Positroll

Rare Earths: Jack Lifton on Safeguarding Future Supply

Considering that Lynas Corp is under chinese control, it seems strange that Lifton does not even mention Alkane Resoucres (alk.ax), which is running a demonstration plant (+refinery) right now and plans to process up to 500.000 t of ore / year.
www.theaustralian.com....
www.alkane.com.au/pres...

Disclosure: long alk.ax

Mickey Fulp: Rare Earths Are 'Flavor of the Year'

I found it strange that the author didn't mention Alkane Resources (alk.ax), which already has a demonstration plant running and is nearing production. This week they announced a potential doubling of their start up capacity (from ~200,000) to 500,000 tons of ore throughput, with a 200 year mine life ...
"At the expanded production rate, the Dubbo project could produce 22,500 tpa (7.5ktpa ZrO2) of zirconium basic sulphate (ZBS), zirconium hydroxide (ZOH); zirconium carbonate (ZBC) and ZrO2, 2,500 tpa (1.75ktpa Nb2O5) of Nb -Ta concentrate; 2,475 tpa (REOs of LREE concentrate and 753tpa (REOs)."
www.proactiveinvestors...
Cf. www.theaustralian.com....

The nice thing about Alkane is that it's not a one trick play, but is also interesting due to its gold ventures ...
www.alkane.com.au/pres...
www.alkane.com.au/repo...

Disclosure: Long on alk.ax

Rare Earth Metals: A China Price

" I predict that metals in which China dominates world production will be sold for la lower price within China that they are sold in the rest-of-the-world market."
Sounds easy. But imO its not in line with WTO rules. So what will stop other countries from retaliating by slapping on tariffs on chinese goods containing rare earths?
Anyways, I bought some shares of Alkane Resources (alk.ax) just in case ... (also a nice gold play)
www.theaustralian.com....

Why GM Is Repaying Bailout Money

"GM has also announced it will repay ALL German state aid before month’s close. That is big. It significantly reduces the German government’s leverage over GM plans for restructuring in Germany."
More importantly, it means GM will get back control over all the green Opel intellectual property / patents they ceded to the German gov as securitiy for the loan ...

The Opel Lesson: Creative Destruction Still Not Popular in Germany

"And job-sharing is poor business."
That's one view. Others would point out that this policy has been one of the main factors that kept consumer spending afloat in Germany, as workers know that for the next 12 months at least their job is safe (which is true not only for the workers doing Kurzarbeit, but for lots of workers in other companies who know that their company can resort to this means before firing them). Also, millions of people looking around for a job when you know there aren't nearly enough isn't exactely helpful for the economy, either.

Considering US commentators always want Germans to consume more during the current crisis, it seems strange that they tend to criticize the main factor enabling such consumption ...
Also, skilled labor is kinda scarce in Germany. That's why businesses prefer to APPLY for "short work" - they aren't forced to do so ... Instead, they often make use of the occasion to send their workers to training centers and other schools, where their skills are updated / upgraded, resulting in a more efficient workforce when the crisis finally ends ...

Allegiant Travel Group: Flying High in a Troubled Sector

"Even with this stellar performance, the stock trades at less than ten times earnings." That's nothing compared to PNCL, which isn't even vulnerable to oil price spikes, due to its contract structure with DAL ...

Repost:
FCF from operations more than 21 mio US$ for the last quarter (Q3). Trading below $ 6.50 (market cap c.a 120 mio) despite nine month earnings of $ 2.01 / share (fully diluted) and net assets / share way north of $ 10. Earnings call indicated they'll get another 40 mio tax rebate in 2010 (instead of the so far expected 30 mio). See
seekingalpha.com/artic...

Talk about efficient markets - people just hate airlines and won't bother looking for the details ... A little old but still instructive:
seekingalpha.com/artic...

Regional Airlines Picking Up Market Share

Sometimes shedding unproductive routes can help, too. Just look at PNCL: FCF from operations more than 21 mio US$ for the last quarter (Q3).
Trading below $ 6.50 (market cap c.a 120 mio) despite nine month earnings of $ 2,01 / share (fully diluted) and net assets / share way north of $ 10. Earnings call indicated they'll get another 40 mio tax rebate in 2010 (instead of the so far expected 30 mio). See
seekingalpha.com/artic...
Talk about efficient markets - people just hate airlines and won't bother looking for the details ... A little old but still instructive:
seekingalpha.com/artic...

Commodity Hoarding by Funds Exposed

"There is no investment rationale for buying and hoarding physical commodities."
The "investment rationale" is the same as for buying anything else: to make money.
At the same time, [non agricultural] commodity buying by funds at low prices helps to keep mines open and allows junior enterprises to keep exploring, reducing later spikes. Higher oil prices reduce waste and CO2 - "peak oil" or not, that's a positive.
As for the individual consumer, he can do the same I did: buy some etf's when the price of oil is low, sell them when the oil price peaks, and use the proceeds to fill the tank of his car ...

The Quiet Grab: China's Recent Commodity Deals

That's why I bought into Alkane Resources last month.
Cf. www.theaustralian.news...

Demand for 'Moly' Can Only Rise

"There are only two that trade publicly in this country"
Not if you count the pink sheets:
There is also Mercator Minerals (MLKFF.PK, ml.to), producing copper, molybdenum and a little silver near Kingman, Arizona. Mercator was upgraded by lots of analysts these last weeks.
Cf. seekingalpha.com/artic...

And the Australian co. Moly Mines (MYMNF.PK , mol.ax) could become a major player, if they get their financing together (looks like they will, cf. finance.yahoo.com/q?s=... ).

disclosure: long

5 Things You Need to Know When Analyzing Corporate Debt

And then there is debt that isn't really debt - GAAP accounting just makes it look like debt.
Take e.g. PNCL - a short glance at the balance sheet makes it look kinda ugly, while the truth is completely different: deferred revenue liability of $216M out of the sale of Northwest Airlines bankruptcy claim with no obligation to deliver any services associated with the deferred revenue.
seekingalpha.com/artic...
( a little old; adjusted tangible book value is now somewhere north of $12 / share, not the $9.11 indicated in the post)
But of course, most investors don't take the time for this kind of scrutiny, esp if the company is in a unliked business (airlines in this case) ...

What Is the Real Level of Unemployment in Germany and Japan?

... versicherung
Seeking Alpha does not seem to like German words ...

What Is the Real Level of Unemployment in Germany and Japan?

The partly deleted word is "Arbeitslosenversicher... ...

What Is the Real Level of Unemployment in Germany and Japan?

"Whether the German fiscal position will allow this once the new government is installed is another question entirely."
Not really. The Kurzarbeitergeld is paid by the Bundesanstalt fuer Arbeit (BAA - Federal Labor Bureau?), which has its own budget and its own revenue: it gets its money not from the Federal budget, but from payments by employers and employees as a form of insurance (Arbeitslosenversicher... On Jan 2009, these dues have been reduced from 3,3% to 2,8% of a workers income, as a means of stimulating the economy. It won't be too difficult to raise the level again to fill the coffers of the BAA - at a cost to groth, of course, but the positive economic + social impact of the Kurzarbeitergeld is bigger imO ...

Fortescue: China Breaks the Iron Ore Monster

Now I wonder whether FMG will try to buy into Moly Mines (Mol.ax , Mol.to) . Also located in the Pilbara area, they got some high quality iron ore at the surface, and one of the worlds biggest moly resources; only needs financing. And FMGs owner already is a major shareholder of Moly Mines ...
I bought some cheap shars at 0,22 Au$ in March, sold 1/3 at 1,20 Au$ lately, and now I'm waiting how it all plays out ...