Right I havent beleived in investing directly in an oil company untill today and in the last few months have been investing in OIL SERVICE companys Hamworthy and Corac, you know the picks and shovels tale.

Anyway after doing a lot of research I really feel that SOCO INTERNATIONAL SIA as been left behind in the mass bull market on oil companies.

Forget, Burren, Regal, Dana and the rest in my opinion this is the one to be on.

So.....why buy Soco now?

Four inter-related reasons:

1) Newsflow is now very much in sight on several fronts. None of it has yet emerged though, so analysts have yet to revisit their old views and recommendations. There was, and indeed remains, a chance to get in before serious interest picks up again.

2) There is, IMO, a decent chance of some very large price rises within the next 6 months, accompanied by increased downside protection. Once newsflow starts, the shares will come back onto institutional radar screens - you can wait for it to emerge, or you can speculate now at what I think will prove to be a lower price -perhaps much lower!

3) The market thinks there is nothing happening and has gone to sleep on the prospects. You can see this in the broadly sideways drift and very low volumes on most days [until this week]. They are wrong. Yemen and perhaps Mongolia should provide some near-term good news.

4) The time to buy is when no-one else seems very interested.

And heres the last results from the company......................

Soco International PLC
02 September 2004

SOCO International plc

Interim Results for the six months ended 30 June 2004

SOCO is an international oil and gas exploration and production company,
headquartered in London. The Company has interests in Vietnam, Mongolia, Yemen,
Libya, Tunisia and Thailand, with production operations in Yemen, Tunisia and
Mongolia. SOCO today announces interim results for the half year ended 30 June
2004.

HIGHLIGHTS

Operating profit of 4.1 million (2003: 4.2 million)

Net profit of 2.0 million (2003: 2.5 million)

Earnings per share of 2.9p (2003: 3.6p)

Cash balance of 26.7 million at half year end

Finalised the sale of an interest in ODEX creating a consortium of SOCO
(34%), Oilinvest (46%) and Gazprombank (20%) in the special purpose
entity to progress initiatives in Libya and other countries

Continued reinterpretation of existing 3D seismic and acquisition of 650
sq km of new 3D seismic in Vietnam prior to commencement of drilling in
Q1 2005

3D seismic programme completed in Mongolia with two wells drilled, both
apparent discoveries, and a third well spudded

First ever deviated Basement well drilling in East Shabwa in Yemen



Ed Story, President and Chief Executive of SOCO, said:

'Following an extended period of quiet preparation, the release of interim
results coincides with the commencement of a very active drilling programme for
SOCO, one that I believe has company transforming potential'

2 September 2004

ENQUIRIES:
SOCO International plc Tel: 020 7457 2020 (today)ENDS.

This could really be a craking stock and is worth getting in at these lowly price figures.

Please DYOR

cheers GF.

Just had this reply to my email:

Dear Gavin

Thank you for your email. The Preliminary Results announcement is
provisionally scheduled for Wed 13 April.

Best regards,
Carol Fan
SOCO International plc

So that's 1 month later than last year.

Time now for some panic selling from our American Colonists.................

Ah I forgot about that lot SWW. All oils down.

MS

Can anyone see 4-60. I hope not.

MS

Certainly hope we don't see 460 again. Seems like some "colonists" selling this afternoon! Maybe some spooked by this Gazprom news. Last time we were at 453 Contini bought another 40k. Time for him to get his wallet out!

Send a Gun Boat.

I must say yet again, the numbers do not add up.

Minute volume does not equal 6% plus drop.

I would expect little punters to drop out that have recently bought, at any sign of weakness, and that is what has happened imo.

It will be intersting to find out what has been behind this peculiar sustained share activity.

I could not even begin to guess, other than to note someone has made a bit of money out of the little guys.

Jolly dashed unsporting I think.

Lots of oils seem to be down today and in the US so perhaps a bit of negative short term sentiment across the sector. This does look like it has now been oversold to me and we are back to re-test the breakout.

I don't think that the volume has been that heavy over the last few days on this drop. Looking at the size of some of the sells, some of them do look a bit small. One of the sales today was for 34 shares. I just think that it has been marked down on low volume, some more smallish selling and gets marked down again.

Excellent post here worth a read. Many thanks to Davjo on TMF for this.

http://boards.fool.co.uk/Message.asp?mid=9167108&sort=postdate

There is no doubt.

The more you get into this the more irrational it is.........

Well good luck and I will hold for the rebound after the takeover announcement................

(It has not happpened yet by the way).

Looking a bit healthier today after yesterdays falls. Hopefully their will be some US buyers later in the day. Not interested in selling these at all just now, too much potential here.

Buyers back in now after the recent falls. The 24k sell looks like a delayed buy by 1 hour. Hopefully this should bring in some more US buying.

Getting back to where it should be. Nice one. I wasn't panicking, no I wasn't.

MS

Lol! Recent falls weren't nice to see, but at least we came back to test the recent support and bounced very nicely off it. Lets see if the US start buying again today.

hey i am missing all the banter! do i buy this pup?

prop - have you researched it?

Would you buy a car without seeing it first??

Well, would you?

Prop, suggest you do some research on this. As far as oils go, this is the "pup" that I'm most confident about for this year. As such, it is by far my biggest holding. But then I've felt that way since last year as you know. SWW makes a good point though about research, as I'm sure you would agree.

i think he was slightly taking the piss after i announced that i had just bought a car over the net! LOL
i have looked at this on and off...

can someone please give me a two line synopsis and then i will look into this deeper.
cheers!

Drilling started in Vietnam, def 3 wells possibly 6 this year. 1st results should be late April, along with financials in April. Conoco Philips operating in same area, taking 150k or 250k bopd out of same area. I forget their exact number.

Yemen, positive results from the last drill. Looks as if they cant determine the exact size of the field. possibly bigger than they first thought. More drilling to come there.

Mongolia, probably looking to sell of their assets there, to the Chinese perhaps.

Libya, hopefully a deal involving Odex there this year. Next bidding round coming up in April I think.

Tunisia, assets their have been sold, further strengthens balance sheet. No debt on the b/s.

Recent director buying, Contini bought another 40k at 453. Pontoil own 21%ish of SIA, shares very tightly held, 71.2m.

Well worth at least a look IMO.

perfect summary...looking to put a new portfolio together an this may fir the bill.

amongst others also putting in AVE, SEO, NLR, LUP, AMEC, EMI, SEY and about half a dozen micro caps. new trading theory underway and will start the week after next.