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Commodities: Resurgence Explored. An initiating coverage report on the Commodities sector by PSQ Analytics

Last updated: 06:44 07 Dec 2009 EST, First published: 07:44 07 Dec 2009 EST

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The full report including profiles on 19 companies in the commodities sector listed on the London Stock Exchange's Main Market and AIM can be downloaded free of charge at www.psqanalytics.com.

Although there is significant debate concerning the precise point at which we stand in the commodities super cycle, most analysts would agree that the current cycle started around 2003. The global financial crisis in the latter half of 2008 brought the cycle to a temporary halt, with prices of most commodity classes, with the notable exception of gold, tumbling from historical highs. Since the nadir of the crisis in March 2009, the global macroeconomic environment has stabilised somewhat and commodity prices have partly recovered. Our outlook for commodities is robust over the long term as the global economy recovers and emerging economies continue to grow rapidly.

 

Arian Silver (AGQ.L)

Arian Silver Corporation (Arian Silver) is a junior exploration and development company, with silver, gold and base metal projects in Mexico. It focuses on “brownfield” projects, enabling access to considerable infrastructure and knowledge of probable additional resource areas.

 

Chaarat Gold Holdings (CGH.L)

Chaarat Gold Holdings is engaged in the exploration and development of gold in the western part of the Krygyz Republic. The company explores and develops the Chaarat license area, 604 square miles located in the mountainous area of the Sandalash River valley, on the western border of Kygyzstan. The company has a 100% interest in the exploration license area.

 

China Biodiesel International Holdings (CBI.L)

China Biodiesel International Holdings was incorporated in 2005 and listed on AIM in June 2006. In 2006, the company took over the entire share capital of Longyan Zhuoyue New Energy Development Co Ltd (ZYNE) which had started operations in 2001.

 

Emerging Metals Ltd (EML.L)

EML Emerging Metals Ltd is focused on investing in metals and bulk commodities where there is an anticipated imbalance in supply and demand.

 

Empyrean Energy Plc (EME.L)

Empyrean Energy Plc was established with the aim to identify, analyse and finance rewarding projects in the fields of exploration, development and production of energy resources around the world. It primarily focuses on traditional Oil & Gas sector exploration and production activities in geopolitically stable environments like the US and Germany. Empyrean currently generates revenues from oil and gas sales from two of its three prospects in Texas, US.

 

Fortune Oil Plc (FTO.L)

Fortune Oil Plc operates in oil and gas supply and related infrastructure projects in China. The company also has contractor rights for coal bed methane (CBM) block in Shanxi Province in China. The CBM project is part of the company’s strategy to grow into an independent integrated gas company with presence across the value chain.

 

Getech Group plc (GTC.L)

GETECH Group plc is a leading petroleum and minerals consultancy. It provides Services, Data and Studies to assist its clients in making informed and efficient exploration decisions. It is able to provide integrated solutions across a broad range of disciplines, involving both geological and geophysical contributions.

 

Maple Energy Plc (MPLE.L)

Maple Energy Plc (Maple) was founded in 1986 and listed on AIM in July 2007. Maple is an integrated oil & gas company operating in Peru, engaged in E&P of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids; refining, marketing and distribution of hydrocarbon products; and development of an ethanol project.

 

Max Petroleum plc (MXP.L)

Max Petroleum is an independent oil & gas exploration and production company operating in the Pre-Caspian Basin in Western Kazakhstan. As of 31 March 2009, it owned a 100% interest in the Blocks A&E and Astrakhanskiy oil and gas license areas, covering 13,500 km².

 

Metals Exploration Plc (MTL.L)

Metals Exploration Plc's stated principal activity is to identify, acquire and develop mining companies or projects with an emphasis on precious and base metal mining in the South-East Asia region. The company was founded in April 2004 and listed on the AIM in October 2004. Since then it has acquired 7 projects; Runruno, Dupax, Sulong, Puray, Worldwide and Capaz located in the Philippines, and Waigeo Island located in Indonesia. While Dupax and Sulong have received Exploratory Permits (EP), Puray, Worldwide, Capax and Waigeo are still at the application stage.

 

Minco PLC (MIO.L)

Minco PLC is an Irish incorporated metals exploration & development company with zinc exploration projects in Ireland
and zinc-silver investments in Mexico. The company is primarily focused on its Pallas Green project in Ireland, and is involved in the zinc-silver projects Bilbao and Laguna in Mexico through Toronto exchange listed Xtierra Inc (Xtierra), a 60% subsidiary.

 

Providence Resources Plc (PVR.L)

Founded in 1997 from the de-merger of Arcon International Resources Plc’s hydrocarbon assets, Providence Resource Plc (Providence) is an international upstream oil and gas company operating in exploration, appraisal, development and production of oil and gas. The company has recently entered gas storage and trading activities by exercising the option to acquire a 40% interest in the Kinsale Head Area assets (offshore Ireland) from Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS). The acquisition is expected to complete by the end of 1Q 10.

 

Sirius Exploration PLC (SXX.L)

Sirius Exploration Plc is a diversified mining and exploration company with exploration leases for salt and potash
mining assets in Australia and the US. In addition to mining, Sirius intends to use salt caverns created during mining to store electricity and hydrocarbons. Although Sirius also has minority stakes in metal mining assets, Management intends to focus on potash and storage of energy, natural gas and carbon dioxide over the coming years. The company followed a major acquisition program in 2009, funded through the issuance of equity, which has led to a surge in its equity base from 102.2 mn in January 2009 to 606.7 mn on 04 November 2009. Effective 06 April 2009, ADRs have been traded on the Pink OTC Markets under the ticker SRUXY.

 

Sovereign Oilfield Group Plc (SOGP.L)

Sovereign Oilfield Group Plc, established in 2003, provides fabrication and drilling services to oil and gas
companies and contractors in the UK and overseas through 10 subsidiaries.

 

Strategic Natural Resources Plc (SNRP)

Strategic Natural Resources Plc was founded in 2004 as a vehicle to develop, own and manage natural resource extraction enterprises in South Africa. The company is headquartered in London, UK and was admitted to AIM on 07 August 2007.

 

Toledo Mining Corp Plc (TMC.L)

Toledo Mining Corporation Plc is a nickel exploration and development company with operations on Palawan Island in the Philippines. The company estimates combined pre-JORC resources in excess of 300 Mt grading 1.3% nickel. It reported 563,280 wet-Mt of ore production and shipped 418,350 wet-Mt in FY 2009.

 

Uranium Resources Plc (URA.L)

Uranium Resources plc is an exploration and development company focused on acquiring and developing resources within intermediate-term development cycles. The company seeks to increase its acreage, acquire precious metals projects and use its expertise to build a multicommodity portfolio.

 

Velosi Limited (VELO.L)

Velosi Limited, incorporated in March 2006, is the holding company for Velosi Group. The Group, founded in 1982, provides asset integrity management, health, safety and environment services, which cover quality assurance and quality control services, to a number of leading national and multinational companies, primarily in the oil and gas sector.

 

Xtract Energy Plc (XTR.L)

Xtract Energy Plc is primarily focused on identifying and investing in early stage technologies and businesses in both the conventional and unconventional energy sectors. The company’s current activities include various oil and gas exploration and production interests in Australia, Turkey, Morocco, Central Asia, Denmark and the Netherlands. The company was established in October 2004 as Resmex Plc and was listed on AIM in March 2005.

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