Shares of Canadian uranium giant Cameco fell hard Friday, after the
company reported renewed water troubles at its flooded Cigar Lake
uranium project in Saskatchewan's Athabasca Basin. Cameco stock
tumbled C$2.80, or 8.4%, to C$30.52, after news of fresh water inflow
to the mine.
The Cigar Lake property is widely considered to be the world's richest
undeveloped uranium deposit. It has yet to produce any uranium; it has
been in development since 2005, but flooding issues started in October
2006 and have yet to be resolved.
Analysts concerned with uranium's security of supply are closely
watching the latest round of trouble at Cameco, as it can offer
insight into the global supply/demand issues around uranium. The news
also overshadowed Cameco's solid second-quarter earnings, which were
released Thursday morning, and fell mostly above analysts' predictions
for the company.
Still, Cameco cut its 2008 production outlook by one million pounds of
uranium because of production troubles at its functioning mines in the
U.S. and Kazakhstan. Cameco shares have shed more than $10 on the TSX
in the last 30 days.
And while news of the flooding shook investor confidence in Cameco, it
helped other uranium companies soar in mid-week trading. On Wednesday
the Schadenfreude was particularly evident, as Denison Mines jumped 86
cents, or 17%, to C$6.16; Paladin Energy jumped 68 cents, or 15.5%, to
C$5.06; and Uranium One jumped 43 cents, or 13%, to C$3.73.
Spot uranium prices remained flat through the week at US$64.50 a pound
U3O8, as price publisher Tradetech reported extremely quiet market
activity. But bullish analysts predict Cameco's troubles to have a
buoyant effect on the rest of the sector, perhaps even warding off the
doldrums of summer.
Looking into the future, the UxC long-term uranium price remains at
US$80 a pound U3O8 at least through the end of August. Uranium futures
continue to paint a positive picture for the sector: August contracts
are worth US$66; September contracts US$67; October contracts US$69;
November contracts US$70; and December contracts US$72.
And this gentle positive slope continues beyond 2008: June 2009
futures are worth US$74, and September 2009, December 2009, and March
2010 futures are all worth US$78.
www.u3o8.biz/s/...et-Commentary&_Title=U3O8.biz-Weekend-Wrapup
An der Börse sind 2 mal 2 niemals 4, sondern 5 minus 1.
Man muß nur die Nerven haben, das minus 1 auszuhalten.