Stillwater Mining Company ($0.01 Par Value) (delisted) (SWC) 銘柄情報

BMO Capital Markets downgraded Stillwater Mining from Outperform to Market Perform. Eight valuation models imply the stock is 19% overvalued.

Top Wall Street Ratings

On a rip !!!!!

Bloody looking !

SWC

Stillwater Mining (NYSE:SWC): Q2 EPS of -$0.23 may not be comparable to consensus of $0.10.

Revenue of $185.38M (-25.8% Y/Y) misses by $23.66M.

Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

On September 18, 2014, Stillwater Mining Company (the “Company”) entered into a Master Goods and Services Agreement (the “Services Agreement”) and related Precious Metals Supply Agreement (the “Supply Agreement” and together with the Services Agreement, the “Agreements”) with Johnson Matthey Inc. (“Johnson Matthey”), with whom the Company has a long standing relationship whereby Johnson Matthey has performed refining services for the Company and the Company has supplied precious metals to Johnson Matthey. Under the Agreements, Johnson Matthey has an exclusive five-year right to refine all of the PGM filter cake the Company produces at its Columbus, Montana facilities. Johnson Matthey also has the right to purchase all of the Company’s mine production of palladium and platinum at competitive market prices (with the exception of platinum sales under the Company’s existing sales agreement with Tiffany & Co., which are specifically excluded from the Supply Agreement) and has the right to bid for any recycling volumes the Company has available. Other provisions of the Agreements include a good-faith effort by Johnson Matthey to assist in growing the Company’s recycling volumes, appropriate sharing of market intelligence to the extent permitted by law, and a cooperative effort to evaluate and possibly develop new technologies. The Company also has the ability to terminate the Supply Agreement on 180 days’ notice and the Services Agreement after four years, in either case subject to payment of an additional fee per troy ounce to Johnson Matthey upon the terms of such agreement.

It's not the miners Its the institutional investors
that are controlling this one.

Now at 91% institutional owned.

All miners have no control over their stock price,

It does not matter if they stop or start production or their great DD or even if they
stuck gold in massive amounts..etc etc

In the day and age we live in. It's all about the investors who are buying and selling.
Nothing else matters.

This one is holding it's own pretty good . Considering what's happening to most miners.

SWC won't be the only miner scaling back activities in mining production. With PM prices at these levels no miner can make a decent profit in such an environment.

I think all miners should shut down production and let the marketplace fend for themselves until the price manipulators stop their shenanigans with PM prices.

Probably won't happen but I can wish though!!!!



LTS...shine on

Go SWC Palladium Prices Climb To 13Yr High

September 01, 2014 7:50AM
PALLADIUM closed above $US900 a troy ounce for the first time in more than a decade, extending its recent rally as rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine stoke fears about supply.
PALLADIUM for December delivery, the most actively traded contract, rose $US11.45, or 1.3 per cent, to settle at $US909.55 a troy ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange. This was the highest settlement price since February 21, 2001.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday accused Ukraine and its Western allies of backing peace talks as a cover to continue military operations against pro-Russia militants in Ukraine's east.

Mr Putin shrugged off allegations that Russia is funnelling troops into eastern Ukraine to support the rebels.

Leaders in the US and Europe said they would consider new sanctions against Russia, with the European Union slated to discuss the situation in Ukraine at a summit in Brussels on Saturday.

Palladium prices have rallied 27 per cent since the start of the year, with the escalating conflict prompting worries that supply will be caught in the crossfire of economic sanctions between Russia and the West, with either side holding up access to the metal.

Russia is the world's top palladium producer, contributing roughly 40 per cent of the world's supply.

"If Russia stops shipping, you're talking about a supply-side disaster," said Philip Gotthelf, president of Equidex Inc, a commodities investment management firm

In other markets, gold prices eased from a one-week high as pressure from a stronger dollar prompted some investors to lock in gains on the recent rally.

Gold for December delivery, the most active contract, settled $US3, or 0.2 per cent, lower at $US1,287.40 a troy ounce on the Comex division of the Nymex.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/breaking-news/palladium-prices-climb-to-13-year-high/story-fni0xqe4-1227043333991?from=herald+sun_rss&nk=ac9ba97a44652916e8809fce7ccb4589

SWC Near Strong Wedge-Up Pattern~

SWC does better than most gold stocks

This was one of my better moves in 2014

Still very happy even though we have had a lot of profit taking in Aug.

But it looks like the momo train is starting up again.

You watch in Sept. SWC will be making new highs again and again and again.

GLTA

Very you quiet here on this board. Maybe this will livin it up a bit.... today at 12:14 about 1k of Oct 20 calls sold at ask. Could be something in the wind????


LTS...shine on

SWC 19.42 HOY One Sweet Honey Of aStock:~)SWC(~:

SWC 18.98 HOY Stillwater Mining CEO Mick McMullen Confident in Long-term PGM Demand1
Monday July 7, 2014, 4:15am PDT
By Teresa Matich2+3 - Exclusive to Palladium Investing News4


The long-running Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union strike at South Africa’s platinum6 and palladium mines has ended. However, an increase7 in auto demand combined with news of a strike by another South African union has seasoned investors and analysts worried about platinum-group metals (PGMs) supply. It’s thus unsurprising that Stillwater Mining Company (NYSE:SWC8) CEO Mick McMullen is confident in long-term demand for the white metals.
Stillwater’s website states9 that its J-M Reef deposit is currently the only known significant source of PGMs in the United States. Notably, it is also one of very few sources of the metals outside South Africa and Russia, which produce the lion’s share of the world’s platinum and palladium.

Based in Montana, the company has taken a vertically integrated approach. In addition to mining operations, it is engaged in the processing, smelting, refining and recycling of platinum and palladium. Stillwater produces primarily palladium from its mining operations.

Palladium Investing News (PIN) recently had the chance to speak with McMullen about Stillwater and the PGMs markets. In the interview below, McMullen discusses Stillwater’s activities and operations, as well as the significance of the company’s recent agreement with Johnson Matthey (LSE:JMAT11). He also speaks about future demand for PGMs and shares his thoughts on what is important for investors to consider when looking at the PGMs space.

PIN: Just to start off with, I don’t think we’ve covered Stillwater extensively on our network before, so could you tell our readers a bit about your company?

MM: Sure. We’re a large PGMs miner and recycler here in North America. Last year we produced 524,000 ounces of PGMs from our mines, and just over 600,000 ounces from our recycling business as well. So between the two we did a total of about 1.1 million ounces last year. Within the mines, we’re predominantly palladium, with about 78 percent palladium and the rest being platinum. We’re obviously based here in Montana, and we’ve got a very high-grade ore body. It runs about a half an ounce to the tonne of PGMs, and it’s a very large ore body. It’s approximately 40 kilometers long, well over 100 meters deep and it’s complemented by the smelter we have here in Montana — that’s where we smelt our material and also treat recycling material, which is autocatalysts for the most part.

PIN: I see. And about your deposit, what is the geology of the J-M Reef like? Is it entirely contained within the Stillwater Mining complex or does it extend beyond the property? Do you know if there are other companies exploring in the area?

MM: No, we’ve pretty well got the entire ore body. There’s some historical chrome mining in the area, but we own all the claims on top of the ore body, or that have been discovered so far.

PIN: Okay. So you are one of the only primary PGMs producers outside of South Africa and Russia. Those jurisdictions have been problematic in the past, but are the world’s largest PGMs producers. What is the importance of platinum and palladium projects outside of those jurisdictions?

MM: Well, I think obviously the recent strike issue in South Africa and tensions in Russia have really highlighted the strategic nature of our deposit here. We’re finding from our customers that they really are starting to value the local place that we’re in now. Similarly, for our shareholders, we’ve seen our shares have a decent run over the last six months. I think those geopolitical issues and social issues in South Africa have really highlighted the fact that being in the US with the highest-grade ore body, really a world-class deposit here, has got some strategic value.

PIN: That’s excellent. Also, last month, you announced a significant agreement with Johnson Matthey that involves the offtake of a large portion of your mined PGMs production. What is the importance of agreements like that for PGMs miners and for Stillwater in particular?

MM: We think that it’s a very important agreement for us. Johnson Matthey used to have the Anglo American Platinum (OTCMKTS:AGPPY12) offtake in South Africa for many, many years, and they lost that at the end of last year. They are a very big player in the PGMs space, and they produce a lot of autocatalysts, so they needed to know they had security of supply. They, like many people, were very concerned about supply, and they were very keen to lock up some supply with us. So we did a deal with them whereby we will sell the bulk of our mined production to them at spot plus whatever the premium is. There’s usually a premium in the marketplace for our metal. So we haven’t forward sold at a price, it’s just whatever the price on the day is what we receive.

And importantly for us, they will do all of our refining as well. They will pay us faster than we get paid now, which will release some working capital for us, but also they will send us a lot of recycling material. Our facility here in Montana is quite empty, the recycling business, but we have the ability to expand it quite significantly for basically no capital. And we think that this will be a good alliance between us and Johnson Matthey in terms of them sending more material, and importantly for us, we’ve got an out clause, or a break clause, for, in the event that someone wanted to pay us a very high price for our metal, or perhaps wanted to buy the company in order to secure the metal, we could opt out of this agreement with Johnson Matthey. We’d be free to do that. So I think it’s a good deal for us because it gives us lots of flexibility, but it’s a good deal for Johnson Matthey in that it gives them a supply metal, a long-life asset in a really low-risk jurisdiction.

PIN: So you have a mine, a smelter and a recycling operation. You’re very vertically integrated. What is the advantage of that approach for Stillwater?

MM: In the PGMs business, the smelters typically make all the money, so having the smelter means that we’re not giving that value away to someone else, and it can be quite a substantial portion of the value of the mine output that goes to the smelter. Also, the payment pipeline in PGMs is very long. If you’re sending to a third-party smelter, you might not get your money back for six months. So working capital without your own smelter is a huge number, and having our own smelter has been — it’s a lot cheaper for us, it frees up a lot of working capital. The company built the smelter in the mid ’90s, and it really has been a core part of the business in the treating line of production. And because we run the smelter all the time, we then have the ability to bring in some of this recycling material as well, which adds to our bottom line.

PIN: That makes sense. On another note, I was hoping for a comment on the miners’ strike ending in South Africa. How will that affect the PGMs markets?

MM: Interestingly, we’ve seen previously that when rumors of the strike being settled have been out, PGMs have fallen. I noticed this morning though that despite the strike being over, PGMs prices are actually up a bit. Fundamentally, I think that particularly palladium is structurally short, structurally in deficit. Johnson Matthey this year is forecasting a deficit of about 1.6 million ounces of palladium. They’re forecasting that even with the mines in South Africa coming back to work, and they’re forecasting deficits really for the next 10 years of around about a million ounces a year. So I think what’s likely to happen in South Africa is that production will continue to get less and less every year. I don’t think it will fall off a cliff, but I just see production sort of gradually winding its way down in South Africa. The demand side for nickel13 and palladium is very, very strong, so again there’s that gradual deficit position for the next 10 years.

So for us, we’re on a pretty good side. I see, in terms of the prices, palladium probably strengthening relative to platinum, just because of the fundamentals. But both, I think, will go up. With the new wage deal in South Africa, we’re just trying to work out what it means in terms of costs, on a dollar-per-ounce basis, for the South Africans. However, it’s clear to me that the costs will only go up in South Africa, they’re not going down. Overall, the outlook looks pretty good, I think, even with the strike coming to an end, supposedly.

PIN: Finally, given your experience in the PGMs space, what do you think is important for investors to consider when looking at PGMs, or PGMs companies like Stillwater, as compared with other commodities?

MM: I think the big differentiator in the PGMs world relative to say gold14 or copper15 and base metals is that you’ve really got a very narrow investment horizon for people investing for different companies. There are really only three or four big companies in South Africa and us, and of course the geopolitical issues become very important because 42 percent of palladium production is in Russia and about 41 percent is in Southern Africa; there are not a lot of jurisdictions you can go to invest and get your palladium exposure — I mean, in what you would call a low-risk jurisdiction.

Unlike base metals or gold, where you can invest in lots of different places and get that exposure, it’s one of those commodities where you’ll always have the potential for strike action or geopolitical issues. Also, I think that it’s a business where the secondary supply of recycling is becoming more and more important, and you don’t sort of see that in some of the others. Again, unlike copper or iron16 or stuff like that, the secondary supply, or recycling feed, is very important for PGMs.

PIN: Good advice. Was there anything else you wanted to add?

MM: Not really, apart from that as a company we’ve got a strong balance sheet. We’ve got almost half a billion dollars in cash, which I think puts us in a great position, and we’ll maintain a very strong balance sheet.

Mining is a cyclical business, and I think we’re a company that’s in the process of changing. We’re becoming much more focused on profits than just growing production. We won’t grow production just for the sake of growing it. We’re being quite disciplined with how we deploy capital and we’re very focused on the bottom line.

PIN: Yes, I read an article17 in The Wall Street Journal recently where you said you won’t increase production in reaction to supply fears because you see long-term demand for platinum and palladium.

MM: That’s pretty well it. Let’s maximize the free cash flow out of the operation rather than just continually investing and never actually making any money.

PIN: Very responsible of you. Well, thank you for taking the time to talk to us about Stillwater today.

MM: Thank you.

Securities Disclosure: I, Teresa Matich, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Editorial Disclosure: Interviews conducted by the Investing News Network are edited for clarity. The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.

http://palladiuminvestingnews.com/7851-stillwater-mining-ceo-mick-micmullen-confident-in-long-term-pgm-

SWC 18.80 set It And forget It

take the rest of the year off and enjoy.

You have entered the Auto-Profit Zone.:~)

http://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=swc

SWC Breakout HOY 18.70Joy*Joy*Joy* Creedence Stillwater Revival

http://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=swc

"Down On The Corner"


Early in the evenin' just about supper time
Over by the courthouse they're starting to unwind
Four kids on the corner trying to bring you up
Willy picks a tune out and he blows it on the harp

[Chorus:]
Down on the corner, out in the street
Willy and the Poorboys are playin'
Bring a nickel; tap your feet

Rooster hits the washboard and people just got to smile
Blinky, thumps the gut bass and solos for a while
Poorboy twangs the rhythm out on his kalamazoo
Willy goes into a dance and doubles on kazoo

[Chorus]

[Chorus]

You don't need a penny just to hang around
But if you've got a nickel, won't you lay your money down?
Over on the corner there's a happy noise
People come from all around to watch the magic boy

[Chorus]
[Chorus]
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/creedenceclearwaterrevival/downonthecorner.html

Still no word if the deal is actually going to be accepted. Check this link out:

http://www.fin24.com/Economy/No-confirmation-of-platinum-wage-deal-20140616

SWC is 97.80% Institutional Held and today was
a fine example just how the whole market would
react should we see a stock market crash.

They sell before the market opens and the retail
investor is left in the cold. His only chance was to
sell the day before at 18.00. Do you see that gap
in the chart from 17.10 to 18. That will have to be filled
The price will go up to fill that gap 95% of the time.

It's fine for a lot of us as we try to build a more
significant positions.

They say the SA big 3 miners strike offer is the same one
they offered 4 months ago, Just repackaged
I hope the miners stick to their guns and continue
holding out. But their union is being pressured so
bad now by the government as the whole country
is on the verge of depression because of it.
Their union is caving in today.

The miners are starving and the big 3 companies are
trying to starve them out.

check out the gap in he chart here
http://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=swc

Yes it's odd that this message board isn't more active. Hopefully that will change.

Also, it's not a sure thing the strike will end any time soon. All that's been done is that the SA mining companies and the mining union leaders have agreed "in principle" on resolutions. Check this link out:

http://www.iol.co.za/business/companies/amcu-agrees-on-pay-offer-1.1702650#.U5nGVxCGfzh

At the very bottom of the page, one of the mining companies representatives said they have made no offer. They have only asked the mining union companies to go back and change their mandate to end the strike.

The PGM Market is so heavily damaged even with the correction
after the strike is settled SWC should continue making good profit.

A good long IMO, I'll be here a while, It will take me a long time
to keep building a significant position. In at 16.46 last month and very happy I made the move so far. Kicking myself for not getting in sooner. I had no palladium/platinum.

grabbed some p al too @ .25 nice to see it break thru it's 50DayMA today

I'm glad you guy's posted here I was wondering if anybody read this board.

Personmarks for you both, Hit me back please.

Thanks

JD

SWC 18.00HOY +.61(+3.52%)To ensure supplies, London-based Johnson Matthey, which makes one of every three catalysts in the world, agreed last month with Stillwater Mining Co. (SWC) to buy all the palladium the U.S. company mines for the next five years. Billings, Montana-based Stillwater will get market prices and premiums for the metal and “very good rates” on refining services, Chief Executive Officer Michael McMullen said by e-mail. Prices may reach a record $1,150 over the next two years, topping the previous high of $1,125 in 2001, he said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-11/strike-curbing-palladium-supply-as-vehicle-demand-surges.html?cmpid=yhoo

Weekly chart

http://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=SWC&ty=c&ta=0&p=w

SWC isn't going to jump the gun and alter their long-term strategy because of a sudden change in their product's price. That's basic business logic. It's a solid company that posts great financials every quarter.

As for your attempt to pump up North American Palladium (PAL), it's not a coincidence it's been a penny stock for multiple years now. How many quarters have they went without making a net profit now? More than 10 I believe?

Stillwater Won't Accelerate Palladium and Platinum ???


There was an article by The Wall Street Journal and also a notification from Seeking Alpha this morning;

QUOTE...

Stillwater won't speed palladium, plantinum projects !!!

* Stillwater Mining (SWC) wants to develop new U.S. palladium and plantinum mines in the longer term, BUT won't accelerate plans in response to soaring prices for the metals, President/CEO Mick McMullen says.

* SWC will focus on increasing processing of recycles palladium and platinum by deploying unused capacity, allowing it to cash in on higher prices, as well as reducing costs, to maximie returns to shareholders, McMullen says.

* Since hitting a 2014 low of just less than $700/oz. in February, palladium reached a three-year high yesterday of $852.25/oz.; driven up by a prolonged mining strike in South Africa.

This is can be a good news OR a very bad news depends on how it is interpreted. HOWEVER, in this type of uptrend and soaring Palladium market situation, if SWC is just satisfied with the contract with Johnson Metthey which is binding upon the preset sale price term for the next five years, and does not persue with expansion plan in response to soaring Palladium prices, that means, there will be no further stock price increase ??? SWC's stock price is currently being at the highest since August of 2012. Maximizing returns to shareholders ??? Dividends ??? Majority of investors and traders are not chasing after the small dividends. Under the current given international Palladium market situation, there are only two pure-play miners (SWC and PAL) besides the troublesome Russian and South African miners, who can have the true price bargain power. If SWC volunteers to drop out the whole picture like this, this is rather a very bad news !!! Well, it looks like PAL is the only beneficiary in this situation !!!

SWC Stillwater Mining Company Sets New 12-Month High at $17.80
June 10th,2014
Stillwater Mining Company (NYSE:SWC)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday , American Banking and Market News reports. The company traded as high as $17.80 and last traded at $17.49, with a volume of 643,043 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $17.42.

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Analysts at BB&T Corp. raised their price target on shares of Stillwater Mining Company from $18.00 to $20.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Separately, analysts at RBC Capital raised their price target on shares of Stillwater Mining Company from $15.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, analysts at CIC Securities cut their price target on shares of Stillwater Mining Company from $20.00 to $19.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $18.54.

The stock has a 50-day moving average of $16.23 and a 200-day moving average of $14.04. The company’s market cap is $2.113 billion.

Stillwater Mining Company (NYSE:SWC) last released its earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.15 EPS for the quarter, beating the Thomson Reuters consensus estimate of $0.10 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $219.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $241.60 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.12 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Stillwater Mining Company will post $0.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stillwater Mining Company is engaged in the development, extraction, processing, smelting, refining and marketing of palladium, platinum and associated metals (NYSE:SWC)) from a geological formation in south-central Montana, the J-M Reef, and from the recycling of spent catalytic converters.

http://www.americanbankingnews.com/2014/06/10/stillwater-mining-company-sets-new-12-month-high-at-17-80-swc/

SWC 17.42 S A Government pulls out of Strike Talks


Crucial talks facilitated by a government task team led by Minerals and Resources Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi failed to bring an end to a five-month strike in the platinum sector.

SWC 16.71/17.06 +.46 +2.46% Nice:~)

Russia Buying, Palladium Rising

Wednesday May 21, 2014, 4:00am PDT
Investing News discussed in December6, there has long been suspicion that Russia’s palladium stockpiles are running low. The state metals depository is infamous for refusing to share just how much palladium it has left, but that doesn’t stop analysts from guessing.

Investors got a slightly clearer picture last Friday, when Russia indicated that it will buy domestically produced palladium to grow its stockpiles, Reuters reported7. According to the news outlet, spot prices for palladium reached a height of $815.75 per ounce during trading hours in London following the news. The metal continued to gain on Tuesday as palladium for June delivery on the COMEX in New York rose as high as $830 per ounce and finished the day at $825.85, up $10.10 from the previous session, as reported8 by The Wall Street Journal. Prices were also lifted by the ongoing striking of platinum-group metals (PGMs) miners in South Africa.

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs), too, saw record gains. Bloomberg states9 that physically backed palladium ETFs in South Africa took on 500,000 ounces of the white metal in approximately two months, suggesting that the metal is gaining traction as an investment vehicle.


A prediction from this year’s Thomson Reuters GFMS platinum11 and palladium survey states, “[w]e expect palladium to remain in deep physical deficit (this year) in the order of 1.3 million ounces, metal that will need to be released by investors in order for the market to clear, suggesting that, barring the unlikely event of major disinvestment, prices will remain well bid.”

Gokhran making plans to buy

According7 to Reuters, Andrey Yurin, head of Russia’s precious metals and gems repository (also known as Gokhran), told Interfax, “[w]e’re committed to buy. Our view is that there is sense to buy.” In the past, analysts have estimated that supplies are dwindling due to the fact that Russia has made fewer6 and fewer sales in recent years. Even though Russia plans to buy from domestic suppliers, Gokhran’s switch from buyer to seller is indicative of the depository’s position.

However, Russia’s Norilsk Nickel (MCX:GMKN12), top palladium producer and preferred source for the state’s imminent purchases, did not comment on the news, Bloomberg reported13. The publication references an article from April 24 in which Norilsk CEO Vladimir Potanin is quoted as saying, “[p]alladium is not a gold14 and currency reserve. It should be sold rather than bought by the state.” Potanin went as far as to say, “I myself as a businessman would be interested to buy” if Russia sold its remaining stockpiles.

Shortage intensifying as South Africa drags on

As Bloomberg notes15, PGMs shortages are slated to be the biggest in over 30 years in 2014. Auto producers are driving demand and an ongoing strike in South Africa shows few signs of letting up. Though Russia accounted for roughly 40 percent of palladium production last year, according to the publication, South Africa is also a significant producer. The Wall Street Journal states that analysts at Citigroup (NYSE:C16) estimate that supplies of the white metal will be able to meet global demand for only 14 more weeks.

David Meger, director of metals trading at Vision Financial Markets, told the Journal, ”[w]ith the ongoing strikes in South Africa, supply constraint has definitely become an issue in this market.”

Anglo American Platinum (LSE:AAL17), Impala Platinum (JSE:IMP18) and Lonmin (LSE:LMI19) were hopeful that the strike would end after some workers responded directly to wage offers, skirting the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union. However, the strike turned violent as those attempting to cross picket lines were attacked20, and the impasse continued.

Company news

Wellgreen Platinum (TSXV:WG21,OTCQX:WGPLF) released results last Wednesday from recent assays at its PGMs-nickel22-copper23 project in Yukon, Canada. The results indicate extended mineralization over roughly 2.5 kilometers from the far east zone of the Wellgreen resource to the far west zone. Mineralization at the Wellgreen project includes platinum, palladium and gold in addition to significant nickel, copper and cobalt24.

On Friday, Stillwater Mining Company (NYSE:SWC25,TSX:SWC.U) secured a five-year contract for the refining and sale of PGMs with leading autocatalyst manufacturer and precious metals refiner Johnson Matthey (LSE:JMAT26). Under the terms of the agreement, the refiner will purchase all palladium mined by Stillwater in addition to a significant amount of the platinum it mines. Stillwater will use Johnson Matthey for its refining and recycling needs for its platinum and palladium under competitive terms, and Johnson Matthey will provide proprietary PGMs market analysis services to Stillwater Mining.

Finally, NovX2127 (TSXV:NOV28) reported yesterday that suppliers of catalytic converters in Europe and North America have sent materials to Novx21's plant for processing. NovX21 sees the provision of these supplies as an indication of commitment by catalytic converter suppliers to meet new environmental standards. The company aims to secure long-term supply agreements in the future.

http://palladiuminvestingnews.com/7673-palladium-price-rising-russia-buy-stockpiles-lo.html

SWC 17.11 Producers doing Better Than Explorer's

I'm thinking their has been too much damage done by the SA Strike

We should continue doing good rest of year because PGMs have too much ground to make up.

Plus SWC "Made In America Baba" LOL

Some strike news from today

Platinum strike worries ANC
Johannesburg - The economy may not be able to absorb the consequences of the extended strike in the platinum mining sector, the African National Congress said on Thursday
Spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said the party, therefore, hoped an inter-ministerial technical team set up by new Mineral Resources Minister Ngoako Ramatlhodi would help resolve the strike.

"It is the view of the ANC that the continued strike may have a negative impact to the extent that the economy may not be able to absorb its consequences," he said in a statement.

"As all parties engage, we are urging them to do so in good faith and to show that they put the country first, and that jobs are not jeopardised."

On Wednesday, Ramatlhodi announced the formation of an inter-governmental technical team in a bid to resolve the strike.

The team was expected to meet the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) and mining bosses on Thursday.

Members of Amcu at Lonmin [JSE:LON], Impala Platinum (Implats) [JSE:IMP], and Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) [JSE:AMS] downed tools on January 23, demanding a basic monthly salary of R12 500.

They rejected an offer by the companies to bring their pay to R12 500 by July 2017.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cape Town - Terry Bell clears up the continuing misunderstanding and confusion around the platinum wage issue after a Fin24 user castigated the miners for asking for a 300% increase in remuneration.

Bell blames the media for falling into the trap of not spelling out exactly what the wage issue is.

"Now, in the post election period, knives are out again... we will also look at the ongoing Cosatu battle."

Bell says he will go back to basics... the origin of unions and what they should be doing in this week's Inside Labour column.

"And should they (the unions) have their fingers in so many tills?"

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Strike pushing SA towards recession

Tag, fin24

Palladium falls before weekend, but more gains seen

May 23 2014, 17:14
LONDON — Palladium fell on Friday as the dollar firmed and investors squared positions before the weekend, but more gains are expected on worries that an extended strike could drag on even longer in major producer South Africa.

Platinum and palladium were on track for a second straight weekly gain, with gold headed for a flat week.

Palladium shed 0.6% to $827.25 an ounce by 2.00pm GMT as the dollar gained against the euro, making dollar-priced commodities more expensive for Europeans.

The euro dropped to a three-month low against the dollar after a soft German business sentiment survey added to expectations the European Central Bank would ease policy next month.

The dollar hit a six-week high against a basket of currencies in the wake of upbeat US data.

Palladium’s weakness, however, was seen as only a pause in a rally that has pushed it up 16% this year on worries about the impact of the miners’ strike in South Africa. It touched $837.40 an ounce in the previous session — its highest since August 2011.

Traders attributed some of the decline to investors taking profits and squaring positions before the Memorial Day long weekend in the US and Britain’s spring bank holiday on Monday.

"The longer the strike goes on, we are now at the point where people are asking the question about when dwindling stocks will start to have an effect," said Ole Hansen, head of commodities research at Saxo Bank.

"Even though palladium is a smaller market, there’s good flow into ETFs. So there’s basically a good fundamental investment story." Commerzbank said in a note that over the past two days of trading, 19,000 ounces had flowed into palladium exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

"Inflows since the start of the quarter amount to 670,000 ounces. ETF holdings now total just shy of 2.8-million ounces, and thus exceed the annual production of Russia, the world’s biggest producer country." Palladium was set to gain 1.9% this week and platinum 1.6%, the second straight weekly rises for both.

The four-month miners’ strike in South Africa could last much longer, the chief executive of Impala Platinum told Reuters on Thursday, adding that feedback from initial court-mediated talks with the world’s biggest producers and main mining union was lukewarm.

The strike is the longest and costliest industrial action in the mining history of South Africa, the biggest producer of platinum and the second-biggest producer of palladium.

GOLD Spot gold dipped 0.1% to $1,291.94 an ounce and was headed for a largely flat week.

"Gold has been trapped in a very compressed range for well over a month, but we suspect that we could see a substantial move in the days ahead once the Ukrainian elections are over," INTL FCStone said in a note.

Lessening tensions in Ukraine weighed on gold, seen as a safe-haven asset. The metal has been buoyed by the crisis between the West and Russia, gaining about 7% this year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he wanted better ties with the West. His deputy defence minister said Russia would pull back all forces deployed to regions near its border with Ukraine "within a few days", a move that could ease tensions before Ukraine’s presidential election on Sunday.

Reuters
Have a good weekend (~:GOSWC:~)

SWC 17.78HOD/HOY PGM Rally Continues,Current Strike News Johannesburg - Platinum producers declined to comment on reports on Thursday that talks with trade union Amcu were "lukewarm" and could continue for "much longer".
"All I can say is that the talks continued today and they will continue tomorrow. I can't comment on reports," spokesperson Charmaine Russel said on Thursday evening.

Reuters quoted Impala Platinum CEO Terence Goodlace as saying the talks aimed at ending a four-month-long strike with the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) were "lukewarm".

"So far as hope is concerned, the feedback that I have got was lukewarm from yesterday [Wednesday] but they are going back into session today [Thursday]," Goodlace reportedly said.

Asked how long the strike could last, he replied: "It's almost like how long is a piece of string. I suppose the proper answer to it is that it could go on for much longer because we are so far apart between the two parties... My expectation is they will probably go on for longer."

Members of Amcu at Impala Platinum (Implats) [JSE:IMP], Lonmin [JSE:LON] and Anglo Platinum (Amplats) [JSE:AMS] went on strike on January 23 demanding a basic salary of R12 500 per month.

They rejected the companies' offer that would bring their cash remuneration to R12 500 by July 2017.

Amcu and platinum mining companies met behind closed doors at an undisclosed location in Johannesburg this week.

Tag, 24news,reuters

SWC Flood of buying pushes Montana PGM miner to near 3-year high
Frik Els | May 21, 2014
Stillwater Mining (NYSE:SWC) shot up on Wednesday, as investors look for alternative suppliers of PGMs amid predictions of a the largest market deficit for the precious metals in more than 30 years.
In early afternoon dealings the Billings, Montana-based company was changing hands for $17.24, up 3.3% on the New York Stock Exchange, after earlier in the day hitting a near-three year high of $17.22.

Some 2.6 million shares in the $2 billion counter were traded by 2:25EST, more than the usual daily average. Stillwater shares are up 40% since the start of the year.

Cash-flush Stillwater is the only platinum and palladium producer in the US and accounts for 6% of global palladium production and 2% of the world's platinum supply from its two producing mines.

Stillwater boasts more than 22 million ounces in PGM reserves, 80% of it palladium. Last week the company signed a 5-year sales agreement with refiner and autocatalyst manufacturer Johnson Matthey that also resulted in a $17-22 million cash injection.

A prolonged strike in South Africa, rising tensions between Russia and the West and the launch of two new physical palladium-backed ETFs have pushed the palladium price up nearly 16% this year.

Platinum is up close to 7%. Between them Russia and South Africa control 83% of world palladium and supplies 70% of its platinum.

Industry consultants Johnson Matthey Plc said yesterday platinum consumption will beat supply by 1.22 million ounces while the palladium shortfall will widen to 1.61 million ounces, from 371,000 ounces last year and the eighth year in a row of deficits.

Bloomberg reports that would constitute the largest market deficits ever, based on Johnson Matthey data going back to 1975 for platinum and 1980 for palladium:

“Supply-side issues are common to both platinum and palladium,” Peter Duncan, general manager, market research at Johnson Matthey, said yesterday. “We do expect auto demand to keep rising. In the medium term, this is mainly to do with emissions legislation in the case of platinum, and mainly growth in vehicle production in the case of palladium.”

Palladium futures trading on the Nymex in New York rose to $830 an ounce on Wednesday, the highest since March 2011 and up 16% since the start of the year.

Platinum continued to underperform its sister metal however and July delivery contracts are up $1,475 an ounce.

http://www.mining.com/flood-of-buying-pushes-montana-pgm-miner-to-near-3-year-high-53999/

SWC 17.28 ETF Securities Sees $858 Palladium, $1,550 Platinum Wednesday May 21, 2014 2:15 PM
ETF Securities says it remains positive platinum and palladium price fundamentals in the long run, although it adds that a recovery in demand is a key for price gains so far this year to be sustained. Platinum is up 7% and palladium by 14% so far this year amid a strike against major South African producers. “Although both markets have become a lot tighter over the past months, we believe the catalyst for a sharp rally would be for one of the top three producers -- Amplats, Implats and Lonmin -- to fail to meet all contractual obligations or to announce active metal buying on the open market to supply its contracts,” ETF Securities says. “We believe the reason that prices have not reacted more strongly to supply disruptions is due to potential alternative supply coming from abundant above-ground stocks of PGMs. Consensus estimates indicate that the market overhang for platinum and palladium is around 5moz and 10moz, respectively, equivalent to 59% of global platinum demand and 104% of global palladium demand in 2013.” The firm says it maintains a medium-term price target of $858 an ounce for palladium and $1,550 for platinum.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News

SWC This Has To Keep Going Up

Platinum Market Poised For Big Output Deficit~SWC

Hey Nothing Wrong with A Little Profit Taking,

It's Healthy, But keep in mind.

I want your shares. LOL

New 20+ targets

GLTA

SWC 'Remarkable' That PGM Prices Aren't Higher
May 20, 2014 8:40 AM
Strikes in South Africa against the major platinum group metals producers continue with no real end in sight, says INTL FCStone. While platinum and palladium prices moved higher on Monday, INTL FCStone says “considering how long the strike is dragging on, it is quite remarkable that prices are not pushing higher still. We attribute this to the fact that both platinum and palladium demand remains steady, but not remarkable, while more importantly, there apparently is plenty of idle inventory on hand to accommodate the buying that does exist.”

By Debbie Carlson of Kitco News;

SWC Stillwater Mining Company Sets New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade (SWC)
May 19th, 2014
Stillwater Mining Company (NYSE:SWC) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday after BB&T Corp. raised their price target on the stock from $18.00 to $20.00, Stock Ratings News reports. The company traded as high as $16.94 and last traded at $16.80, with a volume of 2,513,747 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $16.29.

SWC has been the subject of a number of other recent research reports. Analysts at RBC Capital raised their price target on shares of Stillwater Mining Company from $15.00 to $17.00 in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Separately, analysts at CIC Securities cut their price target on shares of Stillwater Mining Company from $20.00 to $19.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, analysts at Zacks downgraded shares of Stillwater Mining Company from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 24th. They now have a $16.70 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, The stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $18.54.

The stock’s 50-day moving average is $15.54 and its 200-day moving average is $13.35. The company’s market cap is $2.010 billion.

Stillwater Mining Company (NYSE:SWC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the analysts’ consensus estimate of $0.10 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $219.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $241.60 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.12 earnings per share. Stillwater Mining Company’s revenue was down 12.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Stillwater Mining Company will post $0.56 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Stillwater Mining Company is engaged in the development, extraction, processing, smelting, refining and marketing of palladium, platinum and associated metals (NYSE:SWC)) from a geological formation in south-central Montana, the J-M Reef, and from the recycling of spent catalytic converters.

http://www.americanbankingnews.com/2014/05/19/stillwater-mining-company-sets-new-52-week-high-after-analyst-upgrade-swc/

SWC 16.95 Happy Happy Happy

pm ya 10, Nice post Thanks

SWC 16.29 Very Nice, The strike is building the
rally and it looks like theirs months of room to run.

Anybody still here?

1st quarter 2014 mining results

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/stillwater-mining-company-reports-first-quarter-2014-mined-production-and-recycling-results-and-announces-first-quarter-2014-results-conference-call-2014-04-17

http://www.gaininggreen.com/hot-stocks-transocean-ltd-nyserig-stillwater-mining-company-nyseswc-keating-capital-nasdaqkipo-international-business-machines-nyseibm/1223435/

Momentum Building. Stillwater is key Palladium miner in U.S.

Ukraine conflict and more so implications on Russian supply causing a rush in the SP.

This will continue as the crisis escalated.

Price Target around $20

It probably is a great long term buy. But, I'm waiting for it to pull back before buying anymore.

SWC

Anybody else see this a great buy long??

SWC Weekly

Trading between 50 and 200.

SWC, Looks like 12.70 1st Support. 12.91 1st Resistance.

You're right, IMO. The pps should move up soon. Probably with lightening speed as it usually does about this time of year. I've had really good luck with this whenever I've traded it on the candle trend lines and the Ultimate Oscillator. Right now, I'm seeing a bearish divergence in the UO that hopefully knocks this back down under 11 and reset the UO for bullish. Right now, it seems to be trading predictably between time tested resistance and support. Today, yesterday, and last Friday was a perfect retrace that should continue for a few days. Monday threw me off. I sold Friday morning at the MA150 and put a GTC in at 11.00. Hit 11.03 EOD, then back up on a spike Monday. Dang. Monday aside, it should get back to <11.

I'd like to enter when the UO gets around 35. My GTC order is set mid-10s, but that may be too low. Anything <11 is a good entry right now.

GLTY.

SWC thanks for the message Bill, as much as I love silver I like simple charts.

http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=SWC&p=D&b=5&g=0&id=p30752897945

I like the accumulation as of late I think it will show in the pps soon.

GLTA

SWC getting ready to rinse before a repeat.

SWC soon enough you will and more. Jmho

Not a bad day here. I want to see SWC at 12.00.

metals getting ready for a big turnaround?