Upstream Share Discussion Threads

[master rsi] 14/4/2024 22:20

GGP 6.20p / Looking good moving ahead

[master rsi] 14/4/2024 20:24

SUNDAY PAPERS

Top stories

The Sunday Times: Tesla is at a crossroads as Elon Musk grapples with falling sales and an influx of cheap Chinese-made EVs; the company’s shares have shed about a third of their value this year alone; it is a personal challenge for Musk with a large part of his $200bn net worth wrapped up in Tesla stock.

The Sunday Times: Legal & General, AstraZeneca’s ninth-biggest shareholder, has cautiously backed Sir Pascal Soriot’s controversial pay deal at the drug giant, but it warned that any successor should not expect similar treatment.

[master rsi] 12/4/2024 23:39

All the COMMODITIES finished lower as the Dollar had made large gains in the afternoon

Gold $2344 - 31
OIL brent - $89.74
BITCOIN - $67,005 -2957

[master rsi] 12/4/2024 22:23

MARKET REPORT
LONDON MARKET CLOSE: Miners lift FTSE 100 but sea of red elsewhere

(Alliance News) - London's FTSE 100 defied a tricky day for wider markets, as its miners and oil producers shone, while the dollar was supported as odds of the US Federal Reserve enacting three interest rate cuts this year dwindle.

The FTSE 100 index ended up 71.78 points, 0.9%, at 7,995.58, closing below the 8,000 point mark despite approaching its best-ever level earlier in the day.

The FTSE 250 shed 65.63 points, 0.3%, at 19,721.24, and the AIM All-Share lost 2.92 points, 0.4%, at 755.91.

For the week, the FTSE 100 added 1.1%, the FTSE 250 barely budged, while the AIM All-Share climbed 2.1%.

The Cboe UK 100 added 1.0% to 799.46 on Friday, the Cboe UK 250 fell 0.5% to 17,126.64, and the Cboe Small Companies climbed 0.6% to 14,862.69.

In European equities on Friday, the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.2% and the DAX 40 in Frankfurt fell 0.1%.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.8%, the S&P 500 0.9% lower, and Nasdaq Composite giving back 1.0%.

Share price rises for miners helped the FTSE 100 find its groove, while peers across the Atlantic in mainland Europe struggled.

Gold producer Fresnillo surged 7.6%, tracking bullion prices higher. Gold was quoted at USD2,396.43 an ounce late Friday, higher against USD2,338.05 on Thursday.

Gold was not alone in shining. Base metals prices were also on the up, as was oil.

This pushed shares in miners Glencore and Anglo American up 5.1% and 3.7%, and oil majors Shell and BP up 2.6% and 3.7%.

Brent oil was quoted at USD91.05 a barrel late on Friday afternoon in London, up from USD89.94 late Thursday.

Rising global tensions boosted oil prices. Iran's threats of reprisals against Israel after a strike in Syria this month that killed two Iranian generals remain "real" and "viable," the White House said on Friday.

"We still deem the potential threat by Iran here to be real, to be viable," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Friday that Israel and the US were "shoulder to shoulder" in facing the threat from Iran, after talks with US Central Command chief Michael Kurilla.

"Our enemies think that they can pull apart Israel and the US, but the opposite is true – they are bringing us together and strengthening our ties", Gallant said in a statement, after the two discussed Iran's threats of retaliation for a deadly air strike on its consulate in Syria widely blamed on Israel.

Rising tensions hurt shares in airlines. easyJet lost 1.9% and British Airways parent International Consolidated Airlines Group fell 3.8%.

The dollar was largely higher in the world of foreign exchange, though the threat of currency intervention supported the yen. The pound fell to USD1.2451 late Friday afternoon in London, down from USD1.2513 at the equities close on Thursday. The euro stood at USD1.0643, lower against USD1.0705. Against the yen, the dollar was trading at JPY153.09, falling from JPY153.30.

Sterling traded below the USD1.25 mark for the first time since November. The euro was around its lowest level since November.

Analysts at ING said the red-hot US consumer price index report on Wednesday "was the trigger to a substantial dollar rally". A "dovish shift" by the European Central Bank and Bank of Canada "has now made that rally more sustainable", the Dutch bank believes.

"Both banks have given a nod to market bets for a rate cut in June, and rightly so given the considerably more encouraging domestic inflation outlook than in the US. As things stand now, the Federal Reserve looks unlikely to match that same dovishness, and the case for a growing divergence between an immobile FOMC and a bunch of dovish central banks is getting stronger," analysts at ING commented.

The pound fell on the greenback despite data suggesting the UK is out of recession.

According to the Office for National Statistics, UK gross domestic product rose by 0.1% in February from January, in line with FXStreet cited consensus. UK GDP had expanded 0.3% on-month in January, according to revised data.

Back in London, Huddled Group rose 7.7% after the investor in e-commerce brands said it will acquire Food Circle Supermarket for up to GBP300,000.

Food Circle is an online retailer based in Dinnington, South Yorkshire. In 2023, it delivered revenue of around GBP1.4 million.

According to Huddled, the acquisition is complementary to its Discount Dragon business and is "the next step in the group's strategy to build a portfolio of e-commerce brands".

Bens Creek plummeted 24% after it reported that it has laid off 44 employees. The owner and operator of metallurgical coal mines across North America said that the move is due to "the depressed metallurgical coal price", as well as "financial constraints at the company and production difficulties", at its mining project in West Virginia.

Bens Creek added that the mine will be operated on a care and maintenance basis for the time being.

Bens Creek added that lower coal prices and interruptions in production at the mine in West Virginia had put a strain on the company's cashflow in the first months of 2024.

Monday's economic calendar has a eurozone industrial production reading at 1000 BST, before US retail sales data at 1330 BST.

The UK corporate calendar has a trading statement from emerging markets-focused investment manager Ashmore Group.

[master rsi] 12/4/2024 22:04

DOW

Finishing well down with 475 points .....

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 475.84 points, or 1.24%, to 37,983.24,
the S&P 500 lost 75.65 points, or 1.46%, to 5,123.41
and the Nasdaq Composite lost 267.10 points, or 1.62%, to 16,175.09.

[master rsi] 12/4/2024 16:52

How the UPS are performing during last month

[master rsi] 12/4/2024 16:22

How the UPS are performing today

[master rsi] 12/4/2024 15:51

Oxford Nanopore tech used in 'groundbreaking' telomere study
Sharecast News) - Oxford Nanopore took the wraps off a "groundbreaking" study using its technology on Friday, shedding light on the measurement of human telomeres - the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes crucial for genome integrity.

The London-listed firm said the breakthrough, published in the journal Science, was a significant advancement in understanding the correlation between telomeres and age-related diseases, as well as cancer susceptibility.

Led by Nobel laureate Dr Carol Greider of UC Santa Cruz, the research represented the first successful attempt to precisely measure and profile telomere length using Oxford Nanopore's sequencing technology.

Dr Greider envisioned the telomeric regions, along with associated proteins, as potential targets for preventive healthcare interventions and drug discovery initiatives.

The company explained that decades of scientific inquiry, including research spearheaded by Dr Greider, established the pivotal role of telomeres in health and disease.

Short telomeres were linked to degenerative conditions, while long telomeres could predispose individuals to cancer.

Despite that understanding, the intricate mechanisms governing telomere length regulation had thus far remained elusive.

In the study, the team analysed telomere lengths in 147 individuals, uncovering a pattern where specific telomeres consistently exhibited either the shortest or longest lengths.

The observation suggested that certain chromosome ends with shorter telomeres could be implicated in triggering stem-cell failure, offering insights for further clinical investigation and potential drug development.

Central to the breakthrough was Oxford Nanopore's technology, which enabled the observation of long telomere-length reads at nearly single nucleotide resolution for the first time.

The firm said the capability had sparked a surge of interest in telomere-based research, exemplified by the development of a novel workflow called Telo-seq, jointly pioneered by Oxford Nanopore and the Karlseder lab at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in November last year.

"Today marks a significant milestone not just for Oxford Nanopore but for the field of genomics," said chief executive officer Gordon Sanghera.

"This breakthrough illustrates that what you're missing matters in genomics, showcasing the benefits of richer insights to capture more types of genetic variation and unravel the mysteries of biology."

Sanghera said it was also a step towards new healthcare solutions, offering novel avenues for preventing and treating age-related diseases and cancer.

"We are proud to be at the forefront of this research, empowering scientists worldwide with tools that unlock unprecedented genomic insight."

At 1450 BST, shares in Oxford Nanopore Technologies were down 0.04% at 108.7p.

[master rsi] 12/4/2024 14:48

DOW

Opening lower with 203 points down

[master rsi] 12/4/2024 14:35

Bens Creek shares fall as it moves mine into care and maintenance
(Sharecast News) - Shares in North American metallurgical coal miner Bens Creek were sliding on Friday afternoon, after the company issued an update on its operations and working capital position, confirming that its West Virginia mine was moving into care and maintenance.

The AIM-traded firm said that in response to the current state of the metallurgical coal market, financial constraints within the company, and operational challenges at its mine, its board had made a number of key decisions on 9 and 10 April.

As a result, Bens Creek Operations WV (BC Operations), a wholly-owned subsidiary, had significantly reduced operations.

That decision led to the lay-off of 44 employees, a substantial portion of the mine's workforce in West Virginia.

Additionally, from 11 April, the mine would operate on a care and maintenance basis for the foreseeable future.

Avani Resources, the company's largest shareholder, primary off-take partner and lender, was currently engaged in discussions with Bens Creek regarding the terms of providing additional financial support.

The company said a term sheet outlining the terms was under review by the company's legal counsel.

Any potential agreement with Avani could constitute a related party transaction under the AIM rules, the board noted.

"The company continues to assess all options available to it and will make further announcements at the appropriate time," the board said in its statement.

At 1359 BST, shares in Bens Creek Group were down 23.53% at 0.65p.

[master rsi] 12/4/2024 12:44

How the UPS are performing during last month

[master rsi] 12/4/2024 12:29

How the UPS are performing today

[apotheki] 12/4/2024 12:20

First Equity

Nara Gold Project Magnetic Survey Completed

Kavango Resources plc (KAV.L) announced this morning it has completed a ground magnetics survey over its Nara Gold project in Zimbabwe. From this work, a 200-metre-wide interpreted shear corridor along a 5km strike has been defined and a number of additional exploration targets identified. Such shear zones are typically associated with large-scale bulk mineable gold deposits. The management also explained why it has been confident enough to upgrade its goal to find 2 million ounces of gold at Nara.

The RNS outlined some of the potential near term news events from its gold exploration projects in Zimbabwe, such as the multi-element test results later this quarter from 1,400 metres of drilling at Hillside and an update and results from first phase drilling at Nara. The full RNS can be accessed via the button link below.


FE Comment: Kavango seems to be making swift progress on its gold exploration and mining projects in Zimbabwe, where it has only been operational for the last 10 months. This has included the definition of a maiden gold resource and commencement of first gold production at Hillside as revealed last month.

The share price has been moving slowly higher in the past two or three weeks from near its all-time lows and is now breaking above 1.00p. This is the price at which Kavango secured £6m in a placing last year to finance its Botswana and Zimbabwe operations. Considering the improving fundamentals, recent new gold generated cash flow operations, sound balance sheet and prospect of near-term exploration and development news flow in the coming months, we continue to recommend the shares as a ‘Buy’ and believe the Company should warrant a much higher valuation than its current £13.7m market cap.

[apotheki] 12/4/2024 12:16

SP Angel . Morning View . Gold jumps again, climbing to $2,400/oz as Chinese buying continues

Kavango Resources* (KAV LN) 1p, Mkt Cap £14m – Ground magnetic survey completed at Nara as drill results forthcoming

· Kavango Resources provides an update from its exploration programme at its Nara Gold Project, Zimbabwe.

· The Company reports it has completed its ground magnetic survey over 85km of lines.

· This was intended to identify geological structures bearing association with gold mineralisation.

· Following the survey, Kavango has now identified a 200m wide likely shear corridor over a 5km strike, with several magnetic lows.

· The target zone hosts artisanal and historic workings, which also bear association with low magnetic lineaments.

· The survey also pointed to unknown magnetic lows running parallel to the historical workings and prospective areas of hydrothermal alteration.

Conclusion: Kavango continues to progress the Nara asset quickly, having acquired the licence package 10 months ago. A rig was mobilised to site in March and drilling results are expected in the coming weeks. The 200m x 5km corridor anomaly is exciting and additional drilling will be completed over the next six weeks.

An share price Angel Analyst holds shares in Kavango

[master rsi] 12/4/2024 10:55

Petrofac Ltd, down 29% at 23.71p, 12-month range 14.58p-87.50p.

The energy infrastructure company says it is engaged in discussions in regard to restructuring its debt, with "all options" remaining under consideration. Petrofac says its discussions revolve around restructuring debt in a way that would result in a significant proportion of the debt being exchanged for a stake in the company.

Further, it is in talks with prospective investors and major shareholders for a potential investment in the company, including a potential sale of non-core assets.

In December, the company announced that its year-end debt is expected to be modestly higher than the debt of USD584 million it had posted for the end of June, citing an increase of over USD100 million in collateral for guarantees.

Petrofac says on Friday: "Management and the board are focussed on managing the group's payment obligations and delivering a solution which supports the provision of guarantees required for its recent contract awards, and which ensures that Petrofac has the appropriate capital structure and liquidity to support the strength of its USD8 billion backlog."

[master rsi] 12/4/2024 10:24

AIM WINNERS & LOSERS: Bens Creek falls as it lays off workers

AIM - WINNERS

Huddled Group PLC, up 2.3% at 2.66 pence, 12-month range 2.00p-4.75p. The investor says it will acquire Food Circle Supermarket Ltd for up to GBP300,000. It says that the acquisition will comprise the entire stock, intellectual property, website and other social channels of Food Circle. Food Circle is an online retailer based in Dinnington, South Yorkshire. In 2023, it delivered revenue of around GBP1.4 million. Huddled Chief Executive Officer Martin Higginson says: "Food Circle is positioned at the intersection of a number of market trends; the continued search for value among consumers, the demand for e-commerce and direct delivery services, and the growth in health and nutrition products to support active lifestyles. It has developed important relationships with brands for whom responsible disposal of surplus stocks remains a priority, and this will remain a core mission for Food Circle."

AIM - LOSERS

Bens Creek Group PLC, down 28% at 0.61p, 12-month range 0.35p-21.79p. Bens Creek plummets, after it reports that it has laid off 44 Bens Creek Operations WV LLC employees. The owner and operator of metallurgical coal mines across North America said that the move is due to "the depressed metallurgical coal price", as well as "financial constraints at the company and production difficulties", at its mining project in West Virginia. Bens Creek adds that the mine will be operated on a care and maintenance basis for the time being.

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Tern PLC, down 23% at 2.64p, 12-month range 1.60p-11.00p. The 'internet of things' technology investor raises GBP420,000 via placing 17.5 million shares at 2.4 pence each. The placing price represents a 31% discount to the company's closing price of 3.48p on Thursday. Tern will use the funds to invest in Wyld Networks AB and to invest in at least one more company, as well as for general corporate purposes.