With the announcement of the final figures for the full year 2022, the highly scalable business model of the Mediatech company was again underpinned despite the challenging market environment. Both revenues and profitability grew at double-digit rates. The Australians now want to take advantage of the current financial year and grow exponentially through targeted acquisitions. In addition to inorganic growth, the Company is also planning to enter North America. This is linked to an intended Nasdaq listing, which should significantly increase the attention of the Company and the share.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the latest, heralded a global, geopolitical turning point. While the last three decades since the fall of the Iron Curtain have been characterized by peace and prosperity, the signs are now pointing to rearmament at all costs in order to put a stop to the aggressor from Eastern Europe. Above all, the governing party with the sunflower in its coat of arms is demanding that heavy weapons be supplied for peace and that the ailing Bundeswehr be made combat-ready by spending billions over the next few years. The primary beneficiary of this change in thinking is the integrated international technology group for mobility and security, Rheinmetall AG, which enjoys a unique selling point thanks to its broadly diversified portfolio.
Is the economy still alive, or is it heading downhill again in 2023? This was the question posed by participants at the World Economic Forum in Davos. In 2022, the central banks had to deal with their primary topic of "currency devaluation" and raised interest rates, in some cases sharply. But the period of significant interest rate hikes is now drawing to a close, although inflation could remain high for a few more months. This is bad news for the economy and society. For precious metals, however, which serve as inflation protection, this is water on the mills. Of the 10 largest gold and silver states in the world is Mexico. In the state of Sonora, the Canadian explorer Tocvan Ventures has impressive findings to report.
They did it again - the next takeover goes over the ticker! Saturn Oil & Gas delivered another bang for the buck in the Canadian oil and gas business on Friday. With the CAD 525 million acquisition of Ridgeback Resources, the Calgary-based company thus makes another giant leap. At a time when fossil raw materials are needed again more than ever, the Canadians have once again succeeded in making a deal of perceivable size. As a result, the daily production rate will increase by 140% to approximately 30,000 BOE/day after the transaction's closing. The total enterprise value is thus getting closer and closer to the billion mark. Good news for all shareholders because the management is sticking to its successful motto: Growth!
The years 2020 and 2021 represent rapid share price gains. In recent trading days, the Defence Therapeutics share has built up momentum reminiscent of the stock market boom of that time. At the same time, things are moving forward operationally. In the coming weeks and months, the Company plans to move several projects related to the fight against cancer into Phase 1 trials. According to market researchers, the market potential for all projects could reach USD 100 billion by 2030. In this report, we learn what is at stake now, what announcements are making prices rise and why a takeover bid is possible at any time.
Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death worldwide, which claims at least 17.9 million lives each year. More than 4 out of 5 deaths from cardiovascular disease are due to heart attacks and strokes, 1/3 of which occur in people under 70. The most recent victim: Lisa Marie Presley. The daughter of music legend Elvis Presley lived to be only 54 years old and succumbed to cardiac arrest. Worldwide, 35% of women die from cardiovascular disease - making it the most common cause of death. Life sciences company Cardiol Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CRDL) (TSX: CRDL) is focused on the discovery and clinical development of anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic therapies for the treatment of heart disease. There is news, particularly in recurrent pericarditis.
Gold has been in strong focus since the turn of the year. Driven by geopolitical uncertainties and a historic inflation rate of just under 10% in Europe, the precious metal approached the USD 2,000 mark again in January. While the gold price in euro terms is only EUR 100 per ounce below the high of August 2020, the gap in the world currency US dollar, is still around USD 170 per ounce or 8% from the nominal all-time high at USD 2,075 per ounce of gold. At the moment, the smaller public companies in the gold segment are trading at a deep discount. In turn, this invites the big players in the market for takeovers because it is currently impossible to buy into the increasingly scarce new gold projects at a lower price. Desert Gold Ventures is sitting on a premium project in Mali, West Africa, and its more prominent neighbors are likely just waiting for the next results.
Gold got off to a good start in 2023, with prices beyond the USD 1,900 mark. Due to the general price increases in the commodity and goods markets, the central banks reacted in 2022 with some upward interest rate adjustments. The onset of inflation also gave precious metals a good raison d'être. That is because they offer wealth preservation in the longer term and protect against excessive loss of purchasing power. Large mining companies thrive on their product diversity and the resulting diversification in their proprietary balance sheets. For investors, the framework conditions for commodity investments have improved dramatically in the last 2 years. However, despite all the euphoria surrounding important metals such as copper, the major producers still lag behind their expectations. Barrick Gold is well positioned with its deposits in gold and copper. Yesterday, the Company delivered its first figures for the full year 2022.
The past stock market year was a disaster for the loyal Varta shareholders. With a minus of 85%, the popular technology stock has been hit hard. But the new year starts with a bang. Because in the first two trading weeks, the share recorded a plus of around 20%! Many issues put pressure on the mood in 2022: sales and profit forecasts were lowered several times, the resignation of the CEO, and some major shareholders threw bundles of Varta shares onto the market. Many analysts had dramatically lowered their price target because of the operational weaknesses. The new Varta CEO Markus Hackstein has now brought in restructuring experts from Boston Consulting to get the battery manufacturer, which had come under pressure, back on track. We look at the chances of a comeback for the Ellwangen-based technology company.
Cancer changes everything. Effective remedies against the scourge of our time would be a revolution. Defence Therapeutics is working to turn hope into fact: In the coming weeks, vaccines against cancer are to be combined with Accum, a drug enhancer patented by Defence, and then clinically tested. For the Company, this could mean a breakthrough at a time when the big players in the industry are paying close attention to innovative biotechs with a platform approach. With the help of facts and figures, we outline where Defence Therapeutics currently stands, which projects could ultimately result in a convincing overall picture and why the share has excellent prospects.