Toronto Stock Exchange -Dec. 22-Jan. 4

The TSX Composite Index kicked off the New Year by keeping with the upwards momentum at the end of 2009. The benchmark rose 2.7% or 312.18 points, over the Dec. 22-Jan. 4 trading period to close at 11,866.9 points.

And rising commodity prices are prompting positive forecasts for Canada’s resource-rich economy going forward. The Capped Metals and Mining Index rose 5.1% over the period to close at 1048.07 points, and the Global Gold Index improved by 3.4% to close at 341.64 points.

Inmet Mining was the miner with the biggest dollar gain over the period, up $4.53 to $66.40 per share. The company has recently appointed University of Toronto professor David Beatty as chairman of the board, replacing a retiring Richard Ross.

Africa-focused First Quantum Minerals saw its share price rise $3.68 apiece over the period, closing at $82.18 per share on no news.

Golden Minerals shares were up $2.86 to $11.55 apiece. The company announced a private placement with the Sentient Group of 745,318 shares at $7.06 apiece, making Sentient the company’s largest stockholder with 19.9%. Golden Minerals plans to use the funds to advance its advanced-stage El Quevar silver project in northwestern Argentina. The company also announced that it will buy Hochschild Mining’s 35% interest in the El Quevar joint venture — about 100 sq. km of land of the 640-sq.-km project. Golden Minerals is paying Hochschild 400,000 shares and warrants to acquire 300,000 shares for three years at a price of $15 each. The shares issued to Hochschild will represent about 9.4% of Golden Minerals.

On the losing end of the spectrum, Nevsun Resources saw its share price fall 58¢ to $2.62 apiece. The United Nations Security Council recently decided to impose sanctions against Eritrea, where the company’s Bisha gold-silver-copper-zinc project is located. The U.N. believes Eritrea is aiding Islamist insurgents in Somalia and the company was unsure whether the U.N.’s move would have an impact on its debt financing. Nevsun is aiming to start production next fall.

Imperial Metals, operator of the Red Chris exploration project in northwest British Columbia, saw shares fall 49¢ over the period to $13.62 while Teck Resources shares fell 47¢ to $39.01.

Corriente Resources was the most heavily traded stock over the period with 21.8 million shares changing hands, pushing shares up 73¢ to $8.49. The company finally hashed out a deal to sell itself to China Railway Construction and Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group for $679 million, or about $8.60 per share. The buyers are after Corriente’s Ecuadorian copper-gold projects, Mirador and Panantza-San Carlos.

TSX most active issues
	VOLUME		WEEK
	(000s)	HIGH	LOW	CLOSE	CHANGE
Corriente Res CTQ	21793	8.56	7.48	8.49	+ 0.73
Stornoway Diam SWY	19978	0.73	0.51	0.67	+ 0.18
Breakwater Res BWR	19731	0.44	0.36	0.44	+ 0.08
Yamana Gold YRI	19394	12.48	11.73	12.28	+ 0.37
Coalcorp Mng CCJ	19382	0.34	0.22	0.25	-0.05
Eldorado Gold ELD	16968	15.46	13.98	15.30	+ 1.03
Eastern Platin ELR	16325	0.98	0.87	0.96	+ 0.07
Western C Coal WTN	16312	3.87	3.02	3.75	+ 0.57
Uranium One UUU	14684	3.09	2.89	2.99	+ 0.01
Teck B TCKB	14168	40.15	36.65	39.01	-0.47

TSX greatest percentage change
		VOLUME		WEEK
		(000s)	HIGH	LOW	CLOSE	CHANGE
EMC Metals	EMC	3516	0.28	0.10	0.22	+100.0
Zincore Mtls	ZNC	1913	0.34	0.22	0.34	+ 47.8
Mawson Res	MAW	391	0.48	0.30	0.44	+ 41.9
Stornoway Diam	SWY	19978	0.73	0.51	0.67	+ 36.7
Geovic Mng	GMC	861	0.83	0.60	0.83	+ 36.0
Arehada Mining	AHD	508	0.22	0.12	0.19	+ 35.7
Golden Mnls	AUM	29	11.60	8.70	11.55	+ 32.9
Carpathian Gld	CPN	1315	0.38	0.29	0.37	+ 32.1
Laramide Res	LAM	3002	1.81	1.30	1.71	+ 31.5
PlatinumGpMt	PTM	2205	2.39	1.72	2.29	+ 30.8
Nevsun Res	NSU	5922	3.25	2.36	2.62	-18.1
Pure Nickel	NIC	2505	0.16	0.12	0.14	-17.6
Coalcorp Mng	CCJ	19382	0.34	0.22	0.25	-16.6
Crew Gold	CRU	4218	0.14	0.11	0.12	-14.2
Globex Mng	GMX	24	1.50	1.34	1.35	-12.9
Marengo Mng	MRN	344	0.16	0.14	0.14	-12.5
La Mancha Res	LMA	1091	1.77	1.51	1.52	-11.1
Opta Minls	OPM	11	1.27	1.16	1.16	-10.0
Ursa Major Min	UMJ	85	0.10	0.09	0.09	-10.0
Mines Managmnt	MGT	16	3.20	2.84	2.95	-6.6

TSX greatest value change
WEEK
		VOLUME	CLOSE	CHANGE
Inmet Mining	IMN	745862	66.40	+ 4.53
First Quantum	FM	1379740	82.18	+ 3.68
Golden Mnls	AUM	29441	11.55	+ 2.86
Labdr I-Ore Ro	LIF_U	214702	44.00	+ 2.60
Agrium	AGU	3172066	65.54	+ 2.53
Allied Nevada	ANV	1032855	16.60	+ 2.43
Franco-Nevada	FNV	1765892	28.50	+ 2.25
Agnico-Eagle	AEM	4010126	58.65	+ 2.19
Goldcorp	G	11752110	42.49	+ 1.97
Cameco Corp	CCO	2997662	34.70	+ 1.79
Nevsun Res	NSU	5921864	2.62	-0.58
Imperial Metal	III	381060	13.61	-0.49
Teck B	TCKB	14168039	39.01	-0.47
HoriznsGBear	HGD	7840209	4.41	-0.31
Altius Mnrls	ALS	280586	8.60	-0.28
Mines Managmnt	MGT	15954	2.95	-0.21
Royal Gold	RGL	12684	49.92	-0.20
Globex Mng	GMX	24137	1.35	-0.20
La Mancha Res	LMA	1090531	1.52	-0.19
Intl Royalty	IRC	2626391	7.50	-0.15