum ($10, under offer from Impala), AfriOre ($15, taken out by Lonmin), Eastern Platinum ($15), Nkwe ($15), Platinum Group Metals ($28), Platmin ($31), Eland ($42), Platinum Australia ($55), and Wesizwe ($68).

A number of specialist precious metals investors have singled Platmin out of this group, favoured for its near-surface high-grade Bushveld platinum asset, plus longer-term growth in underground assets adjacent to Lonmin's Messina mine. Platmin is anticipating pro-forma potential production of 500 000 ounces a year PGMs.

Access to smelting and refining is another critical factor in evaluating potential M&A in the South African PGM sector. The scramble is on to build new smelters and refineries, long the preserve of the established Big Three. A number of the juniors, however, have toll contracts, not least with Impala Refining Services (IRS). Others, such as Anooraq, score access by running joint ventures, in this case, with Anglo Platinum, on the east and north limb of the Bushveld complex. Eastern Platinum's life-of-mine toll with IRS applies only to Crocodile River; its other interests are up for toll negotiation.

None of Platmin's four projects have offtake contracts, but Lonmin owns 22% of the company, at least for now. Ridge Mining has an offtake with IRS on Blue Ridge, but no deal yet for Sheba's Ridge; and so on. Given the positioning of projects, there appear to be natural consolidation deals for some listed stocks, such as Platinum Group Metals and Wesizwe. Such a merged entity could form an interesting target for Aquarius, which could look to pooling agreements with Anglo Platinum.

There is also good potential corporate activity from within Anglo Platinum, given extended delays in its black economic empowerment (BEE) plans. Anglo Platinum already operates 11 platinum mines in South Africa, and one in Zimbabwe. Potential deals from the Anglo Platinum stable include 15% of subsidiary Lebowa Platinum being vended to a BEE grouping led by Anooraq. Such a deal could include the Lebowa-adjacent Ga-Pasha project.

Anglo Platinum could also look to selling its 22.% stake in Northam Platinum to Mvelaphanda Resources, backed by its biggest shareholder, Afripalm. These parties may also be future partners for development of Anglo Platinum's Booysendal deposits, but this package could also involve the likes of Wesizwe.

/see:

[frizzers] 16/2/2008 12:06

Agreed, Peck