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Mark Smith has a new position.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/former-molycorp-ceo-joins-quantum-130000581.html
Quantum owns the rights to a resource Molycorp let go of trying to raise money to develop Mountain Pass years ago.
I own shares of both MCP and QREDF.
Mark Smith is high profile in the mining community. Big shot CEO's like this don't get involved in penny stock companies. I believe he raised something like 400 million for Molycorp way back when they were developing Mountain Pass. Fantastic is the perfect way to describe it. This should be on on Bloomberg TV, I sent Quantum a link and told them that.
With all the recent ad on's Claude, Fulton, and Mark Smith the stock should be .50.
I saw that on Friday when it was 45k. If there was a negative development we would see many more shares up for sale after word got around over the weekend. I believe 40k of the 45,000 was 1 seller if that tells you anything...
It's good to see you posting. I remember you from the Yahoo board.
Blue Cheap, haha, I like that.
Quantum is the real deal, but you know what I meant.
I'm going to have to keep an eye on that guys posts lol. I bet he could provide insight on sales down the line.
Lightwave is more like a ship that hasn't come in yet.
Hopefully it's the Santa Maria and not the Triumph.
That's reassuring, I don't think Vanguard is known for making risky buys.
A morph of gallium arsenide (used in solar cells, infared LEDs, laser diods) with indium. Indium is probably what makes it expensive since it's fairly sparse. The primary producer of it is China, who periodically considers cutting off outside sales of their rare earths to rest of the world. For that reason alone I wouldn't have high hopes for it.
Indium gets its name from the bright indigo line in it's color spectrum. What a coincidence.
If nothing was going to happen before the end of March Tom would have just held the call when it was originally scheduled. I think we'll know something before the 29th. The share price should get direction before then. Tom seems to have postponed the call to get past events that will probably either go one way or the other for us. If nothing happens before the CC then he will be seeing the phase "more of the same" in his sleep.
People have been taking profits in real stocks the last couple days after the strong run up. Maybe now our January/February run is coming in, just a little late.
Now that the big guys have their fill of shares this stock isn't the hot spot anymore. I miss the crazy volume and price swings. I'm interested to see how this behaves with good news now that we hopefully have considerably less manipulation.
Great info from the U.S. Geological Survey site.
I came across this tonight.
If you go here it should bring up the file of Niobium statistics for decades. http://minerals.usgs.gov/ds/2005/140/ds140-niobi.pdf
You can go here as well and scroll down to Niobium (alphabetical) and select the different files. http://minerals.usgs.gov/ds/2005/140/#columbium
What I'm getting at is looking at the data the U.S. is importing about 14% of the Worldwide Niobium Mining Production. Seems for the past 5 years world wide production is 63,000 tons a year and around 9,000 tons are imported to the U.S. That is a higher % than I would have guessed. This supports how great of a demand is already here. Surely Quantum would have a competitive advantage not having the transportation costs of competing mines. And by having a in house purification facility.
Say the Elk Creek mine is in full swing. Forget about orders from places in Mexico, Canada, and other parts of the world where Claude Dufresne knows end users. If those 9,000 tons a year were bought from Quantum, who is selling it a discount price of say $40 a kilo.
There's 907 kilograms per ton.
That is 8,163,000 kilograms.
Which comes to $326,520,000 in sales.
Say profit margin is 20%
If Quantum owns 50% through at partnership $32,652,000 in profit reflects on our stock. If we trade at a modest P/E ratio of 11x that puts the share price at around $4 based on about 90 million authorized shares (current levels).
This could all be way off base, but I like to get carried away sometimes. Personally I think the profit margin would be higher, the expenses would be footed by the partner so Quantum should have no debt.
If this went to $4 and you hold a good sized chunk you're talking about life changing profit. Just something to keep in mind.
We have Mickelson until December 2013.
I got that from Tom a while back. That's a big plus in my opinion.
Olson gets paid 75k a year to do sales and marketing when Lightwave has had nothing to sell or market? And he's been on the payroll for years? Sounds like a waste of $$$ to me.
I'm surprised Olive Garden wasn't on that list after checking out some of the other companies.
Is Arena's Belviq 2 Weeks Away From Launch?
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1205411-is-arena-s-belviq-2-weeks-away-from-launch?source=email_rt_article_title
There has been endless speculation surrounding Arena Pharmaceuticals (ARNA) since its FDA approval for the anti-obesity drug Belviq last year. The drug required DEA scheduling, which had investors on the edge of their seats for months and it now faces more speculation about approval in Europe and a pending launch.
Investors have been waiting so long that despite a launch that could be as little as two weeks away the equity sits range bound in the $8s. It is incredible to think that Arena, which had been trading on some pretty wild swings amidst all of the speculation, has settled down into what might only be termed as a rut.
Where We Are Now
Arena is essentially waiting for the 30 day comment and 45 day response period related to the recommended Schedule IV classification by the DEA. Arena partner Eisai has requested that an additional 30 day hold after the close of the response period be waived and it appears that this request will be granted. Thus, the earliest possible launch date is on or about March 3rd. Seeing that March 3, 2013 is a Sunday, we may start off March 4th with an announcement that Belviq is now available in the U.S. market. This is potentially exciting news. So why is Arena stuck in a rut?
Expectations
One very likely reason that Arena seems to have stalled is that this company is now on the cusp of no longer being gauged by pure potential but instead by potential PLUS actual results. I am not referring to weight loss results here but rather sales results.
Arena competitor Vivus (VVUS) launched its anti-obesity drug Qsymia last Fall and the initial sales results were luke warm when compared to the expectations the street had placed on both Vivus and the prescription weight loss drug category as a whole.
I have long stated, especially since the initial results of Qsymia, that Arena investors need to pay attention to street expectations, develop their own expectations and have a strategy in mind as to how to trade this equity. Some readers were critical of my opinion, but in the end my opinion is simply based on a common sense approach to risk and reward.
Shifting To Measurable Performance
Arena is now at a point where investors and the street will actually have measurable performance to judge. That can be a tricky time for an equity and an even trickier time to be invested in it. Don't get me wrong, there is still a lot of untapped potential in Arena and Belviq that carries some sort of value. The change is that it is now going to be combined with actual sales results that could either temper expectations or send them even further upward.
Yes, Europe, China, and other regions are still in the potential pipeline. Belviq combination drugs are as well. The level of value this pipeline gets will be impacted in a major way by the early sales results of Belviq in the United States.
Understand The Excitement - Plan Ahead
Many Arena investors (not all) have looked at Arena as a lottery ticket of sorts. Obesity is a global problem and Belviq is one of two prescription drugs that may be able to capitalize on that market. That is indeed something to be excited about. However, the "weight-loss" market is massive and includes many solutions that do not require a prescription and likely have a lot less side effects.
Thus far most of the excitement is relegated to investors. Qsymia and Belviq do not seem to have the buzz right now. Simple Google search terms like "Best Weight Loss Pill" and "Best Way To Lose Weight" deliver extracts of African Mango, Raspberry Ketone and other over the counter solutions that promise users will shed pounds. Like it or not, this multi-billion dollar market is a crowded place.
As Belviq gets ready to launch, will it be a winning lottery ticket or the ticket that simply gets you your money back? The good news is that as I stated previously there is a lot of support just above $8. The equity has now spent a few weeks sitting in this range, and if sales are at least decent Arena can build from this level. If there is a disappointment on the street with the launch, we could see the $7s. Essentially, investors need to have a plan now.
If you are looking for an entry point you may be best served to see what happens and then buy in or short accordingly. Certainly you would miss the first few percentage points, but you will also have mitigated a lot of risk. If you are holding the equity you likely want to carry a wait and see and prepare to hold or sell depending on the news delivered. If you are already short you are simply waiting for the news and acting accordingly. This is not rocket science. It is simple common sense. However, you would be surprised by the number of investors that lack such a simple plan of action.
In my opinion the baseline for Arena will develop about 60 to 90 days after launch. At that point the impact of actual sales results will be built in and expectations modified to suit the actual results. The swings after that will be derived from the "potential pipeline" and any upward or downward surprise in sales results.
Investors in Arena have an advantage in that they can use Vivus and Qsymia as a proverbial measuring stick. That is not to say that Arena will match, be ahead of, or behind Vivus's Qsymia, but rather to utilize your research on Belviq to determine vs Qsmia what results you expect.
Remember, while your own expectations are extremely important, it is street expectations that will drive the price. As Belviq nears a launch date pay attention to the news flow, volume, and opinion of the street. These will all weigh in on how Arena's stock price reacts.
"Associated elements like yttrium and niobium dominate the list"
Great find Walter! Quantum should post that on their news feed.
They could expand on the importance of where the majority producer is. For Niobium as we all know it's Brazil. Brazil is not a stable country, though it is in a stable period. Big difference there. There is always the chance in the future they'll revert back to a dictatorship and could nationalize CBMM. I'm sure that is a very relevant concern for large end users who can't survive without a Niobium source.
I appreciate that Fasick has stood behind Lightwave and put his own money up. It is disappointing that no one else has. Tom exercising ridiculously cheap warrants doesn't count as a purchase to me. It would have been stupid not to do that.
While Fasick is on topic I think they should replace him with someone younger. I don't mean any disrespect to Dr. Fasick but he is in his 80s and not filling any specific vital role that I can see. If the company is really trying to make strides forward they should get someone with energy in there. Someone with relevant connections rather than deceased or retired ones. A mover and a shaker as they say.
I don't know about the rest of you but I'd like Lightwave to find someone who seems willing to bust his or her ass to make something happen. Joe Miller bragging about needing a hair cut and not having worn a suit in several months didn't instill any confidence in me that he is going the extra mile for us. Bucchi is probably really busy doing other things seeing that he is a CPA and it's tax season. Thankfully he owns 160,000 shares. That doesn't make him more qualified or talented but atleast he has a vested interest in seeing some return on his investment.
That's easier to cope with than...
Stockhold Syndrome, which describes the behavior of shareholders who, over time, become sympathetic to the management. Don't fall victim to this terrible disease!
The absence of purity is in someway the explanation for nearly all delays we wonder about. I hope that the other projects are taking a back seat to working on all things related to the LSS/Celestech/Merger.
Buzz your last post was great. That should put the graphene issue to rest if Mark Bohr says it's a fad.
Before you get any confirmation in the form of a PR you'll get it via the share price and volume. If Intel gives us a thumbs up hang on because everyone and their brother who is in the know between both companies will be buying this stock. You want this to happen even though it isn't fair. The more people who stand to gain from our success the better our chances.
Great video of Fiona Wood and Bill Dolphin on Sky News in Australia.
Yahoo Mail experienced a massive hack in January. Any of you with yahoo accounts for the old message board should change your password so your yahoo mail can't be taken advantage of.
Don't get me started on graphene.
Beware the penny stock scams centered around it.
I don't think the future is in graphene, perhaps for cost alone. I'm not an expert in the field but I've read about it having to be paired with nickel to behave like light.
Here is a article about how close graphene is, written with a sense of humor. http://www.itproportal.com/2012/08/07/graphene-vs-silicon-the-hype-and-reality/
I'm thinking inline with you. At first I was unhappy about the cancelation, mostly the timing of it. If the kind of CC that we want can't happen until March then I will gladly wait. Tom has now put himself in a position that will require him to provide us with real answers. I'm not positive but I believe his contract as CEO is up in May so he will not want to disappoint shareholders on this CC if he intends to stay.
I knew his name sounded familiar.
I never posted it but I read this article back before I bought my first block of shares. Heidemann worked on the team that did the core samples for Molycorp way back when.
http://www.omaha.com/article/20100505/NEWS01/705059873
High-tech buried treasure
By Paul Hammel WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
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LINCOLN - The rolling farmland of southeast Nebraska looks nothing like the rocky landscape typically associated with mining.
But in five years, shafts may be sunk 500 feet beneath the soil to mine what one geologist called “the star elements of the high-tech age.”
A Canadian company announced plans Tuesday to explore construction of a multimillion-dollar mining operation about 70 miles south of Omaha.
The mine would seek niobium, used in producing steel alloys for jet engines, and an array of “rare earth elements” that are used in everything from batteries for laptop computers and electric cars to the powerful magnets in wind-power generators.
An official of Quantum Rare Earth Developments said the company was drawn to a 14-square-mile deposit on the Johnson-Pawnee County line because of increasing demand for such minerals and the political uncertainty of current supplies from places such as China and Brazil.
About 15 landowners near Elk Creek and Steinauer have signed five-year leases to allow test drilling on their farmland. The big economic payoff would be later, if a mine and processing facility were built and related support services were required.
An official of Quantum, based in Vancouver, called the potential of that happening “quite high.”
“This ranks up there as one of the most important niobium resources known,” said Erin Chutter, a director of the company. “That's obviously very exciting for miners and very exciting for Nebraska if it comes together.”
The existence of the so-called “Elk Creek carbonatite” formation has been known locally and among state geologists for more than 40 years. More than 100 test drillings were done in the 1970s and 1980s. But with the minerals 500 feet or deeper, it was too expensive to commercially mine. Cheaper and more easily accessible supplies were available overseas.
Last summer, China, which supplies more than 90 percent of the rare earth elements imported to the United States, indicated that it might withhold its supplies for use by only Chinese high-tech industries.
That prompted alarm about the security of the flow of such minerals and renewed interest in the carbonatite formations in North America that hold rare earth minerals and niobium.
So core samples that had been saved by the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln were re-examined. Eventually, Quantum officials met with State Sen. Lavon Heidemann of Elk Creek, who had worked on the exploratory drilling crews back in the 1970s and 1980s and later helped mine gold in Alaska.
Heidemann, whose farmland is near the center of the rare earth formation, helped officials sign up landowners for the project because, he said, of the economic development potential for his area and the state.
“If it happens, it could be huge for the state of Nebraska,” Heidemann said. “If they decide to put a mine down, it won't be tens of millions of dollars in investment, it would be hundreds of millions.”
He said a mine might employ several hundred people at good wages. Even the exploratory drilling crews will need places to stay, meals to eat, and fuel and water to do their drilling, Heidemann said.
“I put a lot of time and effort into this, not only for myself but for the community,” he said.
Heidemann credited the agriculture school's Conservation and Survey Division for faithfully storing and preserving the core samples, which he said were worth “millions of dollars” in terms of showing the potential for mining.
Matt Joeckel, an assistant professor of geosciences at UNL, said the Conservation and Survey Division saves lots of information about underground water and mineral deposits that might have economic potential. He said he traveled to California a decade ago to retrieve valuable documents associated with the Elk Creek formation.
“It didn't take a genius to figure out that there might be interest in this deposit again,” he said.
Joeckel called the rare earth elements being sought in southeast Nebraska “the star elements of the high-tech age.”
Many green technologies depend on rare elements like neodymium, which is used in the powerful magnets needed for wind turbine generators and electric cars, and lanthanum, used in batteries in laptop computers and hybrid cars.
Brazil now supplies about 75 percent of the niobium needed by the United States, said Chutter, the Canadian mining company official. It is used in steel alloys that go into jet engines, pacemakers, gas pipelines and superconducting wire.
Chutter and others say the project is in the exploratory stage. It will take four to five months for Quantum to complete a $10 million purchase of Elk Creek Resources Corp., a Canadian-owned, Nebraska-based company that leased the southeast Nebraska property.
More exploratory drilling, to “prove up” the underground resources, would follow. It could take five years before mining could begin, due to permit requirements and other work.
Joeckel said a mine would open only if it were cheaper and more reliable to mine deep under southeast Nebraska than it would be to import the minerals from other countries. He said the environmental risks of such mining were not insurmountable.
Chutter said the economics of a U.S. mine appear “very, very sound” over the next decade, with niobium the most promising mineral at this point.
“We're pretty early in the process. We just have to get on the ground and start drilling,” she said.
The U.S. Geological Survey, Chutter said, identified the Elk Creek formation as “one of the biggest resources of niobium globally. It's certainly the biggest in the U.S.
“It's one of those lost geological secrets that wasn't well-known,” she said. “People in Elk Creek knew it. The broader world really didn't know about it.”
Contact the writer:
402-473-9584, paul.hammel@owh.com
http://www.kmeg.com/story/21190730/nebraska-governor-heineman-appoints-new-lieutenant
LOL at the last 5 seconds of the video.
More info about Heidemann.
http://www.governor.nebraska.gov/news/2013/02/13_lt_gov.html
(Lincoln, Neb.) Photo Gallery - Gov. Dave Heineman today announced the appointment of Lavon Heidemann of Elk Creek to be the 39th Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska. Lt. Gov. Heidemann, 54, was sworn in by the Secretary of State at a news conference with Gov. Heineman this afternoon in the State Capitol.
“I’m pleased Lavon has agreed to serve the people of Nebraska as the Lieutenant Governor,” said Gov. Heineman. “He is a proven, dedicated public servant for the citizens of Nebraska. He will complete this term as Lt. Governor with integrity, and I look forward to working with him as we continue to move Nebraska forward.”
“I am excited for this opportunity to serve the people of Nebraska,” said Lt. Gov. Heidemann. “Public service is something in which I believe deeply. I am looking forward to my time traveling our state, meeting with our citizens, visiting our businesses.”
Lt. Gov. Heidemann is a farmer and livestock producer, and is a volunteer firefighter. He was elected to the University of Nebraska Board of Regents in 2012. Prior to his time as a Regent, Lt. Gov. Heidemann served as a State Senator for Legislative District 1 from 2005 to 2013. As a member of the Legislature, he served as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee for six years.
Lt. Gov. Heidemann was elected to the Elk Creek School Board in 1996 where he served for until he was elected to the Legislature. Previously he served as a general foreman for a drilling company in Anchorage, Alaska from 1983 to 1995. He has been active with a number of organizations, including the Midwest Council of State Governments, Agriculture Builders of Nebraska, Nebraska Cattlemen, Pawnee County Farm Bureau, the Southeast Nebraska Feeders and Breeders, and the Elk Creek Young Men’s Club.
Lt. Gov. Heidemann graduated from Elk Creek High School. He has attended the Midwest Council of State Governments’ Bowhay Institute for Legislative Leadership. He has earned a number of awards and honors including the Leadership Award for the Association of Nebraska Ethanol Producers, 2012; recognition of Service, Nebraska State Volunteer Firefighter’s Association, 2011; Harold Sieck Public Official of the Year, The Arc of Nebraska, 2009; Leadership Award in Recognition of Outstanding Leadership in Agri-Business, Omaha Agri-Business Club 2009; Award of Excellence for Meritorious Service, Nebraska Cooperative Extension Association, 2009; and the Appreciation Award for Development and Funding of Education Center, Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, 2009.
Lt. Gov. Heidemann was born in Pawnee City. He and his wife Robin have three children.
I wouldn't make that assumption. There are so many private companies out there operating at a level of furtiveness that Lightwave could only dream about. It's hard to say what else is out there.
119 residents, or something around there. A Elk Creek resident is the new LT. Governor?
The population will be +1 soon, when I drive there with my shovel. Then Quantum can PR that they "broke ground" on the only Niobium source in the U.S.
Yea, a backup plan. That's a novel idea.
Lightwave wag the dog? They might not be locked in, that could be why they haven't received funding.
That is something I've wondered about.
If we are competing it's very unlikely that the other materials will be tested at the same time. So where does that leave us? If everything goes well with testing but there is another company with a promising material that they are waiting on do we in turn get stuck waiting to find out what the next step will be?
On other hand, if other materials have already been tested were we asked to meet the same requirements? Or was Lightwave given more difficult standards that would put us a step ahead?
Regardless of whether or not we have thee material that the LSS will use in the end if Lightwave does well in testing it should result in a buy out. For the sake of competitive advantage the LSS would not want something capable to end up in the hands of a another company, like AMD.
True. Nebraska is the only state in the U.S. with a Unicameral Legislature. I thought that gave Senators there a little more pull.
Yep, he lives in DE.
Excellent news! Fulton is probably well connected. To the outside companies Quantum is dealing with this will be a big plus, surely he will be able to help with the permitting process. When dealing with anything at a Government level in the U.S. it's all about who you know, or in this case who is on your board.
This does ad tangible value even if the share price doesn't reflect it. A Senator usually has a pretty wide range of options after leaving office. I'm glad that he sees something in Quantum and want's his name and reputation attached. Hopefully he can somehow get us some media attention, that would get the stock price rolling.
X, am I reading this correctly, you attended SPIE?
That was a nice way to get views. It brought me here though as I am long ARNA but I also enjoy using stevia. I'll have to spend some time figuring out who has the advantage in this market.
Valid point. For me things are different as of 2013. They have NR and I'm assuming Indigo at the correct purity levels. The meetings are vastly more important now that the materials are working properly. Discussing something that could work vs something that does usually takes a different direction.
All those meetings of the past are like talking to Good Year, Michelin, and Bridgestone about your game changing tire that isn't round yet.