TSX Venture Exchange – Dec. 23-Jan. 5

Ringing in the new year, festive investors lifted the S&P/TSX Venture Exchange 131.5 points during the Dec. 23-Jan. 5 trading session. The Venture board had one of its best runs in over a year, reaching 874.49 points, its highest level since the beginning of November. Daily average trading volume was a solid 78 million.

The uphill sprint followed similar pushes on the S&P/TSX composite index and on the Dow Jones Industrial Average. No one factor seemed to fuel the market’s strength, although in Canada, the resurgent price of oil boosted energy companies and equity financing from some of the nation’s biggest banks also helped to push the main board upwards.

On the junior board, it was both gold and energy companies leading the charge. It seems investors continue to seek haven in gold even if some do not expect it to rise much further this year. In its Commodity Refiner report, Barclays Capital, for instance, suggests the price of gold will rise a modest 6% in 2009 and average US$820 per oz. this year. That said, Barclays also notes the physical supply of gold will continue to be constrained in 2009.

Evidence of interest in gold came from decent gains by companies that have gold assets — but haven’t released news in some time. Rare Element Resources rose 37.5¢ to 78¢. Newmont Mining can earn a 65% interest in Rare Element’s Bear Lodge property, in Wyoming, where drilling has returned as much as 63 metres of near-surface gold mineralization grading 0.66 gram gold per tonne.

Exeter Resource also benefited. It gained 37¢ to $2.27 during the session on the strength of its gold, copper and silver assets in South America. Exeter holds a 100% option on the Caspiche gold-copper porphyry in Chile and owns 100% of Cerro Moro, a gold-silver property in Argentina.

Other notable rises came from Midway Gold, up 13¢ to 66¢, and Rainy River Resources, up 24¢ to $1.24.

Some of the biggest gains in terms of value, however, were from companies with coal and uranium properties. b>Goldsource, which is exploring for coal in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, showed renewed strength, gaining $1.06 to close the session out at $2.64. SouthGobi Energy Resources was up $1.05 to $6.50, likely on news that Ivanhoe Mines, which holds around 80% of the company, was buying all its metal assets in Indonesia and Mongolia and extending it a $30-million credit line.

Interest in uranium junior Hathor Exploration boosted it 53¢ to $3.30. Drilling in the Athabasca basin at its Midwest Northeast project has returned as much as 15 metres grading 10.02% U₃O₈. Hathor continues to drill this winter having cashed up this fall with an $8-million private placement.

On the downside, the company shedding the most share price during the session was Aldridge Minerals, losing $1.10 to close at $2.

TSX-V most active issues
	VOLUME	WEEK
	(000s)	HIGH	LOW	CLOSE	CHANGE
Buffalo Gold BUF	16215	0.05	0.01	0.04	+ 0.01
Dynamite Res DNR	15579	0.12	0.05	0.10	+ 0.04
KWG Res KWG	12526	0.03	0.01	0.03	+ 0.01
Panoro Minls PML	12356	0.11	0.06	0.08	-0.02
MacDonald Mns BMK	11606	0.07	0.04	0.06	+ 0.01
Cloudbreak Res CDB	6833	0.05	0.02	0.05	+ 0.01
Merit Mng MEM	6810	0.03	0.01	0.01	+ 0.01
AmerixPrMtls APM	6669	0.04	0.01	0.04	+ 0.01
Sage Gold SGX	6360	0.09	0.04	0.07	+ 0.02
Rockgate Cap RGT	6163	0.25	0.10	0.24	+ 0.11

TSX-V greatest percentage change
		VOLUME	WEEK
		(000s)	HIGH	LOW	CLOSE	CHANGE
Zinco Mng	ZIM	89	0.29	0.05	0.25	+1150.0
Maxy Gold	MXD	624	0.07	0.02	0.07	+600.0
Lund Gold	LGD	228	0.09	0.04	0.07	+600.0
Intl Montoro R	IMT	893	0.06	0.03	0.05	+400.0
Thelon Vent	THV	955	0.05	0.01	0.05	+400.0
Ditem Explor	DIT	1791	0.20	0.04	0.19	+375.0
Goldrush Res	GOD	1079	0.05	0.01	0.04	+300.0
Mountain Captl	MCI	147	0.08	0.01	0.08	+300.0
Leeward Capitl	LWC	132	0.08	0.02	0.08	+300.0
Global Uran	GU	185	0.04	0.01	0.04	+300.0
Lorraine Coppr	LLC	83	0.04	0.01	0.01	-80.0
Coastport Cap	CPP	269	0.04	0.01	0.01	-66.6
Radar Acquistn	RAC	274	0.04	0.01	0.01	-66.6
Golden Dory Rs	GDR	25	0.12	0.04	0.04	-63.6
Silver Quest R	SQI	653	0.05	0.02	0.02	-60.0
Chilean Gold	CHN	15	0.06	0.04	0.04	-60.0
Newmac Res	NER	202	0.05	0.01	0.02	-50.0
Newport Expl	NWX	750	0.08	0.04	0.05	-50.0
Vault Minerals	VMI	575	0.12	0.05	0.08	-50.0
Intl Wayside G	WGM	3799	0.05	0.01	0.04	-50.0

TSX-V greatest value change
WEEK
		VOLUME	CLOSE	CHANGE
Goldsource Min	GXS	706461	2.64	+ 1.11
SouthGobi Engy	SGQ	10930	6.50	+ 1.00
Hathor Expl	HAT	1605084	3.30	+ 0.65
Rare Elemnt Rs	RES	419065	0.78	+ 0.38
Exeter Res	XRC	201700	2.27	+ 0.37
Midway Gold	MDW	584100	0.66	+ 0.35
Rainy River Rs	RR	217648	1.45	+ 0.34
Bear Creek Mng	BCM	1739064	1.42	+ 0.33
JNR Res	JNN	2373003	0.49	+ 0.32
Azimut Expl	AZM	508960	0.60	+ 0.30
Aldridge Minls	AGM	11966	2.00	-0.35
Jerico Expl	JRC	100000	0.31	-0.19
Dundarave Res	DDX	23504	0.21	-0.10
Vault Minerals	VMI	575073	0.08	-0.08
Chesapeake Gld	CKG	204005	3.03	-0.07
Lucara Diam	LUC	127550	0.55	-0.07
Adventure Gold	AGE	108022	0.10	-0.07
GoldenDoryRs	GDR	24500	0.04	-0.07
Carat Expl	CRZ	430800	0.40	-0.06
Chilean Gold	CHN	15302	0.04	-0.06