Upstream Share Discussion Threads

[master rsi] 19/4/2024 08:32

FTSE

Another negative opening with 42 points down and also for the FTSEE 250 with 156 points lower.

[apotheki] 19/4/2024 07:38

Kavango Resources / LSE:KAV

BOTS - Drill tender for KCB Phase 1 scope drilling

Kavango Resources plc (LSE: KAV), the Southern Africa focussed metals exploration company, is pleased to announce that it is tendering for the first phase of scope drilling on the Kalahari Copper Belt (KCB) Karakubis Project with shortlisted drill contractors.

Highlights

- A first phase of 5,000m diamond core drilling is planned on the Karakubis Project tenements in western Botswana.

- Drilling will target the shallower Kara Anticline's potential to be a copper mineralising system.

- Drilling aims to follow up:

o Targets previously identified by a combination of historic Airborne Electro Magnetic (AEM), and Induced Polarisation (IP) surveys, and geological interpretation on the recently acquired ENRG licences that were never drill tested, and;

o New targets being generated from interpretation of Kavango's AEM, magnetic and gravity survey flown in December 2023 and January 2024 (announced >>> 02 April 2024).

- Scope of work for 10-15 diamond core holes has been issued to the shortlisted contractors, with holes planned across multiple targets.

- Mobilisation of drill rig expected during Q2 2024, with May targeted subject to drill rig availability.

- Drilling expected to last four months.

- Kavango exploration team presently conducting community liaison and making logistics arrangements in readiness for mobilisation of the drill.

Ben Turney, Chief Executive Officer of Kavango Resources, commented:

"We are moving quickly towards drilling in the Kalahari Copper Belt. This is the most rigorous and promising exploration programme Kavango has conducted in Botswana. We have a high degree of confidence in the targets areas we've identified and our interpretation of the structural geology.

We are in the process of finalising specific drill targets and have moved ahead with tendering for the drill contract, in anticipation of commencing drilling as soon as we have decided on collar locations.

As in Zimbabwe, our team in Botswana has responded well to the improvements we've made in the Company and is delivering strong performance in the field. We look forward to providing a more detailed update on drill targets in the near future."

[master rsi] 18/4/2024 23:36

GOLD has been rising today, but COPPER is in a BREAKOUT

Intraday ---- Gold -------------- Silver ---------------- Copper -----


1 month ----- Gold ---------------- Silver --------------- Copper -----

[master rsi] 18/4/2024 22:59

EEE 7.70p

Looking good with time

[master rsi] 18/4/2024 22:39

EU car sales decline by most in 16 months

(Sharecast News) - New car registrations in the European Union dropped in March, with the timing of the Easter holidays hammering sales, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association or ACEA.

Sales across the bloc totalled 1.03m last month, down 5.2% on March 2023, following annual increases of 12.1% and 10.1% in January and February, respectively.

This was the worst year-on-year decline in sales since November 2022.

According to the ACEA, the EU's four largest markets suffered notable declines: Germany (‑6.2%), Spain (-4.7%), Italy (-3.7%), and France (-1.5%).

What's more, battery-electric car sales dropped by 11.3% to just 134,397 units sold across the region, which the ACEA said reflected the "broader market downturn". The result was BEV's share of the market falling to 13.0%, from 13.9% a year earlier.

The market share of hybrid-electric cars, however, increased to 29% from 24.4% 12 months prior, as sales increased by 12.6% to 299,426 units. Plug-in hybrids fell 6.5% o 73,029, giving them a market share of 7.1%.

[master rsi] 18/4/2024 22:23

MARKET REPORT
LONDON MARKET CLOSE: Stocks recover some of recent Fed talk losses

(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London closed up on Thursday, despite the prospect of higher for longer US interest rates hanging over stocks, while initial jobless claims for the week came in steady.

The FTSE 100 index closed up 29.06 points, 0.4%, at 7,877.05. The FTSE 250 ended up 110.53 points, 0.6%, at 19,450.67, and the AIM All-Share closed up 2.17 points, up 0.3%, at 745.29.

The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.2% at 786.93, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.3% at 16,833.88, and the Cboe Small Companies ended marginally up at 14,776.22.

US jobless claims were steady in the most recent week, according to the US Department of Labor.

In the week ending April 13, US initial jobless claims were unchanged from the previous week's revised level at 212,000. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 211,000.

This was lower than market consensus for initial jobless claims to rise to 215,000.

The four-week moving average was 214,500, unchanged from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 214,250.

Stocks in New York were higher at the London equities close, with the DJIA up 0.8%, while the S&P 500 index and the Nasdaq Composite were both up 0.5%.

In European equities on Thursday, the CAC 40 in Paris and the DAX 40 in Frankfurt both ended up 0.5%.

Global equities began to recover, with most major indices down on-week.

"Fears that interest rates will stay higher for longer, as inflation stubbornly does the same, mean the yield on government bonds are also refusing to go down and that in turn is starting to put a little pressure on share prices," said AJ Bell analyst Russ Mould.

"This is partly because investors can grab a higher yield on certain UK gilts or US Treasuries than they can from headline share indices and do so for less risk, at least in theory."

Against the dollar, sterling rose to USD1.2464 at the London equities close on Thursday, from USD1.2447 late Wednesday. The euro was up at USD1.0660, from USD1.0637. Against the yen, the buck bought JPY154.60, down from JPY154.67.

In London's FTSE 100, British Airways parent International Consolidated Airlines Group rose 4.3% in a positive read-across from budget airline easyJet.

easyJet rose 2.3%, after it reported a "positive outlook" for the remainder of its financial year, and said its "seasonal" losses eased in the first half. Sales amounted to EUR819.6 million in the quarter, down 9.3% from EUR903.2 million a year prior.

In the six months to March 31, revenue surged 22% to GBP3.27 billion from GBP2.69 billion. Its headline pretax loss slimmed to GBP350 million from GBP411 million.

"Easter demand was particularly strong, benefitting March due to its early timing. Operational performance was good with peak daily flights broadly in line with summer levels," it said. "Bookings for summer 2024 continue to build well, with an increase in volume and pricing compared to the same period last year, underpinned by strong demand for easyJet's primary airport network."

Segro rose 1.6%, after the property investment firm hailed "strong growth" in rent roll during the first quarter of the year as it noted a stabilisation of industrial and logistics asset values.

It reported total new headline rent signed of GBP29 million during the first quarter of 2024, up 21% from GBP24 million a year prior.

The occupancy rate edged down to 94.5% from 95.7% year-on-year due to speculative development completions. Customer retention edged up to 90% from 82%.

In London's FTSE 250, Hipgnosis Songs Fund jumped 30%. It has agreed to a USD1.40 billion cash takeover from music rights acquirer Alchemy Copyrights, which trades as Concord.

Concord will pay USD1.16, or 93.2 pence, in cash per Hipgnosis Songs Fund share. The price is a 32% premium to its Wednesday close.

Concord said Higpnosis Songs Fund shareholders will stand to receive up to an extra USD25 million in total, if the investment adviser deal with Hipgnosis Song Management is ended.

Hipgnosis Songs Fund is in dispute with its investment adviser, alleging misconduct against Hipgnosis Songs Management and its founder Merck Mercuriadis.

The dispute was sparked by an arrangement, later rejected by Hipgnosis Songs Fund shareholders, to sell part of the fund's portfolio to a joint venture between Hipgnosis Songs Management and private equity firm Blackstone. This triggered board changes at the fund.

Among London's small-caps, Petrofac rose 2.7%, after it was awarded a technical services contract with the national oil company of Equatorial Guinea, helping local staff to manage their oil and gas assets.

The energy infrastructure company with core markets in the Middle East and North Africa won a five-year USD350 million contract with Compania Nacional de Petroleos de Guinea Ecuatorial, or GEPetrol, to deliver technical services to the operation of Equatorial Guinea's regional Block B asset.

The contract draws on Petrofac services such as operations, maintenance, asset integrity, integrity management, marine services, well engineering, project delivery and supply chain services.

Petrofac will deliver technical services across onshore support bases, a floating production storage & offloading unit and a platform on behalf of operator GEPetrol.

On AIM in London, Surgical Innovations rose 25%, after the surgical and medical instrument manufacturer reported that revenues increased to GBP12.01 million from GBP11.3 million a year earlier, slightly exceeding board expectations.

Pretax loss widened to GBP728,000 from GBP57,000.

Surgical Innovations also agreed two new UK distribution contracts. The first is a five-year exclusive contract with Microline Surgical Inc, Boston, US, and the second is a three-year exclusive arrangement with Peters Surgical, based in Paris, France.

A barrel of Brent oil slumped to USD87.15 at the London equities close on Thursday from USD88.68 late Wednesday.

Gold traded at USD2,384.41 an ounce at the London equities close on Thursday, up slightly from USD2,383.47 on Wednesday.

In Friday's UK corporate calendar, Man Group posts a trading statement.

The economic calendar has German producer price inflation and UK retail sales data both out at 0700 SAT.

[master rsi] 18/4/2024 22:09

DOW

At the end finishing only 22 points higher

[master rsi] 18/4/2024 16:12

How the UPS are performing today

[master rsi] 18/4/2024 14:41

DOW

Up with 131 points

[master rsi] 18/4/2024 14:24

Carr's prepares for strategic transformation as profit slumps
(Alliance News) - Carr's Group PLC on Thursday said opportunities for its Engineering division are being explored as part of an ongoing strategic review.

The Carlisle, England-based agriculture and engineering company reported a 31% decline in pretax profit to GBP3.4 million for the six months ended February 29, from GBP5.0 million last year.

Although the adjusted figures show pretax profit remained largely unchanged at GBP5.6 million.

Revenue increased by 2.0% to GBP81.4 million from GBP79.8 million.

And an interim dividend of 2.35 pence per share, up from 1.175p, will be paid on June 5.

In December, the board concluded that the current business model with the two divisions, Agriculture and Engineering, is inefficient and lacks synergistic benefits.

The company's Agriculture division particularly struggled during the first half with revenue falling 7.5% in contrast to Engineering's 26% growth.

However, the board believes both divisions hold value creation opportunities and the Agricultural division is to be optimised through transformation plans developed by recently appoint Chief Executive Officer of Agriculture Josh Hoopes.

Looking ahead, Carr's expects trading condition in agriculture to remain challenging over the short-term, particularly in the US where the industry is contending with cyclical herd reductions and regional droughts.

The company is however confident in its Engineering division over the near-term with its order book and strong first half performance.

Chair Tim Jones said: "We have concluded that our Engineering division represents a significant opportunity to deliver incremental value to shareholders now, and that it is the right thing to do to explore that opportunity."

In preparation for this the company extended its GBP25 million bank facilities until December 2026, and cost reduction measures will continue into next year.

Carr's shares were up 3.9% to 118.97 pence each in London on Thursday afternoon.

[master rsi] 18/4/2024 12:46

MARKET REPORT
LONDON MARKET MIDDAY: FTSE 100 up despite hawkish Fed rates outlook

(Alliance News) - Stock prices in London were higher on Thursday afternoon, despite the prospect of higher for longer US interest rates hanging over stocks.

Stocks in New York are called to open higher, reclaiming back some of the losses suffered on Wednesday.

The FTSE 100 index was 14.38 points higher, 0.2%, at 7,862.37. The FTSE 250 was up 63.75 points, 0.3%, at 19,403.89. The AIM All-Share was up 0.59 of a point, 0.1%, at 743.71.

The Cboe UK 100 was a touch higher at 785.28, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.1% at 16,800.79, and the Cboe Small Companies was down 0.1% at 14,764.93.

Against the dollar, sterling rose to USD1.2479 early Thursday afternoon, from USD1.2447 late Wednesday. The euro was up at USD1.0677, from USD1.0637. Against the yen, the buck bought JPY154.39, down from JPY154.67.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite, are all called 0.3% higher on Thursday.

"The risk on sentiment being felt today has helped drive the dollar lower, following a period of gains that saw the greenback reach a five-month high yesterday. What has been notable over recent months has been the outperformance of European indices compared with their US counterparts, as their lofty valuations bring greater profit taking. The Federal Reserve are facing elevated inflation pressures and a solid economy, raising the likeliness of a divergence this year as European central banks cut rates ahead of their US counterparts," Scope Markets analyst Joshua Mahony commented.

"Market sentiment appears to be heavily entrenched with the trajectory of crude oil, with the slump in oil prices helping to lift sentiment today. While oil is priced in dollars, the classic inverse relationship has switched of late to reflect the concern that higher oil prices will spur a second wave of inflation."

A barrel of Brent oil slumped to USD86.27 early Thursday afternoon from USD88.68 late Wednesday. The weaker oil price sent BP and Shell 1.6% and 0.9% lower in London on Thursday.

In European equities on Thursday, the CAC 40 in Paris rose 0.4% and the DAX 40 in Frankfurt was flat.

Share price falls for Rheinmetall and Sartorius hurt the DAX.

Arms and automotive manufacturer Rheinmetall lost 4.1%. Fellow defence firm BAE Systems fell 2.8% in London.

Shares in the duo have enjoyed a rip-roaring gain over the past two years, on the expectation that there will be a rise in military spending amid intensifying geopolitical tensions.

Sartorius plunged 12%. The laboratory equipment supplier said net profit in the first-quarter of 2024 totalled EUR36.7 million, down 61% from EUR93.1 million in the first quarter of 2023.

In London, easyJet shares rose 2.2%. It reported a "positive outlook" for the remainder of its financial year, and said its "seasonal" losses eased in the first half. Sales amounted to EUR819.6 million in the quarter, down 9.3% from EUR903.2 million a year prior.

In the six months to March 31, revenue surged 22% to GBP3.27 billion from GBP2.69 billion. Its headline pretax loss slimmed to GBP350 million from GBP411 million.

"Easter demand was particularly strong, benefitting March due to its early timing. Operational performance was good with peak daily flights broadly in line with summer levels," it said. "Bookings for summer 2024 continue to build well, with an increase in volume and pricing compared to the same period last year, underpinned by strong demand for easyJet's primary airport network."

Chief Executive Johan Lundgren said the firm is "well set up operationally" for the upcoming summer season.

Shares in British Airways parent International Consolidated Airlines Group added 4.0% in a positive read-across. Budget carrier Wizz Air rose 5.3%.

Hipgnosis Songs Fund jumped 30% to 91.66 pence. It has agreed to a USD1.40 billion cash takeover from music rights acquirer Alchemy Copyrights, which trades as Concord.

Concord will pay USD1.16, or 93.2 pence, in cash per Hipgnosis Songs Fund share. The price is a 32% premium to its Wednesday close.

Concord said Higpnosis Songs Fund shareholders will stand to receive up to an extra USD25 million in total, if the investment adviser deal with Hipgnosis Song Management is ended.

Hipgnosis Songs Fund is in dispute with its investment adviser, alleging misconduct against Hipgnosis Songs Management and its founder Merck Mercuriadis.

The dispute was sparked by an arrangement, later rejected by Hipgnosis Songs Fund shareholders, to sell part of the fund's portfolio to a joint-venture between Hipgnosis Songs Management and private equity firm Blackstone. This triggered board changes at the fund.

AJ Bell analyst Russ Mould commented: "An end is in sight for one of the most chaotic events to unfold in the world of investment trusts for years. After much hype led to great disappointment, soundtracked by questionable corporate governance, Hipgnosis Songs Fund is now the recipient of a takeover bid from Concord. This might be the final chapter in the trust's life as a listed entity, one that's been filled with many dud notes.

"Whether it will be a smooth exit is another thing. It's worth noting that chairman Robert Naylor has pleaded with the trust's investment adviser Hipgnosis Songs Management and HSM's majority owner Blackstone to agree an orderly termination of the investment advisory agreement."

Elsewhere in London, LBG Media, which owns the Ladbible news and entertainment and viral video site, shot up 12%. It hailed a positive outlook in the US.

It said revenue in 2023 rose 7.5% to GBP67.5 million from GBP62.8 million in 2022. Its pretax profit, however, fell 19% to GBP5.9 million from GBP7.3 million.

LBG added: "Our positive revenue momentum and platform for growth in the US leaves the group at a significant juncture in its evolution and provides a clear line of sight to achieving GBP200 million of revenue. We have made a good start to 2024, entering our second quarter with positive momentum."

Jubilee Metals fell 6.0%. It said it delivered an "exceptional" performance in the first nine months of its financial year, though its platinum output declined and it cut its copper production outlook.

Platinum group metals production dropped 18% to 8,339 ounces quarter-on-quarter in the third quarter to March 31, from 10,131 ounces, mainly due to a reduction in available stock of lower-grade feed material, Jubilee said.

Nine-month PGM production was 3.6% lower at 28,583 ounces, compared to 29,645 ounces.

Chrome production rose 7.2% to 408,710 tonnes for the third quarter, from 381,114 tonnes in the second. For the nine months that ended March 31, chrome concentrate output jumped 19% to reach 1.1 million tonnes.

Copper production declined 8.4% to 691 tonnes in the third quarter from 749 tonnes in the second, but it surged 69% to 2,374 tonnes in the nine months from 1,409 tonnes a year before.

Jubilee revised down its copper production guidance to between 3,250 and 4,000 tonnes, from 5,850 predicted previously. For 2023, copper production was 2,923 tonnes.

Still to come on Thursday is a US initial jobless claims reading at 1330 BST.

Gold traded at USD2,382.63 an ounce midday Thursday, down ever-so-slightly from USD2,383.47 at the London equities close on Wednesday.

[master rsi] 18/4/2024 12:11

How the UPS are performing today

[master rsi] 18/4/2024 12:00

Aptamer inks new Optimer+ transplant rejection therapy partnership

(Alliance News) - Aptamer Group PLC on Thursday said it has partnered with Kairos Biotech Ltd for Optimer+ transplant rejection therapies.

As part of the partnership deal, the York, England-based biotechnology firm said that Kairos Biotech will "leverage Aptamer's new Optimer+ affinity ligand platform in development of their pipeline of 'EM' molecules that specifically target pathways involved in transplant rejection."

This approach will improve transplant access for "difficult to transplant patients" and improve the chances of transplant success, Aptamer said.

In addition, EM molecules will be used for transplant monitoring.
Aptamer said that these treatments are targeting a GBP800 million transplant diagnostic sector and a potential GBP2 billion transplant immunotherapy market.

Aptamer Chief Technical Officer Arron Tolley said: "We're delighted to bring our proprietary Optimer+ platform to support Kairos Biotech in this game-changing theranostic application. Initial animal studies have shown the Optimer+ binders to be well tolerated for therapeutic approaches, and the exquisite specificity of these binders is ideally suited to such a large-scale diagnostic and therapeutic project. The team at Kairos has an exciting scientific approach to immunosuppression that could offer an improved outlook for transplant patients, and we look forward to working with them to advance this using Optimer+."

Shares in Aptamer were up 4.8% at 0.55 pence each in London on Thursday midday.

[master rsi] 18/4/2024 11:26

Surgical Innovations sets sights on future growth after record revenue
(Alliance News) - Shares in Surgical Innovations Group PLC rose on Thursday, as the company released its results for the past year and announced the signing of two distributing agreements by its subsidiary Elemental Healthcare Ltd.

Surgical Innovations shares were up 14% to 0.46 pence each in London on Thursday morning.
The Leeds, England-based manufacturer and distributor of medical technology widened its pretax loss in 2023 to GBP728,000 from GBP57,000 the year before.

However, the company grew revenue by 6.2% to a record sum of GBP12.0 million from GBP11.3 million.
Surgical Innovations continues to pay no dividend.

Furthermore, investment in sales and marketing alongside product innovation resulted in increased operating expenses for the year.

While performance was robust in key markets such as the UK and Europe, sales in the US struggled, falling 18%.

Looking ahead, the company expects economic challenges to continue, but said its strong order book will provide a stable foundation for future revenue generation.

Surgical Innovations also noted that its subsidiary company, Elemental Healthcare, signed two exclusive multi-year UK distributing agreements with Microline Surgical Inc and Peters Surgical.

The company said that the contracts will generate GBP9 million and GBP1.5 million, respectively, over their 3-year and 5-year contract periods.

[master rsi] 18/4/2024 11:06

PFC 22.75p +0.15p / Was moving higher yesterday after going 19.20p intraday early in the morning, meaning someone was in the know and the knowledge was spread....

Petrofac wins USD350 million services contract in Equatorial Guinea

(Alliance News) - Petrofac Ltd on Thursday was awarded a technical services contract with the national oil company of Equatorial Guinea, helping local staff to manage their oil and gas assets.

The energy infrastructure company with core markets in the Middle East and North Africa won a five-year USD350 million contract with Compania Nacional de Petroleos de Guinea Ecuatorial, or GEPetrol, to deliver technical services to the operation of Equatorial Guinea's regional Block B asset.

The contract draws on Petrofac services such as operations, maintenance, asset integrity, integrity management, marine services, well engineering, project delivery and supply chain services.

Petrofac will deliver technical services across onshore support bases, a floating production storage & offloading unit and a platform on behalf of operator GEPetrol.

This follows the company's initial scope supporting the transition of the asset from Mobil Equatorial Guinea Inc. Local staff and contractors will remain in their current roles and Petrofac will manage the contract from Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, supplementing support from its technical hub in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Nick Shorten, chief operating officer of Petrofac's Asset Solutions business, said: "We look forward to developing our relationship with the national oil company of Equatorial Guinea further, collaborating to extend the life of the field to build a legacy of energy independence and sustainable growth for Equatorial Guinea.

"This award is an excellent example of our strategy in action: selectively growing our geographic footprint and driving value for our clients through late life asset optimisation.

"Africa is a key focus for our Asset Solutions business, and we are pleased to build on our operations in Ivory Coast, Ghana and Senegal and Mauritania with this opportunity in Equatorial Guinea."

Antonio Oburu Ondo, Equatorial Guinea's minister of Mines & Hydrocarbons, said: "Our vision is to create a fully capable nationally-operated oil and gas company to manage our assets. Today, I am proud that our vision is becoming a reality.

"We will grow our economy through diverse partnerships and investment in our people. Combining our strong indigenous capabilities, with Petrofac's global expertise and experience, we will deliver significant value for our country."

[master rsi] 18/4/2024 10:40

Apax Global Alpha to invest EUR36 million into payroll software firm

(Alliance News) - Apax Global Alpha Ltd on Thursday said it will acquire Zellis UK Ltd through one of its funds.

The Guernsey-based investment company is a limited partner in the Apax XI Fund which is set to acquire Zellis after reaching a definitive agreement on April 15.

Approximately EUR36 million is to be invested by Apax Global Alpha into Zellis, a provider of payroll and human resources software solutions in the UK.

"Operating in a structurally growing market, Zellis group has strong core business fundamentals with a high degree of recurring revenue and customer retention...The investment thesis is to back Zellis as it continues to scale and grow market share in the UK and Ireland as well as internationally," said Apax Global Alpha.

Apax Global Alpha shares were up 2.0% to 141.80 pence each in London on Thursday morning.

[master rsi] 18/4/2024 10:18

Foxtons hails strong start to year as sales market improves

(Sharecast News) - Foxtons hailed a strong start to the year on Thursday as the sales market improved and the London estate agent grew its market share.
The company said first-quarter revenue rose 9% to £35.7m, with growth across all segments and trading in line with management's expectations.

Revenue from the lettings business was up 5% to £24m, reflecting incremental revenues from the two 2023 portfolio acquisitions and broadly flat revenues on a like-for-like basis. Foxtons said that as expected, the supply and demand dynamic has normalised and rental prices have stabilised versus 2023.
In sales, revenue rose 17% to £9.5m, with growth underpinned by a "significant" increase in Foxtons' market share of transactions.

Sales agreed in the quarter were 31% higher by volume compared to the same period a year earlier.
At the end of March, the value of the under-offer pipeline was 34% higher than a year earlier and 12% higher than 2022 - the highest value since the 2016 Brexit vote.

Foxtons said the under-offer pipeline is expected to support further revenue growth in the second quarter, along with an improving sales market backdrop as mortgage availability and rates have stabilised.

Chief executive Guy Gittins said: "This has been a strong start to the year with our revenue growth demonstrating the real momentum we have built across the business. Last year we regained our number 1 position in London and delivered significant growth in our market share of property instructions across both lettings and sales. The business is now focussed on converting these listings to transactions as we deliver results for our clients.

[master rsi] 18/4/2024 09:50

CEY 124.60p (-5.10 / -3.93%%) / Centamin revenue declines on planned slip in quarterly gold production

(Alliance News) - Centamin PLC on Thursday reported slightly lower gold production in the first quarter of 2024, due to planned mine works.
The Jersey-headquartered miner, which has interests in Egypt, Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast, said in the three months to March 31, gold output declined 1.0% on-year to 104,821 ounces from 105,875.

Centamin noted that the "scheduled processing of lower-grade ore from the open pit at its producing Sukari gold mine in Egypt, alongside the planned underground ventilation upgrades and mill maintenance" in the first-quarter affected output.

Revenue for the period was 6.9% lower at USD191.0 million from USD205.2 million the year before. Gold sales were 92,494 ounces, leaving 19,241 ounces in stock that was sold at the start of the second quarter, Centamin said.

All-in-sustaining cost was USD1,519 per gold ounce sold, compared to a realised gold price of USD2,062 per ounce.
Looking ahead, Centamin left its 470,000 to 500,000 ounces output target for the year unchanged.

Chief Executive Officer Martin Horgan said: "We continue to advance organic growth opportunities within our portfolio. We are actively following up on the recent exploration successes from our Eastern Desert exploration drilling programme and are progressing well towards completion of the DFS for the Doropo project in Cote d'Ivoire by mid-year."