CBG Group Share Discussion Threads

[green sand] 14/4/2007 08:25

Nice little comment from earlier in the week.

"Chairman Laurie Turnbull is considering several new 'potential acquisitions', which, on past form, should enhance profits. Strong at 146.5p, the shares should outperform the sector."

[green sand] 10/4/2007 12:16

That looks like somebody has paid a 5p premium to get 20k. Could be more interesting times ahead?

Good luck

GS

edit: may well have been 7p!

[helpjoe] 02/4/2007 17:16

Think your right Bigman. Have said for a while that CBG could become a target itself..IMHO DYOR

[bigman] 01/4/2007 15:39

article in the mail on sunday today about jelf where allianz and nu buying a big stake in it to protect their market and jelf is a bigger CBG group so maybe they will come in for CBG as well...i see that pavilion has been sold as well with a big move up in price, hiscox bought 15% in them not too long ago and got nearly double their return so things are hotting up in the sector...you just cant have enough insurance in your portfolio

[waldron] 31/3/2007 06:12

Cambodia bans texts for elections
By Guy De Launey
BBC News, Phnom Penh



Cambodia's text message service has been suspended for two days
Mobile-phone text messaging in Cambodia has been suspended for the weekend, so that users are not bombarded with political texts during an election.

The National Election Committee has asked phone networks to turn off the service until after the polls have closed in Sunday's local elections.

Human-rights and opposition activists have criticised the move, calling the action unnecessary.

With no little irony, users were informed of the move by text message.

Providers gave customers just a few hours' notice.

The largest local operator, Mobitel, apologised "for any inconvenience".

Millions of Cambodians own mobile phones, and SMS text messaging is the way that many of them prefer to communicate.

At around two cents a time, it is by far the cheapest way of staying in touch.

'Authoritarian'

But human-rights workers think there is more at stake than the extra expense for phone users.

They say there is no justification for the sudden suspension.

The leader of one organisation told the BBC that the move suppressed freedom of expression at a crucial time, and was a reflection of an authoritarian regime.

The National Election Committee insists that it is independent of any political party.

In a statement, it said that by law no campaigning is allowed on election day or the day before.

The ban on text messaging would prevent parties from using the service to rally support, and ensure what it called a "quiet environment".

[bigman] 06/3/2007 13:29

I'll say they are good results in fact it will be difficult to find a comparson, if this company keeps on delivering like this year on year then one day the market will wake up to the fact.....you must have CBG in a portfolio of shares.....you can never have enough insurance

[junior21] 05/3/2007 18:53

Good results, shame about the market in general

[helpjoe] 05/3/2007 17:33

CBG over deliver yet again! Very surprised they have declared a dividend already, wasn't expecting this for another couple of years. Look forward to the next aquistions and pleasant surprises.. IMHO DYOR

[waldron] 19/2/2007 17:39

CAMBODIA
Rush for Cambodia's oil begins
Cambodia has huge offshore oil fields whose expected worth far exceeds its current GDP. Experts fear that only the government, one of the most corrupt in the world, might benefit. An agreement with Thailand must still be worked out to develop fields in the Gulf of Thailand.


Phnom Penh (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Oil companies have begun lining up for licenses to tap Cambodia's vast oil and gas fields, but experts are wondering whether this new wealth will be a blessing for the country. Firms from China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Kuwait, Australia, and France have come knocking on officials' doors to get permits to explore and develop the country's energy riches. US giant Chevron Corp. has already drilled in the Gulf of Thailand in the last two years and found oil in five oil wells.

According to several studies conducted by the United Nations, World Bank, Harvard University, and other reliable institutions, Cambodian reserves could contain as many as 2 billion barrels of oil and 10 trillion cubic feet of gas. Based on the current world price of oil and gas, this may provide Cambodia with annual revenues of US$ 6 billion a year over the next two decades, an amount more than the country's gross domestic product which is only about US$5 billion a year.

Cambodia is one of the world's poorest countries. Some 40 per cent of its population of 14 million live below the national poverty line of 50 cents a day, 50 per cent of children never complete their primary education, 30,000 children die every year from preventable diseases, and only half of the countryside has access to electricity.

Many experts fear a repeat of what has happened in many other developing countries where massive influx of oil money enriched elites without improving the standards of living of the population.

The best example is Nigeria. Since the discovery of oil in the 1970s, the African country has exported more than US$ 400 billion in oil, but that has not benefited its people, 70 per cent of whom continue to live on less than $1 a day. Moreover, the country is carrying a US$30 billion debt.

Cambodia is still viewed as one of the most corrupt countries in the world with the ruling Cambodian People's Party using violence in maintaining its power. But in recent years, Prime Minister Hun Sen's government has had to accept some reforms and show some more respect for human rights in order to get foreign aid which represents about 60 per cent of its working budget. However, soon it will no longer need Western aid and could disregard human rights groups altogether.

In fact, Prime Minister Hun Sen's regime has already created a Cambodian National Petroleum Authority under his full direct control over the oil wealth.

Sokimex, Cambodia's leading conglomerate, is expected to play a key role in the energy sector. It is majority-owned by Sok Kong, a long-time friend of Hun Sen.

Cambodia's main opposition party led by Sam Rainsy publicly accused the two companies of tax and customs-duty evasion on imported petroleum products and complained last year that domestic retail oil prices failed to fall in line with declining global oil prices, which fell by about 25 per cent between mid-July and November last year.

Cambodian oil fields are very important for China because they would allow its fuel shipments to bypass the congested Malacca Strait, through which nearly 80 per cent of its oil imports now flow.

Chinese leaders have also openly expressed concerns that in a potential conflict, US naval vessels could block China's fuel imports from the Middle East at the narrow channel that separates peninsular Malaysia and the Indonesia island of Sumatra.

Beijing has recently showered Cambodia with aid worth hundreds for millions of dollars. On January 18, a "goodwill" delegation from the Chinese Communist Party met and held undisclosed discussions with senior members of Hun Sen's ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP).

Full-scale production of oil is not expected earlier than 2009 and Cambodia must still reach an agreement with Thailand on an overlapping area claimed by the two neighbouring countries in the Gulf of Thailand. Negotiations between the two have been going on for years but have not produced any result. (PB)

[knitcraft] 19/2/2007 11:24

Sorry , no.

For obvious reasons details not divulged, but seemed very confident that an investment would be very worthwhile.
By the way, corporate services rather than insurance seems to be the way they are now directing their efforts.

[bigman] 19/2/2007 09:36

knitcraft, interesting post on the other thread that your info is that this is going to 300p I did a bit of homework on the CBG web site and they have an investor presentation on it, from that it would appear that the insurance broking is the bulk of the business, interesting you say the manchester financial mafia are talking about this and expect 300p, any idea why, takeover ? results ?

[waldron] 18/2/2007 07:45

Ancient temples of Cambodia face a modern assault
By Anthony Faiola, Washington Post | February 18, 2007

SIEM REAP , Cambodia -- Built by a mighty ninth -century Khmer king, the soaring temple of Phnom Bakheng stands atop the highest peak of ancient Angkor. With a sweeping view that takes in Angkor Wat -- the world's largest religious structure -- the monks stationed here were probably among the first to glimpse the approaching Siamese troops who snuffed out this city's centuries-long domination of much of Southeast Asia.

So perhaps it is not surprising that more than 500 years later, Phnom Bakheng has become the ideal perch from which to watch another assault on Angkor -- by marauding armies of tourists.

As Cambodia has settled into peace and opened to the world, the temples of Angkor have in recent years gone from stone to gold for the national government. This year, a deluge of tour operators is expected to cart in nearly 1 million foreign visitors, a sixfold increase since 2000.

Including Cambodians, the number of visitors to the archeological park will reach a record 2 million this year and at least 3 million by 2010, according to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or UNESCO , which identified Angkor as a World Heritage site in 1992.

The growth has put the Cambodian government in a difficult position, observers say, forcing it to balance the potential to make money against the need for preservation, restoration, and study. It is a dilemma familiar to other countries that profit from treasured cultural sites.

The Acropolis in Athens, the Forbidden City in Beijing, and the Hagia Sophia area of Istanbul are all experiencing tourism pressures. In Peru, the massive sand lines at Nazca and Palpa have come under threat from encroaching power lines and roving tourists in jeeps. In Nepal's Kathmandu Valley, UNESCO has decried "uncontrolled urban development."

Preservationists and archeologists here increasingly fear that the frenzy to commercialize Angkor, now also a hot set location for films such as Angelina Jolie's "Tomb Raider ," is winning out over the need for preservation.

Nowhere is that clearer than at Phnom Bakheng, where a number of new guidebooks advise visitors not to miss the sunset from the temple's summit. Tips like that have led to a daily siege by an armada of tour buses around dusk. On a recent afternoon, about 4,000 visitors, speaking Korean, Japanese, Mandarin, English and a host of other languages, scampered to the top of the temple, stepping on pictorial stones and manhandling ancient statues.

"The problem we're facing is that the pace of visitor growth is accelerating far faster than the ability to manage such huge crowds," said Teruo Jinnai , UNESCO's top official in Cambodia. "There is no doubt that this is beginning to cause damage to the temples and that it has the potential to become much worse if nothing is done."

Six months ago, the US-based World Monuments Fund, which is doing major restoration work at Phnom Bakheng, roped off the rapidly deteriorating main stone path leading to the temple area because of a combination of trampling tourists and rain runoff.

Inside Phnom Bakheng, statues and carvings in low relief have sustained new damage from tourists. Fresh graffiti have been sprayed alongside sandstone carvings of flying celestial nymphs and Garuda warriors.

On one side of the temple, piles of sandbags placed last year to hold up a retaining wall have been damaged by tourists who have climbed and descended the temple's sides without waiting their turn on a number of steep stone staircases.

"In the 10th century, this was a perfect creation, a structure built with mathematical and religious harmony and where the king and a few of his monks would come to worship," John Stubbs , the World Monuments Fund vice president for field projects, said as he surveyed the crowds on the temple summit.

"But now, look at this," he said. "It simply was not built for these thousands of people to be here at once. Tourism is a double-edged sword. We want everyone to appreciate the importance of Angkor's temples, but not like this."

The Cambodian government has come under fire over Angkor. Only a few local and foreign businesses appear to be benefiting from the economic boom generated by the ruins, by far Cambodia's largest tourist attraction.

The concession to run the admissions center -- which generates tens of millions of dollars a year that preservationists say is rarely pumped back into the site itself -- was granted to a politically connected company run by a powerful Cambodian businessman. Many of the street vendors who now peddle trinkets inside the park have come from the capital, Phnom Penh, rather than nearby villages.

As a result, the rural province surrounding Angkor remains the third-poorest in Cambodia, despite the opening of a string of five-star hotels and shopping arcades in the nearby town of Siem Reap, according to a study released in 2005 by the Cambodian Development Resource Institute.

"We are doing the best we can under the circumstances," said Chau Sun Kerya , tourism director at APSARA, the Cambodian government body in charge of Angkor. "Do we want to have a better plan for crowd control? Do we want more monitoring of the temples? Of course we do, but we simply don't have the funds to do it quickly."

But the government has found the means to push forward on initiatives designed to lure even greater numbers to the park. In recent weeks, authorities launched a pilot program with Korean tour operators for a nighttime "sound and light" show at Angkor Wat. A Japanese tourism company has been granted rights to hold large, moonlit banquets inside the park at $60 per person.

"Angkor has become a sort of cultural Disneyland," said Khin Po Thai, a longtime Angkor guide and preservation activist. "We are overwhelmed by the crowds we have now, but they are still trying to bring in more and more people. No one ever sees where the money goes. It certainly doesn't go back into preservation."

[ariane] 17/2/2007 15:23

Chinese companies to build power projects in Cambodia
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-02-17 09:26

Chinese companies on Friday signed several agreements with Cambodian government officials on building a hydropower plant and an electricity transmission network for the kingdom.
The plant in Battambang province will cost 190 million US dollars and can generate 465 million kilowatt-hour of electricity per year, said Deputy Prime Minister Sok An while addressing the ceremony.

The power transmission network will be constructed at the cost 113 million US dollars to connect Phnom Penh, Kampong Chhnang, Pursat and Battambang, he said.

The Cambodian government adopts BOT pattern (build, operate and transfer) for both projects, he said.

They are expected to benefit the kingdom in the fields of energy production, flood prevention, employment expansion, and tax enhancement, he added.

China Yunnan Corporation for International Techno-Economic Cooperation and Yunnan Southeast-Asia Economy and Technology Investment Industrial Co Ltd undertake the construction and development of both projects.

Representatives from the two companies, the Cambodian Ministry of Mines and Energy, and the Electricity Authority of Cambodia signed the agreements in the presence of Sok An, Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jinfeng and other senior Cambodian government officials.

Currently, Cambodia does not have the infrastructure to generate enough electricity to meet the growing demand, which has been rising 15 percent to 20 percent per year, according to the Ministry of Mines and Energy.

[knitcraft] 16/2/2007 17:20

No idea....just info given to me with no reason divulged. Sorry.

[green sand] 16/2/2007 10:07

Thanks for that bigman, very, very interesting and congratulations I do like to see a fellow PI doing well. Will have a closer look when I get some time.

And yes, nice little manufactured buying op.

Good luck

[bigman] 16/2/2007 09:44

GS I posted a year ago :-

Seem to have hit on a wiiner see

you just cant have enough insurance when it comes to investing

if you follow the link you will see my "insurance portfolio"

another good start to the day, nice of the market to give us the buying opportunity....

you just cant have enough insurance.....

[knitcraft] 16/2/2007 08:21

Another MM buy to get us started....160p again soon ??

[junior21] 15/2/2007 18:44

Hi Knitcraft, could you divulge a little more as to why these could trading at £3 soon.

[knitcraft] 15/2/2007 14:45

Now up 10p or 7.1 % ,on only a few buys if you take 3791 sold and MM trade of 2000.

Must be a lot of delayed trades or MM`s very short of stock.

Has potential to be a real flyer , especially after what I was told to expect.

[knitcraft] 15/2/2007 13:49

Directors been buying recently which is nearly always a good sign.

The more I look the more I like.

No one else interested ???

[green sand] 15/2/2007 12:46

Well said bigman, are you in any others in the sector? I have JLF.

Sorry for OT

[knitcraft] 15/2/2007 12:35

MM buy earlier.
Up 5.5p on 11,500 shares traded and at least 3791 of these were sells

[knitcraft] 15/2/2007 12:33

On the move with one buy AND 2 sales, poss late trades to be reported.

Really thinking this looks good.

Anyone interested ??? !!!!

[knitcraft] 15/2/2007 11:34

This co. has just been bought to my attention by a member of the" Manchester financial mafia", whom in the past, has always seemed to be well informed.

I know nothing about the company other than it is involved in a number of corporate areas, and the insurance broking side is now of little importance.

He assured me that these should be an excellent 6 month prospect, and without giving any reason ( for obvious reasons ) suggested a price nearer £3 was easily attainable.

The shares are very tightly held and the market is highly volatile and a trade in as little as 2500 shares can move the price .

The share price has been on a vertical climb for 2 years and is now pulling out of a 25p correction.

Seems that only a small amount of buying could see them back at 160p.
( I have managed to get a very modest holding this am.)

Any info appreciated.