High-frequency trades cited for share surge
NATHAN VANDERKLIPPE
CALGARY -- The massive bump in share price for OPTI Canada Inc. has some of the hallmarks of a high-frequency trading blitz, say traders and analysts who cover the oil sands stock, which has swung wildly over the past two days.
On Wednesday, OPTI closed up 34 per cent, despite a far more modest increase in both oil prices and the country's energy index. Shares in the small oil sands company, whose primary asset is a 35-per-cent share in the Long Lake project with Nexen Inc., gained another 15 per cent yesterday before falling back to close even with Wednesday's price.
The rapid movement was approximately mirrored by another small oil sands player, Oilsands Quest Inc. , which shot up 11 per cent yesterday after posting a similarly large gain on Wednesday. Volatility also affected UTS Energy Corp. and Connacher Oil and Gas Ltd. , and raised eyebrows across the oil patch, not least among those affected.
"It's interesting that the markets swing this far this fast. It puzzles all of us, I think," said Oilsands Quest executive chairman Murray Wilson.
Mr. Wilson believes the jumps came from a combination of technical trading - where heavy buying can be triggered by a stock price crossing a certain threshold - and more normal activity among long-term investors and hedge funds.
Oilsands Quest is not seeking a merger or acquisition, although it is often approached, Mr. Wilson said.
"We have absolutely no specific knowledge about matters which could cause the shares in ourselves, or the rest of our peer group, to move in the manner that they have," he said.
OPTI also released a statement telling markets that it "is not aware of any specific circumstances that may be contributing" to the recent activity.
But the trading pattern - in which CIBC and TD each bought and sold nearly equal numbers of shares in trades that accounted for more than half of the activity - suggests to others a repeat of the sort of play that some believe also sent OPTI shares inexplicably skyrocketing earlier this year.
In what's called high-frequency trading, firms can make money by using computerized systems to execute huge rounds of lightning-fast small trades, and capitalize on passive rebates offered by exchanges.
According to market traders, exchanges pay about 25 cents per 100 shares to the passive - or offering - party in a transaction, as a way to boost liquidity. In other words, if a broker has 100 shares to sell, and someone else meets the asking price, that broker will make 25 cents. The same rebate is given to a broker offering to buy shares at a certain price.
(Exchanges make their money by charging about 35 cents per 100 shares to the person buying from or selling to the passive party. The exchange pockets the 10-cent difference.)
Such high-frequency trading, which some say should be illegal, allows companies to cash in on trades where a stock is bought and sold at the same price - and can be profitable when the shares traded number in the millions, as they have with OPTI in recent days. But the massive trading the practice generates can serve as a signal to others that something is happening.
"People that don't know maybe say, 'Where there's smoke, there's fire.' And it feeds on itself," said Duncan Anderson, assistant vice-president and portfolio manager of Canadian equities at MFC Global Investment Management.
For OPTI, as with some of the other junior oil sands players, market interest has already been stoked in part by PetroChina Co. Ltd., whose $1.9-billion deal with Athabasca Oil Sands Corp. on Aug. 31 signalled the return of international interest in Fort McMurray's huge bitumen deposits.
"The speculation is that ... more oil sands investments [are] going to be coming from some of these sovereign wealth funds," Mr. Anderson said.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Oil Patch High-frequency trades cited for share surge
Thursday, September 17, 2009
DEE Technically ready to run up thru 1.8157
Pure Hot Money Run 1 Ticker Up After Another=Sucker Rally
Opti says stumped by share activity, gains pared
Thomson Reuters
* Gains pared after Opti says it has nothing to report
* Up 2.7 percent at C$2.31
(Recasts with Opti saying it doesn't know why shares rose)
CALGARY, Alberta, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Opti Canada Inc
shares surged early on Thursday but pared gains after
the company, known for its minority stake in Nexen Inc's
Long Lake oil sands project, said it knew of no reason
for recent activity.
Opti jumped as much as 12 percent on the Toronto Stock
Exchange Thursday morning, but by midday was up 6 Canadian
cents, or 2.7 percent, at C$2.31 on volume of 13 million
shares.
Nexen shares were off 12 Canadian cents at C$25.48
The rise for Opti followed a surge of 33 percent in heavy
volume on Wednesday, a move that puzzled analysts.
In response to a query from regulators, Opti issued a
statment saying it was not aware of anything that would
contribute to the sharp rise or heavy trading activity.
Some analysts have said investors may believe Opti could be
the next takeover target for a Chinese oil company after
PetroChina's C$1.9 billion ($1.8 billion) deal in
August to buy a 60 percent stake in two planned oil sands
projects from privately held Athabasca Oil Sands Corp.
Opti has a 35 percent stake in the C$6.1 billion Long Lake,
Alberta, project, which is in start-up mode. Nexen has said it
could be another year before all the bugs are ironed out and
the 70,000 barrel a day project is reliably operating at
capacity.
Opti shares had been under pressure for the past year as
credit markets sputtered and investors became concerned that it
could run out of cash.
Last month, Opti negotiated eased restrictions on a key
C$350 million credit facility.
($1=$1.06 Canadian)
(Reporting by Jeffrey Jones and Scott Haggett; editing by
Peter Galloway)
Uranium next to rally...Yes Buy EFR-TSX
| Energy Fuels Announces Additional DOE Lease Acquisitions, Positive Drilling Results, and Grant of Options 10:05 EDT Thursday, July 30, 2009 ( 60 days = sept 30 2009) | |
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - July 30, 2009) - Energy Fuels Inc. (TSX:EFR) ("Energy Fuels" or the "Company"), has been informed by the Department of Energy (DOE) that the Company has been awarded two additional DOE lease tracts (C-AM-19-A and C-AM-20) released for bid in the May 2008 DOE lease sale. These tracts are in western Montrose County, Colorado, (within the Uravan Mineral Belt) about 30 highway miles from the Company's Pinon Ridge Mill site currently being permitted.
Based on pre-bid public information provided by DOE in February of 2008, these two tracts combined contain about 2.3 million lbs. of historical resource (not NI 43-101 compliant) in a region of well developed historical mining by Union Carbide Corporation. The DOE data was from an estimate originally prepared by the Atomic Energy Commission (or AEC, predecessor of the DOE), based on US Geological Survey and AEC drilling conducted during 1951 - 1953. AEC/DOE do not apply resource categories or qualifiers. After 1974, private lease holders on these two tracts drilled another 367 holes. The Company has yet to acquire data from the private drilling.
Energy Fuels has also initiated its 2009 drilling program on other Uravan Mineral Belt properties held by the Company in western Colorado. Much of this drilling budget will be applied to exploring DOE leased tracts obtained as announced in May 2008 following the same DOE lease sale referenced above.
Early drilling on the Henry Claim Group in the Club Mesa area encountered a highly mineralized intercept of 4.5 feet with a grade of 0.33% U3O8. Historical data from this area indicates the potential for a V2O5 / U3O8 grade ratio of about 5:1. Drilling is continuing on this claim group and will progress onto the adjacent DOE lease block, (C-CM-24).
Drilling should begin in about 60 days on the HC Claim Block and the contiguous C-G-26 DOE lease, both of which are located on Calamity Mesa. This drilling has been planned utilizing the data on the DOE lease obtained by Energy Fuels as announced February 23, 2009, and is planned to develop additional resources with infill drilling.
Additionally, Energy Fuels has granted 850,000 options for a term of five years to employees, officers, and consultants to the Company.
Stephen P. Antony, P.E., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has reviewed and approved the content of this press release.
Energy Fuels Inc. is a Toronto-based uranium and vanadium mineral development company actively rehabilitating and developing formerly producing mines. With more than 55,000 acres of highly prospective uranium and vanadium property located in the states of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Idaho, and New Mexico, and exploration properties in Saskatchewan's Athabasca Basin totaling almost 50,000 additional acres, the Company has a full pipeline of additional development prospects. Energy Fuels, through its wholly-owned Colorado subsidiary, Energy Fuels Resources Corporation and its recently acquired Magnum Uranium subsidiary, has assembled this property portfolio along with a first class management team, including highly skilled technical mining and milling professionals based in Lakewood and Nucla, Colorado and Kanab, Utah.
This news release contains certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and "Forward Looking Information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein are forward-looking statements and forward looking information that involve various risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations are disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time with the British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario Securities Commissions.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Energy Fuels Inc. Gary Steele Investor Relations (303) 974-2147 or Toll free: 1-888-864-2125 investorinfo@energyfuels.com www.energyfuels.com
