1. Gold rallied to its highest level in 5 weeks yesterday but has backed off on profit taking today…as of 7:00 am Pacific, bullion is down $11 an ounce at $1,342…holdings of SPDR Gold Trust, the world’s largest Gold-backed exchange-traded fund, fell 0.38% to 847.30 tonnes yesterday from 850.54 tonnes on Friday…Silver has slipped 15 cents to $16.52…the record net short positioning and possible short-covering activity in Silver could make the metal a particularly strong performer during the next leg up in precious metals, according to TD Securities…base metals are up slightly…Copper and Nickel are each up 2 cents at $2.99 and $5.87, respectively, while Zinc has added a penny at $1.49…Cobalt has eased off 34 cents to $42.75…Crude Oil is down 14 cents at $65.41 while the U.S. Dollar Index is flat at 89.05…
2. U.S. consumer confidence declined moderately in March, slightly missing expectations, after reaching an 18-year high in February according to data released this morning by the Conference Board. “Consumers’ assessment of current conditions declined slightly, with business conditions the primary reason for the moderation. Consumers’ short-term expectations also declined, including their outlook for the stock market, but overall expectations remain quite favorable. Despite the modest retreat in confidence, index levels remain historically high and suggest further strong growth in the months ahead,” the Conference Board stated…
3. Crude Oil has climbed by more than 7% so far this month and by 5.3% in the first 3 months of the year, putting it on track for a 3rd consecutive quarterly gain, something the market has not witnessed since late 2010…strength in WTI and Brent is due to 3 factors: 1) A stable OPEC output level thanks to impressive compliance with an Oil supply-cutting deal; 2) Supply-side geopolitical developments in Venezuela, Libya and Iran, the most acute of which is Iran; and 3) Bullish chart dynamics…all of this is helping to offset a continued rise in U.S. Crude production which has grown by nearly 25% in under 2 years to above 10 million barrels per day…it’s important to note that Canada is lagging behind its competitors in the Oil sector as Western Canadian select prices are badly trailing WTIC and are in fact down sharply this year because of a lack of pipeline capacity, a serious problem that is costing the national economy at least $50 million a day…politicians don’t seem to care, however, as the international perception of Canada as an Oil leader erodes…even Canadian institutions are now skeptical about investing in the Oil and gas sector in Canada, thanks to the lack of export pipeline space, Canada’s failure to match U.S. reductions in corporate taxes, higher personal taxes north of the border, and numerous reviews and changes to regulatory systems that create uncertainty…ENOUGH IS ENOUGH…concerned Canadians can make a difference, and can start to take their country back, beginning with phone calls and letters of complaint to their local MP’s…
4. The fact that Wacky Weaver’s Green Party in British Columbia opposes the development of a robust LNG industry in the province (in addition, of course, to the critically needed expansion of the Kinder Morgan pipeline) defies all logic…more evidence of that today as the Financial Post’s Claudia Cattaneo wrote this morning that a new report has found that First Nations in B.C. support the establishment of a liquefied natural gas sector, further discrediting the green movement’s false narrative that Canada’s Indigenous communities are opposed to fossil fuel projects…according to a joint report co-authored by the B.C. government and the First Nations LNG Alliance, the nascent sector enjoys such high Indigenous support that many are in fact upset that projects haven’t been built yet. “There have been many positive impacts to First Nations communities related to LNG development, prior to any construction,” according to the report, made public yesterday. “Much capacity has been created due to these projects. However, expectations have also been raised. Now, First Nations leaders are trying to deal with their constituents’ frustration because of the delays or cancellation of these projects.” If Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne is the most dangerous woman in Canada, as best-selling Canadian author Jordan Peterson rightly claims, then Andrew (Wacky) Weaver is the most dangerous man…his actions are almost treasonous as he has consistently participated in foreign-funded, foreign-orchestrated smear campaigns against Canadian jobs related to the resource sector…he’s also against the largest proposed industrial project in B.C. history, a possible $40 billion investment by LNG Canada, for fear it will “add 8 to 10 megatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions”…
5. The Philippines’ mining council has again pushed back the deadline for completion of a review of 26 mines ordered shut or suspended last year…former Environment Secretary Gina Lopez, a favorite among climate change activists in Canada, ordered the closures as part of a mining crackdown led by President Rodrigo Duterte…the new delay means the review likely won’t be completed until August or September, according to a Department of Finance statement today, after an initial pledge to finish it by the end of last year…the miners have appealed the shutdowns and are still operational, so Nickel from those mines is still making its way into the market…the Philippines is the world’s 2nd-largest exporter of Nickel behind Indonesia…
6. The Dow enjoyed its biggest point gain in a decade yesterday while the NASDAQ recorded its best point gain in 17 years…in percentage terms, it was the best advance in the U.S. equity markets in nearly 3 years as the Dow surged 669 points while the NASDAQ climbed 228 points…as of 7:00 am Pacific, the Dow is up 54 points while the NASDAQ has edged slightly higher…in Toronto, the TSX is down 34 points while the Venture has slipped 3 points to 813…Cobalt 27 (KBLT, TSX-V), closing in on its $14 high from last November, has launched a Mandarin Chinese website…KBLT Chairman Anthony Milewski commented, “As our business continues to expand, many of the automakers, OEMs, battery manufacturers and investors who are expressing interest in Cobalt 27, are located in China and the broader Southeast Asia Region. With the launch of our Chinese language website, we hope to further broaden the reach of our audience within the region and globally. We believe our company is becoming of strategic interest to a large group of investors and industry players.”
7. Datametrex AI (DM, TSX-V) has firmed up on news that the company is in the final stages of negotiations with its partner, ABC Solutions, to implement an AI and blockchain solution for the real estate development and infrastructure division for Hyundai Corporation, the second largest conglomerate in South Korea…this opportunity is across Hyundai’s vast worldwide real estate holdings…the Nexalogy AI product, Nexa Intelligence, will be used to analyze the large amount of data gathered across various real estate sites, with a focus on security and Smart City initiatives…the utility and billing information will be collected in a private blockchain platform developed by DM’s subsidiary, Graph Blockchain, giving it greater authentication and verification. Jeff Stevens, Datametrex President and CEO, stated: “Hyundai Corporation is a great platform to showcase our AI and blockchain solutions. The opportunity to penetrate many divisions with our partner, ABC Solutions, within Hyundai, will position Datametrex well in the AI and blockchain sector.”
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Jon:
IMR chart doesn’t look good.
You mentioned update today.
What’s happening.
Comment by GoldenFalcons — March 27, 2018 @ 9:19 am
I looks just fine, GoldenFalcons, as the drop has been on low volume and there is superb support at 8 cents which was the top of the horizontal channel going back a few years…that drill starts turning, and kaboom, this flies…
Comment by Jon - BMR — March 27, 2018 @ 9:28 am
Jon: Any thoughts on AIS activity. Seems like anon is playing both sides of it now. Cheap paper should be gone now. Are we just seeing shorts/manipulators working the stock?
Comment by adrobyshev — March 27, 2018 @ 9:52 am
I wouldn’t read too much into it, adrobyshev—month-end settlement today with the overall Venture rather weak despite another jump in the broader markets…
Comment by Jon - BMR — March 27, 2018 @ 10:26 am
Any thoughts on CLM slide down Jon?
Thanks
Comment by Ejdsr1957 — March 27, 2018 @ 10:41 am
Thanks, Jon!
Comment by adrobyshev — March 27, 2018 @ 11:28 am
I’m not surprised to see AIS floundering, but am a bit surprised to see the weakness continue in CCW and IMR ….. and of course CLM as well ! However, I am quite surprised to see GGI trading under $2.50 in light of the fact that the Biggest Play this coming 2018 season is about to begin. Nice to continue to accumulate shares but really, where are the ” biggies ” ?? I suppose they’re waiting to see what the next Hole brings ?? These Month ends are so painful to see, unless of course one has cash kicking around. Take PAS for example …. down to .41 earlier today ….. Farmer
Comment by farmer — March 27, 2018 @ 11:32 am
Hello Jon,
Is it normal trading for this time of the year in the Venture ? Do I miss something somewhere or is it something special happening that I don’t see? I’m bloody red everywhere and it seems an endless story….no interesting news from much of our plays!!! Jeeezzzzz….it is long and boring and suffering !!!! Am I the only one ???
Comment by Sylvain — March 27, 2018 @ 11:42 am
Jon, bunch of selling from RBC – even at end of day for AIS…that what you’re talking about? Month-end stuff?
Comment by BigBid — March 27, 2018 @ 1:04 pm
Why are you surprised by AIS weakness Farmer? Drilling starts soon…marketing starts with drilling…Argentine government has some big cases they are working on…
Comment by BigBid — March 27, 2018 @ 1:52 pm
I only own 10000 shares of CXO but I just got a call from Kingsdale Advisors urging me to vote blue
Comment by DavidW — March 27, 2018 @ 3:33 pm
Yo BigBird ….. I wrote ” I’m not surprised to see AIS floundering ” …. I’m not surprised by the weakness , heck , the sp got up to over .50 a few days back and now the Shorts are covering again …. no surprises !!
Comment by farmer — March 27, 2018 @ 3:41 pm
Drilling season is about to begin.in North America ( snow) and South America ( heat and rain ) lithium areas. Imr, Mts Ggi,Ais, Clm, etc should respond accordingly. We have survived the Winter news vacuum.
Comment by donald — March 28, 2018 @ 4:20 am
Hi Jon, I know you’ve seen a lot over the years…is it SLIGHTLY concerning the lack of consistent volume it seems in resources at the moment?
Lol, I hear you Farmer!
Comment by BigBid — March 28, 2018 @ 6:43 am
We went through the same thing during various periods last year, BigBid…Oil and metals have been on the right path since the beginning of 2016 and those uptrends remain very much intact…a better political environment for Canadian resource stocks is not far off with the upcoming election in Ontario – that should definitely help…plus, the sector needs some fresh discoveries for a confidence booster…on that note, GGI’s upcoming drilling at Nickel Mountain is important not just for the company but the sector as a whole…the greatest profit opportunities are born during periods of investor negativity as late 2015/early 2016 proved yet again, so there’s much to look forward to…
Comment by Jon - BMR — March 28, 2018 @ 7:07 am
Fair enough. Considering gold/silver, especially gold cannot hold $1350 much less levels below it, do you think that adds to skepticism for folks wanting to invest in the equities or is that too general of an assumption? On a side-note, I read an article that says a mg/li ratio less than 10 is economic. AIS is sampling 1 to 1 for Guayatayoc. Millennial Lithium has a mg/li ratio of 6.3 for Pastos Grandes. Pretty darn impressive for AIS.
Comment by BigBid — March 28, 2018 @ 7:17 am
Be patient on Gold, BigBid, as the trend is very encouraging…yes, there’s quite a bit of resistance not just at $1,350 but from $1,350 to $1,370…don’t expect instant gratification regarding a breakout but $1,400+ is coming if you look at all the technical and fundamental factors…Gold stocks of course move not just on the price, but on company results and new discoveries that get the market excited…Gold stocks have been under-performing against the metal but that too will change in due course…
Comment by Jon - BMR — March 28, 2018 @ 7:22 am
Agreed. I’m still getting used to this sector…when it rains, it doesn’t pour, it FLOODS – both ways.
Comment by BigBid — March 28, 2018 @ 7:30 am
Right on cue, the Venture wrapped up 2017 on a robust note with a new 2017 and 26-month intra-day high of 854 and a fresh closing high of 851 on strong volume.
You heard it here first – this is a market with unstoppable underlying technical momentum that is sure to produce significantly higher Index levels in 2018 including an impressive run in Q1 based on current dynamics and historical trading.
maybe q2??
Comment by Jeremy — March 28, 2018 @ 7:50 am
Jon:
What’s happening to CLM?
It just keeps dropping.
Comment by GoldenFalcons — March 28, 2018 @ 8:02 am
On relatively light volume, GoldenFalcons, but I commented on this yesterday…if some nervous nellies want to provide some cheap paper, more than happy to suck it out of them…
Comment by Jon - BMR — March 28, 2018 @ 8:14 am
Count Dracula no match for BMR Jon….
Comment by BigBid — March 28, 2018 @ 8:27 am
WOWWWWW ….. never mind CLM …. look at CCW go for a dive ….. Yikes !!!
Comment by farmer — March 28, 2018 @ 8:34 am
Off hand question BMR, how could you compare Lithium grade to say a g/t gold grade? Is that through mg/li ratio?
Comment by BigBid — March 28, 2018 @ 8:46 am
Jon, the tsx venture is taking a major beating, we’re seeing pre 805 resistance levels again, and my largest holding CCW is taking a big hit… any idea when this will all stop?
Thanks!
Comment by TradingAgent — March 28, 2018 @ 9:00 am