TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE – NOV. 18-24

Over the Nov. 18-24 trading week, the S&PTSX Venture Composite Index saw three days of losses followed by two of gains, leaving it down 63 points at the end of the session at 722.79. In the middle of the session, the board closed below 700 points for the first time since 1999. Trading volumes were fairly strong, averaging out to 80.2 million daily.

The board’s continued bearishness is perhaps most evident in the fact that no junior companies achieved new share price highs over the week, while 570 sank to new lows.

Chesapeake Gold managed to gain $1.21 to close at $3.04 without releasing any news. The junior’s share price has been volatile since September, before which time it traded between $6 and $8.50. Chesapeake is focused on precious metal projects in Central America, with one — the Metates gold-silver project in Mexico — at the prefeasibility stage.

At the other end of the spectrum, South-Gobi Energy Resources fell $1.31 to $4.79 on no news. The junior began production at the massive Ovoot Tolgoi coal project in Mongolia in April.

In fact, considerable share price losses on nonews were common over the week. Whitemud Resources, which mines kaolin in Saskatchewan, lost 88 to close at $2.10 on no news. Grayd Resource fell 35 to 17, Pacific Link Mining lost 29 to close at just 10, and Mantra Mining dropped 22 to close at 34. Despite a recent resource estimate, International Tower Hill Mines fell 17 to $1.35. Albanian explorer Tirex Resource dropped 16 to close at 25.

Others managed gains on no news. Clifton Star Resources gained 35 to close at $1.50, Waratah Coal rose 28 to $1.25, and Andina Minerals added 21 to 83.

Sherwood Copper kept busy in its last week on the Venture board. The junior announced third-quarter earnings of $85.4 million, closed a sales arrangement for the gold and silver production from its Minto mine, and received approval to merge with Capstone Mining. The flurry of news deflated Sherwood’s share price by 29, leaving it at $1.05.

For Canplats Resources, an active year of drilling at its Camino Rojo gold-silver-zinc-lead discovery, in Mexico, culminated in an initial resource showing good grades and tonnage, with the deposit still open in all directions. The news lifted Canplats 32 to $1.39.

And Hathor Explorationhadagood week. The junior, busy exploring its high-grade Roughrider uranium deposit in Saskatchewan, closed an oversubscribed brokered private placement to raise just over $8 million. News of a successful placement in the current market raised its share price 26 to $2.05.

Lately, private placements have more often depressed share prices, which is what Aldridge Minerals experienced. The junior, which is exploring for base and precious metals in Turkey, raised $2 million and saw its stock fall 43 to $2.35. Aldridge had been trying for $3 million.

TSX-V most active issues
		VOLUME	WEEK
		(000s)	HIGH	LOW	CLOSE	CHANGE
US Silver	USA	42569	0.06	0.03	0.06	+ 0.01
Largo Res	LGO	7704	0.08	0.05	0.07	0.00
AMI Res	AMU	7325	0.03	0.02	0.03	+ 0.01
Zoloto Res	ZR	6214	0.11	0.05	0.08	+ 0.01
Gold Hawk Res	CGK	5375	0.03	0.01	0.03	+ 0.01
Evolving Gold	EVG	4823	0.19	0.14	0.19	+ 0.03
KWG Res	KWG	4076	0.01	0.01	0.01	0.00
North Am Tung	NTC	3903	0.19	0.10	0.19	+ 0.07
Silverstone Rs	SST	3835	0.54	0.35	0.52	+ 0.05
Selwyn Res	SWN	3671	0.05	0.04	0.05	0.00

TSX-V greatest percentage change
		VOLUME	WEEK
		(000s)	HIGH	LOW	CLOSE	CHANGE
Prospctr C Res	PRR	813	0.08	0.01	0.07	+600.0
Rolling Rock	RLL	490	0.08	0.03	0.05	+400.0
Asian Minl Res	ASN	124	0.12	0.04	0.12	+300.0
Madison Minls	MMR	294	0.11	0.05	0.07	+250.0
Mill Bay Vent	MBV	50	0.05	0.05	0.05	+150.0
Radisson Mng	RDS	345	0.05	0.01	0.05	+150.0
Canstar Res	ROX	626	0.07	0.05	0.07	+133.3
New World Res	NW	200	0.07	0.03	0.07	+133.3
Gee-Ten Vent	GTV	256	0.03	0.01	0.02	+100.0
Antioquia Gold	AGD	155	0.06	0.03	0.06	+100.0
Mano River Res	MNO	17	0.02	0.01	0.01	-80.0
Plato Gold	PGC	42	0.03	0.01	0.01	-75.0
Centurion Mnls	CTN	205	0.05	0.02	0.02	-75.0
Diadem Res	DRL	23	0.05	0.01	0.01	-75.0
Pac Link Mng	PKC	30	0.10	0.01	0.10	-74.3
Lysander Minls	LYM	30	0.07	0.04	0.04	-73.3
Grayd Res	GYD	92	0.25	0.17	0.17	-67.3
Yamiri Gold &E	YGI	13	0.03	0.01	0.01	-66.6
Intl Millm Mng	IMI	152	0.05	0.03	0.04	-63.6
Spruce Ridge R	SHL	136	0.09	0.03	0.03	-62.5

TSX-V greatest value change
WEEK
		VOLUME	CLOSE	CHANGE
Chesapeake Gld	CKG	68259	3.04	+ 1.21
Macarthur Mnl	MMS	45230	1.65	+ 0.35
Clifton Star	CFO	74715	1.50	+ 0.35
Canplats Res	CPQ	992370	1.39	+ 0.32
Waratah Coal	WCI	403595	1.25	+ 0.28
Hathor Expl	HAT	2102624	2.05	+ 0.26
Andina Mnls	ADM	819155	0.83	+ 0.21
Maudore Minls	MAO	81750	1.46	+ 0.21
Brett Res	BBR	458903	0.64	+ 0.18
Lumina Copper	LCC	114700	0.50	+ 0.16
SouthGobi Engy	SGQ	141331	4.79	-1.31
Whitemud Res	WMK	395067	2.10	-0.88
Aldridge Minls	AGM	11106	2.35	-0.43
Grayd Res	GYD	91620	0.17	-0.35
Sherwood Coppr	SWC	460978	1.05	-0.29
Pac Link Mng	PKC	30033	0.10	-0.29
Mantra Mng	MAN	22000	0.34	-0.22
Intl Tower Hil	ITH	378235	1.35	-0.17
Tirex Res	TXX	545850	0.25	-0.16
EurOmax Res	EOX	35000	0.17	-0.16