Hydro Intl Share Discussion Threads

[garth] 18/6/2008 10:48

I think its a vote of appreciation for the nice large-format, glossy annual reports document :0)

[rivaldo] 18/6/2008 10:44

6k of buys seems to have done the trick today!

Quickmind, you're right to raise the question. I think all we can do is go by what the company has indicated:

- at the AGM only last month they said trading was "encouraging" and building on last year's levels
- the 2008 order book was greatly increased over last year
- the FD bought his maiden stake only last month

It's possible that increased regulation and awareness is compensating or will compensate in stormwater sales for any housing slowdown, though if the UK slowdown is as dramatic as it seems then perhaps we'll have to rely short-term on the rest of the business, both globally and in wastewater etc, to continue to prosper. Certainly there will be the usual seasonality to take into account for H1.

[quickmind] 12/6/2008 15:53

Do not hold shares in HYD, mainly because I have no idea how HYD is going to be affected by the ongoing slowdown in the house-building and construction sectors.

The company generates 73.3% of its revenue (2007 Annual Report) in the UK. By segment, Stormwater accounts for 53.5% of its total revenue and the rest is related to Water and Wastewater. Presumably, Stormwater business is closely related to housing development and construction. So almost 40% of its business is potentially exposed to UK building slowdown. I suppose that's the reason why we're seeing weakness in SP? Curiously, HYD didn't deliver pleasing results and the share price was in doldrums for many yeas in mid 1990s; I wonder whether the housing slowdown at that time played a role.

[rivaldo] 11/6/2008 20:11

Lordcoco, that's a terrific post 2248 - many thx!

The excellent news is that wastewater treatment should attract the most public spending over the next two years, and that contamination is also considered one of the most important sectors to receive attention in the next year or two.

HYD is also with its Eutek acquisition gearing up for that big increase in expenditure in the USA, to make up for the lack of expenditure and maintenance in the past.

[lordcoco] 11/6/2008 13:19

On the subject of water, an idea:

Danone (EURO:PBN) as a short.

This is bottled water play as opposed to "basic" water. I've noticed a bit of a backlash against bottled water recently, Evening Standard (of all people) are running a campaign urging restaurants to revert to tap water (had a lot of positive feedback so far). London on Tap ( several campaigns to promote tap water and out today: "Tap water vending machines to be installed for bottle refills across London."
(

There are many reasons why paying extortionate amounts to drink bottled water is not sustainable or viable and I feel the level of awareness around the issues that reflect this will increasingly penetrate the conscience of the bottled water drinking public.

Danone has 24% of group sales in bottled water, has two of the three leading brands - Volvic and Evian.

[lordcoco] 11/6/2008 10:16

Changewave did a piece of research on the water industry recently, the title of the piece ended up "Rain clouds for the water industry". It's not as gloomy as all that and is very US centric and written with a view of a full blow recession very much in mind.

I found it very interesting and a very interesting area.



Below is the survey (not published in the link above).

(1) What specific country do you think will experience the biggest increase in spending on water projects over the next 12 months, and why? (open-ended) (n=97)

Current
Survey
(Feb '08) Previous
Survey
(Jun '07)
China 45% 38%
United States 13% 15%
Saudi Arabia 3% 3%
India 3% 11%
Other Specific Regions 27% 20%
Other 9% 15%

When asked to name the specific country set to experience the biggest spending increase, 45% cited China. Another 13% said the U.S.

According to industry respondent SUP59207, "China's explosion of urban growth and demands for clean water supplies, combined with the world focus on its weak water infrastructure, will move the Chinese government to push more water projects through..."

Industry respondent JUY4570 adds, "China because their massive amounts of residential, commercial and industrial development needs reliable and safe water."

In terms of reasons for the U.S. spending increases, industry member STE7991 cites, "25 years of deferred maintenance, and a greater user base."

A sample of Alliance member responses can be found in Appendix A.



(B) U.S. Spending Trends

The findings show a drop in the percentage of U.S. industry respondents who think water project spending will increase over the next 12 months within the private, federal and local governmental sectors.



Note the main reason for these more conservative growth projections is very straightforward:

(2) Some analysts think that a U.S. recession would lead to a decrease in spending on water projects, while others disagree. What about you? Within each of the following sectors, do you think a U.S. recession would cause an increase in spending on water projects, a decrease in spending, or would there be no effect?

U.S. Water Industry Respondents (n=126)

Increase Decrease Remain the Same Don't Know
Federal Government 29% 28% 36% 7%
State Government 19% 35% 39% 7%
Local Government 16% 46% 33% 6%
Private Sector 16% 42% 33% 10%

By a better than 2-to-1 margin, industry respondents believe a U.S. recession would lead to decreased water project spending – as summarized in the below chart.



(3) The Clean Water Act, originally passed in 1972, mandates a set of minimum water quality standards, yet today some areas are still not in compliance. What do you think are the biggest barriers to bringing all U.S. water grids up to Clean Water Act standards? (Choose No More Than Two)

U.S. Water Industry Respondents (n=126)

Current
Survey
Feb '08 Previous
Survey
Jun '07
Not Enough Funding 57% 52%
Aging Infrastructure 34% 36%
Too Much Bureaucracy 30% 32%
Insufficient Enforcement 26% 23%
Lack of Public Interest 24% 12%
Technological Limitations 6% 4%
Legal Issues 2% 5%
Don't Know 4% 5%
Other 2% 4%

Barriers to Meeting U.S. Clean Water Act Standards. More than one-in-two industry respondents (57%) report that a lack of funding is the biggest barrier to bringing U.S. water grids up to Clean Water Act standards. Interestingly, one-in-four (24%) now believe a lack of public interest is the biggest barrier, double the percentage eight months ago.

(4) Which specific technologies, products and/or processes do you see companies investing the most money in to improve water efficiency? (n=57)

Water Conservation and Reuse 23%
Reverse Osmosis 11%
Filtration 11%
Membrane Technology 11%
Infrastructure Improvements 9%
Desalination 7%
Metering 7%
Wastewater Treatment 5%
Green Technology 4%
Energy Efficient Equipment 4%
Other 21%

Top Spending Areas for Water Efficiency. Nearly one-in-four (23%) believe Water Conservation and Reuse is the area companies will invest the most money in to improve water efficiency. Reverse Osmosis, Filtration and Membrane Technology all tied for second with 11%.

As industry respondent KEN96574 says, "Water reuse of all kinds, including management initiatives as well as technology" is where companies will invest the most money.

And according to respondent FRY28240, "As droughts continue in the southwest and southeast, companies with an obligation to conserve will be forced to looking at ground water for their supplies."

A sample of Alliance member responses can be found in Appendix B.



(C) Leading Water Sectors

(5A) Which of the following water sub-sectors do you think will attract the most public/private spending over the next 12-24 months? (Choose No More Than Two) (n=147)

Current
Survey
Feb '08 Previous
Survey
Jun '07 Previous
Survey
Nov '06
Water Infrastructure Repair/Replacement 73% 67% 68%
Wastewater Treatment 46% 35% 46%
Water Security & Monitoring (i.e. Protection From Terrorism/Contamination) * 19% 18% 13%
Water Filtration 14% 22% 20%
Desalination 14% 17% 16%
Water Metering 4% NA NA
Don't Know 3% 3% 1%
Other 3% 2% 4%

* Note that the response choice in previous surveys was Water Security & Monitoring (i.e. Protection From Contamination).



(5B) Question Asked: And which of the following water sub-sectors do you think will attract the least public/private spending over the next 12-24 months? (Choose No More Than Two) (n=147)

Current
Survey
Feb '08 Previous
Survey
Jun '07 Previous
Survey
Nov '06
Water Metering 45% NA NA
Desalination 38% 43% 49%
Water Security & Monitoring (i.e. Protection From Terrorism/Contamination) * 24% 36% 33%
Water Filtration 12% 12% 18%
Wastewater Treatment 7% 13% 16%
Water Infrastructure Repair/Replacement 5% 9% 11%
Don't Know 10% 16% 10%
Other 1% 0% 0%

* Note that the response choice in previous surveys was Water Security & Monitoring (i.e. Protection From Contamination).

Change in Net Difference Score: Current Survey (Feb '08) vs. Previous Survey Jun '07)

Net Difference Score
Current
Survey
Feb '08 Net Difference Score
Previous
Survey
Jun '07 Change in Net Difference Score
Wastewater Treatment +39 +22 +17
Water Security (i.e. Protection From Terrorism/Contamination) -5 -18 +13
Water Infrastructure Repair/Replacement +68 +58 +10
Desalination -24 -26 +2
Water Filtration +2 +10 -8

Winning and Losing Sectors. We asked industry respondents which water sectors have the most momentum – and Wastewater Treatment (Net Difference Score = +39; up 17-pts) and Water Infrastructure Repair and Replacement (+68; up 10-pts) were seen as attracting the most spending over the next two years.

On the downside, Water Filtration (+2; down 8-pts) is seen as attracting the least spending.

We note that Water Security (-5) improved 13-pts from our previous survey, but is still seen as relatively less attractive for spending.

(6) Which water sub-sector do you think will experience the biggest new technology breakthrough in the next 12-24 months? (n=147)

Current
Survey
Feb '08 Previous
Survey
Jun '07 Previous
Survey
Nov '06
Water Security & Monitoring (i.e. Protection From Terrorism/Contamination) * 23% 17% 7%
Wastewater Treatment 17% 13% 14%
Desalination 16% 31% 25%
Water Filtration 10% 13% 13%
Water Infrastructure Repair/Replacement 9% 4% 4%
Water Metering 2% NA NA
Don't Know/No Answer 22% 21% 35%
Other 1% 1% 2%

* Note that the response choice in previous surveys was Water Security & Monitoring (i.e. Protection from Contamination).

Technology Breakthroughs. While Water Security & Monitoring didn't fare so well in terms of attracting the most spending, 23% of industry respondents do believe the sector will experience the biggest new technology breakthrough over the next 1 to 2 years.



(D) Company Trends

We also asked respondents which companies involved in the water industry should be on our radar screen.

(7) Question Asked: Of all the companies involved in the Water Industry – which one(s) do you believe should be on our radar screen over the next 12 months? Please explain why. (Open-ended) (n=65)

Industry
Respondents
Current
Survey
Feb '08
GE 42%
Veolia 11%
Siemens 11%
Nalco 6%
Insituform 3%
Calgon Carbon 3%

Momentum Companies. Not surprisingly, General Electric (GE; 42%) ranks at the very top, followed by Veolia (VE; 11%) and Siemens (SI; 11%).

Of course, GE is a huge conglomerate and water is only a small part of their business. Veolia, however, ranks second in the Water Infrastructure space, and according to respondent LES98526, "It's the biggest and the best at what it does." As PLS40326 puts it, "Veolia has a consistent track record of success and multiple existing contracts."

According to other industry respondents, Veolia's biggest asset is its global reach. JUY4570 writes, "The majority of the world's water utilities expenditures will be focused on wastewater treatment and environmental cleanup, and Veolia is in a good position by having offices in China." MUR00518 adds, "Veolia's position in Australia looks very strong, and 2008 is the year Australia is going to start pulling the trigger on a number of very significant projects."

A sample of Alliance member responses can be found in Appendix C.



We also asked about specific areas within the industry. First we focused on infrastructure:

(7A) Question Asked: And which one water infrastructure company do you think is best positioned in the marketplace over the next 12 months? Why? (n=147)

Current
Survey
Feb '08 Previous
Survey
Jun '07 Previous
Survey
Nov '06
General Electric 37% 21% 15%
Veolia Environment 8% 6% NA
Insituform 5% 11% 8%
Fluor 4% 4% 7%
American States Water 3% 2% 2%
Suez 3% 1% 5%

Water Infrastructure. General Electric (37%; up 16-pts) is still overwhelmingly seen as the best positioned in the water infrastructure market over the next year.

As industry member LAR57650 says, GE has the "best combination of technical expertise and financing on a global basis." And KEN96574 adds, they have "strong financials and brand equity, coupled with recent acquisitions of top water technology companies over the last 3-4 years."

Veolia Environnement (8%; up 2-pts) now ranks second. Industry members pointed to their global reach, experience and successful track record. According to LES98526, "Veolia is the biggest and the best at what it does."

A sample of Alliance member responses can be found in Appendix D.



Next we took a look at companies in the water filtration marketplace.

(8) Question Asked: And which one water filtration company do you think is best positioned in the marketplace over the next 12 months? Why? (n=147)

Current
Survey
Feb '08 Previous
Survey
Jun '07 Previous
Survey
Nov '06
GE Water 31% 24% 25%
Siemens 9% 8% NA
Calgon Carbon Corp. 7% 6% 6%
Millipore Corp. 6% 1% 7%

Water Filtration Companies. GE Water (31%; up 7-pts) is also still seen as the best positioned water filtration company. Siemens (9%; up 1-pt) comes in a distant second, followed by Calgon Carbon (7%; up 1-pt).

Industry respondent JUY4570 writes, "During the last five years GE acquired several companies involved with filtrations and they are in a great position." Respondent CLA01284 adds, "GE is a huge conglomerate that can divert R&D and manufacturing funds within the company to address emerging market areas ... Their new Africa reverse osmosis plant should give them a good foothold with Arab countries."

Regarding Siemens, industry respondent ANN55048 says they have, "multiple brands and product suites, end to end solutions, engineering know how, and are positioned around the world."

A sample of Alliance member responses can be found in Appendix E.



Finally, we asked about companies in the services, equipment and water utility sectors. Here are the leading companies identified for each:

General Electric (GE) Consulting, Engineering & Construction Services
Siemens (SI) Filtration
Fluor (FLR) Consulting, Engineering & Construction Services
Flowserve (FLS) Equipment
Gorman-Rupp (GRC) Equipment
Calgon Carbon (CCC) Equipment
Nalco (NLC) Equipment
American States Water (AWR) Utilities

In future water industry surveys, we'll continue to track these companies to identify which ones are showing the strongest momentum.

Individual results for each of these areas can be found below:

Consulting, Engineering And Construction Services Companies

(9) Question Asked: Focusing on companies that provide consulting, engineering and construction services, which of the following do you think are well positioned in the marketplace over the next 12 months? (Choose No More Than Three) (n=147)

General Electric 35%
Fluor 30%
Foster Wheeler 21%
Parsons 16%
URS 16%
Tetra Tech 12%
Suez 9%


Equipment Companies

(9A) Question Asked: And focusing on companies that provide equipment (such as pumps, valves, pipes, and flow control systems), which of the following do you think are well positioned in the marketplace over the next 12 months? (Choose No More Than Three) (n=147)

Flowserve 18%
Gorman-Rupp 15%
Calgon Carbon 15%
Nalco 14%
Insituform 12%
Watts Water Technologies 12%
Badger Meter 8%
Pall Corp 8%
Danaher 7%
Valmont Industries 7%
Itron 7%


Water Utility Companies

(9B) Question Asked: Now focusing on water utility companies, which of the following do you think are well positioned in the marketplace over the next 12 months? (Choose No More Than Three) (n=147)

American States Water 24%
Veolia Environnement 20%
Aqua America 14%
Southwest Water 12%
California Water Service Group 9%
Consolidated Water 8%
Companhia de Saneamento Basico do Estado de Sao Paulo 7%



(E) Other Market Trends

Desalination

(10) Question Asked: There are currently two methods used to desalinize water – Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Distillation. Which desalination method do you think will ultimately win out? (n=147)

Current
Survey
Feb '08 Previous
Survey
Jun '07 Previous
Survey
Nov '06
Reverse Osmosis (RO) 50% 64% 51%
Distillation 3% 4% 9%
A Combination of These Technologies 25% 16% 21%
Don't Know/No Answer 20% 19% 17%
Other 1% 0% 2%

Reverse Osmosis Preferred Desalination Method. Reverse Osmosis (RO) (50%) is still the overwhelming favorite to win out over Distillation (3%) as the preferred desalination method.

(10A) Question Asked: Which one of the following companies do you think has the best scalable desalination system? (n=147)

Current
Survey
Feb '08 Previous
Survey
Jun '07
General Electric 50% 47%
Siemens 14% 10%
Consolidated Water Company 3% 4%
Hyflux 3% 5%
Other 6% 9%
No Answer 24% 25%

Scalable Desalination Systems. GE (50%; up 3-pts) is the company believed to have the best scalable desalination system, with Siemens (14%; up 4-pts) a distant second place.

Contaminants

(11) Question Asked: Which type of contaminant do you think poses the greatest overall risk to public health in water supplies? (n=147)

Current
Survey
Feb '08 Previous
Survey
Jun '07
Microbial Contaminates 48% 49%
Organic Contaminates 25% 24%
Inorganic Contaminates 18% 13%
Other/Don't Know/ No Answer 9% 14%

Water Contaminants Pose Highest Health Risks to Water Supply. Nearly one-in-two (48%) say Microbial Contaminants pose the greatest overall public health risk to water supplies. Another 25% say it's Organic Contaminants.

(12) Question Asked: Contamination can come from a variety of sources. Which of the following sources of contamination do you think will receive the most attention over the next 12 months? (n=147)

Current
Survey
Feb '08 Previous
Survey
Jun '07
Industrial Wastewater Treatment 44% 35%
Urban Runoff 27% 30%
Agriculture Runoff 22% 28%
Other / No Answer 7% 8%

In terms of contamination sources, 44% believe Industrial Wastewater Treatment will receive the most attention over the next 12 months – up 9-pts from previously. Urban Runoff (27%) ranks second, followed by Agriculture Runoff (22%).

When asked about technologies showing the greatest promise in eliminating these sources of contamination, Membrane Filtration was the top response for Industrial Wastewater Treatment. Storm Water Management ranked as the top choice for Urban Runoff.

[rivaldo] 11/6/2008 07:32

New article on Citywire FYI about water as an investment theme - hopefully the Eutek acquisition in the USA is nicely timed:



Tiny extract:

"Many developed countries are already struggling with creaking, Victorian pipe networks, where up to 20% of the water is lost through leaks, he points out.

Indeed, the American Environmental Protection Agency says that in the US alone, US$1 trillion of investment will be required to maintain and repair its dilapidated water infrastructure up to 2020.

The problems can be even more acute in newly industrialised countries, where the pace of urbanisation has far outstripped the building of new sewerage and water supply networks."

[rivaldo] 10/6/2008 13:49

Anyone see the BBC1 programme about the floods yesterday? I only caught the end (after the footie!), but there was mention of considerable effort going in to devloping new national policies, in particular to combat surface drainage.

Cue HYD....

[rivaldo] 09/6/2008 20:56

Thx MTG. I can't see much better value than HYD anywhere there, amongst UK stocks anyway.

Down today on one 5.8k sale - just shows the volatility. And the price is now 10p cheaper than the 163p paid by the FD two weeks ago!

I understand that due to Peel Hunt's having changed analysts, the new broker note has been delayed a little (again!), but is on its way. Apparently the new guy is well respected in his field. I await with bated breath.

[m.t.glass] 09/6/2008 16:24

HYD is already among the dozen water related stocks listed on the H2O thread


But if anyone can think of other UK water stocks that ought to be added, please mention them there.

[2020hindsight] 09/6/2008 03:52

Something for Hydro ? 107m dirhams is around £14m.


Dh107m project on Dubai storm water network

Staff Report
Published: June 08, 2008, 23:39

Dubai: Dubai Municipality is undertaking a Dh107-million project to provide comprehensive drainage and storm-water network for Al Warqa 1, said Engineer Hussain Nasser Lootah, Acting Director General of Dubai Municipality.

He said the project, which is expected to be complete by the end of 2010, is part of the civic body plans to link new residential areas with the city's main drainage network and reduce the percentage of sewage water transported by tankers to five per cent by 2011.

[rivaldo] 08/6/2008 07:34

Promising stuff from HYD about a conference on 1st July:



"SUDS 'n' FLOODS

Tuesday, 1st July 2008 The Tewkesbury Park Hotel, Tewkesbury

One year on from the devastating summer floods of 2007 and there has never been as much activity in stormwater management circles as we have seen in the last 12 months. There have been independent studies and reports produced on the flooding that occurred in cities such as Hull followed by Sir Michael Pitt's interim report into the summer floods, with the second and final report due this summer, as well as the Environment Agency's 'Review of the 2007 Floods'.

February this year saw the publication of The Government's water strategy for England - 'Future Water' along with 'Improving Surface Water Drainage' a consultation to cover the proposals set out in 'Future Water'.

More recently has been the release of the Flooding report produced by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, ordered by The House of Commons and outlining their recommendations and conclusions.

All of these publications come on the back of many other recent initiatives dealing with stormwater management and flooding issues such as Defra's Making Space for Water and the Integrated Urban Drainage Pilots as well as the Code For Sustainable Homes published by Communities and Local Government.

Throw the Water Framework Directive into the mix, and you have an extensive list of issues that need to be addressed in a co-ordinated and structured way.

It appears that finally sustainable drainage (SUDS) and stormwater management may finally be starting to get the attention they deserve and this conference aims to unravel the issues, examine what progress is being made and provide some answers and show examples of where good practice is being used to deal with stormwater from 'Source to Sea'."

[masurenguy] 05/6/2008 01:19

The Daily Telegraph

Drought 'to be biggest world risk'
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
04/06/2008

A catastrophic water shortage could prove an even bigger threat to mankind this century than soaring food prices and the relentless exhaustion of energy reserves, according to a panel of global experts at the Goldman Sachs "Top Five Risks" conference. Nicholas Stern, author of the Government's Stern Review on the economics of climate change, warned that underground aquifers could run dry at the same time as melting glaciers play havoc with fresh supplies of usable water. "The glaciers on the Himalayas are retreating, and they are the sponge that holds the water back in the rainy season. We're facing the risk of extreme run-off, with water running straight into the Bay of Bengal and taking a lot of topsoil with it," he said. "A few hundred square miles of the Himalayas are the source for all the major rivers of Asia - the Ganges, the Yellow River, the Yangtze - where 3bn people live. That's almost half the world's population," he said.

Lord Stern, the World Bank's former chief economist, said governments had been slow to accept that usable water is running out. "Water is not a renewable resource. People have been mining it without restraint because it has not been priced properly," he said. Farming makes up 70% of global water demand. Fresh water for irrigation is never returned to underground basins. Most is lost through leaks and evaporation.

A Goldman Sachs report said water was the "petroleum for the next century", offering huge rewards for investors who know how to play the infrastructure boom. The US alone needs up to $1,000bn (£500bn) in new piping and waste water plants by 2020. "Demand for water continues to escalate at unsustainable rates. At the risk of being alarmist, we see parallels with Malthusian economics. Globally, water consumption is doubling every 20 years. By 2025, it is estimated that about one third of the global population will not have access to adequate drinking water," it said. China faces an acute challenge. It makes up 21% of humanity but controls just 7% of the water supply.

Disputes over cross-border water basins have already prompted Egypt to threaten military action against any country that draws water off the Nile without agreement. The shift to an animal protein diet across Asia has added to the strain. It takes 15 cubic metres of water on average to produce 1kg of beef, compared to six for poultry, and 1.5 for corn.

Goldman Sachs advises investors to focus on the high-tech end of the world's $425bn water industry. But beware the consumer "backlash" against bottled water, now viewed as an eco-hostile waste of fuel. It is eyeing companies that produce or service filtration equipment (which can now extract anything from caffeine to animal growth hormones by using nanotechnologies), ultraviolet disinfection, desalination technology using membranes, automated water meters and specialist niches in water reuse. It is difficult to find a "pure play" on water equities. GE is a market leader in the field, but the sector makes up just 2% of its colossal turnover. The revenue share of the world's top water companies that comes from the sector is Veolia 34%, Suez 16%, Ferrovial 20%, Sabesp 100%, Severn Trent 100%, RWE 23%, ITT Corp 32% and Pentair 75%.

Stanford professor Donald Kennedy said global climate change was now setting off a self-feeding spiral. "We've got droughts combined with a psychotic excess of rainfall," he said. "There are 800m people in the world who are 'food insecure'. They can't grow enough food, or can't afford to buy it. This is a seismic shift in the global economy."

[rivaldo] 04/6/2008 07:53

Ta M - just replied.

[masurenguy] 04/6/2008 07:36

Rivaldo - you've got mail.

[rivaldo] 04/6/2008 07:34

FYI a brief mention of HYD in the context of environental infrastructure investment opportunities:



"Environmental infrastructure set to increase but UK opportunities limited
By Leonora Walters

Global infrastructure will provide increasing investment opportunities with spending in this area projected to rise 50%, and an increasing amount of which will be in environmental areas such as alternative energy, water and waste...."

[gac100] 27/5/2008 09:18

Doh! didn't see your post riv. Oh well, first buy by the FD worth a collective cheer :-)

As far as the PH note goes, looking at last year's I see its dated 31 May ... maybe the same again this year.

[rivaldo] 27/5/2008 08:09

Beat you by 3 minutes gac :o))

Perhaps this will herald the new broker note...

[gac100] 27/5/2008 07:27

FD buys his first shares



£20,000 worth - well done Tony Hollox (let's hope that's just a start).

[rivaldo] 27/5/2008 07:24

Excellent - a debut director share purchase by the FD, and not a bad amount either at £20k's worth:



"The Company was notified on 23 May 2008 of the purchase on 23 May 2008 by Tony Hollox, Director of the Company, of 12,500 ordinary shares of 5 pence each in the share capital of the Company ('Shares') at a price of 163 pence per Share. As a consequence, Mr Hollox's shareholding in the Company is 12,500 Shares representing 0.09% per cent of the existing share capital of the Company."

[rivaldo] 26/5/2008 07:36

Interesting article about beating the downturn in yesterday's Sunday Times. In particular:



"Water

Water is widely thought to have long-term growth potential, although performance has come off recently.

Pictet's water fund, which invests chiefly in water utilities, including the UK's Severn Trent, returned 38.2% in the past three years but is down 11.7% in the past year.

Investors in water have largely cashed in on emerging markets' demand for desalination, filtration, new pipelines, water transport and pumps.

Sofat said: "It's a long-term theme - you've got emerging markets where the population is getting wealthier, so demand for clean water is rising. Water is a basic need, not a luxury, and as wealth continues to filter down, there will be strong demand."

Barclays Global Investors' Global water iShare tracks utilities and water-equipment stocks in Europe and companies in Hong Kong that service the demand from China."

[traderabc] 23/5/2008 13:14

Bummer! Redmayne Bently 'can't' buy this for me. How dissapointing as this stock should be a long term winner,both in the sector (water) and the currency Singapore $.
Now I have to find a (UK) broker who can purchase this for me.Anyone know of one? I had this same problem 5 or 6 years ago with Canadian miners.The best stuff appears to be unavailable to the public untill it goes up a huge amount,ie commodity ETFs only came into being after many had the big rises.

Edited
I opened an account with TD Waterhouse,they appear to be far superior (cheaper) than Redmayne Bently. Finaly I can get exposure to the Singapore $ and the true global growth sectors.

[traderabc] 23/5/2008 13:06

Dave thanks,indeed it looks like the one I'm after.They tell me it is traded in Berlin,I'm buying as soon as my broker can find the best place in which to do so.