Tag: joe mazumdar

Catalyst Check: Natural Resources Watchlist at Three Months

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The Gold Report: Joe, some of your picks from the Natural Resources Watch list have performed quite well. Do you want to give us some updates?

Joe Mazumdar: Junior mining sector equities in the gold space, as proxied for by the Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF (GDXJ:NYSE.MKT), have outperformed gold since the June Cambridge House conference. The inter-period high for gold was $1,3351,340/ounce ($1,3351.340/oz), about a 7% return. Gold is down about 3% since the conference, on the back of a strong U.S. dollar.

The benchmark Market Vectors Junior Gold Miners ETF experienced an inter-period high of about $45/share, generating a 30%+ return since the conference. But it is currently flat again. On both metrics, the ETF has outperformed the gold price. Our selections averaged an inter-period high of 50%, which included under-performers (+1826%) and some significant outperformers (+70115%). Currently, the average return for our selection since the conference is a more modest 1415%. [NOTE: Figures cited were current 9/30/14.]

TGR: During that panel discussion, you called explorers a lottery ticket and Cayden Resources Inc. (CYD:TSX.V; CDKNF:OTCQX) was a lottery ticket that paid off. What was your other "lottery ticket" pick? Continue reading "Catalyst Check: Natural Resources Watchlist at Three Months" →

Seven Gold and Uranium Juniors with Near-Term Growth You Can't Ignore

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The Mining Report: The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) global index dropped 50% during the past year. Where is the silver-gold lining in this cloud?

Joe Mazumdar: Financing risk for the junior mining sector was highly elevated, to say the least, in 2013 and remains a source of uncertainty in 2014. To reduce the risk of financing a project, we seek projects that generate double-digit returns in the current pricing environment. We also look for management teams with the technical capacity to not only build and operate a mining project, but also to successfully execute the business plan, which includes permitting the project and attracting good personnel. We want to mitigate the technical and execution risks inherent in a project by selecting these management teams. As senior management cannot mitigate all risks such as geopolitical and financing risk, we seek projects in manageable jurisdictions where the management has appreciable relevant experience. Another key is that the underlying asset requires a manageable or "bite-sized" upfront capital requirement. Continue reading "Seven Gold and Uranium Juniors with Near-Term Growth You Can't Ignore" →

How to Stress Test Gold Equities: Joe Mazumdar

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The Gold Report: Where can long-term gold investors look for safety during times of market turbulence?

Joe Mazumdar: Is there safety in the gold market? The short answer is no. Both the equity and gold market have been volatile, lately more the latter. Gold stocks have a good correlation, a beta, to gold, and if the price of gold is volatile, the stocks will be volatile. This leverage to the gold price cuts both ways for gold equities. Year to date, gold is down 1015% as it has underperformed most commodities including copper, oil and natural gas, while the SP/TSX Global Gold index is down almost 3035%.

Other reasons why the gold equities have disappointed investors includes the failure to achieve benchmarks or guidance on costs, both operating and capital, and timelines, among others. The overriding financing risk, especially for the juniors, has continued to weigh on their performance.

Major gold producers provide liquidity, but are not necessarily a safe bet. Over the last few years, the large gold companies have not shown growth at a reasonable price. The amount of reserve repletion they require is their Achilles heel such that they have focused on dividends. This is nothing new, as the project requirements tend to create significant footprints and attract the attention of other stakeholders who want to slow down or cancel mining development. This issue is affecting Newmont Mining Corp.'s (NEM:NYSE) Conga project, Pascua Lama with Barrick Gold Corp. (ABX:TSX; ABX:NYSE) and El Morro with Goldcorp Inc. (G:TSX; GG:NYSE) and New Gold Inc. (NGD:TSX; NGD:NYSE.MKT). If a major's growth is linked to this type of project, it is not necessarily a safe place to invest. Continue reading "How to Stress Test Gold Equities: Joe Mazumdar" →