Holy Crap have a read of the following article taken from the sydney morning herald this morning, we know via Peter McNeil that Newcrest were sniffing around FNT and wanted data on their PNG projects. Could it be one of FNT projects that Newcrest is after?
Newcrest may cut the hedge for $1.5b
Email Print Normal font Large font Barry FitzGerald
June 8, 2007
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AdvertisementAUSTRALIA'S biggest gold producer, Newcrest , has its revenue-sapping gold hedge book under the microscope, raising the prospect of a big rights issue to cover the $1.5 billion cost of a complete dehedging exercise.
The market reacted warmly to the prospect by driving Newcrest shares up 29c, or 1.2 per cent, to $23.90 after the dehedging possibility was raised by Newcrest managing director Ian Smith after he addressed the Melbourne Mining Club lunch at the Town Hall.
Dehedging by the world's big goldminers is under way on a grand scale in expectation that the gold price will continue to strengthen. Investors are demanding dehedged company profiles after gold's return to favour in recent years triggered massive hedge book losses.
Lihir has beaten Newcrest to the punch in the local market . It recently raised $1.2 billion, mainly to close out its hedge book and repay a gold loan.
Mr Smith said Newcrest was looking at all hedge book options. The aim would be to liberate currently forgone revenue under the group's bad hedges to "put us in a position where we could pursue all of the growth opportunities that are being presented to us".
He said the growth options were beyond the four previously outlined at the group's existing operations. "The four growth projects can be covered from internal cash. But there are other opportunities on top of those projects as well," Mr Smith said.
[B]One of those additional growth opportunities is the acquisition of a mystery gold/copper property in the Pacific Rim, first alluded to by Mr Smith in August last year.
"It's just been a longer negotiation than a lot of people expected. I can assure you that we are putting all efforts into concluding that discussion. It is just a little too sensitive just at the moment to talk about any details," Mr Smith said of the mystery property.
Analysts assume the property is an advanced but overlooked gold/copper orebody to which Newcrest can apply its skill base as the operator of large-scale, low-grade operations[/b]
EMP have sold their Fiji mine to a private company. It could still be a transfer of that, perhaps. They have an operation in PNG though. I was thinking OGD as another option, although it's pretty small scale for NCM. Anything on Bougainville? I think NCM would be going for something with over 2m oz potential, and I can't think of any that size.Peter McNeil said that Newcrest were sniffing around, but nothing solid on offer.
I was digging around for Fiji based projects as the article suggested, and could only find Emperor Resources (EMP) that fitted the bill.
So possibly Newcrest is not actually looking at partnering with FNT.
I wouldn't read too much into that article
EMP have sold their Fiji mine to a private company. It could still be a transfer of that, perhaps. They have an operation in PNG though. I was thinking OGD as another option, although it's pretty small scale for NCM. Anything on Bougainville? I think NCM would be going for something with over 2m oz potential, and I can't think of any that size.
I think it's a long shot that it would be FNT. They're too early on in exploration/development perhaps. That's based on a very solid hunch of the way NCM operate.Maybe they're going to buy LGL??
Might be scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas here MickJust throwing up another one Peninsula Minerals have a gold project in Fiji called Raki Raki. Seeing as how they are about to bed down their U aquisitions from PMH maybe a selloff of this project to Newcrest??????
does newcrest have any projects in PNG? "Newcrest can apply its skill base as the operator of large-scale, low-grade operations" sounded like either FNT or MGO, at this stage is more like MGO as FNT hasn't even submitted any thing to newcrest yet. bt can be anyone really depending on the price.
hey guys have been away from the computer all morning, just wondering if after the large order was filled at 13c was it straight away replaced by another large sell?
So was it anyone from ASF that bought the 500k chunk, if so welcome to the club!
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