Manuka Resources, Fresenius, Amazon - Gold to offset economic dismantling and restriction measures?

Manuka Resources Ltd: Gold rush mood Down Under thanks to the 3-year production plan

In the US, the question now is who will be hit next by the banking crisis. Despite official assurances, the crisis is far from over, as the loss of four US banks has already shown. In contrast to 2008, when Wall Street almost completely collapsed within a week, the crisis now is playing out in slow motion.

Gold is a sought-after precious metal worldwide and enjoys perpetually high demand. Industry, large investment companies and private investors are showing interest in the shiny metal. Manuka Resources Ltd. is an Australian company specializing in the mining and processing of gold and silver. The business consists of three segments: Exploration in Australia, Exploration in neighbouring New Zealand and Operations.

Manuka Resources is preparing to resume gold production at the Mt Boppy mine in the Cobar Basin in New South Wales, Australia. A detailed assessment has shown that processing the rock at the Wonawinta plant makes economic sense. The Manuka Resources team is confident of producing a high volume of gold, cementing its position as a leading producer in the region, with a 3-year gold production programme.

Manuka is pursuing a well thought out gold production strategy based on several measures to extend mine life while increasing annual production, including targeted exploration programmes to develop a variety of smaller open pit deposits. Another important step is the continuation of work at the mining site at Mt Boppy, which is planned for 2023. The final decision will depend on the economic mine plan, which is expected to produce up to 45,000 ounces of gold. Manuka is thus relying on a smart combination of exploration and targeted mining to be successful in the long term.

Fresenius: Productivity improvements in full swing, Group outlook for FY/23 confirmed

The planned deconsolidation of Fresenius Medical Care is progressing as planned. The concept for the demerger is ready, and the related agreements are being drafted. The extraordinary general meeting date is set for July 14 2023. If the necessary shareholder approvals and registration in the commercial register are obtained, the conversion is expected to be completed by the end of the 2023 financial year.

In Q1/23, Fresenius Medical Care achieved structural cost savings of EUR 130 million at the EBIT level as part of its cost and efficiency program. This means that 25% of the savings planned for 2023 have already been achieved. However, one-off costs of approximately EUR 50 million were also incurred in this period to realize these savings. These expenses are treated as exceptional items. To achieve the savings, Fresenius Medical Care invested EUR 26 million and achieved about EUR 60 million in cost savings.

Fresenius is optimistic about 2023 and expects organic growth of Group sales in the low to mid single-digit percentage range. Group EBIT at constant currency is expected to remain flat or decline in the high single-digit percentage range. Group operating cash flow increased to EUR 175 million (Q1/22: EUR 101 million), mainly due to the government subsidy for energy costs at Fresenius Helios in Germany.

EU draft law wants stricter cybersecurity labelling rules from Amazon, Google and Microsoft

Only if one of the US giants like Amazon, Microsoft or Alphabet enters into a joint venture with a European company is there a possibility to get the EU cybersecurity label for handling sensitive data. At first glance, this sounds reasonable to ensure that data protection policies, which prioritize the well-being of citizens in the EU, are effectively implemented in practice.

According to the document, the US tech giants and all other companies involved in the joint venture are only allowed to hold a minority stake. Furthermore, all employees with access to EU data must be subject to special vetting and be based in one of the EU-27 countries. These measures are designed to protect the interests and rights of EU citizens and their data.

The recent recommendation of the EU cybersecurity authority ENISA refers to an EU certification scheme (EUCS) to ensure the cybersecurity of cloud services. In this context, it clearly emphasizes that the cloud service must be operated and maintained from the EU to ensure the security of customer data. It is also specified that all customer data of the cloud service must be stored and processed within the EU and that EU laws take precedence over non-EU laws when it comes to the cloud service provider.

From the second half of 2023, Manuka Resources will drill at Mt Boppy Deeps to evaluate a potential underground mine development. The decision has been made to defer silver production in favour of gold production as the latter has a far better economic return at current Au/Ag price ratios. This will ensure Manuka Resources remains profitable in the long term and makes the best use of its resources. The collapse of US banks such as Silicon Valley Bank, Signature and First Republic was accompanied by a massive loss of shareholder confidence which drove the share price crash. Precious metals provide a little more calm in the portfolio. Fresenius continues to show optimism during the break-up process; investors should remain calm and watch the stock. For Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet: The new EU rules suggest that the EU is concerned about non-EU interference and therefore wants to determine how companies and governments within the EU choose their cloud service provider. These measures are also expected to draw criticism from US tech giants who fear being shut out of the European market.