TMC Independant monday16 Oct 2007 09:47
Toledo set to rebound as China lifts nickel demand
The mining sector has been the driving force behind the UK market regaining its high for the year, or at least very close to it. But investors have been buying up the large-cap stocks at the expense of some quality players at the smaller end of the market. Toledo Mining, a nickel producer with assets in the Philippines, has fallen more than 46 per cent since peaking in June. At 475p, the shares were overbought and expensive, so a hefty batch of profit taking was probably in line given the sell-off in the nickel price.
But nickel, in line with other base metals, has rallied significantly and although it remains some way off its all-time high, the signs are that demand is unlikely to shrink any time soon. Only last week, Denis Morozov, chief executive of MMC Norilsk Nickel, the world's largest producer, said he expects demand to remain "robust", particularly from Chinese steel producers.