anyone got any ideas about the block trades that went through today?

website: http://www.sterlingenergyplc.com/



weather: www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/084938.shtml?50wind120

Afternoon all,

Not been the greatest of 2 days here with the Merou news. Seems to have hit HNR much harder than us, would expect that with a bad well though. SWW, I read that you offered your apologies yesterday, none needed IMO.

Just found this in Killik's morning note:

"HARDMAN RESOURCES mechanical fault



The third piece of bad news from the Mauritanian partners has continued to impact sentiment and the stock price for Hardman Resources. The lead operator Woodside plans to suspend the Tiof-3 appraisal well because of operational difficulties. This follows yesterdays news that the Merou well (with an estimated 250-350 million boe) had sub-commercial accumulations.



The Tiof site has six appraisal wells underway and therefore in isolation, this current problem should be resolvable. Nevertheless, this further sentiment hit is reducing somewhat the exploration risk premium in the stock. The partners need some good news.



As an aside, the impact of this news should be neutral for Sterling Energy. It does have a royalty benefit from its relationship with Premier Oil but none of the costs associated with the drilling campaign. Its recent 97 million financing was used to back the Mauritanian Government into the Chinguetti field which is far more developed. Accepted that sentiment has moved against the partners short term, but Sterling represents the safest way to play this and we retain our buy recommendation."

Also, received this months monthly news letter from Hargreaves Hale via email. They still rate SEY as a buy over the short and long term.

proptrade - you might be interested to know that the Quwaiti oil minister said this morning that he believed the oil price should (and would) be nearer $30-35 a barrel early next year.

If oil falls to $30-35 where would that leave oil exploration. I suspect that in areas where exploration is not so difficult then extraction costs would still be well covered. But places like the Falklands where the margins are tighter might be a different story. Any views?

MS

Well all over for another day. A couple of large G&T's tonight. Not the greatest couple of days but that's the market.

MS

MS In exactly the same position it is now.

This resource is running out!

It may be uneconomic at certian times to extricate in difficultly located fields, but as has been shown with the price of gas, and Sterlings stranded Phillipine Field, everything will become possible.

Depenmds how old you are and if you are lucky enough to live to your investments expectations.

Oil & Gas is not usually a get rich quick stock, but long term, unless the Company is run by a numpty board, then it is pretty solid.

Once you have your DB garaged in a couple of years you may wish to switch your remaining staggering fortune to a Major just for reassurance. (I suspect PET may be amongst thoseyoumay wish to target, lol).

I will, but I will see where SEY are then before deciding to leave at least some in the Company.

15 is it almost here ???

Dave, this was never a short term gainer.

Patience and see what production brings.

Interims this month I think!

From ADVFN

As someone with experience in the sector can I make a few pointers to what the aims of the wells recently drilled would have been.

As I understand it Merou was a competely seperate feature from Tiof - the suggestion that they might be connected was pure hype that appeared over the weekend. Therefore it has no negative impact on Tiof. It seems that Merou did find oil, which widens the area of known oil occurances, within which prosepcts might be expected to have a chance of success. The problem according to the RNS's was that the reservoir rock was too thin. There may still be other parts of the Merou feature that have potential and the information gained by this well could allow Woodside to better direct a follow up well.

The general method in these areas of exploration is to first map the structural features using seismic. Woodside have spent a small fortune on 3D seismic in this area, so confidence on structure should be high. The uncertainty relates to the distribution of reservoir sands, and whilst the sesimic can be used to predict these, it is an inexact art, and we should expect failures such as Merou. Even in proven petroleum provinces such as the Gulf of Mexico or the North Sea, the success rates on exploration drilling are no better than 1 in 3. Which is what Woodside have delievered in this campaign: Tevet success followed by failure at Capitaine and Merou (ignoring Dorade as even Woodside were on record as saying this was a long shot, and SEY had no interest in it anyway). There will be many more wells drilled at no cost to SEY over the coming months, so it is way too soon to write off the potential of this area.

The problems with the testing of Tiof sound like the sort of routine but frustrating problems that face the industry all of the time - when you are trying to engineer a test 2000 metres below surface in a small tube of 9 in diameter or so, it is pretty common to run into difficulties. Thankfully, SEY has no exposure to the costs of these problems, so can afford to wait for the next free bus to come along. Premier and Hardman must be hurting however, as evidenced by the hit on their share prices.

Hope this helps.

More than happy to hold sw,one to tuck away.

SWW, thx for the post above.

Good Morning Everyone!!!
Hope you are all well! Is everyone on a diet or something, no mention of food for ages......sold most of my holding in HNR on Thursday as luck would have it...whew. Lots to catch up on....what's the additional listing for today?

scrappy listing.

food glorious food. marmite and cheese toasted from starbucks this morning with a delicious americano. bootiful.

i think the rate of recipies and food discussion has an almost perfect correlation to the direction of the stock. lets decouple and form an inverse relationship...should cheer us up!

Sterling Energy PLC
01 December 2004



Sterling Energy PLC ('the Company')

Additional Listing


Application was yesterday made for 25,000 ordinary shares of 1p each in the
Company ('Ordinary Shares') to be admitted to trading on the AIM market of the
London Stock Exchange ('AIM').


The new Ordinary Shares are being issued pursuant to the exercise of options.
These shares rank pari passu with the Company's existing Ordinary Shares and
dealings are expected to commence on 6 December 2004 on AIM.


1 December 2004

This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
GMGZRMFGDZG

More Ramblings. (Feeling a little happier today ;-) ).

As I see it, the important thing to rememeber with these shares, SEY and related stocks, is that the wells have disappointed lately. This does not mean that they could equally please in just a quick a time.

sandrew you sold HNR, fine, but why?

The company still has the assets to cover the price as I see it and it will bounce back.

I remember holding William Hill stock bought at its float at 224p, even when it went down to 83p. Of course I had to wait, but I eventually sold, (too early) at 325p. Mind you, too early but I was still happy.

Okay, exploration is a risky business, but lets not forget, this project has been outstanding so far overall for all concerned, especially for SEY.

Looking into the future at projects tucked under SEY's belt, and HNR for that matter, they have exciting prospects.

As said, I really can not see HNR staying at the level it is in the long term. Also in the long term, and I suspect still it will be soon, we will see a move up from current levels.

As the ADVFN poster said in my last, SEY had to take a little hit, when all other consortium members have taken a big one. The MM are trying to prevent a wholesale rout by the little punters, hence the drop in bid price.

HNR is looking good for a buy, so is PMO with my price target for PMO at 545p, and HNR at 65p. (Blimey, it's nearly there), I am not an expert but I have seen this sort of thing so often now. As stated yesterday, I may not buy but put soem in a virtual portfolio just for fun.

Look at Shell when it announced it's first reserve crisis!

263p!!

Nothing much has happened since, except the further deminishing reserves, and where is it now? 440p plus or minus.

It may not be the best comparison, but I hacve drawn on that experience just as a highlight to my ramblings.

The effect of bad news on stock is sometimes justified, but you can bet your bottom dollar that bad news is often overdone by the MM, and on purpose.

I actually think they do a good job! (The MM)

There is then money to be made from the bottom if you can detect where that is and the next high over the short term.

But then we all know that don't we?

Now back to the important issues of the day, SOF are on the up, but I can not se why?

I bought a dozen free range eggs from them 3 days ago with a long use by date into Decemeber. What I found in the box is digusting!!

A rotten egg!!

I said a while ago, that I thought they would encounter problems, well here is the evidence of it!

They can keep their eggs, I now only go to Morrisons where its cheaper any way.

Now, hot egg buttie for me with HP brown sauce with a cup of tea in a big thick cup!

SWW
I sold most of HNR, but kept a small amount, so I'm still able to keep a close eye on them. I agree with you, the prospects are still very good...just felt that in the short term my money could work a bit harder for me elsewhere. You know what I'm like ...I work on instincts and for some reason don't feel we've reached the bottom yet. However,to put it in perspective that knawing feeling could just be something I ate and I could end up kicking myself for quite some time!

Fair comments sandrew64. Just my inner most again!

Looks like the MM like my last, HNR is moving up as I watch! Time to buy some virtual stock then!

So it was something I ate then....great.....ouch...ouch...ouch!!...

No worries, money in the bank etc. This is hardly goinfg to take off, but the buys are catching up the sells now. It may have been the bottom, I will watch and see.

Actually having watch HNR for a while now,it is only the little man who is buying and selling anyway!

Low volumes overall and planty of stacok staying put with Institutions, same with SEY.

I have bought 10000 virtual HNR shares at 66.25p.

I wll have a look see in a year what I would have got, or got left!

MS,big match tonight,,2/1 red victory.