TSX Venture Exchange May 15-18

Falling metal prices conspired to weigh the TSX Venture Index down 35.05 points, ending the holiday-shortened May 15-18 trading period at 3,274.6.

But the index was not without its stars.

Shining particularly bright was Golden Chalice. The Vancouver-based company was the period’s most actively traded and the largest gainer by percentage — rising a staggering 517% to $1.78 per share.

The news that sent the small company into the stratosphere was the announcement of a wide nickel intercept from its Langmuir project, located just south of Timmins, Ont. Golden Chalice’s first hole hit 72.5 metres (from 99.5 metres depth) grading 1.14% nickel.

The good news coincided with slightly higher nickel prices — the metal being one of few to makes gains on the week — at US$24.53 per lb.

First Point Minerals was next on the most popular list, trading roughly 11.1 million shares after announcing the acquisition of two early stage nickel properties in B.C. The company gained 2.5 for the period and ended the week at 20 per share.

News from North American Gem that it had defined numerous uranium targets at its Bonny Fault property, in northern Alberta, had the Vancouver-based company’s shares changing hands 8.4 million times. The news helped lift the company’s share price 3 to 21 for the period.

Far from the famed grasslands that it’s named after, Serengeti Resources made big market gains on drill results at its Kwanika copper-gold property in B.C. Shares in the company climbed 51% to $3.34 after announcing highlights of 328 metres grading 0.61% copper and 0.72 gram gold per tonne.

Disappointing drill results from its Falea project in Mali, West Africa, cut Rockgate Capital’s share price in half. Intervals such as 0.034% uranium and 0.402% copper over only 4.5 metres caused shares to plummet from $4.30 to a dismal $2.15 the day after results were announced on May 16. The company’s shares were recovering somewhat at presstime to trade at $2.83.

Bad news on the uranium front also stung International Arimex Resources. News from its 3-hole, 549-metre program at its Key Lake project, in Saskatchewan’s Athabasca basin, sent the Vancouver-based company tumbling 37% or 8 to 13 on 4.2 million shares traded. Highlights including 0.15 metre of 0.058% U3O8 starting at 184.7 metres depth weren’t nearly enough to stave off the fall.

Randsburg International returned to the board for the first time since its shares were barred from trading last August. The cease trade order was imposed for publishing a non-compliant resource and failing to file a technical report on its Titan iron-titanium-vanadium project, in Ontario. The company’s shares resumed trading on May 15 and fell 60% to 69 before climbing to 72 at presstime.

TSX-V most active issues

		VOLUME(000s)	HIGH	LOW	CLOSE		CHANGE
Golden Chalice	GCR	37324	1.82	0.78	1.73	+	1.45
First Point	FPX	11095	0.27	0.18	0.20	+	0.025
Afri-Can Marin	AFA	11038	0.43	0.33	0.38	–	0.04
North Am Gem	NAG	8482	0.25	0.18	0.21	+	0.035
Starfire Mnrls	SFR	8315	0.47	0.31	0.33	–	0.015
Searchgold Res	RSG	7223	0.225	0.175	0.215		-0.00
Crowflight Mnl	CML	6854	1.25	1.02	1.15	–	0.04
Rockgate Cap	RGT	6715	4.50	1.65	2.68	–	1.73
Blackstone Res	BLV	5907	1.35	1.00	1.25		-0.00
Plexmar Res	PLE	5300	0.495	0.365	0.425	+	0.04

TSX-V greatest value change

		VOLUME	CLOSE		CHANGE
Golden Chalice	GCR	37323819	1.73	+	1.45
Serengeti Res	SIR	4690085	3.34	+	1.13
Mag Silver	MAG	597500	12.44	+	1.04
Dynasty Met&Mn	DMM	681074	6.20	+	1.01
Franconia Mnls	FRA	741102	3.99	+	0.89
BRC Diamond	BRC	11500	6.81	+	0.81
Belvedere Res	BEL	877847	2.55	+	0.45
MBMI Res	MBR	1142401	2.84	+	0.44
Liberty Mines	LBE	1646581	4.01	+	0.44
Rome Res	RMR	13400	2.19	+	0.43
Rockgate Cap	RGT	6715484	2.68	–	1.73
Osisko Explora	OSK	571744	11.35	–	1.34
Norwood Res	NRS	1620301	2.18	–	0.63
Arizona Star	AZS	120000	12.95	–	0.55
Western Prospc	WNP	139401	4.42	–	0.53
Pac Booker Min	BKM	21477	11.51	–	0.49
Northern Dyn M	NDM	597943	13.07	–	0.47
Asia Gold	ASG	70926	4.45	–	0.40
Randsburg Intl	RGZ	565648	0.70	–	0.40
East Asia Mnls	EAS	706000	1.24	–	0.39

TSX-V greatest percentage change

		VOLUME(000s)	HIGH	LOW	CLOSE		CHANGE
Golden Chalice	GCR	37324	1.82	0.78	1.73	+	517.8
Sedex Mng	SDN	3604	0.17	0.105	0.14	+	55.5
Serengeti Res	SIR	4690	3.85	2.55	3.34	+	51.1
United Reef	URP	1929	0.255	0.17	0.25	+	47.0
Newstrike Res	NR	556	0.75	0.56	0.72	+	44.0
Mano River Res	MNO	58	0.25	0.21	0.25	+	38.8
Goldcrest Res	GCL	3153	0.345	0.27	0.345	+	38.0
Running Fox Rs	RUN	1429	1.09	0.73	1.02	+	37.8
Nortec Vent	NVT	1321	0.29	0.20	0.275	+	37.5
Amador Gold	AGX	2560	0.21	0.135	0.19	+	35.7
Rockgate Cap	RGT	6715	4.50	1.65	2.68	–	39.2
Intl Arimex R	IEA	4244	0.215	0.12	0.13	–	36.5
Randsburg Intl	RGZ	566	0.81	0.60	0.70	–	36.3
Sanatana Diam	STA	140	0.51	0.40	0.40	–	27.2
Affinor Res	AFI	44	0.165	0.14	0.14	–	26.3
Medalli on Res	MDL	20	0.345	0.32	0.32	–	25.5
Rupert Res	RUP	80	0.66	0.48	0.50	–	24.2
East Asia Mnls	EAS	706	1.60	1.15	1.24	–	23.9
Hellix Vent	HEL	59	0.45	0.38	0.40	–	23.0
Norwood Res	NRS	1620	2.76	1.85	2.18	–	22.4