The S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index (INDEXTSI:JX) gained 14.25 points last week to close at 595.95.
One of the biggest news items this past week was Panama’s presidential election, held on Sunday (May 5). Jose Raul Mulino secured 34 percent of the vote against five other candidates to become the country’s president.
Mulino was a last-minute replacement after former President Ricardo Martinelli was barred from running due to a money laundering conviction. Mulino was minister of public security during Martinelli’s presidency, which ended in 2014.
The incoming president will replace outgoing President Laurentino Cortizo, who has reached the term limit for the office. Under Cortizo, Canadian mining company First Quantum Minerals (TSX:FM,OTC Pink:FQVLF) was forced to shut down its Cobre Panama mine in November 2023. The order came after a review by Panama’s Supreme Court — it determined that a mining contract renewed earlier in 2023, which sparked protests due to its terms, was unconstitutional.
While viewed as pro-business, Mulino has indicated that he will not move forward with discussions unless First Quantum drops its US$20 billion arbitration against the country. He also vowed that any solution will not involve a contract.
For its part, First Quantum has said it will work with Panama’s new administration to find a solution to reopen the mine, which accounts for more than 300,000 metric tons (MT) of copper annually and was responsible for providing more than 40,000 direct and indirect jobs in the country when it was operational.
Against that backdrop, which TSXV-listed mining stocks performed the best last week? Here are the top gainers.
1. Power Nickel (TSXV:PNPN)
Weekly gain: 70 percent; market cap: C$76.6 million; current share price: C$0.68
Power Nickel is a nickel exploration company that is currently focused on the development of its Nisk nickel-copper project in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region of Québec, Canada. The project comprises 90 mineral claims covering an area of 4,589 hectares, and has seen significant exploration from 2021 to 2024.
Power Nickel released an initial resource estimate for Nisk in November 2023, and it outlines an indicated resource of 5.43 million MT at a weighted average grade of 1.05 percent nickel equivalent. The inferred resource stands at 1.79 million MT grading 1.35 percent nickel equivalent. The company used a nickel equivalent cut-off grade of 0.2 percent for inside the open pit and 0.55 percent for the underground portion of the deposit.
Shares of Power Nickel have seen significant gains since the middle of April, when the firm announced significant initial assay results from its Lion copper-platinum-palladium target, located 5 kilometers north of the main deposit at Nisk.
More recently, the company announced on April 24 that it had concluded its earn-in agreement for Nisk with Critical Elements Lithium (TSXV:CRE,OTCQX:CRECF), giving it an 80 percent stake in the project. Power Nickel was granted the final 30 percent interest after Critical Elements accepted the technical report it completed during the first quarter.
Last Friday (May 10), Power Nickel released further assays that expanded Lion with a new polymetallic discovery. One 5 meter interval graded 1.76 grams per MT (g/t) gold, 102.9 g/t silver, 12.7 percent copper, 20.87 g/t palladium, 1.02 g/t platinum and 0.4 percent nickel.
2. Flying Nickel Mining (TSXV:FLYN)
Weekly gain: 52.63 percent; market cap: C$13.65 million; current share price: C$0.145
Flying Nickel Mining is a nickel and platinum-group metals (PGMs) developer working to advance its flagship Minago nickel-PGMs project to production. The site is located on the southern end of the Thompson Nickel Belt in Manitoba, Canada.
The company’s most recent news came on April 11, when it released an update to Minago’s measured and indicated resource. The site hosts 43.44 million MT grading 0.2 g/t palladium, 0.09 g/t platinum and 0.72 percent nickel for a total of 689.53 million pounds of nickel, 279,330 ounces of palladium and 125,700 ounces of platinum.
This marked the first addition of PGMs to the resource estimate for Minago, as well as a 42 percent increase in contained nickel from in-pit resources. In the release, Flying Nickel also said it is expecting a decision this fall for the notice of alteration to its environment act license. The company filed the notice in July 2022.
3. Sandfire Resources America (TSXV:SFR)
Weekly gain: 46.15 percent; market cap: C$388.87 million; current share price: C$0.38
Sandfire Resources America is a copper development company focused on its Black Butte copper project located east of Helena, Montana, in the US. In 2021, a state district court revoked the company’s mine operating permit for Black Butte, halting construction activities at the underground mine.
Sandfire describes the project as one of the highest-grade undeveloped copper deposits in the world; a resource estimate for the project’s Johnny Lee deposit completed in 2020 outlines a measured and indicated resource of 10.9 million MT grading 2.9 percent copper for a total of 311,000 MT of contained copper.
Shares of Sandfire soared following the Montana Supreme Court’s February 26 decision to reinstate the company’s mine operating permit. The win is a crucial step for Sandfire to continue the construction of its mine.
The most recent news from Sandfire came on April 29, when it announced assay results from exploration at Black Butte. It highlighted an intercept of 7.4 percent copper over 9.54 meters, including 10.7 percent copper over 6.26 meters. The company said the additional drilling has the potential to increase the resource and extend Black Butte’s mine life.
FAQs for TSXV stocks
What is the difference between the TSX and TSXV?
The TSX, or Toronto Stock Exchange, is used by senior companies with larger market caps, while the TSXV, or TSX Venture Exchange, is used by smaller-cap companies. Companies listed on the TSXV can graduate to the senior exchange.
How many companies are listed on the TSXV?
As of September 2023, there were 1,713 companies listed on the TSXV, 953 of which were mining companies. Comparatively, the TSX was home to 1,789 companies, with 190 of those being mining companies.
Together the TSX and TSXV host around 40 percent of the world’s public mining companies.
How much does it cost to list on the TSXV?
There are a variety of different fees that companies must pay to list on the TSXV, and according to the exchange, they can vary based on the transaction’s nature and complexity. The listing fee alone will most likely cost between C$10,000 to C$70,000. Accounting and auditing fees could rack up between C$25,000 and C$100,000, while legal fees are expected to be over C$75,000 and an underwriters’ commission may hit up to 12 percent.
The exchange lists a handful of other fees and expenses companies can expect, including but not limited to security commission and transfer agency fees, investor relations costs and director and officer liability insurance.
These are all just for the initial listing, of course. There are ongoing expenses once companies are trading, such as sustaining fees and additional listing fees, plus the costs associated with filing regular reports.
How do you trade on the TSXV?
Investors can trade on the TSXV the way they would trade stocks on any exchange. This means they can use a stock broker or an individual investment account to buy and sell shares of TSXV-listed companies during the exchange’s trading hours.
Data for this 5 Top Weekly TSXV Performers article was retrieved at 1:00 p.m. PST on May 3, 2024, using TradingView’s stock screener. Only companies with market capitalizations greater than C$10 million prior to the week’s gains are included. Companies within the non-energy minerals and energy minerals were considered.
Article by Dean Belder; FAQs by Lauren Kelly.
Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Securities Disclosure: I, Lauren Kelly, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.