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News.com.au
3 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Geopacific gets a shot in the arm with St Barbara backing
One of Australia's top mining journalists, Kristie Batten, writes for Stockhead every week in her regular column placing a watchful eye on the movers and shakers of the small cap resources scene. Geopacific Resources (ASX:GPR) has got a busy six months ahead as it firms up the development plans for its Woodlark Island gold project in Papua New Guinea. The company is well-funded to complete the definitive feasibility study, having raised $40 million at the start of the year, which represented one of the biggest raisings by a junior in an otherwise bleak March quarter for fundraisings. The company will also complete a further 30,000m of reverse circulation and diamond drilling with the aim of growing the resource, which stands at 45.56 million tonnes at 1.07 grams per tonne gold for 1.56 million ounces. 'The intent of that is really to position ourselves by the end of this year, early into next year, so that we've obviously got a much better idea of the project economics and it's been de-risked, and we're also having more advanced discussions with either financiers or other mid-tier miners that see the same value that we do,' Geopacific CEO James Fox told Stockhead. 'We haven't decided exactly which way we want to go, whether or not we develop it ourselves, or whether we partner up with a group – I don't think they're mutually exclusive.' New major shareholder Geopacific's largest shareholder with 46.1% is Germany's Deutsche Balaton and Delphi, which are active investors in Australia's resources space. Another company backed by the German group, Patronus Resources (ASX:PTN), sub-underwrote Geopacific's $40 million raising, acquiring a 15.7% stake. Earlier this month, Patronus agreed to swap its stake in Geopacific with St Barbara (ASX:SBM), buying back St Barbara's stake in Patronus. St Barbara, which operates the Simberi mine in PNG, now holds 14.4% of Geopacific. Geopacific shares had been flat all year but are up 20% this month. Fox said he'd been in contact with St Barbara managing director Andrew Strelein in the past. 'We're figuring out how Geopacific and Woodlark can leverage off St Barbara's position in PNG, in terms of expertise, in terms of personnel, in terms of insights and whether or not there are any opportunities for us to collaborate, whether it be on a project or obviously, on a company wide basis,' he said. 'I think it'd be great to get some of their exploration team over to our project whilst we're drilling, obviously to have a look at some of the porphyry potential that we've been looking at, as well as the general program that we're currently working on.' While the political system in PNG is stable under Prime Minister James Marape, the government is looking to update the country's mining code later this year. 'Given that are operating there, it does allow us to leverage off some of their experience, in terms of negotiating with the state as well,' Fox said. Woodlark refresh A previous management team of Geopacific had pushed the button on a $225 million mine but halted construction in 2021 after spending $100 million, due to inflation, bad weather and the pandemic. Under Fox, who joined in late 2023, the company spent the first six months of last year applying the lessons learned from previous construction and preparing a new scoping study. The study, released in July 2024, outlined $326 million to produce 95,000 ounces of gold per annum at all-in sustaining costs of $1534 per ounce and all-in costs of $1820/oz over 12 years. Undiscounted life of mine revenue was forecast at $3.3 billion, while pre-tax net cashflow was estimated to be $1.3 billion. The study returned a post-tax net present value of $501 million, an internal rate of return of 37.7% and 18-month payback period. However, the study used a gold price of just $2900/oz, around 45% lower than today's spot price. 'Because the gold price has moved so much, so quickly, there's a huge amount of catch-up to play,' Fox said. 'And of course, what that does for us, and lots of prospective gold companies, it allows you to have a sort of a more critical look at your project and focus on the areas that are more profitable and the economics are better than just volume. 'It's not necessarily about producing as much gold as we can. It's about producing the most gold at the best cost.' The DFS will also look at increasing the throughput rate beyond the 2.9Mt per annum envisaged in the scoping study given more than 400,000oz of the resource was not included. 'It's much better for us to increase the throughput rate to maintain the same mine life, then bring the cashflow forward in terms of the project economics,' Fox said. 'If we do that, then we're up to almost a $1 billion worth of pre-tax NPV and an IRR of over 50%.'
The Guardian
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Lock up the crown if Trump comes to visit
We've had Donald Trump stating his designs on Greenland, on Canada and now on the pope's position (Trump accused of 'mocking' Catholics after posting image of himself as pope, 4 May). His Majesty had better watch out when Trump susses out the possibility of obtaining regal headgear if he visits later this year. Peter Nias Bradford I'm sure we can all name one convicted felon who could be locked up in Alcatraz (Trump orders reopening of Alcatraz prison for 'most ruthless offenders', 5 May). Glenn Barr Hornsea, East Yorkshire I believe the name Kevin became popular in Germany after Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York came out in the 1990s (Letters, 1 May). The German titles are Kevin – Allein zu Hause and Kevin – Allein in New York . Thomas Wilm Wallasey, Merseyside I am shocked that two Cornwall residents seem unaware that the only way to enjoy a chocolate digestive biscuit is topped with clotted cream (Letters, 6 May). James Fox Paddock Wood, Kent Chocolate digestives fade into insignificance alongside a Border dark chocolate and ginger biscuit. You can eat it either way up as the chocolate goes all the way around the outside. Lynn Fotheringham Over Kellet, Lancashire I still use my grandmother's carving knife and fork, which must be 100 years old (Letters, 5 May). And it's still the sharpest knife in the box. Richard Bull Woodbridge, Suffolk Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Straits Times
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
TBR (To Be Read): Books about colours for a colourful week in Singapore
Up to 90 per cent of snap judgments are determined by colour, writes James Fox, the author of The World According To Colour: A Cultural History. PHOTO: ALLEN LANE SINGAPORE – The first few days of election campaigning for GE2025 have been, literally, colourful. From stadiums and open fields to campaign posters and social media reels, a sea of white, blue, red and other shades will likely be a fixture of the visual landscape until Polling Day on May 3. Up to 90 per cent of snap judgments are determined by colour, writes James Fox, author of The World According To Colour: A Cultural History (2022). The most enduring brands – and that includes political parties – know that keeping their brand recognisable means maintaining control over colours and their meanings. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
3 S&P 500 stocks for the quantum revolution
Investing in quantum stocks comes with considerable risk due to the highly technical nature of the field. Here, we asked five contract writers to suggest a stock listed on the S&P 500 that they think investors should consider buying to potentially benefit from this emerging theme… What it does: Alphabet is the parent company of Google and a diversified technology giant with quantum ambitions. By Dr James Fox. Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Google's quantum ambitions have taken a leap forward with the unveiling of the Willow quantum chip in late 2024. This breakthrough device can perform complex calculations exponentially faster than classical supercomputers, completing tasks in minutes that would take traditional systems septillions of years. Google aims to demonstrate the first 'useful, beyond-classical' computation and ultimately build a large-scale quantum computer capable of tackling real-world applications. Based on publicly shared progress reports, Google seems to have a lead in the area. Looking at the company's valuation, the price appears reasonable with a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 24.1 times, slightly below its five-year average. Key risks include regulatory issues, particularly the Department of Justice's demand to split off Chrome, which could impact Android revenues. Additionally, AI competition and shifts in search behavior pose threats to Google's core business. Nonetheless, Google's strong balance sheet supports continued investments in cloud, AI and quantum technologies. And the company's quantum computing breakthroughs, if successfully commercialized, could provide a significant competitive advantage in the long term. Dr James Fox does not own shares in Alphabet. What it does: The owner of Google and YouTube, Alphabet is one of the largest technology companies in the world. By Edward Sheldon, CFA. There are a number of S&P 500 companies that offer exposure to quantum computing. Personally, I like Alphabet for exposure to the theme as it has been working on the technology for over a decade now. Late in 2024, Alphabet announced the arrival of 'Willow' – the company's latest quantum chip. And this looks very exciting. With this chip, it only takes five minutes to perform a calculation that would take one of today's fastest supercomputers 10 septillion years (10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years) to compute. So, it's incredibly powerful. Meanwhile, the chip can reduce errors exponentially as 'qubits' are scaled up. This cracks a key challenge in quantum computing that has plagued the field for decades. Of course, there are no guarantees that Alphabet will go on to be a winner in the quantum computing industry. There are also no guarantees that quantum computing itself will go mainstream. Alphabet offers exposure to many other areas of technology though. So, I see it as a relatively safe play on the theme. Edward Sheldon owns shares in Alphabet. What it does: Alphabet is an innovative technology company driving AI, search, cloud and quantum advancements. By Paul Summers: It will take quite a while before quantum computing becomes commercially viable. For this reason, picking out the likely 'winners' in 2025 is difficult. But I think Google-owner Alphabet stands a good chance of being among them. The incredibly cash-rich tech titan had another great year in 2024, significantly outperforming the S&P 500 index. Quite a lot of this extra uplift came in December, following the unveiling of its Willow chip and its ability to handle seriously complex computations that classical computers can't manage. In time, this could support areas as disparate as drug discovery, financial modelling and logistics. Of course, investors may experience a rollercoaster ride before then as technology stocks drop in and out of fashion. Alphabet can also expect to face increasing competition as other firms vie for a piece of the quantum pie. But I'd be surprised if Alphabet's best days were behind it. Paul Summers has no position in Alphabet What it does: Honeywell is a multinational conglomerate working in aerospace, automation, security and sustainable energy. By Mark Hartley. Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON) is a $142bn corporation with revenue of $36.6bn and income of $7.15bn (2023). It produces everything from aircraft engines and flight tools to safety sensors and smart building automation. It's enthusiastic about quantum computing, believing it to have significant applications in improving safety, increasing efficiency and accelerating research and development. In particular, the ability to optimise predictive analytics, run simulations and build quantum encryption is attractive. In partnership with Cambridge Quantum Computing, it formed the company Quantinuum to build quantum systems using trapped-ion technology, known for its high accuracy and scalability. However, quantum is nascent technology the benefits of which are yet to be proven. If the projects fail to bear fruit, it could lead to significant losses. What's more, it's reliant on the success of its partnership. Recent news suggests it may split its business between aerospace and automation although nothing is confirmed. Mark Hartley does not own shares in Honeywell. What it does: Microsoft is one of the S&P's 'Magnificent Seven' stocks and a powerhouse in information technology. It is a leading light in a multitude of tech segments including artificial intelligence (AI), productivity software and gaming. And through its Azure Quantum platform, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is hoping to pioneer the new generation of ultra-fast and powerful computing. Pleasingly, it's been making huge strides here in recent times. It made headlines back in September when — alongside quantum specialist Quantinuum — it created and entangled 12 highly reliable logical qubits. According to Microsoft, this was 'the largest number of entangled logical qubits, with the highest fidelity, on record.' In simple terms, logical qubits are essential for error reduction and better stability in quantum systems. Microsoft's since broken that record, and in November announced it would launch a quantum machine with Atom Computing that features 24 logical qubits. It's taking orders for these systems, with delivery scheduled for later this year. These are early days, and development setbacks later on could hamper Microsoft's ambitious plans. But recent progress is highly encouraging. Royston Wild does not own shares in Microsoft. The post 3 S&P 500 stocks for the quantum revolution appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Alphabet and Microsoft. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025 Sign in to access your portfolio
