According to the January 26th edition of Nuclear Market Review (NMR), the spot uranium price hasn't budged for a sixth straight week - the longest period of no price change since June 2005. NMR again reported no change in either the spot or long-term uranium price indicator, which remains respectively at and /pound. TradeTech is the first to post the weekly spot uranium price indicator on the consulting company's website.
The good news for uranium mining companies, and especially their share prices, is that the spot uranium price has steadfastly remained above US/pound for three straight months. This may be a secure production cost pricing point to give many of the upcoming uranium projects a comfortable profit cushion. But how long will the price remain frozen at this level?
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NMR editor Treva Klingbiel wrote, "The gap that previously existed between willing buyers and willing sellers has widened dramatically, and as a result, buyers and sellers are finding it increasingly difficult to find common ground with many transactions failing to reach conclusion."
The impasse between buyers and sellers could continue for a while longer. NRM reported that nine buyers are seeking offers for approximately 4.4 million pounds of U3O8 equivalent. Klingbiel observed, "About one-half of this quantity is discretionary."
NMR wrote the stalemate may not break "until the market regains momentum." Klingbiel cited "the holiday season and routine year-end quietness" for the stalemate. But she also wrote, "The greatest factor, however, is the dramatic jump in price that occurred on December 15th." That was when TradeTech's Weekly Spot Uranium Price Indicated jumped a record /pound to /pound.
On Thursday, Cameco Corp issued an update on the company's Cigar Lake uranium project, explaining that the company hopes to seal off the water inflow sometime in the second quarter. An update about remediation capital costs and timelines was expected in February, but Cameco won't have a report ready until March. On Monday, rumors were flying about Cameco's Cigar Lake project, which led to the biggest single-day drop in the company's share price since the uranium mine flooding was announced.
Supply may remain tight coming into 2007. Australia's two largest uranium mining operations, BHP Billiton's Olympic Dam and ERA's Ranger, both reported 20-percent or greater production drops for 2006. For the time being, it should be noted that hardly any uranium mining stock, whose development prospects are on the horizon, has suffered because of the spot uranium price deep freeze.
By the way, after the spot uranium price hovered around the /pound level during the summer of 2005, it began its momentous rally which attracted both new issuers and investors to the uranium bull market party. If history repeats itself...
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Spot Uranium Price Trapped at /Pound Price
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