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Started a position in NOVARTIS. NOV. Just 100 shares.
Templeton fund likes it.
Work starts on new pipeline
Calgary Herald; Canwest News Service
Published: 6:33 am
To the relief of oil producers concerned about Alberta's tightening export capacity, construction has begun on the Canadian portion of Enbridge Inc.'s $3-billion Alberta Clipper expansion project.
Mainline construction activity started on the weekend near Hardisty and Provost in Alberta and near Bethune, Sask. In addition, facility construction has commenced at Hardisty, Milden, Sask., and Cromer, Man., Enbridge said.
Beetle invasion hits city birches hard
Drier climate leaves ornamental trees more vulnerable
Chris Zdeb
The Edmonton Journal
Thursday, August 28, 2008
EDMONTON - D is the mark of the bronze birch borer, which is leaving its death card on thousands of mature ornamental birch trees across the Prairies and British Columbia.
The D-shaped hole that can be seen on the tree is created by borer larvae that have girdled, or strangled, the tree by cutting off the flow of water and nutrients.
The almost decade-long drought has weakened the older birches, allowing the native pest to thrive on them the last five years. The borer has virtually wiped out white birches in the U.S. Midwest. Native birches have been more resistant.
The birch is like the canary in a coalmine when it comes to drought because it loves water, says Edmonton gardening expert Jim Hole.
People normally rely on Mother Nature to do the watering, so they're not used to watering themselves, but this could be the new reality, said Jenny Wheeler, the City of Edmonton's principal of forestry.
It could also just be a drought cycle, she said. Nevertheless, the city is planting fewer birches -- and only in areas close to water sources -- in favour of more drought-resistant species such as elm, larch, ash, oak, spruce and pine.
Wheeler suggested homeowners might want to do the same.
The bronze birch borer lives beneath the tree bark, so often the first sign of its presence is when the top of the tree has no leaves and looks dead.
Cutting off the dead top of the tree won't save it because by that point, the borer has already infected other parts of the tree.
The best thing to do is to bring in a certified arborist to cut down the tree and haul it away, Wheeler said.
Keeping it around for firewood allows the borer to continue feeding on it and increases the chance of it infecting other birches.
She suggested planting a hardier tree species on the same site instead of another ornamental birch because the pest could still be around.
The best defence against the bronze birch borer is proper care because the borer can't thrive in healthy trees. Water, fertilize, put mulch around the base of the tree and be careful not to damage its bark, Wheeler says.
If your birch has been lucky enough to escape the pest once its leaves drop in the fall, make sure you give it a good soaking, especially after a hard frost.
Wheeler said watering has to be done at the drip line -- the outer edge of the tree's canopy -- not near the trunk, and it has to get down deep, 60 to 90 centimetres, where the new roots that pull in moisture are growing.
Well I don't really want a Big Ass truck if I can avoid it :O) and a separate .. pick-up is no go unless I buy a smallish SUV also.. plus I need a commuter car... plus my daughter will be getting her license this fall...
Looking @ maybe 2005-2006 4Runner-V8 or Explorer-V8 ... Both have 1500-2000lb hauling to spare with the trailer fully loaded.. and neither is too big for my wife to feel uncomfortable driving ..
Also would like a small AWD like the Subaru Impreza and one small urban car.. Honda Fit size.. geez.. that makes three LOL
I don't want to be driving the SUV all the time..
EDIT: Interestingly I looked at a Toyota Sequoia also but it's a bit big and although it hauls more the payload net net could actually be less than the other two by my calcs..
Yeah requires more research when you don't want a big ass truck :O) but two kids, two dogs and a wife make the pick-up unpractical..
Mostly CASH but solar Powered
Looks like a rock n roll day coming up with oil going off the charts.
So you looking for a big ass truck to haul your new trailer around?
Be good deals on 'em.
Balance it off with a little hybrid?
Out in Victoria all the cabs were Prius. Hadn't seen many of them before, kinda cool the way they just glide around.
I like energy LT but NG should be better regardless of US election results.. NG as transport fuel.. electric cars in the cities, distributed electric power etc etc It's coming.. faster than many think IMHO...
You are a daytrader.. :o)
Circumstances dictate that I am now shopping for two new vehicles :o(
Lost 700$ today.. I like my choices LT but I made a mistake overweighting MFC.. Called that one wrong... Waiting on my divvies :O)
I hear Harper is gonna push in the north ,,, but where are the armed icebreakers he talked about...
Mostly CASH but solar Powered
Area of interest here now, wife has one of these, improved her quality of life greatly.
http://www.walkaide.com/functional_electrical_stimulation.html
Got bored with COS, off and on the SU bus 3 times.
Shaving qtrs...too wet to golf earlier.
Y'know things like that .. give me hope for the future... The lights won't be gong out until the sun goes out... and by then we will be approaching the end of time as we experience it :O)
One more energy buy...
http://siliconinvestor.advfn.com/readmsg.aspx?msgid=24879872
Human exoskeleton suit helps paralyzed people walk
By Ari Rabinovitch
HAIFA, Israel (Reuters) - paralyzed for the past 20 years, former Israeli paratrooper Radi Kaiof now walks down the street with a dim mechanical hum.
That is the sound of an electronic exoskeleton moving the 41-year-old's legs and propelling him forward -- with a proud expression on his face -- as passersby stare in surprise.
"I never dreamed I would walk again. After I was wounded, I forgot what it's like," said Kaiof, who was injured while serving in the Israeli military in 1988.
"Only when standing up can I feel how tall I really am and speak to people eye to eye, not from below."
The device, called ReWalk, is the brainchild of engineer Amit Goffer, founder of Argo Medical Technologies, a small Israeli high-tech company.
Something of a mix between the exoskeleton of a crustacean and the suit worn by comic hero Iron Man, ReWalk helps paraplegics -- people paralyzed below the waist -- to stand, walk and climb stairs.
Goffer himself was paralyzed in an accident in 1997 but he cannot use his own invention because he does not have full function of his arms.
The system, which requires crutches to help with balance, consists of motorized leg supports, body sensors and a back pack containing a computerized control box and rechargeable batteries.
The user picks a setting with a remote control wrist band -- stand, sit, walk, descend or climb -- and then leans forward, activating the body sensors and setting the robotic legs in motion.
"It raises people out of their wheelchair and lets them stand up straight," Goffer said. "It's not just about health, it's also about dignity."
EYE CONTACT
Kate Parkin, director of physical and occupational therapy at NYU Medical Centre, said it has the potential to improve a user's health in two ways.
"Physically, the body works differently when upright. You can challenge different muscles and allow full expansion of the lungs," Parkin said. "Psychologically, it lets people live at the upright level and make eye contact."
Iuly Treger, deputy director of Israel's Loewenstein Rehabilitation Centre, said: "It may be a burdensome device, but it will be very helpful and important for those who choose to use it."
The product, slated for commercial sale in 2010, will cost as much as the more sophisticated wheelchairs on the market, which sell for about $20,000, the company said.
The ReWalk is now in clinical trials in Tel Aviv's Sheba Medical Centre and Goffer said it will soon be used in trials at the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute in Pennsylvania.
Competing technologies use electrical stimulation to restore function to injured muscle, but Argo's Chief Operating Officer Oren Tamari said they will not offer practical alternatives to wheelchairs in the foreseeable future.
Other "robot suits", like those being developed by the U.S. military or the HAL robot of Japan's University of Tsukuba, are not suitable for paralyzed people, he said.
Yeah just because we're Canucks... does not mean we can't sound pompous between brews ;o)
Bought OIL 14.21
Quite a mouthful
"a not insignificant transitory effect
Good old Stan, Mr. Big Help:
We're looking at ways to help the Brazilian government and the farmers of Brazil in this regard," he said.
Brazil quashes Canadian potash deal
ANDY HOFFMAN
MINING REPORTER
August 26, 2008
Just two years after Canada gave a Brazilian mining giant the green light to buy Canadian nickel stalwart Inco, Brazil has quashed a Canadian-backed company's deal to buy potash assets in the Amazon, citing the mineral's strategic national value.
Falcon Metais Ltda., an exploration company headed by Canadian mining promoter Stan Bharti, was the top bidder for a pair of potash properties put up for auction in June by Petrobras, Brazil's state-owned oil producer formally known as Petroleo Brasileiro SA.
Falcon says it won the tender by agreeing to pay more than 160 per cent of the minimum bid price - in excess of $100-million for two deposits - which, according to historical estimates, hold more than one billion tonnes of ore and could annually produce two million tonnes of potash, a key ingredient in fertilizer.
With a deal for the Petrobras assets in hand and its own exploration assets nearby, Mr. Bharti and his team were working on an initial public offering for Falcon to help finance the $2-billion to $3-billion it will cost to build the mine.
Suddenly, however, Brazil's federal government ordered Petrobras to terminate its deal with Falcon, citing the critical importance of potash assets to the economy.
"The government wants to review the decision of Petrobras because they feel that potash is a strategic asset for Brazil. They want the mine to be built. We're just in the process of trying to clarify what is going on," Mr. Bharti said in an interview.
In 2006, Brazil's Companhia Vale do Rio Doce (Vale) snapped up Inco and its prized Canadian nickel production operations in Sudbury, Ont.; Thompson, Man.; and Voisey's Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, for $19.4-billion.
Ottawa approved the transaction despite concerns by some that Canada was selling off world-class resource assets to the highest foreign bidder.
Others criticized the fact that Vale, unlike Inco, is protected by so-called "golden shares" that give veto power to the Brazilian government to block a foreign takeover.
Canada, however, remains a world leader in the production of potash. Producers, including Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan Inc., the world's largest, have been major benefactors of the global agriculture boom, which has sent the price of the commodity soaring, driving up costs for farmers.
Agriculture is a key element of Brazil's economy and farmers depend on imported potash to improve crop yields. Roughly 90 per cent of the potash used in Brazil comes from foreign producers.
Now Mr. Bharti, a colourful entrepreneur who has launched a slew of mining firms over the years that have searched for everything from gold to nickel, has run into a Brazilian government roadblock with his promising potash venture.
"We were going to put everything together and make a big potash play and IPO it here in Toronto. The concerns obviously are that Canada sells a lot of potash to Brazil and the price is very high. The Brazilians want to develop their own assets. We're looking at ways to help the Brazilian government and the farmers of Brazil in this regard," he said.
Officials from Petrobras declined to say if the government pressured the company to reverse the deal.
In an e-mail response to questions, company spokeswoman Lilian Laranja said Petrobras "signed a document compromising to sell [the assets] to a Canadian company. However, the high administration of Petrobras, due to strategical reasons, decided not to continue with the sales."
Mr. Bharti is still hoping to convince the Brazilian government to reverse its decision. While backed by Canadian and international investors, his company Falcon is headquartered in Brazil and plans to spend $50-million on exploration over the next two years.
Countering Brazilian media reports, Mr. Bharti said Falcon has no association with any potash producers or cartels.
"Our plan is and has always been to create a Brazilian potash play that will help the farmers of Brazil because it will eventually help save the transportation costs between Canada and Brazil," he said.
Michael Gray, an analyst at Genuity Capital Markets who just returned from a business trip to South America, said he wasn't surprised by the Brazilian government's heavy hand.
"Anything to do with fertilizers in a country that is really depending on their ethanol production for their fuel industry is going to be really coveted," Mr. Gray said
LOL... Marc Mobius of Templeton made that call a couple of months ago.. :O) I'm also watching CHN and poking around some energy.. Want one more dump but don't know if I'm gonna get.. :O)
Stetson fight with Weisel over broken deal escalates
Boyd Erman, August 25, 2008 at 2:57 PM EDT
Stetson Oil & Gas Ltd.'s fight with brokerage Thomas Weisel Partners Canada Inc. over a broken $25-million bought deal looks to be heading to court after Weisel backed out of an agreement to finance the company.
Thomas Weisel won the right to lead the share sale back in July, promising to go ahead with the bought deal even if it couldn't find other securities dealers to share the risk.
In a bought deal, a brokerage or syndicate of brokerages agree to buy stock from a company then resell it to investors in the market. Companies love the structure because it means they get their money no matter what. Usually.
This case has turned out to be a rare exception. When Stetson stock plunged after the deal was announced, and investors were scarce, Thomas Weisel was faced with owning a lot of Stetson stock that it couldn't sell and booking significant losses. Weisel and Stetson agreed to extend the closing date to Aug. 22 in hopes of finding a way to get the transaction done. But then last week, Weisel signalled it was backing out of its agreement, telling Stetson that the deal wouldn't close.
According to a Thomas Weisel filing with regulators on Friday, Aug. 22, (available here) Stetson threatened last week to sue if the deal didn't close on schedule. Weisel said in the filing that it had no plans to do so:
"Thomas Weisel Partners Canada responded to the Aug. 18, 2008, letter by indicating that it did not contemplate closing the $25-million private placement equity offering on Aug. 22, 2008, and that it has meritorious defences to the threatened claims of Stetson Oil."
In the meantime, Stetson will be forced to go ahead with another deal on terms that will likely be not nearly as good, given the sagging commodity markets, because the company needs the money to close a land deal.
Peregrine Financial's take on China, Olympics and commodities today:
New Olympic event: the commodity toss
David Berman, today at 11:46 AM EDT
Here's an interesting theory about why commodity prices, and the price of crude oil in particular, have been declining over the past month: China played host to the Olympic games, which necessitated relaxing some of its manufacturing might. Now that the games are over, get ready for some flexing.
“China is either a major producer or consumer of aluminum, copper, lead, zinc and nickel as well as the second largest user of crude oil in the world,” Bob Tebbutt, vice-president of risk management at Peregrine Financial, said in a note. “It is no wonder that commodities fell sharply as the country slowed its industry to focus on producing a successful games.”
Chinese authorities put clean air over economic growth – demonstrating one of the upsides to having an authoritarian regime hosting the games – and shut down most manufacturing within a 50-mile radius of the games and reduced energy use across the country. With lower energy use, demand for commodities dried up, Mr. Tebbutt argued.
He believes that trend should reverse itself, noting that copper has already begun to rebound and energy prices should follow. That means the U.S. dollar could be headed back down after a period of strength.
I'll take another run at COS here
I'm already out of that position right now
Scalping days these ones
I have no good feel for O&G here in the near term..
That's it for me... next orders are likely sells...
Mostly CASH but solar Powered
Yeah because AIG has fallen and can't get up :O) .. but that is business.. :o)
Bought some STM yesterday.. dunno if LT or not...
Bought some BNS just now.. Taking some on the chin here in some financials..
I'm playing COS again today
Laggging the other canuck big oilers on the Gustav spec at the open.
Manulife 'most valuable' U.S. insurer
Compiled from Herald News Services
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
American International Group Inc. now trails Manulife Financial Corp. for the title of North America's most valuable insurer after AIG's 10-month slide tied to the U.S. housing market.
Manulife has a market value of $51.5 billion US, compared with $50.3 billion for New York-based AIG, based on Monday's stock prices. AIG has slumped 68 per cent this year, compared with a 10 per cent decline for Manulife.
"We've never had a financial institution in Canada, to my knowledge, being the largest market cap," said Ian Nakamoto, research director at MacDougall, MacDougall and MacTier Inc. in Toronto, which manages about $4.5 billion including Manulife shares.
AIG has lost $97.6 billion in market value this year as bad bets on U.S. subprime mortgages led to more than $18 billion in total net losses in the past three quarters. By contrast, Toronto-based Manulife has avoided debt writedowns. AIG remains the largest North American insurer by assets.
AIG sold swaps to protect investors from losses in fixed-income holdings. The contracts issued by its financial products unit guaranteed $441 billion of assets as of June 30.
© The Calgary Herald 2008
MGA.TO - 1.34 +0.21 +18.58% interesting pop.
Added more PSS 13.02 Started SLF.TO 39.03..
How smaller miners graple with the commodities cycle
Peter Koven, Financial Post Published: Monday, August 25, 2008
Michael Judson did everything right. And like many other mining entrepreneurs, he is now fighting to stay in business.
Four years ago, Mr. Judson, 46, was among the first people to realize that metal prices were getting ready to break out of their decades-long funk. He looked around for opportunities and found a zinc mine in New Brunswick that was shuttered years before.
He started a company called Blue Note Mining Inc. and bought the project, completing financing in 2006 just after the price of zinc really started to take off. And unlike so many other juniors, he actually delivered on his plan by getting the mine back into production and generating real cash flow.
His reward for that hard work: a 5¢ stock price and a message to shareholders that market conditions need to improve for Blue Note to remain viable.
Blue Note has been hit by many of the crises facing the mining industry, including falling commodity prices (particularly for zinc), high operating costs and a collapse in investor confidence that makes it incredibly hard to raise money.
Mr. Judson, a "glass-half-full kind of guy," says he is learning to be more flexible and find new efficiencies on an hourly basis to get through the tough times. But he knows many of his competitors won't.
"Blue Note went into this with a reasonably strong balance sheet and an operating mine, and we're still suffering," he says. "But some of the other guys out there didn't enter this environment with a balance sheet of any size or health. Many of them won't make it, just because the stresses are too great."
On the surface, this seems strange. Commodity prices are still high by any historical standards, demand is strong and producing companies are generating plenty of cash. These are supposed to be good times.
The equity markets are telling a different story. Mining share prices are getting savaged by investors, and are badly under-performing the commodities themselves.
The awful credit markets, soaring exploration and production costs, rising political risks and signs of an economic slowdown are all big factors. The result is that investors have lost all appetite for risk.
The good times of the past few years have ground to a halt for many small companies, and the question is how long it will take before they return -- and how many companies will die off meanwhile.
While shares of all the major producers have fallen sharply since mid-June, they continue to generate plenty of cash at these prices (BHP Billiton PLC, for example, just reported an annual profit of US$15.4-billion). These companies can wait patiently for investors to return to them.
The junior miners have no such option. They began to get nervous when the credit crunch hit last August, and many moved on to full-blown crisis mode in the past few months as their share prices plummeted and they ran short of cash, with little chance of raising more on the horizon.
"I've been around long enough to see several cycles and this is a really nasty one, no doubt about it," says Canaccord Adams analyst Wendell Zerb, who chronicles the carnage in the Junior Mining Weekly report. "We've been in this period since May where we're waiting for a catalyst to turn it around. It just hasn't come."
One disturbing trend he points to is volume on the TSX Venture Exchange, which is a good indicator of interest in the junior resource sector. Trading volumes fell 19% in July year-over-year, and 43% month-over-month as liquidity dried up. That is even more troubling than the fact that the index is off more than 40% from its high last year.
Even resource investing guru Eric Sprott admits he did not think it would get this bad. Mr. Sprott correctly predicted the subprime crisis and collapse of the U. S. credit bubble, but his bet that junior gold and energy stocks could dodge the resulting turmoil was way off. He didn't expect the financing to dry up so much for those companies, and he didn't expect the capital costs on mining projects to rise to such obscene levels.
"I've seen a lot of companies where management is ponying up their own money because they can't raise any on the public markets. The equity markets will have to turn around for these guys to [survive]. Because there's no such thing as debt financing for smaller companies anymore," he says.
About the only thing experts agree on now is that this crisis will subside as commodity prices improve and the panic that has gripped the markets dissipates a bit. But for that to happen, some kind of catalyst will have to take hold and change investor sentiment.
One possibility is consolidation, as the valuations of many junior companies are incredibly cheap now. That gives cash-rich majors like Barrick Gold Corp. and Teck Cominco Ltd. a once-in-a-cycle opportunity to pick up quality assets at bargain-basement prices.
That dealmaking got underway with the proposed takeovers of junior gold companies Aurelian Resources Inc. and Gold Eagle Mines Ltd., but neither managed to light a fire under the market.
Another possibility is that the valuations are so cheap that investors just won't be able to resist them and will start to flock back.
"I think we've got to be pretty close to the bottom here," says Mark O'Dea, chief executive of Fronteer Development Group Inc. "A lot of companies out there are trading at or near cash value, and investors are looking for the deep value stories to load back into when the sector turns."
Fronteer continues to put out strong drilling results from its gold projects in Nevada that get ignored by the market. On the other hand, the company still hasn't recovered from the pounding it took last April when its uranium subsidiary in Labrador got hit by a three-year ban on mining from the local Inuit.
The fact that the moratorium does not affect the company's development timeline means nothing -- investors have no patience for political risk these days and Fronteer was punished as a result. "Investors are much more reactive to negative news than positive news right now," Mr. O'Dea says.
That said, there is plenty of positive news the market will come around to as the panic selling subsides, experts say.
The most important one is that the fundamentals for this commodity cycle still look solid to most observers. While the health of the United States economy is an open question, China's gross domestic product grew at a 10.4% clip in the first half of the year, and India is not far behind. That means the demand story that has propped up commodities for most of this decade hasn't changed. With that story entrenched, sentiment could change fast once investors start focusing on the good news.
Experts also point out that a lot of the bad news isn't so bad if you have a long-term view.
For example, the plunging prices of zinc and nickel (both off more than 60% from their record highs) have a lot of companies panicking. Zinc is suffering because rising supply has more than caught up to demand, and nickel is still hurting from last year's price leap, which eroded demand for stainless steel.
Low prices, along with soaring costs, have created such a crisis that some mines have actually started to close (and just last Thursday, Hud-Bay Minerals Inc. announced the closure of its Balmat zinc mine). Much of the exploration spending has dried up as well.
This is not what a hot commodity market is supposed to look like. But for long-term bulls like Mr. Sprott, this slowdown can only lead to supply shortages and higher prices in the future.
"It's not an overnight process. But if you take the price low enough, and risk high enough, things just don't move forward. The market is too short-term to look that far out," he says.
That is little consolation for Blue Note, the small zinc miner that had the right idea but happens to be producing the wrong commodity at the wrong time.
But Mr. Judson is an optimist, and his thinking is that zinc prices can only increase in the fall when the holidays end and the liquidity on the markets picks up. Meanwhile, he is ramping up production himself and is not about to let a little market turbulence get in the way of his long-term goal.
"You get a spike or two with the price and all of a sudden you can see sentiment change quite significantly," he says. "And if we continue to see strong growth numbers out of China and India, I think that will in turn help with metal prices and investor sentiment."
Also looking at PPX.TO
Five reasons to buy Canadian Hydro
August 20, 2008 at 10:24 AM EDT
With shares of Canadian Hydro Developers Inc. down more than 20 per cent in the last three weeks, Scotia Capital has listed five reasons why investors should come back to the renewable-energy company.
“Canadian independent power producer stocks that we follow have been hit hard over the past several months, down 30 per cent on average,” analyst Sam Kanes wrote in a note to clients.
“Recently, however, many of them have partially rebounded, with one notable exception being KHD. In our opinion, we think its share price being ‘left behind' is unwarranted, and presents a buying opportunity.”
Twelve analysts follow the shares, with 11 “buy” ratings and one “hold.” The average 12-month price target is $6.89, according to Bloomberg. They closed Tuesday at $4.42.
Canadian Hydro Developers
The Globe and Mail
The company said last week its second-quarter revenue rose 14 per cent over the year-earlier quarter to $19-million, as it generated 261,377 megawatts of power at its Canadian projects.
Its profit was $2.8-million, or 2 cents a share, compared to 1 cent a year ago, as maintenance expenses at its biomass facility in Grande Prairie, Alta., pushed operating expenses higher.
Mr. Kanes' list:
Value
With its shares trading at 9.9-times Scotia's 2009 EBITDA estimates, Mr. Kanes said that “on a relative valuation basis, Canadian Hydro Developers looks quite attractive. Given the high revenue, EBITDA, and EPS growth we expect KHD to realize over the next several years, we think these multiples are somewhat low.”
Possible Alberta windfall
After eight years of delays, Alberta is set to decide on its Dunvegan 100-megawatt project. If it goes ahead with Canadian Hydro Developers, expect the share price to rise by $1.50, Mr. Kanes said.
“Historically, we had given up to $1 a share of value for Dunvegan, that we reduced over time to reflect chronic delays on a final decision. Taking a closer look ... we think the total value could one day approach $1.50 a share.”
Numerous other opportunities
The company could get in on several new projects in the next few months. In addition, Canadian Hydro's Melancthon project in Ontario will come online in November, and its Wolfe Island wind project will go live in the first quarter of 2009.
It's paid up
The company has a $1.3-billion growth plan, and shouldn't have to issue any equity to pay the bills. “We believe that there is no pending transaction to increase its share count and to possibly dilute its future EPS potential,” Mr. Kanes said, but warning that any new contract wins could change the company's plan.
No secrets
Mr. Kanes felt compelled to ask the company if there were unannounced developments suppressing its share price, since the last news came on June 4, when the KHD said its Wolfe Island project was 10 per cent over budget and delayed by five months.
There were no material secrets, leading Mr. Kanes to the conclusion that the company is trading lower because renewable-energy companies are simply out of favour with investors.
HW - 16.29 +0.34 +2.13%
Out my CLL at te open... Yesterday would have been better.. No energy positions long or short. It's all clear as mud to me ST..
re: Canadian financial stocks ... might be too early yet so not whole hog here either.. Next week should tell the tale I guess with earnings.. We get to see if they are baked into the cake already..
I didn't include my energy trusts cause I trade them and tracking the return would be too complicated.
Don't know about rates down east because you folks subsidize the nuke industry but I think its a given they go up here.
At $.11942/kwh they have gone up. That is the highest Mr. Anal can see in his "utilities" spreadsheet that goes back almost 5 years.
My fear is they increase capacity for export down south-bad deal for the consumer. Kinda of an Alliance pipeline for electrons.
No doubt there will be play on it but for the average Joe it will be a hardship.
I am for deregulation but not on a North-south basis.
I kept my RSI :O)
I'm liking the comments on electricity by Bill Harris on BNN yesterday... One Pick covering Alternative energy also is Pristine energy... (more boring stuff for now) He also tossed out the names KHD and Boralex which I'm aware of..
PWT back over 13% ?? I dunno I still didn't see any despair causing me to back up he truck... I've been here before and I really do not know.. Missing is better than losing in my new mantra..
So you think electric rates are going up ? Harris thinks in the next few years they go up hard...
I got a few trusts for yield: MPT,PKI,AFN,RSI, and EIS.
Bit of an experiment, yield has covered capital loss since I tracked it minutely.
EIS big disappointment when it started to DRIP everything. Too bad, good sandbox play imo, probably decent price here. Too high of yield should have been the flag.
I had over 10% yield on book before they changed-8.5% now.
Speaking of MPT, last power bill here had a couple of weeks at almost 12 cents/kwh. Getting expensive, spur line to Montana been approved, time to lock in?
Added some Cheap shoes as traders also.. PSS
Hopefully LT. Good yield. MFC also a China/Asia play. MFC just made an acquisition in Taiwan.
I may be stepping in front of a train here with Bank earnings coming out next week.. but along with being a LT energy bull I think the Canadian financial sector is bottoming here and the yield is good.
I am overweight MFC per my new rules (too many traders) so some of those are on the bloc. Kind of limited buying wise here without breaking my high cash rule..
The Hibiscus are in bloom (winter hardy ones) :O)
NA, MFC, are these trades or longer term?
I'd recognize that for a bottom... Marketwise methinks we've only had one cheek so far.. :O)
Bought NA.TO today... I know I know... BORING.....
I never pulled the trigger on HEU when I sold HED so I've mostly missed this rally except for some CLL..
I hope so.....some people figure we t'aint quite there yet.
I've definitely seen what looks like a bottom on some of the stocks we follow.
If you need a visual: #msg-31587736
Those West Coast AGU went this morning
Think I will try and play it again today
Record power used in Edmonton Monday
Alexandra Zabjek
edmontonjournal.com
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
EDMONTON - As temperatures soared to 35 C on Monday, Edmonton residents drew a record amount of power - even more than during January's cold snap when temperatures dipped to -35 C in the city.
In Monday, the city drew 24,265.57 MW of power over a 24-hour period, which broke the previous record of 23,746 MW the city set on Jan. 29.
An Epcor spokesman called the record-high power usage a "concern" that could lead to flickers, brownouts or even blackouts in the future if infrastructure upgrades do not keep pace with ever-increasing demand.
"We're OK for now but this is something Epcor's been warning people about for some time," said spokesman Tim le Riche. "It's a transmission issue. Generation has been keeping up with growth in the province but we haven't seen any new transmission built in the province at all. We need new transmission."
Demand for electricity has been growing about 2.5 per cent per year in the province, le Riche said. Population growth has been a major driving force behind the increase, he said. A greater reliance on air conditioners in summer is also contributing to the increase.
The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) posted a new "summer peak" in demand for electricity on Monday. At 2 p.m., Albertans used 9,541 MW of electricity, 220 MW more than last summer's record of 9,321 MW.
The province set a winter peak on Jan. 28 when Albertans used a record 9,710 MW of power at 6 p.m.
Both Epcor and AESO are calling on users to reduce their summer power usage by closing drapes to keep homes cool, running major appliances in off-peak hours and turning off unnecessary lights.
"I think as Canadians there is a bit of a tiredness in seeing all American stuff," Shaun Donnelly, president of Real Productions, said during an interview on Friday.
"There is always that thrill for something that is local and you get the sense that these are people you can meet at the supermarket."
LOL........... Yes...always wanted to see my 350lb neighbor in a porn movie. Yikes...
New porn channel lets Canadians strut their stuff
Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:57am EDT
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSPAT84665620080818
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadians who may have become tired of being passed over as porn stars will have a new, home-grown outlet to showcase their erotic talents.
Federal regulators have granted Alberta-based Real Productions approval to launch a new digital pornography channel, which promises to serve up at least 50 percent domestic content.
The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approved the Category 2 pay-television service on Wednesday, allowing Northern Peaks to become "Canada's first adult video channel offering significant Canadian adult content."
"I think as Canadians there is a bit of a tiredness in seeing all American stuff," Shaun Donnelly, president of Real Productions, said during an interview on Friday.
"There is always that thrill for something that is local and you get the sense that these are people you can meet at the supermarket."
The CRTC only required 15 percent Canadian content, but Northern Peaks agreed to provide "not less than 50 percent of the broadcast day and not less than 50 percent of the evening broadcast period to Canadian programming," according to the license.
"We want to be Canada's adult channel and I think to do that, 15 percent wouldn't cut it," Donnelly said.
Real Productions boasts the largest collection of Canadian adult-themed content in the country with more than 200 film titles and 75 television episodes in its library.
The regulator stipulated the license will only be issued once Real Productions enters into an agreement with at least one licensed distributor.
Donnelly, who has also produced television programs for Playboy TV in the U.S. and Granada Television in Britain, said all five major Canadian cable and satellite carriers have expressed interest in hosting the channel and are reviewing the proposal.
"I've been in touch with the cable companies throughout the process and went ahead with it based on the interest we had," he said
Northern Peaks will be restricted to certain types of programming including long-form documentaries, dramatic series, feature films, game shows, mini-series, sitcoms and made-for-TV movies.
The CRTC received no interventions in connection with the application, which was initially launched in October 2007.
u guyz have any favourite sectors? (besides cash <g>) If so, what are they?
Also started a BMO position this AM > 6% yield..
And added (averaged up slightly) KFS > 3% yield
just > 80% cash here.
Mostly CASH
Added some more shoes this AM PSS.
Opportunity looms for forestry
Sector anticipating Russian tax on log exports will boost demand and value for B.C. wood
Gordon Hamilton
Vancouver Sun
Monday, August 18, 2008
A looming Russian tax on log exports could push markets for North American wood products into the most dramatic supply-side shock since the northern spotted owl crisis of the 1990s, a report by Vancouver consultant Russ Taylor forecasts.
And that has some coastal loggers saying it could open up new opportunities for the beleaguered sector.
"Russia is a huge exporter of logs. A restriction in the amount of logs coming out of Russia will create demand elsewhere, so it could be an extremely positive thing," said Dave Lewis, executive director of the B.C. Truck Loggers Association. "But we still have to be able to access [potential markets]," he said, referring to restrictions on B.C. log exports.
Taylor, president of the International Wood Markets Group, said in a monthly research report that the Russians are on track to raise the export tax on raw logs from its current rate of 25 per cent to 80 per cent effective Jan. 1, 2009. That's going to squeeze European, Chinese and Japanese log supplies, sending a ripple effect into North America's currently depressed log and lumber markets.
Already, Chinese delegations are sending out feelers to B.C. in their search for supply to replace Russian exports, should the tax go into effect as proposed, forest company TimberWest Forest reported last week.
Russia is the world's largest exporter of raw logs, supplying 40 per cent of the world's softwood logs. Taylor said the shock of such a price increase on Russian logs is not well understood within North American wood products markets because most Russian sales are to China, Finland and Japan.
But in today's global economy, a disruption in one supply chain has worldwide repercussions.
"The major question on many peoples' minds is how large the ripple effect will be beyond the main impacted markets," he said.
In North America, "it could be bigger than the impacts felt by the withdrawal of U.S. National Forest timber as a result of the spotted owl."
Measures taken to save the northern spotted owl by withdrawing timberlands from logging resulted in a log shortage in 1993 that pushed lumber prices to a record high of $495 US per thousand board feet, almost double the current price of $282 US. That supply squeeze, however, was during a period of high lumber demand from the U.S. housing market. Today, with housing stalled, supply-side changes are not likely to effect lumber prices to the same degree.
However, log prices will likely go up. Taylor forecast that the ripple effects of the Russian log tax will begin showing up in higher log prices as early as this year's fourth quarter as new exporters start taking advantage of the Russian move to choke off their supply. Russia is imposing steep export taxes to encourage the development of a domestic wood-processing industry.
British Columbia's largest log exporter, TimberWest Forest, concurs that the tax is likely to start log prices climbing before the end of the year.
"We are seeing increased levels of interest from China and I think it is primarily driven by concern over escalating log export taxes," TimberWest CEO Paul McElligott told investment analysts in a conference call last week.
"It's not really showing up in our log realizations yet, but we are encouraged by the number of delegations coming over talking to us and talking to the provincial government," he said.
"We are hopeful it will translate into increased realizations later in the year."
TimberWest spokesman Steve Lorimer said the company is monitoring markets closely as well as the situation in Russia. The tax has not been implemented yet, he said, and governments have been known to change their minds. Russia announced the tax several years ago, raising it in stages. It went to 25 per cent April 1 and the next increase, to 80 per cent or a minimum of 50 euros, is scheduled for Jan. 1, 2009.
Lorimer said if the tax is imposed, it will also benefit the northern and central coast logging sector, where the province allows 30 per cent of the harvest to be exported as an economic stimulation.
"There are many sources of logs around the world and it will be interesting to see how this vacuum is filled, assuming that the vacuum is created," he said.
Analyst Paul Quinn, of RBC Capital Markets, said in an interview that currently Russia supplies 85 per cent of the 33 million cubic metres of logs that China imports every year.
"We expect that the implementation of this export tax increase, from 15 euros a cubic metre to 50 euros a cubic metre will almost stop future Russian log imports," he said.
The interest China is now showing in B.C. wood could be a timely shot in the arm for companies like TimberWest that are in an economic tailspin because of the U.S. housing crisis, he said.
Tempted to re-enter HED this AM but did not.. as I was on the road. Would have been a good move... Too bad I did not take the pop in PSS but this thing keeps trying to bust upwards.. Anyway added some @ 14.18 near the close..
U.S. mint suspends gold coin sales;
futures price is a fiction
By cpowell
Created 2008-08-15 04:27
12:25a ET Friday, August 15, 2008
http://gata.org/node/6489/print
Maybe the mint paid higher prices for gold and stopped selling??? Time to look at some of those gold stocks again.
Dear Friend of GATA and Gold:
The U.S. Mint has suspended sales of American eagle gold coins and is refusing orders from dealers, two coin and bullion dealers confirmed Thursday.
The mint's suspension of gold coin sales follows its tight rationing of sales of silver eagle coins, begun in May, when sales to the public were terminated and sales to the mint's 13 authorized dealers were tightly limited.
Word of the mint's suspension of gold coin sales came from the American Precious Metals Exchange in Edmond, Oklahoma, (http://apmexdealer.blogspot.com/2008/08/news-alert-us-mint-suspends-sale... [1]) and from Centennial Precious Metals in Denver, Colorado.
The suspension is overwhelming evidence that the futures contract price of gold on the commodities exchanges is substantially below the physical market price and that, indeed, the commodities exchanges are being used as GATA long has maintained -- as part of a massive scheme of manipulation of the precious metals, currency, and bond markets.
Michael Kosares, proprietor of Centennial Precious Metals and host of its Internet bulletin board, the USAGold Forum (http://www.usagold.com/cpmforum/ [2]), explained Thursday:
"The U.S. Mint buys direct from the refiners, and this suspension of gold eagle sales may be an indication that the supply line is already backing up, or that the mint expects that it will back up for the rest of the year. I wonder who would give up physical metal at these prices and under these circumstances except distressed sellers. The central banks are in a hunker-down mode as far as I can determine, and it's the mines that supply the refiners. So if the mint, which buys from the refiners, is having a difficult time locating metal, what does that tell you? I keep saying that we may get a surprising rubber-band effect later in the year when the pre-holiday/festival season kicks off in September/October. It may happen sooner. One of our indicators of approaching a bottom in gold is how many calls Centennial Precious Metals gets from our U.S.-based Indian clientele. Here's a quote from my office's report to me at the end of the day today: 'Today was a good day. ... There must have been an Indian convention where someone was handing out USAGold business cards.' That may give you a clue as to thinking in India proper and probably the rest of the Asian rim."
That is, through their agents the bullion banks the Western central banks, desperate to prop up a corrupt and totteringt financial system, have put gold so much on sale that even the U.S. Mint can't find any now. The price reported from the commodities markets is a fiction -- a scary one, perhaps, but a fiction no less.
You can strike a blow at the market riggers who are defrauding the world -- just buy a little real metal. The dealers listed at the bottom right of this dispatch will be glad to help you do it.
CHRIS POWELL, Secretary/Treasurer
Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee Inc.
http://ckua.org/
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oil/gas quotes
http://siliconinvestor.advfn.com/readreplies.aspx?subjectid=3540&nonstock=False&msgid=24139071
http://datasuite.cmegroup.com/datasuite-server/dataSuite.html?template=fut&productCode=CL&assetClassURL=http://www.cmegroup.com/trading/energy-metals/&header=new
http://www.upstreamonline.com/market_data/?id=markets_gas
http://www.ngx.com/
http://www.physics.uci.edu/~silverma/units.html
http://www.caodc.ca/
News
http://www.financialpost.com/
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/index.html
http://www.edmontonsun.com/News/home.html
http://www.reddeeradvocate.com/
http://www.reportonbusiness.com/
Baltic Dry Index
http://investmenttools.com/futures/bdi_baltic_dry_index.htm
Mining reserve definitions: http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=9170843
Grains:
http://canola.ab.ca/dailygrains.aspx
http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/forecast/canada/index_e.html?id=AB
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