TSX Venture Exchange July 3-9

Strengthening gold, copper and lead prices lifted the S&P-TSX Venture Composite Index 3% over the July 3-9 trading session, closing up 97.49 points at 3,271.88. Average daily trading volumes retracted slightly to 73 million shares.

A somewhat bearish trend continued through the week with 30 junior explorers reaching new 52-week highs while 63 dropped to new yearly lows.

Strong lead prices drove Blue Note Mining to top trader status for the week, with its stock closing up 41% at 69 per share on volume of almost 21 million shares. The company is moving to bring its Caribou and Restigouche lead-zinc mines in New Brunswick on-stream to capitalize on the current strong base metals market.

Shares of marine diamond hunter Afri-Can Marine Minerals dropped 22% on the session, closing down 6.5 at 22.5 apiece on trading volume of 13.1 million shares. The company is evaluating its marine diamond concessions off the coast of Namibia.

Simberi Mining remained a strong trader with over 10.3 million shares changing hands, closing up half a penny at 8 per share. It recently signed a deal giving Amari Holdings the right to earn up to 65% in its subsidiary, which holds joint-venture rights on the Kakanda copper project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, along with state-owned Gcamines.

Quebec-focused Metco Resources notched up 3.5 to close the session at 15 per share on trading volume of just over 10 million shares. The company has been building its claim base in the province and has drill programs lined up.

Prospective tungsten miner Playfair Mining continued to rally through the week, closing up 45% at $1.55 per share on trading volume of over 6 million shares. It recently closed $3 million in financings and has begun a scoping study on its Grey River tungsten project, in Newfoundland, where a new estimate has pegged inferred resources at 852,000 tonnes grading 0.858% WO3.

On weekly trading volume of more than 5.1 million shares, San Gold saw its share price rally 18 to $1.24. Deep drilling at its producing Rice Lake gold mine, in eastern Manitoba, cut several high-grade gold intercepts.

SouthGobi Energy Resources, previously Asia Gold, gained $1.56 on the week to close at $8.45 per share on volume of 652,000 shares. The company recently acquired Ivanhoe Mines’ coal division in southern Mongolia.

Nautilus Minerals closed the week down 99 at $4.20 per share following notice that a tentative agreement with its Belgium-based shipbuilding partner had lapsed.

Shares of Baltic Resources posted a 66% gain for the session, closing up 43 at $1.08 apiece on trading volume of almost 4 million shares. The company recently posted a resource estimate for its Martison phosphate project, near Hearst, in northern Ontario, outlining 62.2 million measured and indicated tonnes of 23.55% P2O5 and 0.34% Nb2O5.

Shares of Kakanda Resources soared 77.5%, closing up 15.5 at 35.5 apiece on trading volume of 2.5 million shares. The company is purchasing a private Ontario company that holds uranium claims in Quebec.

TSX-V greatest percentage change

		VOLUME(000s)	HIGH	LOW	CLOSE		CHANGE
Kakanda Res	KRC	2505	0.355	0.275	0.355	+	77.5
Baltic Res	BLR	3990	1.22	0.68	1.08	+	66.1
Ross River Mnl	RRM	2541	0.28	0.18	0.27	+	58.8
El Nino Vent	ELN	1701	0.83	0.49	0.79	+	54.9
Winfield Res	WWF	13080	0.78	0.36	0.59	+	49.3
Playfair Mng	PLY	6043	1.56	1.10	1.55	+	44.8
Blue Note Mng	BN	20929	0.73	0.50	0.69	+	40.8
Vault Minerals	VMI	1732	0.48	0.31	0.47	+	40.3
Gleichen Res	GRL	163	0.72	0.54	0.69	+	38.0
Cangold	CLD	3410	0.25	0.17	0.22	+	37.5
Huntington Exp	HEI	50	0.11	0.09	0.09	–	30.7
Arcturus Res	AZN	143	0.09	0.07	0.07	–	30.0
Stealth Mnls	SML	170	0.125	0.09	0.095	–	29.6
Hawkeye Gold	HKO	3284	0.07	0.05	0.055	–	26.6
New Dimen Res	NDR	38	0.30	0.245	0.27	–	26.0
MacDonald Mns	BMK	316	0.075	0.05	0.075	–	25.0
Adroit Res	ADT	66	0.215	0.16	0.18	–	25.0
Intl Gold Mng	IGL	261	0.14	0.12	0.12	–	25.0
Sinchao Mtls	SMZ	19	0.40	0.34	0.365	–	23.9
Afri-Can Marin	AFA	13112	0.32	0.205	0.225	–	22.4

TSX-V greatest value change

		VOLUME	CLOSE		CHANGE
Seabridge Gold	SEA	303292	27.70	+	6.03
SouthGobi Engy	SGQ	652758	8.45	+	1.56
Palmarejo S&G	PJO	1159645	10.84	+	1.24
Northern Dyn M	NDM	416000	13.45	+	0.95
Energold Drill	EGD	479074	3.83	+	0.63
Oromin Expl	OLE	291125	2.75	+	0.53
Avalon Vent	AVL	850557	2.21	+	0.51
Coral Gold	CGR	29097	3.25	+	0.50
BRC Diamond	BRC	11120	7.50	+	0.50
Playfair Mng	PLY	6043121	1.55	+	0.48
Nautilus Minls	NUS	2720756	4.20	–	0.99
Western Prospc	WNP	344399	5.20	–	0.60
Golden Chalice	GCR	1774913	2.87	–	0.50
Arizona Star	AZS	12000	11.50	–	0.47
Wealth Minls	WML	150130	3.69	–	0.41
Exeter Res	XRC	498056	3.66	–	0.34
Chesapeake Gld	CKG	109953	6.60	–	0.30
Azimut Expl	AZM	189555	8.25	–	0.30
Icon Industrs	ICN	21257	0.95	–	0.27
Uruguay Mnl Ex	UME	26925	3.60	–	0.24

TSX-V most active issues

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		VOLUME(000s)	HIGH	LOW	CLOSE		CHANGE
Blue Note Mng	BN	20929	0.73	0.50	0.69	+	0.20
Afri-Can Marin	AFA	13112	0.32	0.205	0.225	–	0.065
Winfield Res	WWF	13080	0.78	0.36	0.59	0.195
Simberi Gold	SAU	10370	0.10	0.075	0.08	+	0.005
Metco Res	MKO	10048	0.165	0.105	0.15	+	0.035
Playfair Mng	PLY	6043	1.56	1.10	1.55	+	0.48
San Gold Res	SGR	5146	1.33	1.06	1.24	+	0.18
Gravity West	GRW	4687	0.17	0.14	0.145	–	0.025
Sage Gold	SGX	4656	0.185	0.145	0.175	+	0.025
Reunion Gold	RGD	4584	1.31	1.16	1.30	+	0.10