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Gold/Mining/Energy : Donner Minerals (DML.V) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jimsy who wrote (2654)	1/3/1998 9:32:00 AM
From: Mr Metals	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 11676

Junior Mining Gems can be found among rubble By PETER KENNEDY Vancouver Bureau The Financial Post The huge drop in gold and copper prices, not to mention the lingering impact of the Bre-X Minerals Ltd. scandal, is making it difficult for analysts to pick winners among the junior mining sector. Difficult, but not impossible. "This is a classic market for newsletter writers who want to work hard,'' said John Kaiser, publisher of the Kaiser Bottom-Fishing Report. Kaiser says junior stocks have plummeted because the institutional fund managers who a year ago were buying up juniors to boost their returns, are now dumping them just as quickly -- which means former high-flying stocks are trading at or near 52-week lows. In mid-December, for example, Northern Abitibi Mining Corp. and Donner Minerals Ltd. tumbled when results from a Labrador nickel project didn't live up to expectations. After jumping to $2.60 Dec. 8, Donner (DML/VSE) plunged to 98› four days later when results finally came out. Northern Abitibi (NAI/ASE) also skidded 71› to 67›. "It's a fickle market,'' said Doug Leishman of Yorkton Securities Ltd. in Vancouver. "But there are still opportunities out there.'' Leishman was part of a group that recently toured a Mexico base metal find that is being explored by Western Copper Holdings Ltd. and Vancouver affiliate Teck Corp. On Dec. 15, the first day of trading after analysts returned from Western's San Nicolas project, the stock (WTC/TSE) jumped $1.20 to $5.05. "Western Copper got [the property] in 1994 and kept it under wraps,'' Leishman said. He says the geology at San Nicolas is much less complex than at its property in Timmins, Ont., and the target zone is larger. That's why San Nicolas is one of four exploration plays Leishman and his Yorkton colleague Art Ettlinger are watching. Another is a 28-million-acre swath of land in northern-central Alberta known as Buffalo Hills, where companies led by Ashton Mining of Canada Inc. are looking for diamonds. Ettlinger points out that Ashton is a very long way from concluding that kimberlites in the area contain enough diamonds to justify opening a mine, but if Ashton is successful, analysts say the market reaction is bound to affect companies with properties nearby. Companies being watched include Lucero Resources Corp., Meteor Minerals Inc., Mount Hope Resources Corp., New Claymore Resources Ltd. and Pure Gold. Kaiser likes Troymin Resources Ltd. (TYR/MSE), which has interests in 1.5 million acres near Ashton's ground. "If Troymin lucks into something big, the stock will rise 20 times in value,'' he said. Diamond explorers will get a lot of attention this year, with the $700-million mine being developed in the Northwest Territories by Dia Met Minerals Ltd. and BHP Diamonds Inc. going into production. Analysts say investors should stick to companies with promising projects or a lot of cash, and preferably both. Among them Kaiser names Balaclava Mines Inc. (BIL/VSE), and Norcal Resources Inc. (NLR/VSE). Companies with large cash positions include Pacific Rim Mining Corp. (PFG/VSE), which has $11.5 million, and Corriente Resources (CTQ/TSE), holding $21 million. Andrew Muir of Canaccord Capital Corp. in Vancouver is also advising clients to focus on companies with large cash positions, including Minorca Resources Inc., the Toronto-based company that once had rights to Bre-X's Busang find before the property was found to be a scam. Just weeks before that discovery, Minorca raised $67 million from the sale of shares at $6.10 each. Holding exploration projects in Guyana, Indonesia and the U.S. state of Nevada, it has since spent $25 million for a 32% stake in Quebec gold producer McWatters Mining Inc. Minorca shares (MAR/TSE) ended 1997 at 90›, down from its 52-week high of $14.60. On the whole, analysts see no quick end to the malaise that has hit the market for junior stocks. "It's depressing because you don't get a lot of new subscribers,'' Kaiser said. "But it's a good time to build credibility.'' Mr Metals