Petrohawk Buyout Puts Bakken and Eagle Ford Mid-Caps in Play

Seeking Alpha reports that BHP Billiton (NYSE:BHP) agreed to pay $15B for Petrohawk (NYSE:HK).

The market news is quoted as saying,

This buyout makes oil leases in these areas more expensive, that demand for these leases is going up, and that many small- and mid-cap leaseholders in the most desirable plays, the Bakken and the Eagle Ford, are in play. Any or all of these companies could soon become the target of a buyout by a bigger company.

For the complete market news, click here.

Bill

This web site fails to mention the best of the rare earth companies, Great Western Minerals … that’s where you have the best investment opportunity.
blackjack

i disagree with the author of this article as the whole issue is about china having a near monopoly and the west having to eat humble pie to keep supplies coming
each country needs to produce their own
Australias Lynas is ready to go and will be the first to market
I also disagree about the radio active waste as everything on earth is radioactive
this is a real alarmist article and not backed up by facts or figures
please try harder to get better facts in future
other companies are ASX ALK and they have a completely new processing pilot plant
also the story doesnt figure on heavy or light REE
Anonymous

I would like to thank you both for your comments, a healthy discussion is always a good thing.
Currently, China does produce the overwhelming majority of global REE supply. The dramatic upswing in price due to the export controls of one country, is certainly inline with a monopolistic enterprise. While companies like Molycorp, Lynas, and others will be moving into production, currently the power lies with China. I agree that other countries need to produce REE’s, not only for their own supply, but to add to the overall supply worldwide. A looming WTO trade dispute may or may not pressure the Chinese government to increase exports, only time will tell. On the matter of thorium and uranium as a byproduct of production, I must disagree with your premise that everything is radioactive. Molycorp’s Mountain Pass Mine (under the ownership of UNOCAL) did leak radioactive materials from faulty pipelines, sending toxic material into the water-table. Lynas’ Plant in Malaysia has come under criticism for the thorium disposal methods. Whether justified or not, its a factor that rare earth companies have to consider. There are also numerous reports to the environmental degradation in the areas surrounding China’s REE producing areas. The evidence is overwhelming, which is why the Chinese Government has decided to clean up their act.Overall, these factors can be dealt with in a responsible manner if the company takes the necessary precautions, but to simply discount them, may be shortsighted.

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