MINING MARKETS AND INVESTMENT NEWS — Royal insiders exercise options

Senior management exercised options for Royal Gold (RGLD-Q) during January.

According to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, President Peter Babin and Chairman Stanley Dempsey each exercised options for 20,000 shares at US13cents per share, to hold 191,950 and 400,697 shares, respectively.

Royal vice-presidents Karen Gross and Thomas Loucks exercised options for 17,000 and 30,000 shares at US13cents each to hold 51,650 and 242,278 shares, respectively.

Other transactions reported in recent months include the following: * Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold (FCX-N) — J. Taylor Wharton, director, indirectly purchased 15,000 shares of Class B shares at US$14.75 on Feb. 4, to hold 38,041 Class B shares and 5,193 Class A shares.

* Cyprus Amax Minerals (CYM-N) — Gerald Malys senior vice-president, disposed of 8,500 shares at about US$16 per share in February to hold 97,923 shares and Philip Wolf, vice-president, sold 10,215 shares at a similar price to hold 55,091 shares.

* Alta Gold (ALTA-Q) — John Bielun, officer, bought 5,000 shares at US$1.75 per share to hold 50,000 total.

* Newmont Mining (NEM-N) — Donald Gentry, director, sold 516 shares at US$28.19 per share in December to hold no shares.

* Southern Peru Copper (PCU-N) — Chairman Charles Preble bought 1,700 shares at US$13 each in December to hold 16,010 shares. Francis McAllister, director, purchased 1,000 shares at US$12.88 in February to hold 2,793 shares.

* Hanover Gold (HVGO-Q) — Bosworth Robinson, director, has amassed a total of 326,980 shares, including 1,000 shares bought in March at US44cents each.

In February, he purchased 54,000 shares between US47cents and US50cents, and in January he purchased 15,000 shares.

Filings with the Ontario Securities Commission include recent trades made by directors and officers of Aurado Exploration (AEO-T). Paul Conroy, director, bought 511,500 shares indirectly at 19cents- 48cents to hold 511,500 through Marinex and 200,000 through Global Minerals; Donald Rankin, officer, sold 15,000 shares at 35cents-51cents to hold 67,000.

* St. Andrew Goldfields (SAS-T) — Herbert Abramson, director and holder of more than 10%, bought 6,700 shares directly at $2.10-2.15 and another 54,450 indirectly at $2-2.30 to hold 643,000 directly and 2,867,731 through Technifund.

* Western Copper Holdings (WTC-T)– Robert Quartermain, director, sold 35,000 shares at $9.50-10.35 and another 5,000 in a private placement at $10.30 to hold 50,000 shares.

* Pure Gold Minerals (PUG-T) — Nelson Baker, director, exercised 50,000 options at $1 and transferred those shares to Nelson W. Baker Geological. He then sold 50,463 of those shares through that company at 98cents-$1.13 to hold 1,000 shares indirectly and 801,440 options directly; Donald Sheldon, director, exercised 150,000 options at $1, sold 182,900 shares at $1-1.17 and acquired 57,708 shares through a private placement to hold 919,504 options and 159,408 shares; Debra Watkins, officer, exercised 50,000 options at $1 and sold those shares through a private placement at $1.01 to hold 150,000 options and no shares.