Singapore-listed coal plays getting harder to fire up

Singapore

AN uptick of activity in the coal space - be it mergers and acquisitions on the local bourse or new listings by sector stalwarts elsewhere - has roused some fire among Singapore-listed miners but waning demand from China alongside dimming coal prices have put paid to hopes of powering up their stock prices.

It hasn't been glad tidings lately for the only three pure-play coal stocks listed on the Singapore Exchange - Golden Energy and Resources (Gear), Geo Energy Resources and Blackgold Natural Resources - all of which are Indonesian upstream thermal coal companies.