BRAVE SELLERS MEET STOIC BUYERS IN URANIUM SPOT MARKET

16th March 2010 Update
UxC Uranium U3O8 Futures

Weekly Spot Ux U3O8 Price
U3O8 Price (lb) $41.25 [+0.50]

Judging by the various sector updates that have passed my desk (pc) these past weeks, the majority of stockbrokers has given up on uranium, at least for the medium term. It's an oversupplied market and that's pretty much all there is to it, seems the ruling view.

Exactly two weeks ago we published a story highlighting most price charts for uranium-related stocks were showing a so-called “Cross Of Death” - a technical signal indicating the future looks bleak for the sector. See our story “A Death Cross For Global Uranium Stocks”, March 02, 2010.

All this doesn't mean there can never be a positive signal coming from the uranium market. As a matter of fact, weekly spot prices for U3O8 have stopped falling and are now printing US$40.75/lb. This is US75c above the price bottom seen in 2009, as well as US25c more than the price set for the preceding week.

The latter sentence is only half-true. Industry consultant Ux Consulting raised its weekly spot price indicator to US$40.75/lb last week. Fellow-consultant TradeTech has now followed up with a similar increase.

TradeTech has observed that sellers in the market have tried to raise their prices over the week past following on from the news that market overhang from the US Department of Energy had been successfully allocated, but potential buyers were not looking at the same songsheet.

TradeTech only recorded one transaction being successfully concluded in the week ending Friday. The consultant's mid-term price benchmark has remained at US$50/lb, the longer term benchmark has remained at US$60/lb.

Unfortunately for those remaining uranium enthusiasts left, all demand remains discretionary, at least for now.

By Rudi Filapek-Vandyck

16/03/2010