Release – Chakana Reports 113m of 0.90 gt Gold 0.92 Copper and 72.8 gt Silver (2.13 Cu-Eq) in Huancarama at Soledad Peru


Chakana Reports 113m of 0.90 g/t Gold, 0.92% Copper and 72.8 g/t Silver (2.13% Cu-Eq) in Huancarama at Soledad, Peru

 

Soledad Project Highlights Include:

  • 12 new resource definition holes at Huancarama reported, totalling 2,974.85m
  • Additional resource definition drill results pending for Breccia Pipe 5 “(Bx 5)” and Huancarama
  • Gradient-array induced-polarization (IP) geophysical survey completed over entire mineral system
  • Off-set IP surveys underway over high priority targets defined by gradient array and other data sets

Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – November 1, 2021) – Chakana Copper Corp. (TSXV: PERU) (OTCQB: CHKKF) (FSE: 1ZX) (the Company or Chakana“), is pleased to provide results from twelve resource definition holes drilled in Huancarama totaling 2,974.85m at the Soledad project, Ancash, Peru (see table below). The resource drilling is part of a fully funded 26,000m exploration and resource drilling program planned for 2021 (Fig. 1). These results compliment previous results from Huancarama and will increase confidence in the initial resource estimate covering six breccia pipes, which is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2021.

“Results for the resource definition drilling at Huancarama have been outstanding thus far. This is a large breccia pipe that is part of a much larger breccia complex. The resource drilling has focused on the east side of the breccia complex where two breccia pipes coalesce into one larger pipe with excellent grades for copper, gold, and silver. We have additional resource definition drill results to release for Bx 5 and Huancarama as we close in on the first resource ever for this new discovery,” stated President and CEO David Kelley.

Drill Results

Huancarama (Resource Definition)

DDH # From – To (m) Core Length (m) Au
g/t
Ag
g/t
Cu % Cu-eq
%*
Au-eq g/t*
SDH21-228 89.75 141.00 51.25 0.25 34.4 0.27 0.73 1.11
and 170.00 222.00 52.00 0.40 50.6 1.14 1.83 2.81
SDH21-230 90.00 93.25 3.25 1.53 285.2 5.75 9.19 14.06
and 125.00 200.00 75.00 0.56 44.3 0.34 1.08 1.66
and 219.00 221.00 2.00 2.94 132.6 1.07 4.13 6.31
SDH21-232 114.20 242.00 127.80 0.55 65.1 0.48 1.40 2.14
SDH21-237 123.00 236.00 113.00 0.90 72.8 0.92 2.13 3.26
SDH21-242 146.00 210.00 64.00 0.50 41.3 0.63 1.31 2.00
SDH21-245 152.00 217.00 65.00 0.31 40.7 0.70 1.25 1.91
SDH21-246 153.00 218.00 65.00 0.29 27.4 0.58 1.00 1.54
SDH21-247 170.35 199.00 28.65 0.45 68.3 0.86 1.74 2.66
and 283.00 323.15 40.15 0.22 30.0 0.67 1.07 1.64
SDH21-248 146.00 184.00 38.00 0.77 56.2 1.03 2.01 3.08
and 229.15 241.00 11.85 1.06 37.9 0.10 1.71
SDH21-249 53.60 128.55 74.95 0.32 82.4 0.42 1.33 2.04
SDH21-250 45.00 133.00 88.00 0.31 66.5 0.86 1.63 2.50
SDH21-251 85.00 221.00 136.00 0.29 26.6 0.30 0.72 1.10

 

* Cu_eq and Au_eq values were calculated using copper, gold, and silver. Metal prices utilized for the calculations are Cu – US$2.90/lb, Au – US$1,300/oz, and Ag – US$17/oz. No adjustments were made for recovery as the project is an early-stage exploration project and metallurgical data to allow for estimation of recoveries are not yet available. The formulas utilized to calculate equivalent values are Cu-eq (%) = Cu% + (Au g/t * 0.6556) + (Ag g/t * 0.00857) and Au-eq (g/t) = Au g/t + (Cu% * 1.5296) + (Ag g/t * 0.01307).

Huancarama

The Huancarama breccia pipe is in the central part of the project at an elevation of 3,950m and is one of six breccia pipes that will be included in our initial resource estimate (Fig. 1). The breccia pipe is part of a breccia complex with six outcropping breccias over a lateral distance of 200m east-west. Two of the breccias, separated by 50m at surface, coalesce at depth, forming a large breccia pipe approximately 100m x 60m in plan. Breccia has been intercepted to a depth of 492m below surface and remains open.

Drill holes described in this release were drilled from four different platforms and were designed to confirm the geometry and continuity of mineralization within the breccia pipe (Figs. 2 and 3). All holes intersected significant mineralization (see Figure 4 for select core photos of the mineralization). Thirteen additional holes have been drilled as part of the resource definition program; results for these holes are pending.

2021 Resource and Exploration Drill Program

A total of 23,947m (incorrectly reported in previous release) of drilling has been completed in 2021. The objectives of this drill program are to complete resource definition drilling on six initial breccia pipes to an approximate depth of 300m and test several new exploration targets. Breccia pipes that will be included in the initial resource estimate are: Bx 1, Bx 5, Bx 6, Paloma East, Paloma West, and Huancarama (Fig. 1). Additional resource definition drill results for Bx 5 and Huancarama are pending. During 2021 our drilling was focused on the north half of the project where drill permits are in place. Permitting for the south half of the project is well advanced. The southern half of the property hosts several outcropping mineralized tourmaline breccia pipes and has been recently covered by the Company’s ongoing geophysical program. Numerous targets exist, none of which have been drilled previously.

Geophysical Surveys

Gradient-array induced-polarization (IP) surveys have been completed over the entire 12km2 footprint of the Soledad mineral system. Off-set IP surveys are now in-progress covering high priority target areas. This work complements the extensive exploration database that supports our current inventory of 110 exploration targets. This new information identifies both new targets and prioritizes existing targets that will be tested when the exploration drilling programs resume.

About Chakana Copper

Chakana Copper Corp is a Canadian-based minerals exploration company that is currently advancing the Soledad Project located in the Ancash region of Peru, a highly favorable mining jurisdiction with supportive communities. The Soledad Project is notable for the high-grade copper-gold-silver mineralization that is hosted in tourmaline breccia pipes. A total of 60,854 metres in 261 diamond core holes for exploration and resource definition drilling have been completed since 2017, testing 16 of 110 total exploration targets, confirming that Soledad is a large, well-endowed mineral system with strong exploration upside. Chakana’s investors are uniquely positioned as the Soledad Project provides exposure to base and precious metals. For more information on the Soledad project, please visit the website at www.chakanacopper.com.

Sampling and Analytical Procedures

Chakana follows rigorous sampling and analytical protocols that meet or exceed industry standards. Core samples are stored in a secured area until transport in batches to the ALS facility in Callao, Lima, Peru. Sample batches include certified reference materials, blank, and duplicate samples that are then processed under the control of ALS. All samples are analyzed using the ME-MS41 (ICP technique that provides a comprehensive multi-element overview of the rock geochemistry), while gold is analyzed by AA24 and GRA22 when values exceed 10 g/t by AA24. Over limit silver, copper, lead and zinc are analyzed using the OG-46 procedure. Soil samples are analyzed by 4-acid (ME-MS61) and for gold by Fire Assay on a 30g sample (Au-ICP21).

Results of previous drilling and additional information concerning the Project, including a technical report prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101, are made available on Chakana’s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Qualified Person

David Kelley, an officer and a director of Chakana, and a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101, reviewed and approved the technical information in this news release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

(signed) “David Kelley
David Kelley
President and CEO

For further information contact:
Joanne Jobin, Investor Relations Officer
Phone: 647 964 0292
Email: jjobin@chakanacopper.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-looking Statement Advisory: This release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Chakana to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward looking statements or information relates to, among other things, the interpretation of the nature of the mineralization at the Soledad copper-gold-silver project (the “Project”), the potential to expand the mineralization, and to develop and grow a resource within the Project, the planning for further exploration work, the ability to de-risk the potential exploration targets, and our belief in the potential for mineralization within unexplored parts of the Project. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs but given the uncertainties, assumptions and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward- looking statements or information. The Company disclaims any obligation to update, or to publicly announce, any such statements, events or developments except as required by law.

Cannot view this image? Visit: https://www.noblelinx.com/images/channelchek/image20211101-21.jpg

Figure 1 – View looking north showing outcropping breccia pipes and occurrences within the northern Soledad cluster. Pipes that will be included in the initial resource are shown in green (Bx 1, Bx 5, Bx 6, Paloma East, Paloma West, and Huancarama). Breccia pipes shown in yellow have had exploration drilling completed. Other pipes/occurrences and targets defined by other exploration data remain to be tested by drilling. Additional breccia pipes occur on the south half of the property and are not shown here.

Cannot view this image? Visit: https://www.noblelinx.com/images/channelchek/image20211101-22.jpg


Figure 2 – Map showing drill holes reported in this release and modeled breccia pipes at Huancarama (light red shape) based on all drill holes. Light gray contours are at 5m intervals. Blue rectangle in the inset map shows the area of Figure 2 within the overall Soledad property.

Cannot view this image? Visit: https://www.noblelinx.com/images/channelchek/image20211101-23.jpg


Figure 3 – 3D sectional view of Huancarama looking northwest. Light red 3D shape shows breccia pipe geometry based on all drill holes. Previous holes drilled shown in grey.


Cannot view this image? Visit: https://www.noblelinx.com/images/channelchek/image20211101-24.jpg

Figure 4 – Select core photos from Huancarama reported in this release: SDH21-228 (187.95m) semi-massive chalcopyrite-pyrite replacement of tourmaline breccia; SDH21-228 (190.1m) chalcopyrite filling open cavity in breccia; SDH21-228 (192.2m) chalcopyrite-tourmaline-cemented breccia; SDH21-230 (91.35m) massive chalcopyrite; SDH21-230 (193.35m) chalcopyrite-tourmaline-cemented breccia; SDH21-232 (161.80m) chalcopyrite-pyrite replacement of clasts; SDH21-232 (279.55m) chalcopyrite-tourmaline-cemented breccia; SDH21-237 (151.45m) chalcopyrite-tourmaline-cemented breccia and sulfide clast replacement; SDH21-237 (152.8m) chalcopyrite-tourmaline-cemented breccia and sulfide clast replacement; SDH21-242 (172.05m) semi-massive chalcopyrite-pyrite replacement breccia; SDH21-242 (173.0m) chalcopyrite replacement of clasts in mosaic breccia; SDH21-245 (185.9m) chalcopyrite-quartz cemented breccia; SDH21-245 (187.1m) chalcopyrite-tourmaline-cemented mosaic breccia; SDH21-246 (127.5m) chalcopyrite-tourmaline-cemented chaotic shingle breccia; SDH21-247 (293.9m) chalcopyrite-quartz-siderite-sphalerite filling cavity in breccia; SDH21-247 (313.9m) mosaic breccia with insipient granodiorite clast replacement by chalcopyrite; SDH21-250 (80.3m) chalcopyrite-tourmaline-cemented mosaic breccia and partial sulfide clast replacement; SDH21-251 (162.05m) mosaic breccia replaced by tourmaline-chalcopyrite. Core diameter is 6.35cm (HQ) in all instances.

Release – PDS Biotech Announces Agreement with University of Georgia to License Novel Proteins for Versamune-based Universal Flu Vaccine


PDS Biotech Announces Agreement with University of Georgia to License Novel Proteins for Versamune-based Universal Flu Vaccine

 

FLORHAM PARK, N.J., Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — PDS Biotechnology Corporation (Nasdaq: PDSB), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing novel cancer therapies and infectious disease vaccines based on the Company’s proprietary Versamune® T-cell activating technology, today announced an agreement to license COBRA (Computationally Optimized Broadly Reactive Antigen) antigens from the University of Georgia initially for use in the clinical development of its infectious disease immunotherapy pipeline, PDS0202, a universal flu vaccine candidate.

“Our new agreement with the University of Georgia demonstrates the versatility and potential of our Versamune® platform and advances our infectious disease pipeline,” commented PDS Biotech CEO, Frank Bedu-Addo. “There are four types of seasonal influenza viruses, and a universal flu vaccine would eliminate the need to manufacture a new seasonal flu vaccine each year by providing robust, long-lasting protection against multiple subtypes of flu. We believe this is the next step in the advancement of novel infectious disease vaccines to address the nearly one billion cases of influenza worldwide annually.”

Designed by renowned influenza expert, Dr. Ted Ross at the University of Georgia, the novel COBRA antigens are to be used in combination with Versamune® for PDS0202 for the universal prevention of infection by multiple strains of influenza virus. The antigens were selected following successful pre-clinical development work completed under a contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Collaborative Influenza Vaccine Innovation Centers (CIVICs) program to progress PDS0202 development. PDS0202 leverages Versamune®’s ability to induce the immune system to generate high levels of flu-specific neutralizing antibodies, CD4 helper and CD8 killer T-cells, as well as long-acting memory T-cells to potentially provide broad and long-term protection against multiple influenza strains. Influenza is estimated to result in about 3 to 5 million cases of severe illness and about 290,000 to 650,000 respiratory deaths globally each year.

“The preclinical results of the combination of COBRA antigens and Versamune® were impressive, especially given the unique problem in developing a universal flu vaccine,” added Dr. Ross. “Designing a vaccine that works for many influenza strains is the goal. We are excited to see how the PDS0202 – COBRA vaccine performs in human trials.” 

About PDS Biotechnology
PDS Biotech is a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing a growing pipeline of cancer immunotherapies based on the Company’s proprietary Versamune® T-cell activating technology platform. Our Versamune®-based products have demonstrated the potential to overcome the limitations of current immunotherapy by inducing in vivo, large quantities of high-quality, highly potent polyfunctional tumor specific CD4+ helper and CD8+ killer T-cells. PDS Biotech has developed multiple therapies, based on combinations of Versamune® and disease-specific antigens, designed to train the immune system to better recognize diseased cells and effectively attack and destroy them. The company’s pipeline products address various cancers including breast, colon, lung, prostate and ovarian cancers. To learn more, please visit www.pdsbiotech.com or follow us on Twitter at @PDSBiotech.

Forward Looking Statements
This communication contains forward-looking statements (including within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended) concerning PDS Biotechnology Corporation (the “Company”) and other matters. These statements may discuss goals, intentions and expectations as to future plans, trends, events, results of operations or financial condition, or otherwise, based on current beliefs of the Company’s management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. Forward-looking statements generally include statements that are predictive in nature and depend upon or refer to future events or conditions, and include words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “likely,” “believe,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend,” “forecast,” “guidance”, “outlook” and other similar expressions among others. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors, including, without limitation: the Company’s ability to protect its intellectual property rights; the Company’s anticipated capital requirements, including the Company’s anticipated cash runway and the Company’s current expectations regarding its plans for future equity financings; the Company’s dependence on additional financing to fund its operations and complete the development and commercialization of its product candidates, and the risks that raising such additional capital may restrict the Company’s operations or require the Company to relinquish rights to the Company’s technologies or product candidates; the Company’s limited operating history in the Company’s current line of business, which makes it difficult to evaluate the Company’s prospects, the Company’s business plan or the likelihood of the Company’s successful implementation of such business plan; the timing for the Company or its partners to initiate the planned clinical trials for PDS0101, PDS0203 and other Versamune® based products; the future success of such trials; the successful implementation of the Company’s research and development programs and collaborations, including any collaboration studies concerning PDS0101, PDS0203 and other Versamune® based products and the Company’s or monitoring committees’ or other third parties’ interpretation of the results and findings of such programs and collaborations and whether such results are sufficient to support the future success of the Company’s product candidates; the success, timing and cost of the Company’s ongoing clinical trials and anticipated clinical trials for the Company’s current product candidates, including statements regarding the timing of initiation, pace of enrollment, significance of milestones, and completion of the trials (including our ability to fully fund our disclosed clinical trials, which assumes no material changes to our currently projected expenses), futility analyses, presentations at conferences and data reported in an abstract, and receipt of interim results, which are not necessarily indicative of the final results of the Company’s ongoing clinical trials; any Company statements about its understanding of product candidates mechanisms of action and interpretation of preclinical and early clinical results from its clinical development programs and any collaboration studies; the acceptance by the market of the Company’s product candidates, if approved; the timing of and the Company’s ability to obtain and maintain U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other regulatory authority approval of, or other action with respect to, the Company’s product candidates; and other factors, including legislative, regulatory, political and economic developments not within the Company’s control, including unforeseen circumstances or other disruptions to normal business operations arising from or related to COVID-19. The foregoing review of important factors that could cause actual events to differ from expectations should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with statements that are included herein and elsewhere, including the risk factors included in the Company’s annual and periodic reports filed with the SEC. The forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this press release and, except as required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Media & Investor Relations Contact:
Deanne Randolph
PDS Biotech
Phone: +1 (908) 517-3613
Email: drandolph@pdsbiotech.com

Rich Cockrell
CG Capital
Phone: +1 (404) 736-3838
Email: pdsb@cg.capital

Will Washington Policy Doom Tesla?


Image Credit: Steve Jurvetson (Flickr)

Elon Musk’s Critical Tweets and Comments of White House Actions are Escalating

 

Elon Musk’s frustration with White House actions has continued into the Fall as recent tweets by Musk, and a Twitter account named Tesla Facts show dissatisfaction with perceived slights against Musk, Tesla, and SpaceX. He questions what he views as financial favoritism toward his company’s competitors. Tesla Stock rose 40% during October, which can be seen as resilience against what Musk has called “odd” behavior toward the world’s number-one electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer.

 

Background:

The most recent name-calling tweet occurred this weekend as Musk responded to the President’s proposal to give an extra tax credit to EV purchasers if their car was manufactured using unionized labor. Elon Musk’s tweet was short and direct, he wrote: “Biden is a UAW puppet” referring to the United Autoworkers Union and the 46th President.

 

 

Tesla’s U.S. plant in California doesn’t have union labor, so the proposal could give EVs from other U.S. automakers a pricing advantage depending on where their vehicles are assembled.

The first public signs of confrontation between Tesla and the current administration were evident when the President didn’t invite Tesla, the largest U.S. and global EV producer, to the White House in August when an important EV goals announcement was made. The ceremony included representatives of the UAW, Ford, GM, and Chrysler’s parent company.  Their goals were announced to have 50% of the cars sold in the U.S. all-electric by 2030.  It was because of this event that Musk spoke of being excluded, calling it odd in a tweet. In late September Musk tweeted that the President was “still sleeping” after the founder of SpaceX didn’t get a congratulatory call from the White House after its civilian astronaut mission ended successfully while also raising $210 million for children’s cancer research at St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

In September, at The Code Conference (digital technology) in California, Musk suggested that the administration was biased against Tesla, adding the administration “seems to be controlled by unions.”

More recently, Musk tweeted accusations of favoritism, mentioning actions by the National Highway Transport Safety Administration. A newly appointed safety advisor to the NHTSA, Missy Cummings, a Duke University professor, has questioned Tesla’s autonomous driving software on more than one occasion. Professor Cummings is concerned that Drivers could misuse Tesla’s self-driving features. Musk called Cummings “extremely biased” in his tweet.

 

 

From an Investment Standpoint

Investors in EV’s future that are looking toward the expected ramped up demand for minerals and metals to meet the aggressive goals, not just in the U.S., but also around the globe, should find that the miners, recyclers, and other producers of these materials should still experience an increase in their demand if another car manufacturer receives more orders than it may have otherwise. In fact, if the tax credit is passed, it can be considered more bullish for these stocks. 

Tesla investors have to ask whether it changes their projections for the company’s bottom line. It could, Tesla plants are known for their advanced robotics which helps produce lighter cars more efficiently, but a $4,500 tax credit could incentivize buyers toward the big three that qualify as they are unionized.

The proposal hasn’t seemed to hurt Tesla stock yet. Tesla shares rose more than 40% in October, while the S&P 500 rose 7%. Growing deliveries and earnings and expanded fleet business helped push Tesla’s market capitalization above $1 trillion for the first time.

There is one last “problem” in the proposal that could be viewed as aimed at Tesla. Most new Tesla employees receive between $20,000 and $40,000 worth of stock warrants when hired; the White House’s tax credit proposal would exclude companies, even if they are fully unionized when over 50% of the employees can be considered owners. If enacted, a company change from one with high employee ownership to a union shop with less than 50% of employees with a stake in the company would significantly alter the culture of the automaker that has succeeded in attaining the world’s highest market capitalization for a car company. A policy change like that is unlikely, Tesla management will just need to compete with any uneven playing field they’re asked to compete on.

 

Paul Hoffman

Managing Editor, Channelchek

 

Suggested Reading:



Will U.S. Car Companies be Handed Different EV Advantages?



With Ford’s Electric F-150 Pickup, the EV Transition Shifts into High Gear





Tesla’s Strange Influence on the Markets



What History Says About November Investing

 

Sources:

https://twitter.com/truth_tesla

https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-ford-sexual-harassment-uaw-union-0111-20180109-story.html

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/elon-musk-donates-50m-inspiration4-st-judes-fundraiser
https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/5376/text

 

Stay up to date. Follow us:

 

Release – Helius Medical Technologies Inc. to Release Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results on November 10 2021


Helius Medical Technologies, Inc. to Release Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results on November 10, 2021

 

NEWTOWN, Pa., Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Helius Medical Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSDT) (“Helius” or the “Company”), a neurotech company focused on neurological wellness, today announced that the Company will release its third quarter 2021 financial results on Wednesday, November 10, 2021, after the market closes.

Dane C. Andreeff, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Jeffrey S. Mathiesen, Chief Financial Officer, will host a conference call to discuss the results and provide a business update as follows:

Date:   Wednesday, November 10, 2021
Time:   5:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Toll free (U.S.):   (844) 348-4652
International:   (213) 358-0895
Conference ID:   9388362
Webcast:   https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/sbbrhapy
     

A replay of the call will be available for one week at (855) 859-2056 (U.S.) or (404) 537-3406 (international). The conference ID for the replay is 9388362. The webcast will be archived under the Newsroom section of the Company’s investor relations website.

About Helius Medical Technologies, Inc.

Helius Medical Technologies is a leading neurotech company in the medical device field focused on neurologic deficits using non-implantable platform technologies that amplify the brain’s ability to compensate and promote neuroplasticity, aiming to improve the lives of people dealing with neurologic diseases.

The Company’s first commercial product is the Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS®). For more information, visit www.heliusmedical.com.

About the PoNS® Device and PoNS Therapy

The Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS®) is an innovative non-surgical device, inclusive of a controller and mouthpiece, which delivers electrical stimulation to the surface of the tongue to provide treatment of gait deficit. The PoNS® device is indicated for use in the United States as a short-term treatment of gait deficit due to mild-to-moderate symptoms from multiple sclerosis (“MS”) and is to be used as an adjunct to a supervised therapeutic exercise program in patients 22 years of age and over by prescription only. It is authorized for sale in Canada as a class II, non-implantable, medical device intended as a short-term treatment (14 weeks) of gait deficit due to mild and moderate symptoms from MS, and chronic balance deficit due to mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury (“mmTBI”) and is to be used in conjunction with physical therapy. The PoNS® is an investigational medical device in Australia (“AUS”) and is currently under premarket review by the AUS Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Investor Relations Contact:

Lisa M. Wilson, In-Site Communications, Inc.
T: 212-452-2793
E: lwilson@insitecony.com

Release – Comtech Confirms Receipt of Unsolicited Proposal


Comtech Confirms Receipt of Unsolicited Proposal

 

MELVILLE, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Nov. 1, 2021– 
November 1, 2021 
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (NASDAQ: CMTL) today confirmed receipt of an unsolicited, non-binding proposal from 
Acacia Research Corporation (NASDAQ: ACTG).

Comtech’s Board of Directors is evaluating the proposal in consultation with independent advisors. The Board will determine the course of action that it believes is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. No stockholder action is required at this time.

Goldman Sachs is serving as exclusive financial advisor to 
Comtech and 
Proskauer Rose and 
Sidley Austin are serving as legal advisors.

About Comtech

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. is a leading global provider of next-generation 911 emergency systems and secure wireless communications technologies to commercial and government customers around the world. Headquartered in 
Melville, New York and with a passion for customer success, 
Comtech designs, produces and markets advanced and secure wireless solutions. For more information, please visit www.comtechtel.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information in this press release contains statements that are forward-looking in nature and involve certain significant risks and uncertainties, including about our business trajectory, future revenue and sales, acquisition strategy, and growth. Actual results could differ materially from such forward-looking information. Risks and uncertainties that could impact these forward-looking statements include: the possibility that the expected synergies and benefits from recent acquisitions will not be fully realized, or will not be realized within the anticipated time periods; the risk that the acquired businesses will not be integrated with the Company successfully; the possibility of disruption from recent acquisitions, making it more difficult to maintain business and operational relationships or retain key personnel; the risk that the Company will be unsuccessful in implementing a tactical shift in its Government Solutions segment away from bidding on large commodity service contracts and toward pursuing contracts for its niche products with higher margins; the nature and timing of receipt of, and the Company’s performance on, new or existing orders that can cause significant fluctuations in net sales and operating results; the timing and funding of government contracts; adjustments to gross profits on long-term contracts; risks associated with international sales; rapid technological change; evolving industry standards; new product announcements and enhancements; changing customer demands and or procurement strategies; changes in prevailing economic and political conditions; changes in the price of oil in global markets; changes in foreign currency exchange rates; risks associated with the Company’s legal proceedings, customer claims for indemnification, and other similar matters; risks associated with the Company’s obligations under its Credit Facility; risks associated with the Company’s large contracts; risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and related supply chain disruptions; and other factors described in this and the Company’s other filings with the 
Securities and Exchange Commission. We assume no obligation and do not intend to update these forward-looking statements or to conform these statements to actual results or to changes in our expectations.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

In connection with the Company’s Fiscal 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2021 Annual Meeting”), the Company plans to file with the 
Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and mail to the Company’s stockholders a definitive proxy statement, an accompanying BLUE proxy card and other relevant documents. The Company filed a preliminary proxy statement with the 
SEC on 
October 29, 2021. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, THE COMPANY’S STOCKHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE, THE ACCOMPANYING BLUE PROXY CARD AND ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE COMPANY’S 2021 ANNUAL MEETING OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN THE PROXY STATEMENT BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY’S 2021 ANNUAL MEETING AND THE PARTIES RELATED THERETO. The Company’s stockholders will be able to obtain a free copy of documents filed with the 
SEC at the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov or the Company’s website at https://www.comtechtel.com.

Participants in the Solicitation

The Company, its directors, and certain of its executive officers are, and certain other members of management and employees of the Company may be deemed, “participants” in the solicitation of proxies from stockholders in connection with the matters to be considered at the 2021 Annual Meeting. Information regarding the direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, in the Company of the persons who are or may be, under the rules of the 
SEC, considered participants in the solicitation of the stockholders of the Company in connection with the Company’s 2021 Annual Meeting will be set forth in the Company’s proxy statement and other relevant documents to be filed with the 
SEC. You can find information about the Company’s executive officers and directors in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended 
July 31, 2021, the Company’s and such persons’ other filings with the 
SEC and in the Company’s definitive proxy statement in connection with the Company’s 2021 Annual Meeting when filed with the 
SEC.

Media Contact
Kekst CNC
Nicholas.Capuano@kekstcnc.com
(212) 521-4800

Investor Contact
Comtech Investor Relations
Investors@comtech.com
(631) 962-7005

Source: 
Comtech Telecommunications Corp.

Release – Cocrystal Pharma Submits Pre-Investigational New Drug Briefing Package to the FDA


Cocrystal Pharma Submits Pre-Investigational New Drug Briefing Package to the FDA for Clinical Development Guidance of CDI-45205 for COVID-19 Treatment

 

FDA’s response is expected to provide greater clarity and guidance on designing Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials for CDI-45205

BOTHELL, Wash., Nov. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Cocrystal Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: COCP) (“Cocrystal” or the “Company”) announces the submission of a pre-Investigational New Drug (IND) briefing package to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its broad-spectrum protease inhibitor CDI-45205 for the treatment of patients with COVID-19.

“The pre-IND submission is a critical step to obtain the FDA’s guidance on preclinical studies, manufacturing, toxicology, and clinical development plans for CDI-45205. We look forward to our communication with the FDA and advancing toward Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials to address the unmet needs of patients and to contribute to global efforts to end this pandemic,” said Sam Lee, Ph.D., Cocrystal’s co-interim CEO and President.

“As with all of our antiviral candidates, we are exploring multiple routes of administration including oral, inhalation, and injection,” added Dr. Lee. “We anticipate that CDI-45205 is best suited for intranasal/pulmonary administration based on its novel mechanism of action and pharmacokinetic profile, with this route having the advantage of direct delivery to the respiratory system, a primary infection site for SARS-CoV-2. We are also advancing preclinical studies with our novel oral COVID-19 protease inhibitors developed using our proprietary structure-based drug discovery technology, and are very excited about potential multiple treatment options for COVID-19.”

“A number of drugs are being developed as COVID-19 treatments that were originally designed for other indications. These repurposed drugs or drug candidates are a good start for humanity, but likely not the best-in-class solution that will end the pandemic,” said James Martin, Cocrystal’s co-interim CEO and CFO. “Our drug candidates are specifically designed to target the viral replication enzymes and protease, which we believe makes it possible to develop effective treatments for COVID-19 and its variants.”

About CDI-45205

CDI-45205 is among a group of protease inhibitors obtained under an exclusive license agreement with Kansas State University Research Foundation (KSURF) in 2020. CDI-45205 and several analogs showed potent in vitro activity against the SARS-CoV-2 Delta (India/B.1.617.2), Gamma (Brazil/P.1), Alpha (United Kingdom/B.1.1.7) and Beta (South African/B.1.351) variants, surpassing the activity observed with the original Wuhan strain. CDI-45205 has also shown good bioavailability in mouse and rat pharmacokinetic studies via intraperitoneal injection, and no cytotoxicity against a variety of human cell lines. Preclinical research demonstrated a strong synergistic effect with the FDA-approved COVID-19 medicine remdesivir. Additionally, a proof-of-concept animal study demonstrated that daily injection of CDI-45205 exhibited favorable in vivo efficacy in MERS-CoV-2 infected mice.

About Cocrystal Pharma, Inc.

Cocrystal Pharma, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company discovering and developing novel antiviral therapeutics that target the replication process of coronaviruses (including SARS-CoV-2), influenza viruses, hepatitis C virus and noroviruses. Cocrystal employs unique structure-based technologies and Nobel Prize-winning expertise to create first- and best-in-class antiviral drugs. For further information about Cocrystal, please visit www.cocrystalpharma.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the FDA’s response to our recent submission for CDI-45205, the ability to develop and efficacy of potential treatments against COVID-19 and advance our product candidates into clinical trials, and our strategy with respect to clinical development. The words “believe,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “could,” “target,” “potential,” “is likely,” “will,” “expect” and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events. Some or all of the events anticipated by these forward-looking statements may not occur. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties arising from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the national and global economy, on our collaboration partners, CROs, CMOs, and on our Company, including manufacturing and research delays arising from raw material and test animal shortages and other supply chain disruptions, potential delays related to the FDA’s review of our submissions, receipt of regulatory approvals, the results of any future clinical trials, general risks arising from clinical trials, regulatory changes, and development of effective treatments and/or vaccines by competitors, including as part of the programs financed by the U.S. government. Further information on our risk factors is contained in our filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. Any forward-looking statement made by us herein speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Investor Contact:
LHA Investor Relations
Jody Cain
310-691-7100
jcain@lhai.com

Source: Cocrystal Pharma, Inc.

Release – Energy Fuels Announces Q3-2021 Results

 

 


Energy Fuels Announces Q3-2021 Results, Including Robust Balance Sheet, Market-Leading U.S. Uranium Position & Commercial Rare Earth Production

 

Webcast on November 2, 2021

LAKEWOOD, Colo.Nov. 1, 2021 /CNW/ – Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSE American: UUUU) (TSX: EFR) (“Energy Fuels” or the “Company”) today reported its financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2021. The Company’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC“) and may be viewed on the Electronic Document Gathering and Retrieval System (“EDGAR“) at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml, on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (“SEDAR“) at www.sedar.com, and on the Company’s website at www.energyfuels.com. Unless noted otherwise, all dollar amounts are in U.S. dollars.

Highlights:

  • At September 30, 2021, the Company had a very robust balance sheet with $132.8 million of working capital, including $100.8 million of cash and marketable securities and $29.3 million of inventory. At current commodity prices, the Company’s product inventory has a value of $46.9 million.
  • During the quarter ended September 30, 2021, the Company incurred a net loss of $8.0 million, due primarily to increased development expenditures and other costs incurred in ramping up our mixed rare earth element (“REE“) carbonate (“RE Carbonate“) production at the White Mesa Mill in Utah (the “Mill“).
  • Between June 30, 2021 and October 15, 2021, the price of uranium rose 42%, mainly due to the entry of financial entities into the market who are buying uranium on the spot market with a stated intent to hold the inventory for the long-term.
  • With several existing uranium mines on standby and significant inventories of Company-produced, U.S.-origin uranium available for sale, the Company is actively seeking out opportunities to supply uranium to nuclear utilities under term contracts while also evaluating the potential to sell some inventory on the spot market.
  • The Company is in the process of ramping up to expected commercial-scale production of RE Carbonate in Q1-2021, and began deliveries of this intermediate REE product to a separation facility in Europe in July 2021.
  • The Company is currently in active discussions with several global suppliers of natural monazite ore to supply feed for this growing REE initiative, which has the potential to include the production of separated REE oxides in the future, subject to licensing, successful commissioning, and prevailing market conditions.
  • On October 27, 2021, the Company completed the sale of a package of non-core conventional uranium projects located in Utah and Colorado to Consolidated Uranium Inc. (“CUR”). Based on CUR’s closing share price of Cdn$2.95 on October 26, 2021, the U.S.-to-Canadian exchange rate as of closing, and assuming full performance of the stipulated deferred cash payments, the current value of this divestment is approximately $35.1 million, plus additional production payments totaling up to Cdn$5 million payable upon commencement of production from the projects in the future.
  • On July 29, 2021, the Company entered into a strategic alliance agreement with RadTran, LLC, a private technology development company, to evaluate the recovery of thorium and potentially radium from the Company’s RE Carbonate and uranium process streams for use in the production of medical isotopes for emerging targeted alpha therapy (“TAT“) cancer therapeutics.
  • On September 16 and 17, 2021, the Company hosted mining, environmental and political heavyweights at an Open House at its White Mesa Mill in Utah to showcase its uranium and REE activities. Utah Senators Mike Lee and Mitt Romney, Congressman John CurtisConstantine Karayannopoulos, CEO Neo Performance Materials, Dr. Kathryn Huff, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy in the U.S. Department of Energy and others, delivered remarks in person or virtually.
  • At the Open House, the Company also announced the establishment of its San Juan County Clean Energy Foundation, a fund specifically designed to contribute to the local communities, including Tribal communities, surrounding the Company’s White Mesa Mill in southeast Utah.

Mark S. Chalmers, Energy Fuels’ President and CEO, stated:

“Energy Fuels continues to make rapid progress toward positioning our White Mesa Mill as America’s “Critical Minerals Hub,” by maintaining the Mill’s key uranium and vanadium production capabilities while further diversifying our portfolio to include rare earth elements production – an exciting and strategically important move both domestically and for the Company. We also continue to watch the uranium markets closely in order to best evaluate our opportunities to capitalize on recent price increases and market improvements.

“After many years of low prices, uranium markets have recently sprung to life with significant price action. Between mid-August and mid-September, the spot price of uranium rose a staggering 66%, mainly due to significant spot purchases by financial entities who have stated their intention to hold the uranium for several years. Nuclear utilities, traders, and others have had access to plentiful uranium on the spot market for the past several years and, in many cases, depended on the spot market to meet their short- and mid-term fuel requirements and delivery commitments. These new purchasers of uranium are removing material from the spot market, thereby potentially creating a fundamental shift in the market by rapidly increasing demand. One could liken these entities to another major, new nuclear utility entering the scene and consuming large quantities of uranium, as this material is not expected to be available for sale in the foreseeable future, if ever. We believe this new dynamic could create opportunities for Energy Fuels to enter into long-term supply contracts for a portion of our production with nuclear utilities at prices, quantities and other terms that generate sufficient project cashflow, all while keeping the majority of our production leveraged to further potential increases in uranium prices.

“Earlier this year, Energy Fuels took major strides toward becoming a major player in the global rare earth element space. As I mentioned before, we are currently producing mixed rare earth carbonate from U.S.-sourced natural monazite sand at our White Mesa Mill. Because our product is ready for separation into individual rare earth oxides without further processing, we are currently producing an intermediate rare earth product in a more advanced form than any other U.S. company. We will be receiving additional shipments of natural monazite sand in Q4-2021 and throughout 2022, and we are in advanced discussions with several monazite suppliers around the world to secure a diverse supply of feed for this exciting initiative. We are also very excited about our Strategic Alliance with RadTran, which has the potential to help produce isotopes from our existing RE Carbonate and uranium process streams for use in cancer therapeutics that can improve human health and, ultimately, save lives. These two initiatives, which are complementary to our core uranium business, are examples of the unique and valuable capabilities of the White Mesa Mill.

“Our distinct competitive advantage over our peers is that we have the existing licenses and permits, longstanding experience and expertise, and unique facilities and projects in a diverse number of locations that, together, are able to recover, manage, process and dispose of radionuclide-bearing materials. This is why we are the number one uranium producer in the U.S. and why we believe we have the strong potential to become one of the lowest-cost, non-Chinese rare earth producers in the world. These unique capabilities also allow us to produce vanadium when market conditions warrant, execute our industry-leading, low-cost recycling programs, and pursue our innovative initiative with RadTran to recover thorium and radium for use in the medical isotopes needed for emerging cancer therapies. We will continue to seek new ways to leverage our unique capabilities with the ultimate goals of generating substantial free cashflow and creating shareholder value.”

Webcast at 4:00 pm ET on November 2, 2021:

Energy Fuels will be hosting a video webcast on November 2, 2021 at 4:00 pm ET (2:00 pm MT) to discuss its Q3-2021 financial results, uranium strategy, rare earth production and other corporate initiatives. To join the webcast and access the presentation and viewer-controlled webcast slides, please click on the link below:

Webcast Link

If you would like to participate in the webcast and ask questions, please dial in to 1-888-664-6392 (toll free in the U.S. and Canada).

A link to a recorded version of the proceedings will be available on the Company’s website shortly after the webcast by calling 1-888-390-0541 (toll free in the U.S. and Canada) and by entering the code 036877#. The recording will be available until November 16, 2021.

Selected Summary Financial Information:

$000’s, except per share data

Nine months ended
September 30, 2021

Nine months ended
September 30, 2020





Total revenues

$                   1,524

$                   1,274



Gross profit (loss)

796

(370)



Operating Loss

(25,570)

(23,624)



Net income (loss) attributable to the company

(29,562)

(22,699)



Basic and diluted loss per share

(0.21)

(0.19)



$000’s

As at September 30, 2021

As at December 31, 2020





Financial Position:





Working capital

$               132,793

$                 40,158



Property, plant and equipment, net

22,211

23,621



Mineral properties, net

83,539

83,539



Total assets

267,283

183,236



Total long-term liabilities

13,877

13,376



Financial Discussion:

At September 30, 2021, the Company had $132.8 million of working capital, including $100.8 million of cash and marketable securities and $29.3 million of inventory, including approximately 691,000 pounds of uranium and 1,672,000 pounds of high-purity vanadium, both in the form of immediately marketable product. The current spot price of U3O8, according to TradeTech, is $47.00 per pound (up 55% in 2021), and the current mid-point spot price of V2O5, according to Metal Bulletin, is $8.00 per pound (up 48% in 2021). Based on today’s spot prices, the Company’s uranium, vanadium, and RE Carbonate inventories have a current market value of $32.5 million, $13.4 million, and $1.0 million respectively, totaling $46.9 million

Following the quarter-end, on October 27, 2021, the Company completed the sale of certain non-core conventional assets to CUR. In addition to receiving $2 million cash at closing, the Company also now holds 19.9% of the outstanding shares of CUR having a current value of approximately $28.3 million.

During the quarter ended September 30, 2021, the Company incurred a net loss of $8.0 million, compared to a net loss of $8.9 million for the third quarter of 2020, and a net loss of $29.7 million year-to-date compared to $22.8 million during the first nine months of 2020. The increased net losses in 2021 are due primarily to increased development expenditures incurred in ramping up our RE Carbonate production at the Mill of $1.8 million during the quarter and $6.1 million year-to-date, and to underutilized capacity production costs applicable to rare earth concentrates during the quarter and year-to-date of $0.45 million. The underutilized capacity production costs are due to low throughput rates as the Mill ramps-up to commercial-scale production. To date, the Mill has focused on producing commercially salable RE Carbonate at low throughput rates and has been very pleased with the resulting product it is shipping for separation. The Mill expects to increase its throughput rates as its supplies of monazite sands increase. The Company is in advanced discussions with several monazite suppliers to secure additional supplies of monazite sands, and once secured, we expect these additional supplies will result in sufficient throughput to reduce underutilized capacity production costs and allow the Company to realize its expected margins on a continuous basis.

Commencement of Rare Earth Carbonate Deliveries in 2021:

In July, the Company commenced deliveries of RE Carbonate to the Silmet rare earth separations facility in Estonia, owned by Neo Performance Materials (“Neo“), creating a new United States-to-Europe rare earth supply chain. During the initial ramp-up of RE Carbonate production, the Company produced approximately 270 tonnes of RE Carbonate (containing approximately 120 tonnes of total rare earth oxides (“TREO“)) from natural monazite sands mined from heavy mineral sand (“HMS“) in Georgia, USA by The Chemours Company. Subject to final verification, initial analyses indicate that Energy Fuels’ RE Carbonate meets or surpasses the specifications of Neo’s separation facility.

Monazite sand is widely recognized as one of the most valuable rare earth minerals in the World, due to its superior distributions of magnetic REEs needed for various clean energy, defense and other advanced technologies. Monazite from the southeast U.S. typically contains roughly 55% TREO of which the magnetic elements neodymium and praseodymium (“NdPr”) comprise approximately 22% of the TREO. NdPr are among the most valuable of the rare earth elements, as they are the key ingredient in the manufacture of high-strength permanent magnets that are essential to the lightweight and powerful motors required in electric vehicles, permanent magnet wind turbines used for renewable energy generation, and a variety of other modern technologies, including, mobile devices and defense applications. U.S. Monazite also contains approximately 14.4% “heavy” rare earths on a TREO basis, including roughly 1.5% dysprosium and terbium which have additional important magnet and national defense applications.

Natural monazite sand is currently recovered as a low-cost byproduct of HMS operations in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world. The historic challenge with monazite is that it contains higher concentrations of natural uranium, thorium and other radionuclides relative to other minerals, thereby requiring specific licenses and specialized technical capabilities to handle and process. Energy Fuels currently holds the required licenses, and in 2021 we unlocked the value of this domestic resource. Energy Fuels’ commercial-scale production of RE Carbonate from U.S.-mined natural monazite sand positions Energy Fuels as the only company in North America currently producing a monazite-derived, enhanced rare earth material, and the only company in North America producing an intermediate rare earth product ready for separation without further processing.

The Company and Neo also announced the signing of a definitive supply agreement under which Energy Fuels will ship all or a portion of its RE Carbonate to Neo’s Silmet facility for processing into separated rare earth materials used in rare earth permanent magnets and other rare earth-based advanced materials. We believe the Company is well on its way to creating a new, low-cost, fully integrated U.S. rare earth supply chain that meets the highest global standards for environmental protection, sustainability and human rights, and that allows for source validation and tracking from mining through final end-use applications for manufacturers in North AmericaEuropeJapan and other nations.

We are currently scoping the potential to produce separated REE oxides using proven solvent extraction (“SX”) technology that we have utilized for the recovery of uranium and vanadium over the past 40+ years. We are also evaluating moving farther down the REE supply chain to produce certain rare earth metals, alloys and other advanced REE products.

Sale of Non-Core Conventional Assets to International Consolidated Uranium Inc:

On October 27, 2021, the Company completed the sale of a portfolio of non-core conventional uranium projects located in Utah and Colorado, including the Daneros mine, the Tony M mine, the Rim mine, the Sage Plain project, and several U.S. Department of Energy leases, to CUR. In addition, the Company and CUR entered into toll-milling and operating agreements with respect to the properties. The consideration payable by CUR to Energy Fuels included $2 million cash payable at closing, such number of shares that results in Energy Fuels holding 19.9% of the outstanding CUR common shares immediately after closing, Cdn$6 million of deferred cash payable over time, and up to Cdn$5 million of deferred cash payable on the commencement of commercial production at the properties. Through this accretive disposition, Energy Fuels believes the value of these high-quality, permitted, and past-producing mines can be unlocked for Company shareholders, while also allowing the Company to cut standby costs, earn management fees, and potentially realize toll milling fees in the future. Based on the October 26, 2021 CUR share price, exchange rates and assuming full performance of the agreement, the current value of this divestment is approximately $35.1 million, plus additional payments totaling up to Cdn$5 million payable upon commencement of production from the projects in the future.

Collaboration with RadTran, LLC on Recovering Medical Isotopes for Advanced Cancer Therapies:

On July 28, 2021, the Company announced the execution of a Strategic Alliance Agreement with RadTran, LLC, a technology development company focused on closing critical gaps in the procurement of medical isotopes for emerging TAT cancer therapeutics and other applications. Under this strategic alliance, the Company will evaluate the feasibility of recovering Th-232, and potentially Ra-226 from its existing uranium and RE Carbonate process streams at the Mill and, together with RadTran evaluate the feasibility of recovering Ra-228 from the Th-232 and Th-228 from the Ra-228 at the Mill using RadTran technologies. The recovered Ra-228, Th-228 and potentially Ra-226 would then be sold to pharmaceutical companies and others to produce Pb-212, Ac-225, Bi-213, Ra-224 and Ra-223, which are the leading medically attractive TAT isotopes for the treatment of cancer. Existing supplies of these isotopes for TAT applications are in short supply, and methods of production are costly and currently cannot be scaled to meet the demand as new drugs are developed and approved. This is a major roadblock in the research and development of new TAT drugs as pharmaceutical companies wait for scalable and affordable production technologies to become available. Under this exciting initiative, the Company has the potential to recycle valuable isotopes from its existing process streams, that would otherwise be lost to disposal, for use in the treatment of cancer.

Market Conditions

Uranium prices improved significantly during the quarter, while also exhibiting considerable volatility. Between June 30, 2021 and September 30, 2021, uranium prices rose from $32.40 per pound to $42.20 per pound (30% increase), reaching a high of $50.50 on September 17 and a low of $30.50 on August 13. Subsequent to the quarter, the uranium price dropped to $37.40 on October 8, then rose again to $46.00 on October 15. The outlook for uranium continues to improve, as demand continues to outpace supplies. In particular, financial intermediaries, including the Sprott Physical Uranium Trust (“SPUT”), entered the market to purchase uranium and build inventories for a long-term hold. On October 18, it was announced that a new Kazakh-led uranium fund was going to be created to similarly buy and hold uranium in inventory. Energy Fuels holds 691,000 pounds of uranium in inventory that we recently produced at our own facilities in the U.S. through our low-cost alternate feed material production, which is among the lowest-cost uranium production in the world today. In addition, the Company holds another approximately 252,000 pounds of U3O8 contained in stockpiled alternate feed material and ore inventory at the Mill that can be recovered relatively quickly. Between the finished inventory and stockpiled inventory, the Company holds over 900,000 pounds of U3O8 that can be sold immediately or in the near-term.

Vanadium prices were flat during the quarter, beginning the quarter at $8.75 per pound V2O5 and ending the quarter at $8.78 per pound V2O5. An improving global economy, coupled with political unrest in South Africa and other factors, has caused vanadium prices to rise nearly 63% this year, from $5.40 per pound as of December 25, 2020 to $8.78 per pound as of September 24, 2021. Vanadium is a valuable clean energy metal, historically used in steel, master alloys, and chemicals. It is also seeing considerable interest in emerging grid-scale battery technologies used to store renewable energy. Energy Fuels also holds about 1.7 million pounds of finished high-purity vanadium pentoxide in inventory, plus 1.5 to 3.0 million pounds of solubilized vanadium inventory in the Mill’s tailings solutions that we can recover relatively quickly. We also hold large quantities of high-grade vanadium resources at our standby mines where we recently developed new mining techniques that we believe can increase production and lower costs when mining resumes in the future. The Mill was the largest U.S. vanadium producer as recently as 2019.

Finally, REE prices remain strong with the price of NdPr oxide increasing 45% year to date from $78.50/kg on January 4, 2021 to $113.80/kg on September 29, 2021. The Company’s sales price for its RE Carbonate is currently based on the prices of REE oxides, with the price of NdPr being the primary driver of the Company’s RE Carbonate sales price at this time.

Operations Update and Outlook for Period Ending September 30, 2021

Overview

The Company continues to believe that uranium supply and demand fundamentals continue to point to higher sustained uranium prices in the future. In addition, the recent entry into the uranium market by financial entities purchasing uranium on the spot market to hold for the long-term has the potential to result in higher sustained spot and term prices and perhaps induce utilities to enter into long-term contracts with producers like Energy Fuels to ensure security of supply and more certain pricing. However, the recent, relatively short-term uranium price increases are not yet sufficient to justify commencing uranium production at the Company’s mines and ISR facilities. As a result, the Company expects to maintain uranium recovery at reduced levels, until such time when increased prices are sustained, suitable term sales contracts can be procured, or the U.S. government buys uranium from the Company following the establishment of the proposed U.S. Uranium Reserve. The Company also holds significant uranium inventories and is evaluating selling all or a portion of these inventories in response to future upside price volatility.

The Company will also continue to seek new sources of revenue, including through its emerging REE business, as well as new sources of Alternate Feed Materials and new fee processing opportunities at the Mill that can be processed under existing market conditions (i.e., without reliance on current uranium sales prices). The Company is also seeking new sources of natural monazite sands for its emerging REE business and continues its support of U.S. government activities to assist the U.S. uranium mining industry, including the proposed establishment of a U.S. Uranium Reserve.

Extraction and Recovery Activities Overview

During the nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company did not recover significant quantities of U3O8. The Company expects to package insignificant quantities of U3O8 in the year ending December 31, 2021, focusing instead on ramping up and optimizing its mixed RE Carbonate production, while also enhancing its readiness to quickly resume uranium production at certain of its facilities. All uranium recovered during 2021 at the Mill is expected to be retained in-circuit at the Mill and not to be packaged in 2021. The Company does not plan to extract and/or recover any amounts of uranium of any significance from its Nichols Ranch Project in 2021, which was placed on standby in the second quarter of 2020 due to the depletion of its seven constructed wellfields. In addition, the Company expects to keep the Alta Mesa Project and its conventional mining properties on standby during 2021.

The Company expects to recover approximately 400 to 600 tonnes of mixed RE Carbonate at the Mill in 2021, containing approximately 180 to 270 tonnes of TREO, subject to the receipt of sufficient quantities of natural monazite sands, as it continues to ramp up its RE Carbonate production. These numbers are reduced from last quarter’s guidance for 2021 of approximately 700 to 1,100 tonnes of mixed RE Carbonate containing approximately 350 to 550 tonnes of TREO. The reduced RE Carbonate production is due to reduced supplies of monazite sands currently available from the Company’s supplier in Georgia, which are now expected to be approximately 800 tonnes of monazite sands per year, down from the previous expectation of approximately 2,500 tonnes per year. The Company is in advanced discussions with several monazite suppliers, including the Company’s existing supplier, to secure additional supplies of monazite sands, which if successful, would be expected to allow the Company to increase RE Carbonate production. The Company expects to produce no vanadium during 2021.

To date, the Company has strategically opted not to enter into any uranium sales commitments. However, the Company believes recent price increases and volatility have increased the potential for the Company to make spot sales. The Company is actively seeking term sales contracts with utilities at pricing that sustains production and covers corporate overhead. As a result, existing inventories may remain unchanged at approximately 691,000 pounds of U3O8 at year-end or may be reduced in the event the Company sells a portion of its inventory on the spot market in Q4-2021. All or a portion of V2O5 inventory is expected to be sold on the spot market if prices rise sufficiently above current levels, but otherwise maintained in inventory. The Company expects to sell all or a portion of its mixed RE Carbonate to Neo Performance Materials or other global separation facilities and/or to stockpile it for future production of separated REE oxides at the Mill or elsewhere.

About Energy Fuels: Energy Fuels is a leading U.S.-based uranium mining company, supplying U3O8 to major nuclear utilities. The Company also produces vanadium from certain of its projects, as market conditions warrant, and is ramping up to commercial-scale production of RE Carbonate in 2021. Its corporate offices are in Lakewood, Colorado near Denver, and all of its assets and employees are in the United States. Energy Fuels holds three of America’s key uranium production centers: the White Mesa Mill in Utah, the Nichols Ranch ISR Project in Wyoming, and the Alta Mesa ISR Project in Texas. The White Mesa Mill is the only conventional uranium mill operating in the U.S. today, has a licensed capacity of over 8 million pounds of U3O8 per year, and has the ability to produce vanadium when market conditions warrant, as well as RE Carbonate from various uranium-bearing ores. The Nichols Ranch ISR Project is currently on standby and has a licensed capacity of 2 million pounds of U3O8 per year. The Alta Mesa ISR Project is also currently on standby. In addition to the above production facilities, Energy Fuels also has one of the largest NI 43-101 compliant uranium resource portfolios in the U.S. and several uranium and uranium/vanadium mining projects on standby and in various stages of permitting and development. The primary trading market for Energy Fuels’ common shares is the NYSE American under the trading symbol “UUUU,” and the Company’s common shares are also listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol “EFR.” Energy Fuels’ website is www.energyfuels.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: This news release contains certain “Forward Looking Information” and “Forward Looking Statements” within the meaning of applicable United States and Canadian securities legislation, which may include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: production and sales forecasts; costs of production; any expectation that the Company will continue to be ready to supply uranium into the proposed U.S. Uranium Reserve once it is established; scalability, and the Company’s ability and readiness to re-start, expand or deploy any of its existing projects or capacity to respond to any improvements in uranium market conditions or in response to the proposed Uranium Reserve; any expectation regarding any remaining dissolved vanadium in the White Mesa Mill’s tailings facility solutions; any expectation that the Company’s recently developed mining techniques can increase production and lower costs when vanadium mining resumes in the future; the ability of the Company to secure any new sources of alternate feed materials or other processing opportunities at the White Mesa Mill; expected timelines for the permitting and development of projects; the Company’s expectations as to longer term fundamentals in the market and price projections; any expectation that the Company will maintain its position as a leading uranium company in the United States; any expectation that the proposed Uranium Reserve will be implemented and if implemented the manner in which it will be implemented and the timing of implementation; any expectation with respect to timelines to production; any expectation that the Mill will be successful in producing RE Carbonate on a commercial basis; any expectation that Neo will be successful in separating the Mill’s RE Carbonate on a commercial basis; any expectation that Energy Fuels will be successful in developing U.S. separation, or other value-added U.S. REE production capabilities at the Mill, or otherwise; any expectation that the Company and Neo will be successful in jointly developing a fully integrated U.S.-European REE supply chain; any expectation that the Company will be successful in building a low-cost, fully integrated U.S. rare earth supply chain that meets the highest global standards for environmental protection, sustainability and human rights; any expectation with respect to the future demand for REEs; any expectation with respect to the quantities of monazite sands to be acquired by Energy Fuels, the quantities of RE Carbonate to be produced by the Mill or the quantities of contained TREO in the Mill’s RE Carbonate; any expectation that additional supplies of monazite sands will result in sufficient throughput at the Mill to reduce underutilized capacity production costs and allow the Company to realize its expected margins on a continuous basis; any expectation that the Company’s evaluation of thorium and potentially radium recovery at the Mill will be successful; any expectation that the potential recovery of medical isotopes from any thorium and radium recovered at the Mill will be feasible; any expectation that any thorium, radium and other isotopes can be recovered at the Mill and sold on a commercial basis; and any expectation as to the value to the Company of the divestment of its non-core assets to CUR. Generally, these forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “plans,” “expects,” “does not expect,” “is expected,” “is likely,” “budgets,” “scheduled,” “estimates,” “forecasts,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “does not anticipate,” or “believes,” or variations of such words and phrases, or state that certain actions, events or results “may,” “could,” “would,” “might” or “will be taken,” “occur,” “be achieved” or “have the potential to.” All statements, other than statements of historical fact, herein are considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements express or implied by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks associated with: commodity prices and price fluctuations; processing and mining difficulties, upsets and delays; permitting and licensing requirements and delays; changes to regulatory requirements; legal challenges; the availability of sources of alternate feed materials and other feed sources for the Mill; competition from other producers; public opinion; government and political actions; the appropriations for the proposed Uranium Reserve not being allocated to that program and the Uranium Reserve not being implemented; the manner in which the proposed Uranium Reserve, if established, will be implemented; the Company not being successful in selling any uranium into the proposed Uranium Reserve at acceptable quantities or prices, or at all; available supplies of monazite sands; the ability of the Mill to produce RE Carbonate to meet commercial specifications on a commercial scale at acceptable costs; the ability of Neo to separate the RE Carbonate produced by the Mill to meet commercial specifications on a commercial scale at acceptable costs; market factors, including future demand for REEs; the ability of the Mill to be able to separate thorium and potentially radium at reasonable costs or at all; the ability of the Company and RadTran to be able to recover other isotopes from thorium and radium recovered at the Mill at reasonable costs or at all; market prices and demand for medical isotopes; and the other factors described under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Company’s most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is available for review on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml, on SEDAR at www.sedar.com, and on the Company’s website at www.energyfuels.com. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this news release, and the Company disclaims, other than as required by law, any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, results, future events, circumstances, or if management’s estimates or opinions should change, or otherwise. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update the information in this communication, except as otherwise required by law.

SOURCE Energy Fuels Inc.

For further information: Investor Inquiries: Energy Fuels Inc., Curtis Moore, VP – Marketing and Corporate Development, (303) 974-2140 or Toll free: (888) 864-2125, investorinfo@energyfuels.com, www.energyfuels.com

Release – Capstone Green Energy To Power Groundbreaking Tire Recycling Plant in Scotland

 


Capstone Green Energy (NASDAQ:CGRN) To Power Groundbreaking Tire Recycling Plant in Scotland

 

Five C1000S Microturbines Will Provide 5MW of Clean and Green Power for the Ten Acre Recycling Plant

VAN NUYS, CA / ACCESSWIRE / November 1, 2021 / Capstone Green Energy Corporation (www.CapstoneGreenEnergy.com) (NASDAQ:CGRN), a global leader in carbon reduction and on-site resilient green energy solutions, announced today that SCE Energy (scengy.com), Capstone’s exclusive distributor in Scotland and Northern United Kingdom, secured an order for four C1000 Signature Series microturbines for a groundbreaking tire recycling plant in Scotland. This order adds to last year’s first C1000S order at the site and will see a total of five microturbine systems installed at the 4.2 hectare, or approximately 10 acre, tire processing facility.

This order is the first of its kind in Scotland and the largest in the United Kingdom (UK). The plant would be a UK first to devulcanise treated rubber to produce new products that include sheets, conveyor belts, shoe soles or rubber mats. The process is a better way of repurposing used rubber and will see every part of the waste tire broken down to be recycled or reused.

The cogeneration system will use low pressure natural gas to provide electricity and combined heat and power (CHP). The visionary project is a collaboration between SSH Recycling, ICDP Architects and SCE Energy.

“Capstone Green Energy, in partnership with SCE Energy, ICDP Architects and SSH Recycling, has designed a low emission and highly efficient CHP system to drive cost and carbon savings in this environmentally significant tire recycling operation,” said Darren Jamison, President and Chief Executive Officer of Capstone Green Energy. “In my opinion, this creative solution is nothing short of brilliant.” concluded Mr. Jamison.

“This is a groundbreaking project which will save over one million tons of carbon emissions annually and help Scotland reach its net carbon target,” said Willy Findlater, Lead Consultant and Project Manager for ICDP Architects.

The clean exhaust from the microturbines will be captured via heat exchangers and will provide heat and hot water to the processing plant, process equipment, storage buildings and offices. Not only is the system’s high efficiency expected to lower operating costs from their current cogeneration system, it will also provide environmental benefits by reducing carbon emissions.

Strict environmental challenges set by various government bodies gave the Capstone’s low emission microturbines a sizeable advantage over alternative technologies and equipment. Capstone microturbine systems dramatically reduce both criteria pollutant emissions and carbon emissions through use of low- or no-carbon generation, improved efficiency, reduced fuel needs and/or use of waste streams as fuel.

About Capstone Green Energy

Capstone Green Energy (www.CapstoneGreenEnergy.com) (NASDAQ:CGRN) is a leading provider of customized microgrid solutions and on-site energy technology systems focused on helping customers around the globe meet their environmental, energy savings, and resiliency goals. Capstone Green Energy focuses on four key business lines. Through its Energy as a Service (EaaS) business, it offers rental solutions utilizing its microturbine energy systems and battery storage systems, comprehensive Factory Protection Plan (FPP) service contracts that guarantee life-cycle costs, as well as aftermarket parts. Energy Conversion Products are driven by the Company’s industry-leading, highly efficient, low-emission, resilient microturbine energy systems offering scalable solutions in addition to a broad range of customer-tailored solutions, including hybrid energy systems and larger frame industrial turbines. The Energy Storage Products business line designs and installs microgrid storage systems creating customized solutions using a combination of battery technologies and monitoring software. Through Hydrogen Energy Solutions, Capstone Green Energy offers customers a variety of hydrogen products, including the Company’s microturbine energy systems.

For customers with limited capital or short-term needs, Capstone offers rental systems; for more information, contact: rentals@CGRNenergy.com. To date, Capstone has shipped over 10,000 units to 83 countries and estimates that, in FY21, it saved customers over $217 million in annual energy costs and approximately 397,000 tons of carbon. Total savings over the last three years are estimated at 1,115,100 tons of carbon and $698 million in annual energy savings.

For more information about the Company, please visit: www.CapstoneGreenEnergy.com. Follow Capstone Green Energy on TwitterLinkedInInstagramFacebook, and YouTube.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding expectations for green initiatives and execution on the Company’s growth strategy and other statements regarding the Company’s expectations, beliefs, plans, intentions, and strategies. The Company has tried to identify these forward-looking statements by using words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “should,” “estimate,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “plan,” “goal” and similar terms and phrases, but such words, terms and phrases are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. Actual results, performance and achievements could differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including, but not limited to, the following: the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; the availability of credit and compliance with the agreements governing the Company’s indebtedness; the Company’s ability to develop new products and enhance existing products; product quality issues, including the adequacy of reserves therefor and warranty cost exposure; intense competition; financial performance of the oil and natural gas industry and other general business, industry and economic conditions; the Company’s ability to adequately protect its intellectual property rights; and the impact of pending or threatened litigation. For a detailed discussion of factors that could affect the Company’s future operating results, please see the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the disclosures under “Risk Factors” in those filings. Except as expressly required by the federal securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, changed circumstances or future events or for any other reason.

CONTACT:
Capstone Green Energy
Investor and investment media inquiries:
818-407-3628
ir@CGRNenergy.com

SOURCE: Capstone Green Energy Corporation

Voyager Digital (VYGVF)(VOYG:CA) – Fiscal 2021 4Q and Full Year Results

Monday, November 01, 2021

Voyager Digital (VYGVF)(VOYG:CA)
Fiscal 2021 4Q and Full Year Results

Voyager Digital Ltd through its subsidiary, operates as a crypto asset broker that provides retail and institutional investors with a turnkey solution to trade crypto assets. The company offers investors execution, data, wallet and custody services through its institutional-grade open architecture platform.

Joe Gomes, Senior Research Analyst, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Joshua Zoepfel, Research Associate, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

    4Q21 Results. Voyager reported $109 million of revenue for the fiscal fourth quarter ended June 30th and $175.1 million for the fiscal year. We had projected revenue of $105 million and $171 million, respectively. Adjusted EBITDA was $21.2 million and $62.7 million, respectively. Voyager reported net income of $30.0 million for the fourth quarter and a net loss for the year of $51.5 million, or $0.39 per share.

    Metrics.  AUM of $6 billion and verified users of 2.4 million are both up from the October 6th release on preliminary 1Q22 results, of $5 billion and $2.15 million, illustrating the rapid growth potential of the Company, in our view. Fiscal year-end cash was $193.9 million and adjusted working capital was $207 million …



This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary.  Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Travelzoo (TZOO) – The Speedy Recovery Trips

Monday, November 01, 2021

Travelzoo (TZOO)
The Speedy Recovery Trips

Travelzoo is a US-based company which acts as a publisher of travel and entertainment offers. The company informs a varied number of members in Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America, as well as millions of website users, about the best travel, entertainment and local deals available from various companies. It provides travel, entertainment, and local businesses in a flexible manner to the various customer. The company operates in three geographic segments namely Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America. Travelzoo derives its revenue through advertising fees including listing fees paid by travel, entertainment, and local businesses to advertise their offers on company’s media properties. Most of the company’s revenue is derived from the North America.

Michael Kupinski, Director of Research, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

    Q3 disappoints. Total company revenues increased a solid 14% to $15.7 million, but it was well below our $20.7 million estimate and represented a sequential quarterly revenue decline from $19.1 million in Q2. Management believes that news about the Covid Delta variant, prospect of travel restrictions, kept travelers from booking, which adversely affected results.

    Despite revenue headwinds, Q4 is expected to be profitable.  The company has significantly reduced fixed costs and has the capability to report profits despite a slower than expected revenue recovery. Revenue visibility remains low. As such, we are lowering our Q4 revenue estimate from $22.5 million to $17.7 million. Our adj. EBITDA estimate is lowered from $6.7 million to $2.5 million. Nonetheless …



This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary.  Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

Orion Group Holdings (ORN) – Higher Backlog But Execution will be the Key

Monday, November 01, 2021

Orion Group Holdings (ORN)
Higher Backlog But Execution will be the Key

Orion Group Holdings, based in Houston, Texas, is a specialty construction company within the Marine and Industrial Construction sectors, with operations focused in the continental United States and Caribbean. Revenue is split roughly 50/50 between a Marine Construction segment that provides marine facility, pipeline and structural construction services and a Commercial Concrete segment that provides turnkey concrete services in the light commercial and structural construction markets.

Poe Fratt, Senior Research Analyst, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

    Limited changes in 2021-2 EBITDA estimates following the quarterly call. Our 2021 EBITDA estimate remains $21.5 million. Looking into next year, we expect a rebound in both businesses, and our EBITDA estimate is $43.0 million, based on EBITDA margin of 6.5%.

    Backlog rebound is positive and focus shifts to backlog margin profile.  After dropping for several quarters, backlog rebounded strongly by $178 million to $573 million driven by successful Marine bidding. The backlog margin profile was discussed on the quarterly call, but limited specifics were offered. Higher backlog adds some visibility to the 2022 outlook, with about 75% to be realized over the …



This Company Sponsored Research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary.  Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision. 

The Recent Halloween Investment Strategy Results


Image Credit: Pixabay (Pexels)

Is the Halloween Investment Strategy a Trick or a Treat?

 

What Is the Halloween Strategy? Is it statistically reliable? What have the results been?

The directive, “Always remember to buy in November,” has a few different names; the Halloween effect, the Halloween indicator, are among the more common. It answers the question, If I sell in May and walk away, when do I come back? This is because the “Halloween Strategy” and the “Sell in May” strategies are related — they are different ways of suggesting the same action. The results should be identical.

What Is It?

The Halloween strategy is over a century old. Buying when October ends is essentially a market-timing strategy based on the thought that the overall stock market performs better between Oct. 31st (Halloween) and May 1st than it performs from May through the end of October. The directive suggests first that market timing yields better results than buy and hold. Secondly, it says the probability of better results compared to buying and holding is increased, over this period. Those who subscribe to this approach recommend not investing at all during the off “season.”

Evidence suggests this strategy does perform well over time, but despite many theories, there is no clear or agreed-upon reason. A famous study was done by Sven Bouman (AEGON Asset Mgmt.) and Ben Jacobsen (Erasmus University Rotterdam) and published in the American Economic Review, December 2002. The study documents the existence of a strong seasonal effect in stock returns based on the Halloween indicator. They found the “inherited wisdom” to be true globally and useful in 36 of the 37 developed and emerging markets they studied. They reported the Sell in May effect tends to be particularly strong in European countries and is amplified over time. Their sample evidence shows that in the UK the effect has been noticeable since 1694. They also reported, “While we have examined a number of possible explanations, none of these appears to explain the puzzle convincingly.”

Is it Reliable?

I didn’t go back as far as 1694 the way Sven and Ben did. And, I didn’t collect data from emerging and developed markets around the globe. More pertinent to Channelchek readers is whether this strategy used on the U.S. markets has been worthwhile. The evaluation of this is found below.

 

 

The above chart is a compilation of average results for two six-month periods, May through October and November through April. It also looks at two different indexes, the largest stocks in the S&P 500 (blues) index and smallcap stocks of the Russell 2000 (orange shades).

What was discovered is that during the period, investors in either of these indexes would have had positive earnings during either “season.” So it supports “buy and hold” wisdom or, at least, staying invested. During the Halloween through May period, the smallcap Russell returned 8.60% while during the other six months, performance was a weaker 2.92%. The S&P 500 maintained consistent averages in the low 5% area for either period.

 

What Have the Results Been?

Since the turn of the century, investors would have fared better if they bought stocks represented in the smallcap average, after Halloween, then moved to S&P 500 stocks in May. Below are the results of the 21 periods. The highest returns of either index occurred during the latest Halloween to May cycle. It was the smallcap index that measured a 45.76% gain. The index also measured the second-highest gain during the Sell in May 2004 measurement period. The Sell in May smallcap index also can claim the two lowest performance numbers.

 

 

Take-Away

The Halloween strategy says that investors should be fully invested in stocks from November through April, and out of stocks from May through October. Variations of this strategy and its accompanying axioms have been around for over a century. Looking at the last 21 years, a move from larger stocks to smaller may have been the move that could have paid off best as smallcaps after Halloween have outperformed over the past two decades.

Both “seasons,” for both measured indexes had positive average earnings. So the notion of staying fully invested is supported using recent data.

Paul Hoffman

Managing Editor, Channelchek

 

Suggested Reading:



Does the Russell Reconstitution Impact Small-Cap Performance During June?



Was There Ever a Market Crash on Good Friday?





Additional Balance in 60-40 Asset Mixes



How Good are Experts at Predicting the Market?

 

Sources:

https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/000282802762024683

www.koyfin.com

 

Stay up to date. Follow us:

 

Coeur Mining (CDE) – Lowering Estimates Following 3Q Miss

Friday, October 29, 2021

Coeur Mining (CDE)
Lowering Estimates Following 3Q Miss

Coeur Mining Inc is a metals producer focused on mining precious minerals in the Americas. It is involved in the discovery and mining of gold and silver and generates the vast majority of revenue from the sale of these precious metals. The operating mines of the company are palmarejo, rochester, wharf, and kensington. Its projects are located in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and North America.

Mark Reichman, Senior Research Analyst of Natural Resources, Noble Capital Markets, Inc.

Refer to the full report for the price target, fundamental analysis, and rating.

    Earnings Miss. Coeur reported an adjusted third quarter loss of $2.6 million, or ($0.01) per share, compared to adjusted net income of $38.2 million, or $0.16 per share, during the prior year period. Adjusted EBITDA was $48.8 million and free cash flow amounted to ($49.4) million. We had forecast net income of $16.5 million, or $0.06 per share, and EBITDA of $60.1 million. Variances to our estimates included modestly lower revenue due to production and sales below our estimate, and higher costs applicable to sales. On a GAAP-basis, the company reported a loss of $54.8 million, or $(0.21) per share, which included a lot of items rightfully excluded.

    Updating estimates.  We are lowering our 2021 EPS and EBITDA estimates to $0.10 and $223.0 million, respectively, from $0.18 and $237.1 million. The revisions reflect 3Q results and lower operating margin. We have also trimmed our 2022 EPS and EBITDA estimates to $0.32 and $267.4 million from $0.35 and $279.2 million, respectively …



This research is provided by Noble Capital Markets, Inc., a FINRA and S.E.C. registered broker-dealer (B/D).

*Analyst certification and important disclosures included in the full report. NOTE: investment decisions should not be based upon the content of this research summary.  Proper due diligence is required before making any investment decision.