@PICT ... ignorance is a heavy cross to bare, your new image looks appropriate for someone being crucified on it. The argument isn;t about mineral sand prices being volatile over short periods or that ilmenite prices are currently rising, the point is your US$300/t ilmenite price assumption for MRQ's project is completely out of whack with reality seen across the industry. Not just is $300/t for 48.5% sulphate ilmenite ridiculous, it shows how much you don;t understand about ilmenite quality and pricing.
Scrounging the internet for a Jan'21 Euroz report sucking up for STA's pending large CR to support $300/t for MRQ ilmenite is desperate. In an attempt to be bullish as possible, that Euroz analyst talk of sulphate ilmenite being priced on par with chloride ilmenite shows their ignorance. Chloride ilmenite has at least 10% higher TiO2% per tonne (ie higher value) and is a direct chloride pigment plant feed that has always attracted a premium price 'per unit of TiO2' content. Even with short term supply/demand mismatch I doubt low 50's sulphate ilmenite has ever reached price parity with high 50's chloride ilmenite.
Illustrating how ridiculous this research note is, STA's Chloride Ilm has 62% TiO2, vs Sulphate Ilm typically 48-53% TiO2. Quite aside from the price premium per % TiO2 STA's ilmenite gets for being such high grade direct chloride plant feed, their chloride ilm is worth $50/t more just on the extra TiO2 content alone. To suggest prices of both types of ilmenite were $250/t end of Dec'20 isn;t credible. To be fair, the analyst made no reference to his claims so who knew if it was misunderstanding or grandstanding, but whatever... he's also doing it wrong.
Even newbies understand that for wannabe resource developer many years away from development at best that long term price forecasts are what counts. Monthly noise is meaningless and even annual price trends are irrelevant outside some share market confidence. By all means, prosecute the case why sulphate ilmenite is going into supply deficit and why the price will continue to rise over 5 years minimum if MRQ becomes a producer, but for Christ's sake try keeping your ramps real. Here is Morgan's STA research report Feb'21, if you do the math they have STA's premium 62% TiO2 chloride ilmenite priced at US$260/t from 2022 (remember Morgan's was pumping the stocks price target and went on to be lead broker in their $120M CR).
http://www.strandline.com.au/irm/PDF/46657151-ea70-4c0d-85fa-8904e432b81d/MorgansEquityResearchReportSharePriceTarget039As for your ramp about the US pre-positioning in Australia for titanium metal supply and 3D printers somehow supporting MRQ's Mozambique exploration play
Talk going from the sublime to ridiculous again, titanium metal reparents a tiny ~5% of global TiO2 production and secondly titanium metal production uses high quality rutile feed not sulphate ilmenite dominating MRQ's deposits.
So I'm a non-holder and so must be down ramping with lies yada yada, whatever makes you comfortable. DYOR and fact check all HC claims is not just good advice it's a must imo. Further, readers of ramping posters might do well to consider mark Twain's refrain about investing, that " It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so."... There's plenty some poster don;t know obviously, but beware what they know for sure... (like a looming TiO2 feed shortage and rising prices for one).
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