Trading Summary (March 10, 2004)

The utility sector provided the only glimmer of light on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Wednesday, scarping together 0.78 of a point to make 157.43 points. The miners were led the rest southward; the diversified miners slipped 4.6% to 213.39 while the golds fell 3.5% to 210.49. Overall, the S&P/TSX composite index finished 164.89 points lower at 8,585.42.

Wheaton River Minerals was the most traded miner with around 10.2 million shares making their way 14 lower to $3.78. The company is due to release its fourth-quarter and year-end financial results on Mar. 15, 2004, a few weeks earlier than previously planned.

Next in line was Constellation Copper, which dropped 1.5 to 11.5 on about 4.7 million shares. Teck Cominco was right behind dropping $1.85 to $22.90 on 4.5 million shares.

Other big losers were Swedish miner Boliden, off $1.05, or more than 15%, at $5.70, uranium explorer UEX, minus 7.5, or 14%, at 46.5, and General Minerals, which shed 30, or 11.5%, to $2.30.

Boliden recently said that it has hedged 40% of its planned Swedish copper production from April 2004 to end of March 2005 at an average price of US$1.27 per lb., well above its planning prices. The company has already hedged part of its silver production for 2004 and part of its gold production for 2004 and 2005.

Standing out with gains were Afcan Mining and Gitennes Exploration. Afcan jumped 4, or 10.3%, to 43; Gitennes did the same to end at 39. Shares in Afcan began trading on the TSX on Mar. 10, 2004. The company has some 83.1 million shares issued and outstanding.