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

Sterling's takeover of Fusion Oil gave it valuable exposure to exciting discoveries off West Africa, and a recent dip in the price presents a buying opportunity. RE: Investors chronicle tip 21.01.05

Found this is yesterday's Guardian online:

"Sterling Energy added 0.25p to close at 16p on speculation that the company has some positive drilling news up its sleeve."

I wonder what drilling news this is? Wasn't expecting anything else from mauritania for a while yet, GOM maybe?

17.5p will be the next resistance point.

The uneducated will bail there.

Any thoughts on that supposed drilling update SWW? Didn't think we would hear anything from Maur for at least a few weeks and wasn't expecting anything from Chinguetti either. Perhaps from some other area. Iris Marin in Gabon was meant to start 4Q4 but no word yet.

Up we go, c'mon baby.

MS

where are short friends, they must be dying to put on a trade, it is their level!

Absolutley no idea.

Edited now.......

Edited, not relevent to this............

Just got it from elsewhere

21 January 2005

STERLING ENERGY (SEY) BUY:

15.25p - Aim - Sterling Energy chief executive Harry Wilson has just come back from Africa. He's remaining tight-lipped about the reasons for his visit, but one thing that is permanently on Sterling's 'to do' list is keeping an eye on its interests in Mauretania.

Through its acquisition of Fusion Oil & Gas, Sterling has interests in exploration and development assets in what one former Fusion director termed "the new oil province" off West Africa. It has a sliding royalty interest in the Chinguetti field, due to come on stream at the beginning of 2006, and expected to produce 75,000 barrels of oil a day. It also has an identified deal in place for the much larger Tiof find on the same block and, subject to further appraisal, that field could be producing 150,000 barrels a day by 2008. Then, there's the 3 per cent working interest on another Mauretanian licence where the 3 trillion cubic feet Banda gas discovery has been identified.

All in all, Sterling has estimated that the Mauretanian licences could contain 3.3bn barrels of oil equivalent, and exploration is ongoing to validate this. Not that Sterling will have to pay for any of the exploration. Although the company is, according to Mr Wilson, "well cashed up" following a 97m placing at the end of last year, under the deal originally signed by Fusion, all exploration on the Mauretanian licences is fully funded by the company's partners. It still takes a stake in any resulting production, though.

And Mauretania isn't the only string to Sterling's bow. For a start, there are the producing assets in the Gulf of Mexico, where the company has over 60bn cubic feet of proved and probable gas and equivalent under licence. When possible reserves are taken into account, that number rises over four times. Appraisal wells are currently being drilled and, according to Mr Wilson, this year's production from the area should be in line with expectations.

What is so attractive about the Gulf of Mexico assets is that they are up and running, providing cash flow and profits. So, if Sterling's exploration projects ever hit a lean patch, or the development projects develop glitches, there is some insulation.

Cash calls will therefore be a matter of choice for Sterling, rather than necessity, and, when the company last chose to raise cash in November, the 97m fund-raising was 1.8 times oversubscribed. That's a reflection both of UK institutions' confidence in Sterling, and of the potential for smaller UK-listed oil and gas companies. Not only does Sterling have the Chinguetti, Gulf of Mexico and other Mauretanian assets, but the company also gains exploration upside from earlier-stage licences in Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Cameroon, Madagascar and the Philippines.

Looking ahead, Mr Wilson envisages that the Chinguetti field will account for more than 50 per cent of Sterling's cash flow, although much depends on what happens to the oil price over time. Mr Wilson himself is confident that it will hold up, at least to over $35 a barrel, although he concedes that the company has run numbers on Chinguetti as low as $20 - and it still looks robust at that level. Perhaps of more immediate concern to investors is the impact that the oil price has on the shares - and there's no denying that Sterling's are affected. But if Mr Wilson is right, and the oil price holds good, that shouldn't be a problem.

Broker research on Sterling Energy is thin on the ground, though, and there is little in the way of a consensus view. Even so, despite a dip in the share price since November's fund-raising, the company's fundamentals remain the same. Sterling is increasingly profitable and cash-flow-positive - and the exploration upside is huge. Buy.

Nice find SWW. A couple of things stand out from it.

"For a start, there are the producing assets in the Gulf of Mexico, where the company has over 60bn cubic feet of proved and probable gas and equivalent under licence. When possible reserves are taken into account, that number rises over four times. Appraisal wells are currently being drilled and, according to Mr Wilson, this year's production from the area should be in line with expectations.

What is so attractive about the Gulf of Mexico assets is that they are up and running, providing cash flow and profits. So, if Sterling's exploration projects ever hit a lean patch, or the development projects develop glitches, there is some insulation."

This is important IMO and is why SEY stand out amongst the other junior oils. The appraisal wells could be what the Guardian was hinting at.

Mmmm.......... yes. I agree with you, that could well be it.

I will speculate that one of the appraisal wells has hit a more than expected target, hence the comment and the reaction.

We all know Sterling, they will say nothing at all, or leave it till the finals to say, oh by the way.............

Well we knew that they were looking to increase production from the GOM, but there's been no RNS's to say if they have been drilling appraisal wells. Not sure if they would release any stating that they were. But they should once results are known.

On a different matter, I've been in touch with them re the Gabon as a well was planned for 4Q4 at Iris Marin. When I get a reply I will post the details if any.

Proptrade,

I've no position in SEY at the moment and don't have a signal to enter the market one way or the other right now. I certainly wouldn't buy on the back of a tip in the Chronic Investor and disagree that "the company's fundamentals remain the same" since the fund raising.

Mickeyskint, I think your spot on . Troubles ahead this year but even worse next year. I have been reading this thread for months,good thread, no bull, the cooking tips are a real gem.

Hils..i don't know why you thought the post was aimed directly at you!

anyway i couldn't agree more about the IC. when i was market making it was suvch easy money...tip on friday morning, short a few and buy them back in the afternoon or the latest by about tuesday morning. happy days!

kyrit see you already got there, so it is an IC article.

Well, I wonder what Uncle Harry was up to in Mauritannia?

He wasn't just looking at the scenery thats for sure.

The Chronic Investor , LOL

Baaa. I spy 'sheeple'. Nice uplift though.

Right.

I am going to have a 30 minute doze.

Do not touch anything while I am gone.

Did you hear?

Oy!

You at the back....................

Okay.

I'm back.

Carry on.