NOBLE GROUP LIMITED
(Incorporated in Bermuda with limited liability)
ANNOUNCEMENT
The Board of Directors of Noble Group is not aware of any financial or material business issues that might have caused the Company's recent share price decline and volatility. On Friday, and over the weekend, the Board has however been made aware of misleading information being spread about the Company in what appears to be an attempt to manipulate the Company's share price.
The Board has a duty to respond to these allegations. The Board believes that all the misleading and untruthful information which has been disseminated will be fully and positively resolved by the publication of the Company's Q2 results presentation; by the results of the previously announced PWC independent assurance report in connection with the carrying value of long term physical commodity contracts, and by our previously announced forthcoming "Investor Day".
In order to allow all market participants to have the full benefit of this key information and to address the allegations as soon as possible, the Board of Directors has decided to bring forward the publication of the Q2 results, and the PWC report findings, to Monday, August 10th. It should be noted that both Friday, 7th August and Monday, 10th August are public holidays and the SGX will be closed on those days.
The Board would like to confirm that the Company will provide additional disclosures around the Yancoal valuation and on the inventory sales. The Company plans to release that information as part of the Q2 results on Monday, August 10.
The "Investor Day" in Singapore referred to above will be held on a date to be announced. There will be no restrictions on third party attendance nor on questions within the time available.
In the meantime, the Board would like to address the allegations being made about the Company:-
In relation to our upcoming bond maturities in August, we would like to clarify that, contrary to malicious rumours questioning our ability to fund the $735mm bond redemption due on August 4th, in fact the Company has ample funds to do so and will still thereafter have readily available cash of well over $1 bln. Noble has sufficient cash and liquidity to meet its obligations and operate its businesses.
In addition to this significant readily available cash, we would also like to provide the following update in terms of our liquidity and available credit as of the end of July: namely, we currently have around $15 billion in bank lines.
There have also been false rumours spread about the Company's current business performance. While a full update on our performance can only be provided in the Q2 results announcement, we would like to confirm that, based on management accounts, our Q2 performance is satisfactory and we can also confirm that our business in the first month of Q3 is ahead of our Q2.
Contrary to the allegation of the Company having or needing increasingly to depend on fair value gains for profitability we would like to confirm that our net fair value gains have fallen again in the Q2 and details will given with Q2 results, whilst operating income and profits remain positive. Our Independent MTM Committee and PWC will provide further analysis and comfort on these contracts and values.
Furthermore, we refute the allegation that the PWC report is cursory in nature, or that the MTM Committee is not truly independent.
Finally, the Board would like to make the market aware that Management has been approached by a number of parties in terms of potential financings, and strategic and/or investment options. Whilst there can be no guarantee that any transaction will occur in the near future, Management and the Board are committed to maximising the value of Noble for its shareholders and stakeholders. We will keep the market informed as appropriate.
NOBLE GROUP LIMITED
3 August 2015 |