Oh, come on BR007!
Take a look at the past record of a particular Coy (AG) and check-out the regularity there, and the current releases - 1 or 2 a week. And is not doing any damage to his SP up 100% from lows. He's selling a dream and winning.
By contrast our board and PR is following the pattern of quiet achievers, it's a long road to hoe, and SH are to blame most for having too high expectations. The job is being done, yes there are disappointments ( I'm sure there has been some disappointed TESLA shareholders over the last couple of years - doubt you'd find many now).
Yea, money is tight, bear markets make even tighter. The question one needs to ask is: are we closer to the end of the bear market for lithium, or, is there a number of years yet to go before it is over. My reasoning is that despite all the neanderthal politicians with their finger in the dyke holding back the flood the 'new energy' revolution, and the fossil fuel lobby and vested interests of legacy industries such as fossil fuel and their platforms (power stations), the transport sector that may not be sufficiently advanced to change to the new technology, the time is right for change and cannot be reversed. There are continual examples of attitudes in govt and business, eg Boris Johnson (how retrograde can one get - bar Trump, and also the Libs/Nats in Oz). Even the Libs are arguing among themselves as to what policy they should follow in this regard. The Oz population is usually the first to adopt new tech, they are coming around and once charging stations are readily available they will, I believe, quickly move from the old modes of transport to the new.
My main concern for LPD is some of the timeline slippages, but that happens in many business ventures, it's matter of keeping them in reason and having a valid reason for their occurrence. On the whole I believe the results announced recently, eg Pilot Plant operation, sourcing our own independent feed-stock (may have been on high price side - but, it is what it is), re-siting study ADAC vs Canada has its advantages (sadly the regional instability was quickly brought to the fore - to show there is no perfect solution in business, one makes what one can from imperfect situations). BASF, I believe, some holders of LPD are raising their expectations too high, that this LOI is going to answer all their dreams. I believe it is too early yet, and nowhere near set concrete of a binding contract - It would be great if it is settled and signed (contracted) but we must wait and see.
Moving on, however, on the international scene, the whole lithium sector is moving away from their depressed state and finally making new highs, see Albermarle:
LIVENT
Even SQM with its many problems:
On the local scene, yesterday's trade in Oz was very encouraging, taken from the SMH with some added detail we have the following:
SMH - 5 Feb 2020 "Lithium miners ended the day substantially higher with Orocobre gaining 58¢ (19 per cent) to $3.64 and Pilbara Minerals gaining 11.3 per cent to $0.34. On the All Ords, Neometals gained 24.3 per cent (4.5¢) to $0.23 and Galaxy Resources gained 17.7 per cent to (18.5¢) $1.23. Lithium Power Int gained 7c to 35¢", on the environmental approval received for the maricunga project , and Liontown Res added 0.7 of a cent to 8.7¢ after news that the latest assay results, which include high-grade intercepts up to 3.8% Li2O over 10.4m and 2% Li2O over 33.4m, have confirmed the continuity of the Kathleen Valley mineralised system which has now been defined over at least 1.7km with mineralisation remaining open along strike and at depth. Argosy Mins also rose to 8.6¢ up 0.6 of a cent.
You may say LPD is missing from the report, however the big rises currently is in the producers' sector, not so much the developers or the innovative IP (IT) such as LPD. It will, if we can negotiate the struggles ahead - that is DFS and financing. It's not a short-term program and requires some very experienced managers and negotiators.
Some of the comments emanating from:Panasonic shot up more than 9%, the most since 2016, after saying its unit which makes batteries for Tesla at their jointly operated battery plant in Nevada turned profitable in the December quarter, Bloomberg reported. And, Elon Musk tweeted on Monday Tesla would soon have over a million connected vehicles worldwide, "orders of magnitude more than everyone else combined"."While Tesla's valuation baffles, excites, angers, could be a new way of valuing is upon us," Benchmark Mineral Intelligence MD Simon Moores tweeted a short while ago.
"World's collide: cars + energy + tech."Leading sector experts recently said 2020 would be the year the EV revolution began in earnest, at least in Europe.
https://www.mining-journal.com/energy-minerals-news/news/1379773/ev-markets-to-return-to-growth-in-2020-says-wood-mackenzie
"China's move to postpone the complete removal of NEV subsidies this year will support EV sales but also highlights just how sensitive the EV market still is to subsidies and incentives," WoodMac said in its note entitled Battery metals: 5 things to look out for in 2020.
(1) The launch of new mass-market models, such as Volkswagen's ID.3 and the Honda e, should give a further boost to sales."This year, several major automakers are launching ‘mass-market' EVs on dedicated platforms, aimed at breaking down range and cost barriers. While we expect substantial quantities of these to trickle into the market in the second half of the year, annual passenger EV sales are likely to remain below 3 million," said the consultancy.
(2) Other trends like to take shape over the year include improvements in battery technology. WoodMac said 2020
(3 )"could be the year that LFP chemistries get a comeback as significant energy density improvements make LFP a much more viable option".
(4) Battery size is also likely to increase as manufacturers strive to increase vehicle range, said the Edinburgh-headquartered firm.
He is not optimistic on lithium for CY 2020(5) In terms of metals, WoodMac forecasts another poor year for lithium, as excess supply persists, while the outlook for cobalt depends on the market's ability to plug the gap left by Glencore's Mutanda."Aside from Glencore, the most likely source of ‘replacement' tonnes is ERG… RTR will need to at least double shipments in 2020 if we are to avoid a large deficit.
"Other major players such as CMOC's Tenke Fungurume look unlikely to be able to materially increase output, while new supply from Chengtun and the recently started Deziwa operation will also be required to meet demand growth," said WoodMac, whose base case for mined output is a return to 2018 levels.
So bullrush007 its going to be a challenge over the time-frame, probably 1.5 to 2 years, if earlier that will be a bonus. Remember though, shares move not so much on outcomes but rather dreams, nightmares, and more dreams.
Currently its the middle of those three, the latter is what we await..
Cheers
NPJ
(20min delay)