This from another mining stock board:
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Small Miners Takeover Targets
There is a growing scarcity of available precious metal mines in the world. The old majors such as Barrick (ABX), Goldcorp (GG), and Newmont Mining (NEM) are facing diminishing reserves in their existing mines. They are mature miners and their pockets are bulging with cheap dollars. Moreover, these majors are competing with the Chinese, Russians, Japanese, and Koreans who have all shown an interest in expanding their precious metals assets and diverting assets away from paper currencies into real assets. All of them know it is cheaper to buy growth rather than to find it; they're like the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland who must take two steps forward just to stay in the same place.
Sitting on cash and not converting it into resource growth can be deadly for a large company in this ebullient precious metals market. Many ponder why precious metal prices are rising, yet many majors are sitting on their laurels afraid to make the plunge to acquire projects. This has led many institutional investors and mutual funds to flock to the smaller explorers who are delivering the consistent results to the market that characterize growth. Many of the developers have underperformed, and this certainly has been an explorer's market. I don't have to work hard to prove this point.
The small miners have been significantly outperforming the large-cap mining companies. Investors are looking for resource expansion and growth. Many top companies are leaner and stronger with far superior assets than they were in 2007. Companies are able to expand developing discoveries at lower costs due to the weak economy and cheaper oil. Remember back in 2007, oil was up to $140 a gallon? Now costs are more inexpensive and precious metal prices are significantly higher. The operating margins have significantly improved. Some of these potential projects that were once marginal are gaining more interest as the high price of precious metals is improving the project economics of marginal projects. Now the question is who will be acquired. The best way to figure that out is to screen for the best mining companies using both a fundamental and technical approach.
I believe companies will acquire and invest in juniors due to fears of further bailouts in Europe and currency devaluations in the United States during 2010. Several US states are on the verge of bankruptcy. France is in danger of losing its triple-A credit rating and many European sovereigns have already been downgraded. The reaction to debt issues have been radical moves from central banks and governments to print and inflate asset prices at any cost. Deficits are soaring and investors are flocking to junior mining stocks . Many high-quality juniors have just recently made moves and are just beginning to return to pre-credit-crisis highs. If the majors do not act soon, many of these high-quality, high-grade projects will be swallowed up from the international demand for hard and real money
AI
