Hey Bill,

Huge apologies for not replying before. I saw your posting just as I was leaving for an overland trip through Europe, I didn't have a chance to reply for a while, and in the meantime it slipped my mind. I'm only now getting back to speed after the trip, Christmas, NYE, Y2K and the flu!

I am not a detailed Inco follower. My intial interest was when I bought some 15.75% Inco (2006) loanstock 10 years ago and thought the company/management trustworthy. I still hold some of the loanstock.

My main reasons for buying/holding the common stock...

I could/can see Nickel's importance for metals requiring hardness, corrosion resistance, etc. and/or dealing with hot conditions. Prime Mover efficiency generally comes with higher operating temperatures and we're in a society looking for greater efficiency...

I like Inco's dominance of world supply, although I'm sure it would not win a Foolish Gorilla medal.

The charts showed a massive decline in the Nickel and Inco prices that I didn't think could be sustained (that was true, but my timing was a year out).

Commodities were way out of favour with the stockmarket, but these feelings are normally overblown and eventually there's a swing back the other way for commercially useful commodities.

Last (I think), is that I had been doing well with techie stocks (Thanks greatly to the Fools) and Inco common stock was one of my counterplays, at least as a token of balance to my portfolio!

I'm holding for now, but will probably sell if we get back to the $25+ range. Mostly because the recovery that I had bought for (and bloody waited for!) would have occured, and I need the money for other projects.

The recent Inco price dip might be an opportunity to buy (although I won't), but I'm not really the man to advise on that.

Apols again for the delay and good luck with your decisions...

Denis