Gold dipped as low as $1,153 overnight before bargain hunters stepped in…as of 8:20 am Pacific, bullion is down $5 an ounce at $1,162…Silver is flat at $15.72…Copper is off 4 cents at $2.64…Crude Oil is 40 cents lower at $49.60 while the U.S. Dollar Index has added more than half a point to 98.41…
In a research note published yesterday, UBS stated: “Prices below $1,200 could well be what is needed right now to encourage more activity across physical markets and aid a recovery towards the psychological level.”
Mineweb’s Lawrence Williams sees the growing potential of a global Gold supply deficit within a year as he wrote in a piece yesterday (www.mineweb.com):
“The latest SGE withdrawals suggest Chinese Gold demand for the first two months of the year will likely have come in at between 410 and 420 tonnes, fairly similar to 2014 when total withdrawals from the exchange came to 2,102 tonnes for the full year. Global new mined Gold production for the same period will have been around 480 tonnes and global scrap supplies, based on GFMS/World Gold Council estimates, around 180 tonnes, so China on its own has been consuming around 85% of global new mined supply and nearly two-thirds of the total global Gold supply (including scrap) given sales out of the Gold ETFs have been negligible, or even negative, so far this year. With other Asian and Middle Eastern nations in particular tending to be strong Gold consumers, notably India, we would reiterate our view that global Gold supply is heading for a potential deficit, and perhaps a substantial one, in 2015.”
Understanding Gold’s Movements In Canadian Dollars
For additional perspective, it’s helpful to look at Gold not just in U.S. dollar terms…
Gold in Canadian dollars has declined $170 an ounce or 10.4% since its late January high, through yesterday, but keep in mind that this was after a powerful run of nearly 30% that started in early November…basically, what we’ve seen is a very normal 50% retracement of the November-December-January advance…
Very overbought conditions emerged by mid-January as resistance was tested around $1,625…an “unwinding” of those conditions has been occurring over the last 6 weeks with the Gold price in Canadian dollars expected to find support around $1,450…yesterday’s close was $1,469…
Just below chart support at $1,450 is the rising 200-day SMA at $1,415…a test of the 200-day is certainly possible, but the bottom line is that Gold is looking quite healthy in Canadian dollars and that’s good news for Canadian Gold producers and near-term producers…
Richmont Mines (RIC, TSX) Update
Speaking of producers, our top Canadian play remains Richmont Mines (RIC, TSX-V) which also smartly took advantage of the strength in Gold prices recently to complete a $38.5 million financing (bought deal) by issuing 9.6 million shares at $4 per share (no warrants)…
Richmont was already in a healthy financial position but will use the additional funds to accelerate the development of the higher-grade resource extension at its Island Gold mine in northern Ontario…
Any weakness in Richmont, brought on by a softening of Gold prices, is an opportunity in our view given the very bullish prospects for this company due primarily to what’s unfolding at the Island Gold mine…Richmont’s net earnings in fiscal 2014 were 18 cents per share…the company reported Gold sales of 94,500 ounces, revenues increased 47% over 2013 while operating cash flow jumped 689%…powerful fundamentals are underpinning Richmont which could easily break out to new all-time highs over the next year or so…
Technically, RIC has been following an uptrend line in place since the second quarter of last year…that support is being tested again now…we’ll see if it holds…if not, there are additional layers of support…the 200-day SMA of course also continues to rise and it’s currently just below $3…
RIC is up a penny at $3.69 as of 8:20 am Pacific…
RIC 4-Year Weekly Chart
Gold Bullion Development Corp. (GBB, TSX-V) Update
Our recent visit to northwest Quebec’s Cadillac Trend (we have another one coming up) convinced us that the most undervalued opportunity is Gold Bullion Development (GBB, TSX-V) which is just 1 permit away from getting the green light to put the Granada Gold mine into production…GBB’s advantage is its high-grade “rolling start”, ore (proven and probable reserves) grading several grams per tonne that will be extracted from open-pits and trucked to IAMGOLD Corp.’s (IMG, TSX) Westwood mill a short distance down the “Golden Highway”…the after-tax payback period on the 3-year rolling start is estimated at just 8 months (CAPEX is minimal relative to most start-up operations), and that’s based on a projected Canadian Gold price of $1,400 an ounce and Oil prices at $1.30 per liter…the economics make sense with this…
What sets GBB apart on the Cadillac Trend is the size and grade of its open-pit resource, and of course the potential to substantially increase that resource as the LONG Bars Zone remains open in all directions for expansion…particularly interesting is the new discovery potential going west where higher grades also seem to be present…the potential going west was overlooked back in 2010–2011 following the discovery to the east of the past producing pits…
It’s important to keep in mind with GBB that given the increased number of mergers and acquisitions in the sector recently, it has to be considered a potential target for a larger company – especially with the production stage more imminent…GBB’s current market cap of $12 million is well below where it should be when one compares this company to its peers in Quebec…
We’ll have more as the week progresses on GBB including additional comments from an interview with President and CEO Frank Basa…
Technically, GBB remains in good shape on this 10-year monthly “Big Picture” chart…a very important breakout occurred last year above the long-term downtrend line, sell pressure is in decline, and the ADX indicator supports a continuing positive trend…
GBB is unchanged at 4 cents as of 8:20 am Pacific…
Oil Update
The potential of even lower Oil prices is bullish for Canadian Gold producers, especially those with open-pit operations, and WTIC could soon re-test support around $45 if it’s not able to gain traction above strong resistance at $50…this area also includes the 50-day SMA…
Significantly, the U.S. industry has not slowed its high levels of Oil production despite OPEC’s best efforts to curb drilling with lower prices…the U.S. has pumped more than 9 million barrels a day since early November, and last week it produced a multi-decade high of 9.32 million barrels…industry output has not been at such a level on a sustained basis since the 1970’s, and U.S. crude supplies are reported at their highest levels in 80 years…
The U.S. rig count continues to drop – the market has taken some encouragement from this recently – but there’s not a strong correlation between those numbers and actual production levels…
WTIC 2 Year Weekly Chart
Today’s Equity Markets
Asia
Wow…wholesale prices in China continue to be entrenched in deflation…they fell 4.8% in February, above estimates of a 4.3% drop, and this was after a 4.3% decline in January…
The Shanghai Composite fell 15 points overnight while Japan’s Nikkei average lost 125 points or less than 1%…
Europe
European markets are down significantly today with investor sentiment impacted by weakness in Oil and uncertainty surrounding negotiations with Greece regarding reforms tied to its emergency financing…
North America
The Dow has fallen 184 points as of 8:20 am Pacific…the continued strength of the U.S. dollar – it’s at a 12-year-high – has become a concern for the market…
In Toronto, the TSX is off 148 points as of 8:20 am Pacific while the Venture has slid 4 points to 677…
Visible Gold Mines (VGD, TSX-V) Updated Chart
Visible Gold Mines (VGD, TSX-V) continues to show strength as drilling progresses at its 167 Project that comprises a whopping 1156 mining claims covering 611 sq. km in northern Quebec…it’s located approximately 320 km north of Chibougamau in the James Bay region in the heart of Plan Nord territory…road construction gave VGD some early clues that this area holds great promise for potential Gold mineralization and deposits, so it’ll be interesting to see if any of these holes connect…this is exciting grassroots exploration that could result in some important new discoveries…
VGD remains firmly within an upsloping channel on this 9-month weekly chart, and may have started “Wave 5” in a move that commenced last September at 6.5 cents…
VGD is up a penny at 18.5 cents as of 8:20 am Pacific…
Cannabix Technologies Inc. (BLO, CSE, BLOZF, OTC) Update
Cannabix Technologies (BLO, CSE), an impressive first-mover in the marijuana breathalyzer space, has initiated internal testing of the alpha version of the breathalyzer prototype in advance of releasing a beta version for trial testing with external organizations…
Technically, as you can see on John’s U.S. 5-month daily chart, BLO continues to consolidate within a bullish pennant after a big run-up last month that took it to an all-time high of 77 cents…the “accumulation” zone is marked in yellow – that’s a strong support band that runs from 23 cents U.S. into the mid-30’s, or from 30 cents CDN to 47 cents CDN…
BLO is off half a penny at 40.5 cents on the CSE as of 8:20 am Pacific…
Note: John and Jon both hold share positions in BLO and GBB.
ZEN.V really moving the past couple of days. Look out after the PEA is released.
Comment by Dan — March 10, 2015 @ 7:34 am
Look at ATE today, wow.
Well, a lot of this and that on GBB. If we only had a crystal ball.
There are some in my portfolio that I do not mention here, for the simple fact that one might think I’m crazy. I did mention IN just once and she is doing well right now as well as NAR.
ARY could possibly leave the station today.
I like BLO, but I have always wondered about this scenerio. Jon, feel free to help. I missed a big run in BLO by not entering early, but what happens if thier proto type does not work, this stock can come crashing down.
Lastly, I will throw out my thought on a takeover. I think that the only stock that has a shot at a legitimate take over NEAR TERM is FCU.
Comment by dave — March 10, 2015 @ 7:41 am
Yes Bert,I agree, with the results and potential size of it you would think it would, but I shake my head and look at most stocks mentioned on this site, 500 looks to be a pretty good day so far.gezz!!!
Comment by Tombc — March 10, 2015 @ 8:09 am
I have finally come to the conclusion that the Venture exchange is
broken, period. Companies are struggling & the rules they have to
adhere to, are not helping. I look at & compare the stringent regulations
in place, as being the same as what drives traders, it’s the greed of it all.
Most companies are not driven by profits, instead it’s the expenses they
have to endure, not only with the exchange, but the drills & folks who run
them, as well as the other expenses involved.. Contrary to what some may
state, we need more than a winner to turn things around, it’s wishful
thinking… No doubt folks will want to participate in a winner, but why
would they want to take profits & invest in losers, which will remain
losers, in this environment. Not only are the authorities unfriendly to
companies but are the same to investors. I previously mentioned how they halt
a stock if & when it moves up quickly, but i have never witnessed a stock
being halted for moving down. I admit there are exceptions to every rule, but
it’s difficult to find enjoyment in this game today, in fact, what do it mean,
where’s the dictionary plese ?
Comment by Bert — March 10, 2015 @ 10:03 am
In all my years in this market and the thousand of reverse splits/rollbacks, I’m very hard pressed to come up with but a very few that have succeeded.
The net result is the share price goes back down to the pre-rollback price
The company always say “for the benefit of the shareholders” we need to do this. TOTAL BS
(pardon my French) 🙂
Unless the rollback is accompanied by a financing with management buying in: I, immediately sell any stock
Comment by ChartTrader — March 10, 2015 @ 10:03 am
ZEN.V is helping out the venture exchange today!
Comment by Dan — March 10, 2015 @ 11:20 am
A lot of talk about the number of shares outstanding in GBB, all that matters is the market cap.
Comment by mike — March 10, 2015 @ 11:23 am
Oh my dear Bert. That last sip of the drink got to you my buddy. Check your grammer and spelling at the end. Te he
Its gonna be ok I think. There is a possibility I may take a trip up to Nova Scotia later this year. I may look ya up if I do.
Comment by dave — March 10, 2015 @ 11:26 am
Dear Dave
Oh how you can be so wrong, no drinking at this end, in fact i
can write a story a day long & without a drink, may i add. Because
you highlighted my spelling, i feel i must throw one your way,
grammer, correct spelling grammar, so there you go. I don’t suppose
you are drinking are you ? You can visit me anytime, but since i
told you i am a Newfoundlander, i feel you may get lost in Nova
Scotia. By the way, can you swim ? we are surrounded by water.
All in fun.
Comment by Bert — March 10, 2015 @ 11:59 am
i cant help but laugh Bert. I dont drink either, and i cant swim so i guess i am in trouble.
Comment by dave — March 10, 2015 @ 1:15 pm
DBV has an updated company powerpoint up on their website. It has Dr Razique’s comments/interpretation of the system as well as revised drill targets.
Comment by d4 — March 10, 2015 @ 1:35 pm
Geez, probably could have picked up a few WRR at .035 today. Dave, when do you think drilling will start? I know the PP just closed but it’s not like they don’t know where to drill. It does take time to hire a drilling contractor and get set up but I suspect it wouldn’t take that long.
Comment by Dan — March 10, 2015 @ 2:07 pm
Mike–I agree with you on market shares. A company is worth what its worth regardless. Carl N
Comment by Carl — March 10, 2015 @ 3:13 pm
I am with you bert with regards to GBB. The constant dilution is a red flag to me and chances are, being a 4 cent stock in a horrible market, they will have to issue more at some point. GBB has created zero value for their shareholders. I would be careful on that one.
Comment by seamus — March 10, 2015 @ 3:24 pm
Dan, You would have not picked up any WRR at .035. There is a long line ahead of you waiting to steal some. Drilling should start before end of March. That’s the game plan. Zen doing well for you.
Comment by dave — March 10, 2015 @ 3:35 pm
Probably correct Dave. There were massives bids at .035. Oh well. Yes ZEN is doing well. Now if GGI and WRR can start their engines…..
Comment by Dan — March 10, 2015 @ 3:43 pm
Seamus
No doubt, one has to be careful. The share structure is the first thing
that i always consider. There will come a time when the shares o/s will
equal something & it may not be in our favor. I have a stock now with
little over 200 million shares o/s., but it seems, i grew up with it.
I speak for myself only & anyone willing to participate in GBB., i wish
them the best of luck. If a stock happens to move up without me, so be it.
My cash will be saved for something i can relax with. Good night !
Comment by Bert — March 10, 2015 @ 3:48 pm
Jon, what about that interview with Regoci? When will it be released?
Comment by Dan — March 10, 2015 @ 4:33 pm
Hi Dan – I’m just giving out humor. Not “there were” but rather “there are” still massive bids at .035
Comment by dave — March 10, 2015 @ 5:09 pm
D4 thanks for that info on DBV web site I think its very professional and lets face it Dr Razique worked with the best and is the worlds authority on Copper Porphyry’s. My ex boss Adi Maryono from the Intrepid days in Indonesia worked with Dr. Razique BHP in Pakistan and hold him in very high estimate and said don’t worry if it’s there he will find it for sure.
This sure give me more confidence to invest more in the window of great opportunity once again thanks for this great info
Cheers
Eddie
Comment by Eddie — March 10, 2015 @ 5:12 pm
BERT!
Were you able to make contact with CEO of Walker River WRR?
Pls let us know what you found out as I’m heading that drilling maybe delayed till mid May.
Comment by Jeff — March 10, 2015 @ 6:07 pm
We have more with Regoci later this week, Dan. He’s very upbeat at the moment and for good reason.
Comment by Jon - BMR — March 11, 2015 @ 3:25 am
Frank from GBB posted a link to the company’s shareholder rights bylaws in the GBB website forum. Basically it triggers share rights to shareholders if a hostile takeover is successful. Looks like a friendly takeover or not and GBB shares are going to soar.
Comment by Ted — March 11, 2015 @ 5:08 am
Jeff – Got email from Michal last Friday. They are going to drill this month. Careful with rumors you hear.
Comment by dave — March 11, 2015 @ 6:07 am
Jon, I have a question for you and I am not trying to put you on the spot. WHY would you not recommend FCU to your readers with it being a potential buyout near term?
Comment by dave — March 11, 2015 @ 6:09 am
We’ve mentioned FCU quite often, Dave, and exactly in that context…I also suspect we’ve run at least 20 charts on FCU over the last 2 years…we’ve been too busy to bring it up again in the last few weeks, but certainly it’s on our radar screen…
Comment by Jon - BMR — March 11, 2015 @ 6:13 am
Jeff
I am a little late this a.m… I recently phoned WRR & a male
answered, giving me a choice of 2 companies. I replied Walker
Resources & a female started talking in french, or some kind of
language foreign to me. I waited & waited, she could be still
talking, as far as i know, but to put it mildly, i was disappointed.
If a Canadian company can’t answer the phone to my satisfaction, that
company may be history in my portfolio soon. It don’t take much to
discourage me these days. R !
Comment by Bert — March 11, 2015 @ 7:26 am