written by Kevin McElroy
Monday, June 14, 2010
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke recently expressed some confusion about increases in gold prices. According to a recent story in The Wall Street Journal, Bernanke said, "I don't fully understand movements in the gold price." It seems like Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, formerly of Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), believe that massive deficits and billion dollar gifts to Wall Street bankers should have no consequences. For anyone paying attention to the Federal Reserve's massive bailouts gifted to super-rich bankers, it's small wonder that world investors have started bidding up gold's price - they're sick of working hard for dollars while the Fed gives them out for free to the world's elite financial institutions.
Here's a wake-up call for Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner and President Obama: deficits do matter! Recent polls suggest that deficit spending is now the #1 issue on voters' minds. Willingness to print the dollar into oblivion will continue to be matched by a stronger and stronger bull market in gold. To take advantage of this bull market, Ian Wyatt, the Chief Investment Strategist at Wyatt Investment Research, has written a full report about his favorite American gold company. This company has over $20 billion in proven gold reserves, with a market cap of around $200 million. Even if this company only mines 1% of its reserves, it could double its current share price.
Warning: This is a solicitation from Wyatt Investment Research. I do not work for them, and I receive no type of payment for blogging this. I just thought that the introductory article was very timely and shows how Bernanke, Geithner, and Obama are working to destroy this market. If you want to read the rest of the report you can go HERE.
Showing posts with label gold mines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gold mines. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Small-Cap Investor’s Guide to Gold
A short guide sent to me by email. I thought I would share it.
With market volatility on the rise, scores of investors have been turning their sights to gold. Typically, gold and small-cap investing don’t have much overlap – but that’s not true when it comes to junior mining stocks. These tiny companies benefit from the price increases in gold, but they also offer the value-driven analysis of a typical small-cap. And right now could be the perfect time to buy shares in mining companies – here’s why…
When the proverbial fecal matter hit the fan during the week of May 3, one asset shined above all others. It was the humble yellow metal, gold, doing its part in times of panic and crisis. It held up. On May 7, gold closed above $1,200 for the first time in five months — up more than 2.5% during a week in which U.S. stocks endured a freefall. Just five days later, it hit an all-time high of $1,243.10. And the largest physical gold fund recorded its largest inflows since early 2009.
Of course, buying gold all the time is not really an investment strategy. If you bought gold in the 1980s and 1990s, your return was abysmal. So, as with all assets, there are times when gold is a really good buy and there are times when it is not. Sounds obvious, but many people seem to want to think that gold is an exception to the order of things. It isn’t.
But how do you know if gold is cheap? Well, intelligent people usually advance a couple of arguments.
One is that on an inflation-adjusted basis, gold is 30% less than its all-time high in 1980. Okay, that’s true, but it’s not particularly timely because by that measure gold has been cheap for three decades. And who’s to say that the 1980 gold price is a benchmark we should pay attention to, anyway? By that way of thinking, the NASDAQ is a bargain, too, because it trades at a big gap from its 2000 high. But is it? I think not.
Another point advanced by the “gold is cheap” crowd is the old monetary base argument — that gold’s price tends to track the monetary base over long periods. The monetary base is essentially bank deposits and currency. It’s like the seedlings of inflation.
This argument is a little more interesting. Yet, as the government has added huge piles to the monetary base in the last year or so, the gold price has responded in a muted way. This next chart shows what the gold price would have to be to “catch up” to the monetary base.
QB Partners, a New York-based hedge fund, really likes this argument. QB writes: “The graph shows visually how much U.S. dollar purchasing power has been lost. We think gold is cheap by a factor of almost 7 times.”
If a gold price of $7,000 an ounce doesn’t strike you as implausible or absurd, QB’s next comment might. QB says the chart “does not necessarily imply a target price for spot gold. The gold price could move higher than that if it experiences a blow off top, like all other bull markets tend to do before exhausting themselves.” So, $7,000 an ounce, you see, is just some kind of base case.
Maybe it’s not so implausible. Strange stuff happens all the time in markets. If I had told you on May 6 that Accenture — a $40 stock with a $29 billion market cap — would trade for a penny a share the next day, you would have thought I was nuts. Yet, on May 7 it did just that, if only for a second.
But the gold market is different because it’s so small. Even a small amount of interest in gold will send it up a lot. Just imagine if people decide a small sliver of that tall bar of financial assets should be in gold. We’re talking about some serious pressure on the gold price.
That’s a nice scenario, but I don’t invest in nice scenarios. I invest where I can find value. Speculative upside is a plus. Those kind of stocks give you that added juice on the price of gold. A cheap gold stock is even better – that’s why I’m recommending that my readers pick up gold miners, not just gold itself…
By Chris Mayer
With market volatility on the rise, scores of investors have been turning their sights to gold. Typically, gold and small-cap investing don’t have much overlap – but that’s not true when it comes to junior mining stocks. These tiny companies benefit from the price increases in gold, but they also offer the value-driven analysis of a typical small-cap. And right now could be the perfect time to buy shares in mining companies – here’s why…
When the proverbial fecal matter hit the fan during the week of May 3, one asset shined above all others. It was the humble yellow metal, gold, doing its part in times of panic and crisis. It held up. On May 7, gold closed above $1,200 for the first time in five months — up more than 2.5% during a week in which U.S. stocks endured a freefall. Just five days later, it hit an all-time high of $1,243.10. And the largest physical gold fund recorded its largest inflows since early 2009.
Of course, buying gold all the time is not really an investment strategy. If you bought gold in the 1980s and 1990s, your return was abysmal. So, as with all assets, there are times when gold is a really good buy and there are times when it is not. Sounds obvious, but many people seem to want to think that gold is an exception to the order of things. It isn’t.
But how do you know if gold is cheap? Well, intelligent people usually advance a couple of arguments.
One is that on an inflation-adjusted basis, gold is 30% less than its all-time high in 1980. Okay, that’s true, but it’s not particularly timely because by that measure gold has been cheap for three decades. And who’s to say that the 1980 gold price is a benchmark we should pay attention to, anyway? By that way of thinking, the NASDAQ is a bargain, too, because it trades at a big gap from its 2000 high. But is it? I think not.
Another point advanced by the “gold is cheap” crowd is the old monetary base argument — that gold’s price tends to track the monetary base over long periods. The monetary base is essentially bank deposits and currency. It’s like the seedlings of inflation.
This argument is a little more interesting. Yet, as the government has added huge piles to the monetary base in the last year or so, the gold price has responded in a muted way. This next chart shows what the gold price would have to be to “catch up” to the monetary base.
QB Partners, a New York-based hedge fund, really likes this argument. QB writes: “The graph shows visually how much U.S. dollar purchasing power has been lost. We think gold is cheap by a factor of almost 7 times.”
If a gold price of $7,000 an ounce doesn’t strike you as implausible or absurd, QB’s next comment might. QB says the chart “does not necessarily imply a target price for spot gold. The gold price could move higher than that if it experiences a blow off top, like all other bull markets tend to do before exhausting themselves.” So, $7,000 an ounce, you see, is just some kind of base case.
Maybe it’s not so implausible. Strange stuff happens all the time in markets. If I had told you on May 6 that Accenture — a $40 stock with a $29 billion market cap — would trade for a penny a share the next day, you would have thought I was nuts. Yet, on May 7 it did just that, if only for a second.
But the gold market is different because it’s so small. Even a small amount of interest in gold will send it up a lot. Just imagine if people decide a small sliver of that tall bar of financial assets should be in gold. We’re talking about some serious pressure on the gold price.
That’s a nice scenario, but I don’t invest in nice scenarios. I invest where I can find value. Speculative upside is a plus. Those kind of stocks give you that added juice on the price of gold. A cheap gold stock is even better – that’s why I’m recommending that my readers pick up gold miners, not just gold itself…
By Chris Mayer
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Gold Mining Update-April 1, 2010
There are five gold mining companies making headlines today. Lihir Gold rejected a buyout offer and appointed a new CEO. I believe the two items are unrelated. Allied Nevada gave us an update on its reserves and resources while Apollo Gold and Linear Gold did enter into an agreement to merge. Yamana Gold’s Minera operation in Peru that was shut down for weeks after an earthquake is up and operational. Last but not least, Agnico-Eagle will acquire all the Comaplex Minerals Corp. stock it does not already own and get a gold producing property out of the deal.
Lihir Gold rejected an offer from Newcrest Mining to acquire 100% of Lihir's common shares. Newcrest made the offer on 29 March 2010. Terms of the offer were 1 Newcrest share for every 9 Lihir shares plus A$ 0.225 in cash for each Lihir Gold share. After careful review and analysis, the board of directors unanimously decided that the offer did not represent good value for Lihir Gold shareholders.
Coincidentally, Lihir Gold appointed a new CEO. The company appointed former BHP senior executive Graeme Hunt as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Lihir Chairman Ross Garnaut stated that Mr. Hunt was the ideal candidate for the CEO role. He brings with him strong leadership skills, vast knowledge of the mining industry and extensive experience in strategic development.
Allied Nevada reported today an update on its mineral reserves and resources. Allied has more than doubled its oxide gold reserves to 2.4 million ounces at its Hycroft mine, which it fully owns near Winnemucca, Nevada. Measured and indicated gold equivalent ounces increased 28% to 10.3 million ounces compared with 8.1 million gold equivalent ounces reported in March 2009.
Apollo Gold and Linear Gold announced today that they have entered into a definitive arrangement agreement by way of a court approved plan of arrangement. The Arrangement Agreement supercedes a previous letter of intent executed by Apollo and Linear regarding the merger. Both companies anticipate that the merger will be completed in June 2010
Yamana Gold reaffirms that their gold production will gradually increase, and cash costs would sequentially decrease, throughout the year. The Minera Florida gold processing plant suffered severe damage from an earthquake that hit Chile on February 27, 2010. Although the mine site was unharmed, it was without a secure normal power supply for weeks. This caused Minera Florida to produce less than anticipated. Yamana stated that the Minera Florida operation is now fully operational.
Agnico-Eagle and Comaplex Minerals Corp. announced that Agnico-Eagle will acquire all of the shares of Comaplex that it does not already own. The terms of the agreement would give each shareholder of Comaplex 0.1576 of an Agnico-Eagle share per Comaplex share. Agnico-Eagle would also acquire Comaplex's Meliadine gold property. Comaplex owns a 100% interest in the advanced stage Meliadine gold project located in Nunavut, Canada, approximately 300 kilometers from Agnico-Eagle's producing Meadowbank gold mine. Meliadine currently has 3.29 million ounces of measured and indicated gold resources from 13M tons grading 7.9 grams per ton (g/t) and inferred gold resources of 1.73M ounces from 8.4M tons grading 6.4 g/t.
Lihir Gold rejected an offer from Newcrest Mining to acquire 100% of Lihir's common shares. Newcrest made the offer on 29 March 2010. Terms of the offer were 1 Newcrest share for every 9 Lihir shares plus A$ 0.225 in cash for each Lihir Gold share. After careful review and analysis, the board of directors unanimously decided that the offer did not represent good value for Lihir Gold shareholders.
Coincidentally, Lihir Gold appointed a new CEO. The company appointed former BHP senior executive Graeme Hunt as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Lihir Chairman Ross Garnaut stated that Mr. Hunt was the ideal candidate for the CEO role. He brings with him strong leadership skills, vast knowledge of the mining industry and extensive experience in strategic development.
Allied Nevada reported today an update on its mineral reserves and resources. Allied has more than doubled its oxide gold reserves to 2.4 million ounces at its Hycroft mine, which it fully owns near Winnemucca, Nevada. Measured and indicated gold equivalent ounces increased 28% to 10.3 million ounces compared with 8.1 million gold equivalent ounces reported in March 2009.
Apollo Gold and Linear Gold announced today that they have entered into a definitive arrangement agreement by way of a court approved plan of arrangement. The Arrangement Agreement supercedes a previous letter of intent executed by Apollo and Linear regarding the merger. Both companies anticipate that the merger will be completed in June 2010
Yamana Gold reaffirms that their gold production will gradually increase, and cash costs would sequentially decrease, throughout the year. The Minera Florida gold processing plant suffered severe damage from an earthquake that hit Chile on February 27, 2010. Although the mine site was unharmed, it was without a secure normal power supply for weeks. This caused Minera Florida to produce less than anticipated. Yamana stated that the Minera Florida operation is now fully operational.
Agnico-Eagle and Comaplex Minerals Corp. announced that Agnico-Eagle will acquire all of the shares of Comaplex that it does not already own. The terms of the agreement would give each shareholder of Comaplex 0.1576 of an Agnico-Eagle share per Comaplex share. Agnico-Eagle would also acquire Comaplex's Meliadine gold property. Comaplex owns a 100% interest in the advanced stage Meliadine gold project located in Nunavut, Canada, approximately 300 kilometers from Agnico-Eagle's producing Meadowbank gold mine. Meliadine currently has 3.29 million ounces of measured and indicated gold resources from 13M tons grading 7.9 grams per ton (g/t) and inferred gold resources of 1.73M ounces from 8.4M tons grading 6.4 g/t.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Free Online Report on Gold
You can read a free online review copy of the brand new breakthrough financial report from Gold, Silver, and Energy expert Byron King entitled "The Curse of the Incas". It is a very interesting read full of historical information and predictions for gold and silver prices, although it is ultimately an invitation to subscribe to his services.
http://agorafinancial.com/reports/OST/Inca/OST_IncaGold.php?code=EOSTL355&o=81348&s=82914&u=49657430&l=98572&r=Milo
http://agorafinancial.com/reports/OST/Inca/OST_IncaGold.php?code=EOSTL355&o=81348&s=82914&u=49657430&l=98572&r=Milo
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Gold Mining Report-March 16, 2010
In the last few years, most of the gold mining activities have been located in Southern Hemisphere. Lately, mining activities and consolidations are starting to ramp up in the northern areas of Canada, specifically in the Yukon Territories.
NovaGold Resources was a major player in the gold mining industry, but after the financial crisis and related budget problems, it halted its development activities. However, lately the company has been in the news again due to interest by investors like George Soros and John Paulson, who have increased their positions in NovaGold’s stock.
Kinross Gold announced today that in addition to their press release on March 11, 2010, it has entered into a definitive support agreement with the Canadian Junior mining company, Underworld Resources. Kinross’s friendly take-over bid will acquire 100% of the outstanding common shares of Underworld that they do not already own on the basis of 0.141 of a Kinross common share plus $0.01 in cash per common share. Underworld agreed to support the offer and Underworld's directors and senior have agreed to tender their common shares to the offer. In the deal Kinross will also acquire a development prospect called White Gold, which has already identified an indicated resource of greater than 1 million ounces of gold, and the project's Golden Saddle deposit, ore grades look highly favorable for positive economic feasibility at 3.2 grams per ton.
Yesterday,(yea I now I am slacking) Seabridge Gold announced that an independent review of Seabridge Gold's resource estimates for the KSM project has been completed by a third-party, Behre Dolbear & Company. Behre Dolbear confirms that the KSM resource model is reasonable and appropriate. Furthermore, they confirmed that the resource estimates prepared by Resource Modeling in January were accurate, conformed to industry practices, and complied with industry standards. However, the Seabridge realistically cannot enter production at the KSM project unless one of the major mining groups decides back them financially. Higher gold prices may provide them that incentive.
Back in the U.S., Newmont Mining Corporation stated that the Chinese demand for gold bullion will remain strong this year, despite historically high prices for the metal. Philip Stephenson, Regional Group Executive, Operations, Newmont Asia Pacific is forecasting that they are still going to see strong investment demand from China. Last year, 2009, there was a 20% increase in investment demand from China. Newmont is expecting a similar level of demand in 2010.
Newmont's Boddington gold mine in Western Australia recently opened and expectations are high. They also have several early-stage exploration projects near existing Australian mine sites. However, these are more likely to extend existing mine life, rather than boost production levels.
NovaGold Resources was a major player in the gold mining industry, but after the financial crisis and related budget problems, it halted its development activities. However, lately the company has been in the news again due to interest by investors like George Soros and John Paulson, who have increased their positions in NovaGold’s stock.
Kinross Gold announced today that in addition to their press release on March 11, 2010, it has entered into a definitive support agreement with the Canadian Junior mining company, Underworld Resources. Kinross’s friendly take-over bid will acquire 100% of the outstanding common shares of Underworld that they do not already own on the basis of 0.141 of a Kinross common share plus $0.01 in cash per common share. Underworld agreed to support the offer and Underworld's directors and senior have agreed to tender their common shares to the offer. In the deal Kinross will also acquire a development prospect called White Gold, which has already identified an indicated resource of greater than 1 million ounces of gold, and the project's Golden Saddle deposit, ore grades look highly favorable for positive economic feasibility at 3.2 grams per ton.
Yesterday,(yea I now I am slacking) Seabridge Gold announced that an independent review of Seabridge Gold's resource estimates for the KSM project has been completed by a third-party, Behre Dolbear & Company. Behre Dolbear confirms that the KSM resource model is reasonable and appropriate. Furthermore, they confirmed that the resource estimates prepared by Resource Modeling in January were accurate, conformed to industry practices, and complied with industry standards. However, the Seabridge realistically cannot enter production at the KSM project unless one of the major mining groups decides back them financially. Higher gold prices may provide them that incentive.
Back in the U.S., Newmont Mining Corporation stated that the Chinese demand for gold bullion will remain strong this year, despite historically high prices for the metal. Philip Stephenson, Regional Group Executive, Operations, Newmont Asia Pacific is forecasting that they are still going to see strong investment demand from China. Last year, 2009, there was a 20% increase in investment demand from China. Newmont is expecting a similar level of demand in 2010.
Newmont's Boddington gold mine in Western Australia recently opened and expectations are high. They also have several early-stage exploration projects near existing Australian mine sites. However, these are more likely to extend existing mine life, rather than boost production levels.
Friday, March 12, 2010
This Week in Mining
Rising gold prices this year have been driving a wave of acquisition activities in the sector with at least three major deals being announced this week alone.
Newmont Mining, the world's second largest gold producer, said this week that it may pursue operations in politically risky countries. Last week the company sold its interest in the Amulsar Gold Project in Armenia to its partner Lydian International for around $25M.
Kinross Gold announced the proposed acquisition of Underworld Resources for $139.2 million, or $2.62 per share. Kinross already holds an 8.5% stake in the company and Thursday's offer represents a 36% premium over Underworld's closing price of $1.93 on Wednesday.
Apollo Gold announced Tuesday the acquisition of Linear Gold for C$102M. The combined company will have total reserves of approximately 2.3M ounces of gold in Canada.
On another note:
Barrick Gold, one of the the largest gold producers faced the risk of losing its mining license for the $3B Reko Diq gold-copper project in Pakistan even though the CEO stated that he was confident the company would reach an agreement to develop the project, which it owns jointly with Chilean copper company Antofagasta. Barrick’s North American business produced 600,000 ounces of gold at a cash cost of $523 per ounce. This was driven by the Goldstrike operation, which produced 210,000 ounces at $528 per ounce as higher-grade ore continued to be mined in the open pit and underground and the Cortez mine contributed 170,000 million ounces at $382 per ounce. Barrick is even expecting to increase in gold production from the Cortez property. Assay results predict a higher grade of ore from the Cortez Hills mine when it becomes operational.
There is probably more but thats about all I can digest for one day. Remember buy real money, buy PMs!
Newmont Mining, the world's second largest gold producer, said this week that it may pursue operations in politically risky countries. Last week the company sold its interest in the Amulsar Gold Project in Armenia to its partner Lydian International for around $25M.
Kinross Gold announced the proposed acquisition of Underworld Resources for $139.2 million, or $2.62 per share. Kinross already holds an 8.5% stake in the company and Thursday's offer represents a 36% premium over Underworld's closing price of $1.93 on Wednesday.
Apollo Gold announced Tuesday the acquisition of Linear Gold for C$102M. The combined company will have total reserves of approximately 2.3M ounces of gold in Canada.
On another note:
Barrick Gold, one of the the largest gold producers faced the risk of losing its mining license for the $3B Reko Diq gold-copper project in Pakistan even though the CEO stated that he was confident the company would reach an agreement to develop the project, which it owns jointly with Chilean copper company Antofagasta. Barrick’s North American business produced 600,000 ounces of gold at a cash cost of $523 per ounce. This was driven by the Goldstrike operation, which produced 210,000 ounces at $528 per ounce as higher-grade ore continued to be mined in the open pit and underground and the Cortez mine contributed 170,000 million ounces at $382 per ounce. Barrick is even expecting to increase in gold production from the Cortez property. Assay results predict a higher grade of ore from the Cortez Hills mine when it becomes operational.
There is probably more but thats about all I can digest for one day. Remember buy real money, buy PMs!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Gold Mining Report-March 11, 2010
Today has been very interesting in the world of gold mining. To wet your whistle, an exploration and aquisition company is now going into the gold production business. Another gold mining company announced that they would acquire 100% of the outstanding common shares of a smaller exploration company without making a hostile take-over bid, and the coup de gras, even though this mining company rose 0.8% to $39.10, the company along with its partner may have some trouble with the locals. The local government threatened to withhold their mining license! Read it on 24K Chuk Kam!
Great Basin Gold Limited usually engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of precious metal deposits primarily gold and silver deposits. Now it has moved from just an exploration company to a production company. It owns interests in the Hollister gold project and the Esmeralda property in Nevada, and the Burnstone gold project in South Africa. L.A. Little at Real Money is moving into the bullish realm as GBG’s production comes on line. It is well supported in price as a result and any weakness that stems this news needs to be used to accumulate shares.
Kinross Gold . The board of directors of Underworld unanimously recommends the offer to its shareholders. For each Common Share of Underworld, Kinross will offer 0.141 of a Kinross common share, plus $0.01 in cash. The offer represents an implied offer price of ~$2.62 per Common Share. The transaction values the fully-diluted share capital of Underworld at approximately $139.2 M. Underworld's key asset is the White Gold project, in the Tintina gold belt south of Dawson City, Yukon Territory. The project has roughly 1.5 million ounces of resources. Kinross stock is currently trading down 0.8% at $17.90.
Barrick Gold rose 0.8% to $39.10, as the company's CEO Aaron Regent maintains his optimism about Barrick's ability to reach an agreement to develop the huge $3 billion Reko Diq gold-copper project in Pakistan. Barrick and Chilean copper mining company Antofagasta together own the majority of the project, while the local government owns the remaining stake. Many have been worried that the project might be in jeopardy after the local government threatened to withhold a mining license that the companies would need to move the project forward with the project.
Goldcorp reported Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.25 per share, excluding non-recurring items, in-line with the First Call consensus of $0.25; revenues rose 27.8% year/year to $778.3M vs the $732.4 M consensus. The Company reported gold production of 601,300 ounces at a total cash cost of $289 per ounce for the quarter ended December 31, 2009.
Great Basin Gold Limited usually engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of precious metal deposits primarily gold and silver deposits. Now it has moved from just an exploration company to a production company. It owns interests in the Hollister gold project and the Esmeralda property in Nevada, and the Burnstone gold project in South Africa. L.A. Little at Real Money is moving into the bullish realm as GBG’s production comes on line. It is well supported in price as a result and any weakness that stems this news needs to be used to accumulate shares.
Kinross Gold . The board of directors of Underworld unanimously recommends the offer to its shareholders. For each Common Share of Underworld, Kinross will offer 0.141 of a Kinross common share, plus $0.01 in cash. The offer represents an implied offer price of ~$2.62 per Common Share. The transaction values the fully-diluted share capital of Underworld at approximately $139.2 M. Underworld's key asset is the White Gold project, in the Tintina gold belt south of Dawson City, Yukon Territory. The project has roughly 1.5 million ounces of resources. Kinross stock is currently trading down 0.8% at $17.90.
Barrick Gold rose 0.8% to $39.10, as the company's CEO Aaron Regent maintains his optimism about Barrick's ability to reach an agreement to develop the huge $3 billion Reko Diq gold-copper project in Pakistan. Barrick and Chilean copper mining company Antofagasta together own the majority of the project, while the local government owns the remaining stake. Many have been worried that the project might be in jeopardy after the local government threatened to withhold a mining license that the companies would need to move the project forward with the project.
Goldcorp reported Q4 (Dec) earnings of $0.25 per share, excluding non-recurring items, in-line with the First Call consensus of $0.25; revenues rose 27.8% year/year to $778.3M vs the $732.4 M consensus. The Company reported gold production of 601,300 ounces at a total cash cost of $289 per ounce for the quarter ended December 31, 2009.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Gold Mining Report-March 10, 2010
International Tower Hill Mines and Minatura Gold have new mining news today. We also report on Barrick Gold, Newmont Mining Corporation, Kinross Gold Corporation and GoldCorp stocks. International Tower Hill Mines announced the results of the updated independently prepared resource estimate for the Livengood gold project, located in Alaska. The results of these estimates are anticipated to have a positive impact on the strip ratio and mining economics. The Money Knob deposit is still open in several directions and depths. They estimated yields by using different gold cut-off grades. Using a 0.5 g/t gold cut-off grade, the new estimate yielded an Indicated Resource of 9.3M ounces of gold and an Inferred Resource of 3M ounces of gold. Using a 0.7 g/t gold cut-off, which THM envisions as a possible milling cut-off grade, the Indicated Resource is 5.8M ounces of gold and the Inferred Resource is 1.8M ounces of gold. When they used a 0.3 g/t gold cut-off grade, the average grade for the heap leach as described in the THM’s November 30, 2009 heap leach PEA study, the Indicated Resource is 13.5M ounces of gold, and the Inferred Resource is 5M ounces of gold.
Minatura Gold announced that it has completed drilling of the first of a 50-hole drilling program in certain gold mining concessions located in Colombia’s Department of Antioquia on 1,775 acres, including the Zaragosa Project located on Coco Hondo and Angostura properties. Minatura believes that these areas contain an estimated 50 million cubic meters of material. The first hole of the anticipated 50-hole drilling program was drilled and completed on February 26, 2010. To complete the drilling program, Minatura will be using two churn drills, SonicSampDrill drilling units with crawlers, and is under contract with SonicSampDrill to provide four additional drill masters to operate the units. These areas in the Zaragoza Project were previously dredged by the Plato Gold Dredging Company over 50 years ago. Plato recovered an estimated 700,000 ounces of gold at that time. It is believed that the inefficient dredges used by Plato led to a substantial amount of unrecovered gold deposits. Minatura intends to install and operate a bulk sampling plant to test the tailings above the water table. The Company expects the new plant to be operational by the end of the second calendar quarter in 2010.
Mining stocks were mixed. Barrick Gold opened at $39.48 but ended the day down 0.79 to close at 38.75. Currently, Barrick is down 0.08 in the after-market session. Barrick Gold Corporation primarily engages in the exploration, development, production, and sale of gold worldwide.
Newmont Mining Corporation opened at $51.12 and was rose eagerly to $51.58, but by the end of the session Newmont lost its gains and closed at 50.27. Although right now it is up 0.01 in after-hours trading. Newmont together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and production of gold and copper properties. Its assets or operations are located in the United States, Australia, Peru, Indonesia, Ghana, Canada, New Zealand, and Mexico. By end of 2009, Newmont had proven and probable gold reserves of approximately 91.8 M ounces and a total land position of approximately 33,400 square miles.
Another large-cap miner, Kinross Gold Corporation opened at $18.57 and peaked at $18.76 around 10:00am, then continued to slide, losing 0.50 and closing at 18.07. Kinross through its subsidiaries engages in the gold mining and mining related activities such as the exploration for and acquisition of gold-bearing properties, the extraction and processing of gold-containing ores, and reclamation of gold mining properties. Its gold production and exploration activities are carried out principally in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, and the Russian Federation. In Q4 2008, its proven and probable mineral reserves were 45.6 M ounces of gold.
Goldcorp opened trading at $40.52, peaked around 11:00am at $40.88 then gave back 0.99 to close at 39.45. Currently it is trading up 0.04 in the after-market session. Goldcorp Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of precious metal properties in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and central and South America.
Minatura Gold announced that it has completed drilling of the first of a 50-hole drilling program in certain gold mining concessions located in Colombia’s Department of Antioquia on 1,775 acres, including the Zaragosa Project located on Coco Hondo and Angostura properties. Minatura believes that these areas contain an estimated 50 million cubic meters of material. The first hole of the anticipated 50-hole drilling program was drilled and completed on February 26, 2010. To complete the drilling program, Minatura will be using two churn drills, SonicSampDrill drilling units with crawlers, and is under contract with SonicSampDrill to provide four additional drill masters to operate the units. These areas in the Zaragoza Project were previously dredged by the Plato Gold Dredging Company over 50 years ago. Plato recovered an estimated 700,000 ounces of gold at that time. It is believed that the inefficient dredges used by Plato led to a substantial amount of unrecovered gold deposits. Minatura intends to install and operate a bulk sampling plant to test the tailings above the water table. The Company expects the new plant to be operational by the end of the second calendar quarter in 2010.
Mining stocks were mixed. Barrick Gold opened at $39.48 but ended the day down 0.79 to close at 38.75. Currently, Barrick is down 0.08 in the after-market session. Barrick Gold Corporation primarily engages in the exploration, development, production, and sale of gold worldwide.
Newmont Mining Corporation opened at $51.12 and was rose eagerly to $51.58, but by the end of the session Newmont lost its gains and closed at 50.27. Although right now it is up 0.01 in after-hours trading. Newmont together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and production of gold and copper properties. Its assets or operations are located in the United States, Australia, Peru, Indonesia, Ghana, Canada, New Zealand, and Mexico. By end of 2009, Newmont had proven and probable gold reserves of approximately 91.8 M ounces and a total land position of approximately 33,400 square miles.
Another large-cap miner, Kinross Gold Corporation opened at $18.57 and peaked at $18.76 around 10:00am, then continued to slide, losing 0.50 and closing at 18.07. Kinross through its subsidiaries engages in the gold mining and mining related activities such as the exploration for and acquisition of gold-bearing properties, the extraction and processing of gold-containing ores, and reclamation of gold mining properties. Its gold production and exploration activities are carried out principally in the United States, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, and the Russian Federation. In Q4 2008, its proven and probable mineral reserves were 45.6 M ounces of gold.
Goldcorp opened trading at $40.52, peaked around 11:00am at $40.88 then gave back 0.99 to close at 39.45. Currently it is trading up 0.04 in the after-market session. Goldcorp Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and operation of precious metal properties in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and central and South America.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Gold Mining Report- March 8, 2010
Three gold mining companies were in the news today. There was the discovery of a possible new high yield gold target, a huge sale of mining company stock to Soros Fund Management, and positive initial test results on a new gold extraction and processing method that could dratically reduce the volume of material used to recover the shiny stuff.
Paramount Gold and Silver announced a second bulk mineable target has been discovered at San Miguel project in new San Francisco, Mexico area. The new target generated some unusually high assay results. Paramount owns a 100% interest in the 466,000 acre San Miguel Project in the Palmarejo District of northwest Mexico, making it the largest claim holder in the area.
NovaGold Company announced that it is proposing to issue more than 13.6 Million (M) common shares of the company at $5.50 per common share for gross proceeds of $75M to Quantum Partners, a private investment fund managed by Soros Fund Management. This capital is in addition to the $100M financing announced by the company on March 4th of this year. The gross proceeds to be raised under the two financings total US$175 million.
Lastly, International Tower Hill Mines announced key initial metallurgical test results for mill processing of the major types of mineralization at the Money Knob deposit at the Livengood Gold Project in Alaska. The initial gravity and flotation gold recovery test results were highly encouraging for the use of a pre-concentration gold recovery system for the Money Knob mineralization. Potentially, both the operating and capital costs for a milling operation could be reduced by using this treatment for gold extraction. The initial extraction method results indicated that it could reduce by 80% the material volume used to recover gold. The company is currently engaged in further testing and optimization of both the concentration process and the extraction of gold from the concentrates.
That is your day in gold mining. Stay tuned for the Gold Mining Report as I hope to make it a regular feature of this blog.
Paramount Gold and Silver announced a second bulk mineable target has been discovered at San Miguel project in new San Francisco, Mexico area. The new target generated some unusually high assay results. Paramount owns a 100% interest in the 466,000 acre San Miguel Project in the Palmarejo District of northwest Mexico, making it the largest claim holder in the area.
NovaGold Company announced that it is proposing to issue more than 13.6 Million (M) common shares of the company at $5.50 per common share for gross proceeds of $75M to Quantum Partners, a private investment fund managed by Soros Fund Management. This capital is in addition to the $100M financing announced by the company on March 4th of this year. The gross proceeds to be raised under the two financings total US$175 million.
Lastly, International Tower Hill Mines announced key initial metallurgical test results for mill processing of the major types of mineralization at the Money Knob deposit at the Livengood Gold Project in Alaska. The initial gravity and flotation gold recovery test results were highly encouraging for the use of a pre-concentration gold recovery system for the Money Knob mineralization. Potentially, both the operating and capital costs for a milling operation could be reduced by using this treatment for gold extraction. The initial extraction method results indicated that it could reduce by 80% the material volume used to recover gold. The company is currently engaged in further testing and optimization of both the concentration process and the extraction of gold from the concentrates.
That is your day in gold mining. Stay tuned for the Gold Mining Report as I hope to make it a regular feature of this blog.
Friday, March 5, 2010
24K Chuk Kam's Daily Gold Mining Report
Today, March 5, 2010, three gold mining companies, Nova Gold, Appollo Gold, and Yamana Gold made headlines.
Nova Gold Resources announced that landowners have approved certain amendments to the lease for subsurface and surface rights in connection with the Donlin Creek property; the existing lease covers the subsurface rights for the entire Donlin Creek mineral reserves and resources.
Apollo Gold announces that its first drill assay results intercepted high grade gold mineralization at the Pike River Project. The assay shows high grade gold mineralization.
Yamana Gold has not had the same good fortune lately. The company’s costs were higher than expected at the company's Jacobina mine in Brazil and El Penon in Chile during the fourth quarter, which pumped up cash costs of gold on a per ounce basis. Yamana claims it has performed below expectations as a result of damage to its Minera Florida mine in Chile due to ongoing power outages caused by recent earthquakes.
This article is intended to be a regular feature on 24K Chu Kam as time allows.
Nova Gold Resources announced that landowners have approved certain amendments to the lease for subsurface and surface rights in connection with the Donlin Creek property; the existing lease covers the subsurface rights for the entire Donlin Creek mineral reserves and resources.
Apollo Gold announces that its first drill assay results intercepted high grade gold mineralization at the Pike River Project. The assay shows high grade gold mineralization.
Yamana Gold has not had the same good fortune lately. The company’s costs were higher than expected at the company's Jacobina mine in Brazil and El Penon in Chile during the fourth quarter, which pumped up cash costs of gold on a per ounce basis. Yamana claims it has performed below expectations as a result of damage to its Minera Florida mine in Chile due to ongoing power outages caused by recent earthquakes.
This article is intended to be a regular feature on 24K Chu Kam as time allows.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Article from TheStreet.com : Gold Prices Stall
Alix Steel
March 4, 2010
Gold prices were slipping today due to profit talking by PM investors, and a rise in the U.S. dollar index. The U.S. dollar rallied off of Euro weakness after the European Central Bank announced its decision to keep key interest rates low.
Currently gold's future is mixed, and one factor is the next employment report. A positive report could prompt the Fed to raise interest rates, which would likely impact gold prices negatively. Gold prices were also negatively influenced by Greek debt fears, new uncertainties created volatility for the Euro and gold.
Mining stocks, were also such as Barrick Gold, Newmont Mining, Kinross Gold and Goldcorp were also down. Gold ETF’s such as SPDR Gold Shares were also lower. To read the article in its entirety go here.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Gold Futures Higher on Stronger Euro, Weaker Dollar
An article on Forbes.com reported that gold futures moved higher this morning as the Euro strengthened against the US dollar, and an employment report showed improvement in the U.S. jobs picture. Gold went as high as $1,144.40 per ounce early in the session, to its highest levels since Jan. 11. 2010. Greece's plans to rein in its debt gave strength to the Euro and thus weakened the US Dollar. Furthermore, the ADP jobs report stated the U.S. private-sector employers cut 40,000 less jobs in February than in January. Gold mining companies also traded higher during this mornings advance. Barrick Gold, AngloGold Ashanti, and Newmont Mining all posted modest gains. To read the entire article:
Gold Rallies As Dollar Dallies
Greenback falls on Greek belt-tightening, provides boost to metal prices, stocks.
By MarketNewsVideo.com
http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/03/gold-barrick-anglogold-markets-equities-silver-marketnewsvideo.html?partner=email
Gold Rallies As Dollar Dallies
Greenback falls on Greek belt-tightening, provides boost to metal prices, stocks.
By MarketNewsVideo.com
http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/03/gold-barrick-anglogold-markets-equities-silver-marketnewsvideo.html?partner=email
Thursday, January 7, 2010
GOLD PLAYS IN CHILE
According to Yahoo’s In Play, January 7, 2010, New Gold (NGD) announced that it will enter into a partnership with Goldcorp Inc. (GG), and exercise the right of first refusal to acquire 70% of the El Morro copper-gold project in Chile for $463 million. NGD provided notice to Xstrata Copper Chile, a subsidiary of Xstrata (XSRAF.PK), of the exercise of its right of first refusal. New Gold is currently a 30% joint venture partner in El Morro with Xstrata. Goldcorp will loan $463 M to New Gold to fund acquisition. Once New Gold has acquired the 70% interest through a subsidiary, it will sell that subsidiary to Goldcorp. At the same Goldcorp will pay $50 to New Gold and the parties will amend the terms of the existing El Morro Shareholders Agreement to further increase the value of New Gold's 30% interest in the El Morro project.
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