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25/10/06
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Ok this is the other one I love at the moment, 16mil shares on issue, $3mil in bank will start drilling on the 31/10/06 a 20 hole drill program for Molybdenum, they also are exposed to Copper, Gold, Uranium at he same target. What really interest me was Warrick Gregor taking the tIMe to put out a report on this (read below), warrick is wel known in the industry & people listen when he reccomends, im targeting .50+ to start & if they hit the goods $1+ will be easily reached, 1-4month play also if your set by the 10-11-06 you are entitled to buy options at .01 for a 1option for every 2 shares you own. Im not set as Im trying to free up so cash, had to reveal these before they start gaining momentum DYOR FAR EAST CAPITAL LIMITED Suite 24, Level 6, 259 Clarence Street SYDNEY NSW AUSTRALIA 2000 Tel : +61-2-92470077 Fax : +61-2-92470044 Email : [email protected] www.fareastcapital.com.au AFSLicence No. 253003 A.C.N. 068 838 193 6 October, 2006 Analyst: Warwick Grigor This research report is provided in good faith from sources believed to be accurate and reliable. Far East Capital Ltd directors and employees do not accept liability for the results of any action taken on the basis of the information provided or for any errors or omissions contained therein. 1 OZEQUITIES COMMENTARY On Presentation The Mining Investment Experts Catalyst Metals Ltd (“CYL”) “A New Molybdenum Story on Its First Public Outing” Recent IPO Flew High, then Fell CYL was a recent IPO, listing on 26 July 2006, after raising $3.2m at 20¢ a share. The stock initially came on strongly, peaking at 35¢, but since then a steady slide has taken the price back to the IPO level of 20¢. We first looked at the Company’s lead project, Minnie Springs, in 2005 when the private owner was considering joint venture proposals and options for advancing the prospect. At the time it certainly appeared to be one with merit, and good upside when compared to another molybdenum project – Spinifex Ridge (Moly Mines). The ability to raise funds in the IPO has given Mark Thompson, the original holder of the licence and now the CEO, an opportunity to demonstrate what he believes he has on the table Simple, One Project Company CYL comes across as a single purpose company; one that aims to prove and develop a major molybdenum resource. As such it give investors a clear and focused alternative to the general purpose junior exploration stock. Classic Molybdenum in Porphyry Without getting bogged down in geology, we can described the Minnie Springs discovery as being part of a classic porphyry system which give rise to large tonnage potential; the known dimensions of the system are 5 km x 2 km. This is in contrast to the narrower skarn-type of mineralisation, which a number of other Australian companies are looking to develop, frequently containing molybdenum and tungsten (scheelite). Although there is potential for in excess of 100 mill. tonnes within the system, CYL is aiming to confirm a figure of only 7-10 mill. tonnes in the first instance, then building on this figure. This would be sufficient for a 5-7 year mine life at a rate of 1.5 mtpa. At the expected grade of 0.1% Mo, this would give an in-situ resource of 7-10,000 t (15-22 mill. lb) of molybdenum. The economic significance of this can be compared to that of a million ounce gold deposit, at US$600/oz. Quick to Prove Up A Resource To prove up a resource of the 7-10 mt size is not an expensive exercise due to the 100m width of the mineralisation. It would only need a 300m strike length to a depth of 100m. The first 20 RC drill holes are about to commence, with a pattern of holes on lines spaced 50m apart. We would expect that CYL will seek to double this initial resource prior to committing to any sort of feasibility study or development plan. Comparison with Others Minnie Springs has a number of advantages when compared with Spinifex Ridge, the most obviously similar project in Australia. Moly Mines describes Spinifex Ridge as “world class”. Indeed, it is a substantial orebody with a Measured and Indicated Resource of 469 mill. tonnes at 0.06% molybdenum and 0.01% Cu. It is planning for a 15 mtpa operation for at least 20 years, with a capital cost of $600m (US$466m). It could produce 21 mill. lbs of Mo and 8,500 tpa Cu, in separate concentrates. Cash operating costs would be US$4.50/lb (pre copper credits). In contrast, CYL is much more modest in its expectations. A 1.5 mpta plant for a simple crush/grind/float operation might cost in the order of $70m, with mining fleet and infrastructure adding another $50m (but this is really guesswork). The grade at Minnie Springs would be much higher (0.1% versus 0.06%), but there would be no copper credits. However, early drilling, which returned a 64m intercept at 0.09% Mo, also included widths of 24m at 0.14% Mo. This suggests that there could be a high grading option if necessary. The Company believes that the assaying techniques were defective when the first drill holes were analysed and has suggested that we could see up to a 20% improvement in grade. This could be interesting. Minnie Springs virtually outcrops so the waste to ore ratio would be almost nothing for the first few years, whereas Spinifex Ridge is expecting 1.4:1. This sounds low, but it is still a sizeable tonnage to move each year (21 mill tonnes). Even though Minnie Springs is modest in size, to begin with, the system is sufficiently large that it could fit Spinifex Ridge into it three times over. Thus, there is nothing modest about the potential size. Metallurgy Not Expected to Be A Problem At this point there is nothing adverse known about the metallurgy of the ore. To the contrary it seems as if the large flat grains are well suited to the flotation process, suggesting recovery rates to concentrates in the order of 85-90%. Molybdenum Price The molybdenum price has, like just about every other commodity, been the beneficiary of the enormous appetite for raw materials in China. From a Far East Capital Ltd/OzEquities Junior Resource Company Comment This research report is provided in good faith from sources believed to be accurate and reliable. Far East Capital Ltd directors and employees do not accept liability for the results of any action taken on the basis of the information provided or for any errors or omissions contained therein. 2 price of below US$5/lb in 2003/04, the molybdenum price peaked at US$40/lb in mid 2005, before falling to US$23/lb in 2006. It is currently sitting at about US$27/lb, still well ahead of the US$11.93/lb average for the past 10 years. Stocks of molybdenum have been reported to be at their lowest levels for 14 years Molybdenum Production – World Profile In 2005, the world production was 389 mill. lbs. High grade mines (0.2%) in North America contributed 38% of this while lower grade Mo/Cu mines in South America, with grades 0.01-0.03% contributed another 36%. Rhenium – An Ultra-Exotic Co-Product? You will be excused for ignorance on this one, as I hadn’t heard of it before today. Apparently it is a very rare metal that is used in catalysts. It sells for US$32/g (gold is $19/g). Rhenium is believed to be tied up in the molybdenum grain at Minnie Springs at a grade of 1 gpt. CYL might be looking at production of 1.3 mill grams p.a., which would have a gold equivalent value of about 70,000 oz p.a. We are not aware of what payment terms would be, as it would report to concentrates with the molybdenum, but is could be very significant as a co-product. The Bottom Line Investors usually gloss over when given a specialty metal company to look at, for anything more exotic than gold is usually put in the too hard basket as there is a shortage of comparisons with other companies. This could change as the knowledge of the mining sector improves. CYL is a very tightly capitalised company with only 23 million shares on issue, giving a tiny market capitalisation of $5.5m, backed by just under $3m in cash; but remember that there are four million shares in each of Class A and Class B, which will vest upon share price performance measures or the proving of minimum size resources in gold equivalent terms (share price over 50¢ and 75¢ for 30 days, resources of 150,000 oz and 225,000 oz). While this is designed to give incentive and a level of comfort to shareholders, it seems reasonable to assume these hurdles will be met so there will be 32 mill. shares on issue, giving a market capitalisation of $7.7m. At this price CYL can be regarded as an “option” on the molybdenum price. A 1 for 2 option issue has been announced, costing 1¢ and exerciseable at 20¢ by December 2008. The shares go ex-entitlement to the issue on 10 November, so there is a little “bonus” there for shareholders at present. It wouldn’t take much buying, inspired perhaps by some good results, to make the stock perform. The tight capitalisation is a double-edged sword however. The Company needs to deliver at the end of the day, if it is going to satisfy serious investors. Geologically the Company seems to have to goods. A substantially higher share price can be expected as the work program is undertaken and the number become clearer. However, it is an early stage project that is unlikely to benefit from the recent high point in the price cycle (like most other prospective molybdenum producers). This means that it will have to look better than its competitors if it is going to get up and running at some later date. In the interim, the share price will also be affected by the performance of other near development companies such as Moly Mines. It will experience collateral benefit if Moly Mines is successful as CYL will be seen as an earlier stage play and the confidence could well rub off onto its share price. However, there could also be collateral damage if Moly Mines disappoints shareholders. (The impact on the rest of the lateritic nickel hopefuls was very apparent when Anaconda Nickel stumbled, and almost fell). The table below is incomplete due to unavailability of information, but it gives an idea of molybdenum projects out there Contact OZEQUITIES NEWSLETTER “Australia’s Most Comprehensive Daily Digest of Equities News”, at[email protected] . Tel: +613 97485033. Warwick Grigor is a director of Far East Capital Ltd, an ASIC Licensed research and investment firm. He and his associates have a material interest in the securities of Company Ltd, being shareholders. This report provides information of a general nature and it does not contain a recommendation, express or implied, to deal in the securities mentioned herein. A professional investment advisor should be consulted before acting on the contents of this note. Copyright © Far East Capital Ltd 2006 Project Company Location Capex Plant Grade Cash Costs Strip Forecast % World First US$m Size % Mo US$/lb Ratio Prod'n Supply Prod'n mtpa Mill lb Mo Davidson Blue Pearl Mining Canada 50 0.7 0.29% $8.00 u/g 5 1.3% 2008 Lucky Ship New Cantech Canada ? 1.8 0.09% ? ? 5 1.3% 2009 Malmbjerg International Moly Greenland ? ? ? ? 22 5.7% 2010 Minnie Springs Catalyst Australia ? 1.5 0.09% ? ? 5 1.3% ? Mt Hope Idaho General Nevada, USA ? 14 $3.40 ? 30 7.7% 2009 Ruby Creek Adanac Moly Canada 320 7 0.06% ? 0.95:1 8 2.1% 2008 Spinifex Ridge Moly Mines Australia 450 15 0.06% $4.50 1.4:1 20 5.1% 2008