A platinum group metals (PGMs) producer in southern Africa. Company has interests in 5 operations and project located on both the world-renowned Bushveld Complex in South Africa and the Great Dyke in Zimbabwe. Its primary operation Kroondal Mine is one of the lowest cost and most efficient PGM producers in the world. Its second operation in South Africa, the Marikana Mine, is currently making the transition from a pure open cast operation to a mixed underground operation. Its third mine in South Africa, the Everest Mine is currently under construction with commissioning and first production expected by the end of 2005.

Upper graph = 12 month share price with 6 month moving average
Lower graph = 12 month volume (red line = volume average).

SALES PER ACTIVITY (Data as of 30/06/2006)

Platinium extraction & others: 98%
:                                        2%









Independent - 5 May 2007 - The Investment Column - Our view: Buy - Share price: 1511p

It has been two years since we looked at Aquarius Platinum, and in the intervening months the shares have rocketed from 336p to 1,511p, giving anyone taking our "buy" advice a very healthy return of 350 per cent.

Platinum has a distinctive place in commodities as a precious metal whose primary market is industrial. Whereas the price of base metals has been driven by Chinese demand, the platinum market has been driven by regulatory changes in the motor car industry. Almost 75 per cent of the world's platinum is used in catalytic converters, and supply has been squeezed so much that the jewellery market has been reduced.

Last week's third-quarter production numbers from Aquarius were a slight disappointment, showing a fall of 9 per cent against the previous quarter. However, with operations exclusively in South Africa, Aquarius has benefited from being one of the lowest cost platinum producers. Wage and capital goods inflation is certainly a cause for concern but with demand for platinum is unlikely to be matched by supply in the near term the chances of a sharp correction are slim.

Aquarius is well positioned in the rhodium market; another precious metal used in flat-screen television screens. There is a global shortage of rhodium and the rare metal is currently trading at $6,000 an ounce, nearly 10 times the price of gold.

The mining industry is consolidating and given Aquarius's track record and relative lack of exposure to the fluctuations of Chinese demand a bid cannot be ruled out. Despite the share price going into orbit, the stock still trades on just 12.7 times forecast 2008 earnings so remains a buy.

Aquarius Platinum slashes losses
Business Financial Newswire
Aquarius Platinum this morning reported its net loss was reduced from $70.1m at the half-year stage to $45.7m by the end of the year at 30th June 2009. Production was at the target level, closing at 455,675 PGM ounces for the full year.

The company had a cash balance at FY close of $154m, after repayment of a R1.577bn ($177m) bridge facility in AQPSA

Group attributable production at 455,675 PGM ounces was achieved despite suspension of operations at the Everest Platinum Mine (2008: 500,203 PGM ounces).

THe cpompay reported improved production at all operating units; up 13% in total (excluding Everest .& Platinum Mile)

Revenue decreased 66% from $919m to $311m as PGM prices collapsed.

Net profit of $24.4m was achieved in H2, reducing the full year loss to $45.7m.

Net mine operating cash flow of $27m was achieved, despite negative
provisional price adjustments and significant pipeline advance repayments.

Group debt was reduced to $82m from $210m and there was a group cash balance of $154m at year-end.

Stuart Murray, CEO, said, 'What a year this was; a year of highs and lows; be it prices, currency volatility in both of our operating domains, the Everest mine suspension, the acquisition of Ridge, and the capital base restructuring, along with the usual challenges the
mining industry.

'There is no doubt that the collapse in PGM prices pose this industry great issues and indeed posed this company some unique challenges as margins were cut to the bone. Despite this ongoing overhang, Aquarius has responded decisively and has delivered an aggregate 13% production improvement across all its current operations and has managed to reduce the half year net loss of $70m announced in February 2009 to $45m by year-end, with more
positive prospects appearing.'



Story provided by Business Financial Newswire

Aquarius Platinum sacks striking staff
Business Financial Newswire


Aquarius Platinum has dismissed 3,900 of its employees at its Kroondal and Marika operations as a result of their unprotected industrial action.

The Company expects that the production at the affected shafts will commence on 31 August and will ramp up as new employees are engaged.

A production loss of some 15,000 ounces PGMs (4E) is anticipated.

we all know u r hyleo in disguise. hows ur shorts, lol?

Even if he is,it does not change the news,DOES IT!

AQP down 6% this morning(18 points),so it is a good job that most of the trades have been buys!? A good job they weren't sells

AQP not flavour of the month for a number of reasons. PLAA was tipped as having more immediate potential.

on aug 27 this was deramped when it went as low as about 250p........jes, its went to over 303p on friday so obviously its going to take a bit of a breather.

buy long term and watch it rise eventually.

plaa was tipped, lol......who by? er, could it be those corrupt bankrupt investment banks that brought western world to its knees, haha

By Shares Mag & the W/e FT.
"buy long term and watch it rise eventually".........pretty hit & miss strategy!

Shares mag article:
"The weakening of the dollar against the South African rand and strike action by miners should strengthen the platinum price. The metal valuation has generally been flat at around $1,260 per ounce for the past month. The year-to-date average price is $1,125 per ounce. Investment bank RBC Capital Markets has raised its forecast for the 2009 year-end average to $1,200 from $1,100 and
sees next year's price coming in at $1,250 per ounce. It says investors should seek exposure to a rising platinum price through junior miners. The majors are currently struggling with rising costs and the market has already priced in higher selling prices into equity valuations. RBC believes juniors are best positioned to gain from takeover potential, lower operating costs and lower capital expenditure on growth projects, 'and thereby best upside to a potentially higher future metal price environment'. Its favourite stocks include Platinum Australia (PLAA:AIM) and Eastern Platinum (ELR:AIM). (DC)"

shares mag is a bag of shite. i aint read it for several years......its tips are totally wrong, in fact do the opposite to what it predicts.

ft......lol, we all know the paper aint what it was in past. i dont know who works there now but i bet some dubious people along the likes of robert peston who used to work there.

You don't seem in a very tolerant mood today, marni! What do you recommend that we should read then?

probably the scotsman.

daily telegraph is very informative i find.....as it gives reasons for its tips.....not always right but as i say it gives good info for its reasoning for tips

with justyi, chessplayer and halifax on this, this share should be going up from now on, haha

this is now up more than 15p in 1.5 days since the idiots above tried to deramp this as usual........maybe they look at sp falling one day after its gone up 50p in a recent rally and then come back to deramping.

oh......platinum prices are going up up up!

$1336 at the mo,but way off the highs of $2300 reached some 18 months ago

its still well up from where it was. u r becoming tiresome chessplayer with your deramping which hasnt worked.....in fact every time u post, the sp suddenly goes up

Can,t win them all. As my teacher used to say,"Win ,lose or draw, for good sports it is always a good day!"'

HARARE, Oct 6 (Reuters) - "Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe opens a session of parliament on Tuesday which will debate amendments to the mining law. Mugabe told a mining conference last month the government would soon pass a law to address concerns raised by an earlier draft that sought to give locals at least 51 percent of foreign-owned mining operations.

MIMOSA - The 50-50 joint venture between Implats and Aquarius Platinum Limited is the smaller of Zimbabwe's two operational platinum mines. It is located on the Greak Dyke belt, which has the second biggst platinum mine reserves in the world and is home to all the platinum projects. Mimosa produced 78,200 ounces of platinum concentrate in 2007. "

Any views,Harry, on the possible implications of this?
What % of AQP is in Zimbabwe?

Location: Wedza Geological Complex on the southern portion of the Great Dyke in Zimbabwe
Comprises: Shallow underground mine accessed by decline shaft and a surface concentrator plant
Management: Managed by Mimosa Investments Limited, which is jointly controlled by Aquarius and Impala Platinum Holdings Limited (Implats) on a 50:50 basis
Production: Total production of 150,832 PGM ounces for FY2008 of which 75,416 ounces (50%) are attributable to Aquarius
Life-of-mine: to 20 years plus
Refining: Concentrate offtake agreement with Impala Refining Services (IRS)
Number of employees: 1,633 people, comprising 1,503 employees and 130 contractors

Attributable production from Mimosa seems to be about 25% of total ounces mined by AQP operations, comprising a number of base & precious metals, but that does not necessarily mean that that figure is 25% of AQP revenue. I can't find that info atm.