U.S. Markets March 6-12

Stock markets south of the line made good gains during the reporting period March 6-12, as the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index rose 32.48 points, or 2.4%, to 1,406.60.

Companhia Vale do Rio Doce was the most active of the New York-listed mining stocks, rising US$3.79 to US$35.64 on a volume of 59 million shares. CVRD earned US$6.5 billion on revenues of US$20.4 billion in 2006, or US$2.69 per share; in 2005 it earned US$4.8 billion on US$13.4 billion in revenues. BHP Billiton, which rose US$2.91 to US$43.59, had the best price move among the other three of the Big Four, while Anglo American was up US$1.68 to US$24.26 and Rio Tinto moved US$9.97 higher to US$211.09.

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold picked up US$4.85 to finish at US$57.94, as Phelps Dodge crept up US$4.37 to US$126.66, now only US16 away from the market value of Freeport’s cash-and-shares bid. There was another powerful price move from Southern Copper, which closed up US$4.01 at US$68.70.

Junior molybdenum developer Idaho General Mines was up US55 at US$2.81, on the announcement that the company would follow up development of the Mount Hope molybdenum deposit in Eureka Cty., Nev., with feasibility work on the Hall-Tonopah deposit, about 200 km south, in Nye Cty.

The mid-tier golds mostly made better gains than their big brothers. Hecla Mining was up US73 at US$8.17, Randgold Resources gained US$1.70 to finish at US$23.29, and Minas Buenaventura picked up US$2.01 to end the period at US$28.09. Buenaventura spent US$145 million on clearing 25% of its hedge contracts, leaving 1.45 million oz. committed at average prices of US$315 to US$371 per oz., depending on the spot price.

Meanwhile DRDGold touched a 52-week low of US61 as the market digested a 15.7-million share issue to clear off debt. The debt-heavy company is looking for a buyer for its 79% interest in South Pacific gold producer Emperor Mines, which has closed its Vatukoula mine in Fiji but holds interests in the Porgera gold mine in Papua New Guinea. The new share issue brings its total capital to 534 million shares, almost three times the number that were out in 2000.

U.S. most active issues

		VOLUME(000s)	HIGH	LOW	CLOSE	CHANGE
CVRD*	RIO	58926	36.08	32.87	35.64	+3.79
Goldcorp*	GG	41968	25.89	24.55	24.91	+0.36
Alcoa*	AA	40670	33.62	32.00	33.42	+1.69
Freeport McMo*	FCX	36960	58.95	54.35	57.94	+4.85
Coeur d Alene*	CDE	31657	4.44	4.20	4.21	+0.10
Newmont Mng*	NEM	31633	43.53	41.90	42.85	+0.37
StreetTr Gold*	GLD	30982	65.22	63.46	64.37	+1.44
Barrick Gold*	ABX	27938	28.60	27.91	28.45	+0.58
DRDGOLD*	DROOY	24828	0.74	0.58	0.61	-0.11
Golden Star*	GSS	24179	4.24	3.65	4.23	+0.67

U.S. greatest percentage change

		VOLUME(000s)	HIGH	LOW	CLOSE	CHANGE
Golden Eagle*	MYNG	21876	0.034	0.021	0.03	+42.8
Mayfair Mg&Ml*	MFMM	35	0.35	0.24	0.33	+32.0
Uranerz Energ*	URZ	3760	5.49	4.24	5.10	+25.3
Entree Gold*	EGI	321	1.70	1.34	1.63	+25.3
Idaho Gen Mn*	GMO	798	2.89	2.25	2.81	+24.3
Ivanhoe Mines*	IVN	6673	12.21	10.00	11.95	+22.4
Konigsberg*	KGBC	125	0.21	0.17	0.20	+21.2
Metallica Res*	MRB	1288	5.00	4.13	4.92	+20.8
Rio Narcea Gd*	RNO	4954	3.64	3.05	3.60	+20.8
Wealth Minls*	WMLLF	82	3.55	2.85	3.467	+20.7
Douglas Lk Ml*	DLKM	133	1.00	0.66	0.71	-29.0
Diamond Discv*	DMDD	180	0.006	0.005	0.005	-16.6
Madison Minls*	MMRSF	69	1.00	0.531	0.575	-15.4
DRDGOLD*	DROOY	24828	0.74	0.58	0.61	-15.2
Halo Res*	HLOSF	188	0.395	0.34	0.386	-12.2
Canyon Res*	CAU	1419	0.72	0.60	0.63	-10.0
Capital Gold*	CGLD	1800	0.415	0.345	0.37	-9.9
Klondike Star*	KDSM	167	1.75	1.50	1.55	-8.2
Geocom Res*	GOCM	81	0.28	0.222	0.25	-7.4
Starfield Res*	SRFDF	586	0.24	0.20	0.22	-6.3

U.S. greatest value change

		WEEK VOLUME	CLOSE	CHANGE
Potash C Sask*	POT	6863600	161.87	+15.91
Rio Tinto*	RTP	1926800	211.09	+9.97
Yanzhou Coal*	YZC	202800	47.05	+5.55
Soc Quim&M Ch*	SQM	117600	133.94	+5.03
Cleveland-Cli*	CLF	4156300	58.37	+4.93
Freeport McMo*	FCX	36960330	57.94	+4.85
Phelps Dodge*	PD	15822700	126.66	+4.37
Southern Peru*	PCU	9895200	68.70	+4.01
Alcan*	AL	8200500	53.96	+3.86
CVRD*	RIO	58925900	35.64	+3.79
OM Group*	OMG	4450000	40.55	-2.35
Westmoreland*	WLB	159200	20.23	-0.42
Douglas Lk Ml*	DLKM	132590	0.71	-0.29
Banro Res*	BAA	55800	11.86	-0.25
Klondike Star*	KDSM	166571	1.55	-0.14
DRDGOLD*	DROOY	24828339	0.61	-0.11
Madison Minls*	MMRSF	69314	0.575	-0.105
Arizona Star*	AZS	52500	11.65	-0.077
Canyon Res*	CAU	1419300	0.63	-0.07
Halo Res*	HLOSF	187500	0.386	-0.054