Member Info for steward1

Asi - in the whole scheme of things, I agree that the return of the diamonds is a bonus and that AP must get the fundamentals in place. Interesting to note though that CNBC were highlighting this morning that Chinese imports of copper were down 12.5%... which, for me, shows that the Chinese rebound has still to gather pace. Anyway, I'd be happy if what you suggest happens. I'd be very happy if/when AP has the diamonds in his hands plus a licence to re-start operations in Zim.

I've lost track of what is happening in Australia and Ghana. Any whispers out there?

Asi - I'm of the view that, if there is a delay, we'll get some balancing good news about BP and/or Taj.

I simply don't have the temperament to trade over short durations... part of me is disappointed that we don't have the diamonds yet but the other part realises that this is Zimbabwe... I'd be the first to say that things have improved massively since the days of Mugabe but I'm not surprised that it's not all been sorted yet. I'm tempted to not look at this for a couple of months and come back after the excitement.

iParsnip - not sure what your problem is. I'm very happy to risk my money in the likes of CLON, PREM and VAST and I'm very happy with the results so far and the future potential.
Not sure why you feel the need to express yourself in that way too??

On a serious note, Watching2, I'm no scientist but there were a group of scientists who posted on advfn saying that they were confident that the process should work on lithium at a scaled-up level. As I understand it, NEXT-ChemX have been using similar processes on other minerals for a number of years and have only recently explored using it on lithium. Whilst I accept the point that there is risk, the signs are good.
I don't think CLON would have been able to generate so much interest unless there was some credibility behind the process.

If you want certainty, put your money in the building society, Watching2.

A bit late to my screen this morning... this RNS is clearly showing that CLON are proving their worth.

Various licence holders and regulatory bodies, a number of lithium brine projects - so I would take from this RNS that CLON have already got engagement from a number of companies in a number of countries who already have indicated a desire to use the process in their projects. Asia is specifically mentioned and it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to suggest that the Chinese ARE interested.

A very positive RNS - the drift down from 0.18 in Feb has been well overdone! AIMHO!

This old ticker had a wee flutter when I saw the RNS pop up!

If it is 'bull', why repeat it here?

The government is on board with this - it wouldn't have gotten to court unless that was the case. Any RNS including timescales for the diamonds would not have been allowed unless there was some documentation from the gov't giving those timescales. Pretty poor attempt at scaring folks to sell!!

With respect, it's a rather naive approach to think that a company in the position that VAST is in should not do placings when needed. I don't like placings. I don't think anyone does unless you can take part in one. If you've been interested in VAST for any period of time, you'll know that this is what they do... I just don't see the logic/sense in your position.
I'm sure that most would agree that investors' priority is to get VAST on to a solid footing, generating profit asap... if that involves another placing then that would be the bod having my interests as a priority.
Perhaps, AIM investing isn't for you?

'All belief will be gone with another placing imo'

With respect, that reflects a rather bizarre and short-term view. If the hold-up is in Zim, do you expect the bod to do nothing and not do a placing if there is a hold-up. Perhaps, a better example of the bod's intentions is the rights pricing... most AIM ceo's look to load up as many shares at as cheap a price as possible and here we've got rights with an exercise price of around double the current sp!!! For me, that shows a great deal of integrity and a proper reading of the room.

The SP is holding up remarkably well - around 1/3 up on 12th April when the last placement was announced and over 150% since the start of the year (and that period included another placement)... no wonder AP put in another £80k of his own money. The exercise rights are set at around double the current sp.
As well as the return of the diamonds to look forward to, we should also get some news about the re-starting of operations in Zimbabwe.
The 1st payment from Takob should come this month (any guesses on how much that should be?) - the update last month was very positive.
And we hope to see BP production continuing upwards with increased income.
The debt deadline is fast approaching but I'm pretty sure that there'll be an extension if the diamond situations isn't resolved in time... the above suggests to me that the sp will remain resilient in this scenario even if there is another small placement.
It's looking good - could be the AIM share of the year!! AIMHO!

** middle of May

There are plenty of positive signs that this is going to fly... not least, the award of rights at around double the current sp. That is confidence and the sale of the diamonds is only a small part of the picture here. It's really important that you DYOR. Focusing on whether the diamonds will be returned by the middle of January could prove to be an expensive mistake!

I agree IQ157 - if, and it is only an if, the diamond issue isn't resolved in the timescale set, there will be a restructure or extension of debt plus there will be some balancing good news.
I'm holding for the sp recovery which will come in the foreseeable future - jumping in and out is a recipe for losing money... patience is the key! This could fly any time.

Might see some PREM money heading this way after a disappointing RNS over there!

Whispers of news landing today/tomorrow?

AP spotted trading in his wheelbarrow for a dumper truck and asking for directions to the central bank!

Some of that picture will become clear soon, Sandy, I guess. Here's hoping that AP has the BP tech report, the diamonds, the first funds from Taj and a green light from the Zim authorities in the next few weeks.

Feels like there could be a massive re-rate coming along very soon.

And perhaps, I'd be reading too much into this but the rights that have just been awarded expire on 31/12/25 (2.5 years away) and I'm thinking that the plan is to have at least two projects operating at full tilt well before then with a stream of income from Taj.

I think you're right Sandy - there's been reference to that before. I guess that giving something priority might not necessarily mean that he will pay all of the debt down. I'm looking for him to consider everything in the round. Getting Zim re-started sooner rather than later might be a good thing to do... who knows, the Zim authorities might have placed some obligations on VAST.

I agree Redhammy... however, if the news of re-starting operations in Zimbabwe comes at the same time then we'll see a much higher spike.
A couple of other factors to consider
- what will AP do with the funds from the diamonds
- what happens to the debt and how much, if any, will we carry forward and on what terms
My guess is that we can be much more relaxed about the debt position and any re-negotiation or setting of new terms.
It's all positive from here!