Note: These items were first published for Ticker Trax™ subscribers on Friday May 1.
Here are questions Ticker Trax™ subscribers are asking, and some of the answers:
Q: Why are shares of Oxy Pete wanna-be Ivanhoe Energy (TSX: T.IE; NASDAQ: IVAN) alive again? A: The petroleum and distiller of heavy oil is in discussions on several fronts with strategic, technology and/or capital partners. These might include refiners seeking the utility of Ivanhoe’s Texas facility for upgrading their own heavy oil into acceptable API-grade “clean” diesels and other fuels. CEO and Ivanhoe Capital Chairman Robert M. Friedland, a deep-pockets supporter of untapped hydro-carbon resources, tells me today (Friday), “Our team is very deeply involved in highly confidential business discussions at the San Antonio facility under (technology chief Mike A. Silverman’s) direction, which is placing a huge demand on his time.” Mr. Friedland says investors at present can peruse the Ivanhoe Energy cyber site for current research and a potent video in four languages, including Chinese and Arabic. (Ivanhoe Energy shares are now an Instant Value selection for Ticker Trax subscribers.)
Q: Who will win the Kentucky Derby tomorrow (Saturday)? A: Chocolate Candy if the Kentucky racetrack is damp or muddy, and Chocolate Candy if the track is dry. Dubai’s regal looking Desert Party is in front as well. Candy in the desert; heavy to light oil.
Q: What is happening on the rechargeable lithium front? A:Canada Lithium Corp. (TSX: V.CLQ) CEO Judy Baker tells me Friday she is “developing markets” for the concentrate that conceivably would truck out from the tiny company’s Quebec property. “We are producing battery grade lithium carbonate in the lab at our metallurgical facility, “says Baker, who is a kind of Annie Oakley figure (tough as nails and pretty in the saddle) in geology circles. “By providing battery grade lithium carbonate samples to the Asia market, the Japanese trading house (which she will not name but might be a Mitsubishi or a Toyota entity) is developing a future market for our product. The Quebec Lithium project is in the pre-feasibility stage right now with target for completion the end of 2009. Developing a market for our product is key to advancing the project through feasibility.” Ms. Baker notes the “spodumene concentrate” her lab is producing from the Quebec dirt is grading 7.17 percent Li2O with an 80% recovery rate. The lithium carbonate compare well to the battery market specifications that are seen in the automobile industry. (We hope to give equal time to another major lithium publicly traded company, Western Lithium (TSX: V.WLC).
BioCryst update
Finally, here is one of several questions we have presented to the executive and research team at 23-year-old drug discovery company BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: BCRX), one of our five Ticker Trax Planetary Prospects. Investors and medical professionals are speculating about prospective treatments for the H1N1 influenza outbreaks first reported in Mexico last week.
Peramivir is BioCryst’s influenza candidate, and the compound currently is being tested on humans. The anti-viral peramivir, in the jargon of anti-virals, is a neuraminidase inhibitor.
Of note for investors: Shionogi & Co. of Japan, detailed in previous Ticker Trax reports, is BioCryst’s collaborator in Asia at present. The company trades under the symbols 4507 on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and SGIOF on the over-the-counter market in the USA. Shionogi is licensed to develop and one day possibly market BioCryst's peramivir in Japan for the treatment of influenza viruses.
(For several chapters about Shionogi and BioCryst of Alabama, USA, developer of an injectable anti-viral treatment for influenza, please see our password-secure archives dating back to mid-December 2008.)
Q: This fresh report on drug susceptibility to A and B influenza viruses – at https://www.cdc.gov/mmWR/preview/mmwrhtml/mm58d0428a1.htm -- presents some of the possible pros and cons of several influenza treatments available or undergoing human tests. Given the data and reports on (Roche’s) Tamiflu and that oral drug’s loss of potency in the treatment of seasonal flu, declared earlier this year, is there any scenario possible or plausible that might show the two NAIs, oseltamivir (orally taken Tamiflu), and zanamivir (inhaled Relenza) from GlaxoSmithKline, to be less than optimal against the H1N1 virus reported in outbreaks around the world at present? If so, could health agencies in other countries allow Biocryst’s injectable peramivir to be permitted for government and military stockpiling -- that is, before complete Phase III clinical trial results come in?
That is all for now.
I would like to point out that we here at home own shares of BioCryst, and we have for about four years. BioCryst Pharma CEO Jon Stonehouse told Reuters he did not anticipate the drug’s antiviral peramivir, which blocks enzymes, from being enlisted in the battle against the H1N1 outbreaks.
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Ticker Trax™
Please see tickertrax.com. Our fifth Planetary Prospect, a Mexico silver miner, is out of the bag for subscribers. Our latest complete issue of Ticker Trax – No. 9 – is fresh off the press.
Endeavour Gold has postponed its silver mine tour in Guanajuato, Mexico, a trip I was scheduled to take. Shares of Endeavour (EXK and EDR) are rising smartly above our Planetary Prospect purchase prices. So are those of Central Fund of Canada (CEF and CEF.A), a repository for silver and gold. I hope instead to attend The Money Show in Las Vegas in eight days, along with Jason Hommel of Silver Stock Report, who will be selling silver “rounds,” or coins, at the show.
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THOM CALANDRA in 27 years of road work has helped his audience find value in a quagmire of investment choices. Thom co-founded CBS MarketWatch andMarketWatch.com. As the voice of Thom Calandra's StockWatch and The Calandra Report, Thom pegged $300-ounce gold as a long-term hold. Thom visits bioscience companies, metals mines and energy companies in a search for reliable sources.
HOLDINGS: Thom’s holdings are listed for all Stockhouse members on www.Stockhouse.com under the “portfolio setting” for user TCALANDRA. It is public and free to view. He and his family own recently minted gold and silver coins. They own all five Ticker Trax Planetary Prospects, including BioCryst, Central Fund and Endeavour Silver. They do not own any of the other companies referenced in this report.
Ticker Trax™ is published by Stockgroup Media Inc. Ticker Trax is an information service for subscribers and neither Stockhouse nor Thom Calandra is a broker or an investment advisor. None of the information contained therein constitutes a recommendation by Mr. Calandra or Stockhouse/Stockgroup Media that any particular security, portfolio of securities, transaction, or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. Ticker Trax does not purport to tell or suggest the investment securities subscribers or readers should buy or sell for themselves. Subscribers and readers of Ticker Trax should conduct their own research and due diligence and obtain professional advice before making any investment decisions. Ticker Trax will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by a reader’s reliance on information obtained in the reports. Subscribers and readers are solely responsible for their own investment decisions. Opinions expressed in Ticker Trax are based on sources believed to be reliable and are written in good faith, but no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, is made as to their accuracy or completeness. All information contained in Ticker Trax should be independently verified. The editor and publisher are not responsible for errors or omissions or responsible for keeping information up to date or for correcting any past information. Ticker Traxdoes not receive compensation of any kind from any companies that may be mentioned in the report. Any opinions expressed are subject to change without notice. Owners, employees and writers may hold positions in the securities that are discussed in Ticker Trax. PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL THOM SEEKING PERSONALIZED INVESTMENT ADVICE, WHICH HE CANNOT PROVIDE. Copyright 2009 all rights reserved.