Toronto Stock Exchange December 19-20

The Toronto equity market was virtually unchanged over the two trading days Dec. 19-20, shedding 2.21 points to close at 12,782.99. Having made record highs in the previous trading period, the market was perhaps due for some profit-taking.

The metal producers were lower, but the golds, like the broader market, were down only fractionally. The metals and mining sector, on the other hand, fell 17.23 points, or 2.6% of value, to 643.06 points.

There was some weakness in base metal markets over the two trading days, as copper fell US$160 to US$6,440 per tonne (US$2.92 per lb.) on the London Metal Exchange. Zinc and lead were down comparably, although nickel lost only a little ground and aluminum gained modestly.

Index heavyweight Teck Cominco saw its B-series shares fall $3.04 to $86.98 and multiple-voting A shares fall $2.64 to $89.56.

The copper-sensitives were the biggest losers during the drop. Aur Resources was down 68 at $23.72, First Quantum Minerals fell $1.99 to $65.00 and Inmet Mining was off the same amount to $62.00. New to the index, Equinox Resources was down 7 at $2.02. Northern Orion Resources was the only winner, by the narrowest of margins: it closed 1 higher at $4.37.

Nickel makers mostly held up better than the copper producers. FNX Mining was down 19 at $17.31, LionOre Mining International drifted 21 lower to $12.64, and Sherritt International slid 53 to $11.97. Among zinc producers, HudBay Minerals was off 16 at $21.99 and Lundin Mining shed 1 to $42.50.

Last week’s jump in the uranium price — yellowcake rose US$6.50 to US$72 per lb. — was still boosting uranium producers and developers. Cameco picked up 33 to finish at $46.34, SXR Uranium One touched a 52-week high of $15.57 and finished 88 higher at $15.37, and Denison Mines was 6 better at $12.01.

Paradoxically, uranium trader Uranium Participation Corp. fell 21 to $12.38 while its asset value was rising about 10%.

The price spike also sent three uranium juniors on the Toronto board to 52-week highs: Paladin Resources rose 46 to $7.35, Khan Resources rose 12 to $3.55, and Forsys Metals rose 76 to $4.40.

The broad sideways move in the gold sector still saw a few price moves. Newmont Mining Canadian exchangeable shares were down $1.11 at $52.83, Centerra Gold, hit by a wildcat strike at its Kumtor gold mine in Kyrgyzstan, slipped 26 to $13.04, and Iamgold, which disposed of Cambior’s old interest in a Surinamese bauxite project, was shaved for a dime at $9.90.

The gainers included Eldorado Gold, which was up 18 at $6.02, and Northgate Minerals, which rose 33 to $3.93. Northgate had published a new resource estimate on its Young-Davidson gold project in north-central Ontario.

TSX greatest percentage change

		VOLUME(000s)	HIGH	LOW	CLOSE	CHANGE
Northgate wtA	NGX.WT.A	933	0.96	0.59	0.91	+65.4
Northgate M wt	NGX.WT	2967	0.94	0.59	0.91	+51.6
Inter-Citic Mn	ICI	484	1.05	0.75	0.98	+30.6
Tiomin Res	TIO	13535	0.195	0.145	0.18	+24.1
Forsys Metals	FSY	3659	4.55	3.68	4.40	+20.8
Coalcorp wt	CCJ.WT	2768	0.22	0.18	0.22	+15.7
Coalcorp Mng	CCJ	2343	0.63	0.50	0.60	+15.3
North Atlc Res	NAC	24	1.85	1.70	1.85	+12.8
Capital Gold	CGC	24	0.465	0.44	0.44	+12.8
Taseko Mines	TKO	1310	3.41	2.96	3.24	+11.7
Golden Str wtA	GSC.WT.A	94	0.19	0.13	0.13	-31.5
Mountain Prov	MPV	474	4.55	3.30	3.47	-23.7
Euro Res	EUR	12174	2.15	1.96	2.00	-21.5
SouthernEra wt	SDM.WT	94	0.07	0.06	0.06	-14.2
Rubicon Mnrls	RMX	2697	1.08	0.93	0.96	-11.9
New Gold wt	NGD.WT	14	1.30	1.21	1.21	-11.6
Globex Mng	GMX	32	6.98	6.41	6.41	-10.1
Caledonia Mng	CAL	288	0.115	0.105	0.105	-8.7
Peru Copper	PCR	274	4.71	3.93	4.00	-8.0
Energem Res	ENM	203	0.40	0.35	0.35	-7.8

TSX greatest value change

		VOLUME	CLOSE	CHANGE
Potash Cp Sask	POT	352734	161.86	+5.88
Agnico-Eag wt*	AEM.WT.U	14300	24.56	+2.01
SXR Uranm One	SXR	3639656	15.37	+0.88
Forsys Metals	FSY	3658614	4.40	+0.76
Silver Std Res	SSO	124539	35.03	+0.72
CIC Energy	ELC	185409	13.40	+0.70
Paladin Res	PDN	11147054	7.35	+0.46
Northern Peru	NOC	531484	6.68	+0.43
Guyana Gldflds	GUY	1248545	10.83	+0.42
Agnico-Eagle	AEM	978651	47.37	+0.42
Teck Comin B	TCK.B	2738759	86.98	-3.04
Inmet Mining	IMN	373149	62.00	-1.99
First Quantum	FM	1422014	65.00	-1.99
Newmont Mng	NMC	43603	52.83	-1.11
Mountain Prov	MPV	473513	3.47	-1.08
Alcan	AL	1785625	54.95	-0.84
Quadra Mng	QUA	284880	10.05	-0.74
Globex Mng	GMX	31728	6.41	-0.72
Aur Res	AUR	1749936	23.72	-0.68
Fording C C T	FDG.UN	462699	26.28	-0.58

TSX most active issues

< td>13.48

		VOLUME(000s)	HIGH	LOW	CLOSE	CHANGE
Tiberon Mnrls	TBR	16759	3.56	3.50	3.53	+0.03
Tiomin Res	TIO	13535	0.195	0.145	0.18	+0.035
Euro Res	EUR	12174	2.15	1.96	2.00	-0.55
Paladin Res	PDN	11147	7.44	6.71	7.35	+0.46
First Nickel	FNI	8928	0.74	0.65	0.66	0.00
Eldorado Gold	ELD	8790	6.25	5.87	6.02	+0.18
Goldcorp	G	8396	32.90	31.74	31.84	+0.115
Northgate Mnls	NGX	8235	3.94	3.60	3.93	+0.33
Chariot Res	CHD	7668	0.65	0.61	0.64	+0.02
Kinross Gold	K	5583	13.91	13.40	+0.15