Exellent info on the diamond potential in Greenland and Hudson Resources, NMLs joint venture partner in Greenland
http://www.stockprofilers.com/hud.htm
Specific extracts below
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Diamond exploration is a highly speculative business, with no assurance that even a highly promising site will pan out. However, the potential rewards are enormous and the risks are relatively small. Just one small kimberlite pipe measuring 125 metres (400 feet) in diameter from the Lac de Gras region in northern Canada, source of the Ekati and Diavik diamonds, has been estimated to contain US$6 billion in diamonds. While not a valuable as this one, many more pipes are being mined in the region. And mining companies such as Hudson Resources, Inc. have just begun to tap sites in northern Canada and other regions that have similar, if not superior, characteristics for diamond hunting.
Specifically, HUD has obtained exploration licenses for 533 square kilometers (205 square miles) in the Sarfartoq region of West Greenland, where geologic conditions are analogous to those of the big finds in Canada and where initial tests have turned up small diamonds and other stones consistent with diamond-bearing rock. The company also owns an 80% interest in another 765 square kilometers (about 380 square miles) adjacent to its 100% licensed land. Note: NML own the remaining 20% and HUD will shortly be carrying out detailed geophysics on this area in which diamonds have been found and kimberlite is known to exist
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Demand for Diamonds Grows
Diamond mining is an uncommonly lucrative activity. According to Hudson, five of the 10 most profitable mines in the world are diamond mines. In contrast, none are gold mines. Diamond mines also typically have a very short payback period and offer high return on capital investment compared to other mineral deposits. Hudson cites the example of BHP Billiton, whose 80% stake in the Ekati Mine represents 4.4% of its asset base yet provided 12% of its half-year profit (in the six months ending Dec. 31, 2002).
The price of diamonds also has shown robust growth ever since the Canadian diamond rush got under way in the mid-90s. The demand for this most desired of gemstones seems impossible to exhaust even with new supply coming on line. Between 1995 and 2000, diamond prices increased about 5% per annum, substantially outperforming oil, gold and the Economist Commodity Price Index during that time. More recently, wholesale diamond prices rose 10% in 2003 as demand for diamond jewelry surged once again in the U.S. And so far in 2004, the wholesale giant De Beers has announced two price hikes a 3% increase in January and a 5% rise announced in March
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http://www.stockprofilers.com/hud.htm