Saturn Oil + Gas, Apple, Volkswagen - Technological breakthroughs and sustainability strategies for an innovative industry

Saturn Oil & Gas: Game, set and match in Troisdorf

Under a bright blue sky and mild summer temperatures, renowned investors and prominent politicians gathered in Troisdorf the past weekend to watch the exciting tennis matches of the Saturn Oil Open ATP Challenger Tour tournament. Vice President Corporate Development Kevin Smith had the opportunity to talk toChief Financial Officer of Deutsche Telekom, Dr. Christian P. Illek. Those who know Smith'sbackground know that, in addition to his Bachelor's degree in Finance and an MBA in Business Administration, he has a deep and profound experience in investment banking. Also, CDU veteran and former Member of the German Bundestag,Wolfgang Bosbach, took the opportunity to enjoy sports and engage in small talk.

The Canadian oil and gas company, listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, now employs around 280 people. Investors should note June 28, 2023, for the Annual General and Special Meeting, which starts at 10 am Calgary time.

The first quarter of 2023 was a landmark period for Saturn, setting new performance records following the completion of the acquisition ofRidgeback Resources, enhancing Saturn's sustainability and potential profitability for years to come," commented John Jeffrey, CEO of Saturn. "Based on the successes of last year's development program, the 13 new horizontal wells drilled in the first quarter of 2023 were the most productive group of new wells in Saturn's history.

The Company is extremely pleased with the results of the 2023 drilling program and plans to proceed with drilling in June 2023. The Company's development budget for the remainder of the year is evenly split between Alberta and Saskatchewan, with a continued focus on high-return locations. For the Oxbow asset, Saturn has contracted one drilling rig for the remainder of 2023.

This will be used for two purposes: firstly, the development of light oil resources in the Mississippi age, including the Company's initial development of the identified Spearfish formations, and secondly, the development of the Bakken light resources acquired through the Ridgeback acquisition. In addition, another drilling rig has been contracted full-time to develop Saturn's Alberta assets.

Apple makes a splash with its mixed VR set, Apple Vision Pro

No sooner does Mark Zuckerberg announce movement in the Metaverse than his chief rival from Cupertino sounds the attack. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, Apple has been working on the headset for seven years and has postponed the market launch several times. Now the time had finally come at the beginning of this week.

The Vision Pro headset enables spatial work at the computer. The glasses, which visually resemble a diving mask, make it possible to control all Apple app applications by eye movement and project life-size content onto standard living room or office walls, making participants in video conferences appear life-size and close. Gaming enthusiasts are equally excited by technology as they are by vivid memories of video recordings and photos of private moments.

Unlike Meta's headsets, the Vision Pro uses augmented reality instead of virtual reality. Apple users are, therefore, still in contact with their environment, while Meta users spend time completely isolated in virtual reality. In addition, the Apple Vision Pro uses hand control, eliminating the need for separate handheld devices.For investors, this move represents another milestone from Apple towards AI, as Apple opens a new developer platform just in time for the launch and, as in the past with the App Store, relies on the intelligence and unmet needs of its enthusiastic fanbase.

In the US, the innovative VR glasses will be available at the beginning of next year and will cost aroundEUR 3,260.
For the oil industry, this advancing technology means further demand for oil. For as long as plastics with oil continue to go into production, the oil demand will continue unabated.

Volkswagen - Restructuring of EV production in China

Volkswagen is restructuring its capacity in China to accommodate electric vehicle production. The joint venture with Chinese carmaker SAIC has restructured one of its plants in Shanghai to produce electric vehicles and conduct research and development in this area. The German carmaker made the announcement this week in response to a query from Reuters news agency.

The assembly of internal combustion engine vehicles at the main plant of SAIC Volkswagen in Anting of Shanghai will be relocated to other plants. Volkswagen is responding to speculation on social media that the plant would be closed.

VW stressed that the relocation would not affect the production capacities of individual models. Instead, the move illustrates the effort to accelerate the transition to e-mobility. Volkswagen is under pressure in its most important market from emerging Chinese manufacturers, which are more successful with electric vehicles than their Western rivals. In Q1, Chinese manufacturer BYD, with a market share of 11%, including still dominating internal combustion engines, displaced the VW brand from the top position. According to industry associations, however, the Volkswagen brand is catching up. Nevertheless, JP Morgan lowers the price target from EUR 235 to EUR 193.

Volkswagen's current share price is EUR 151.30, which implies a price-earnings ratio of 5.1. An EPS growth rate of 3.7 results in a PEG (price/earnings growth) ratio of 1.4, based on the EPS growth rate of the last 3 years.

Saturn Oil & Gas continues to focus on expanding oil and gas exploration and production and is continuously expanding its partner network. The demand for these fossil raw materials continues unabated, also in plastics, which Apple uses for its pioneering technology of Vision Pro Glasses. Apple has the best hardware, the most loyal customers and the most profitable App Store. So investors should keep a close eye on the AI and VR market and look out for more niches. In addition, Apple plans to update software on its various hardware platforms - iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac - and launch multiple new health and fitness features, including a diary app to help users record their daily activities and improve their mental well-being. Welcome to the digital health world. Volkswagen, conversely, is struggling with its dinosaur-like size and must endure being overtaken by competitor BYD. The price target has been adjusted.