Resource World Magazine

18 www.resourceworld.com a u g u s t / s e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 5 T he last mining bull market didn't start with a bang. It started slowly. Miners and explorers did not rise as a group in 2002. A few stocks enjoyed bull runs while the rest of the market stayed mostly stuck in the slump. Broad rallies start out as something different: the best stocks rise alone, long before the real rally begins. To make money now, investors have to identify the best of the best. The Metals Investor Forum (MIF) in Vancouver, on May 30, brought together mining experts: Gwen Preston of Resource Maven, Eric Coffin of Hard Rock Advisory, Brien Lundin of The Gold Report, and John Kaiser of Kaiser Research Online. Each newsletter writers' top companies came to MIF and updated the audience on their latest accomplishments and plans: nevsun Resources Ltd. [NSU-TSX] operates Bisha, one of the most successful base metals mines in the world. A second expan- sion currently underway will add a zinc circuit to the mine, just in time for an expected rise in zinc prices. Renewed exploration efforts are showing Bisha could offer much more mineralization. See Asheli discovery page 44. First Mining Finance Corp. [FF-TSXV] is an experienced group of mine finders and builders who have come together to take advan- tage of the lowest valuations in mining in 20 years by acquiring prospective assets that will be in demand when markets improve. inZinc Mining Ltd.'s [IZN-TSXV] 100% ownership of the West Desert zinc project in mine-friendly Utah makes InZinc one of very few companies poised to profit when zinc makes its move. The PEA for West Desert is already good; an improved zinc price will make it great. Kaminak Gold Corp.'s [KAM-TSXV] Coffee gold project in the Yukon, a supportive jurisdiction, offers everything an asset needs to become a mine. It has 2.5M oz. of open-pittable oxide resource that gives up its gold through simple heap leaching. Kaminak has money and momentum. Pilot Gold inc.'s [PLG-TSXV] top-notch technical team, three large and promising assets, money in the bank, has PLG posi- tioned for the rally. Its projects are large and well-located, the kind of assets majors will be scrambling to acquire when the resource markets get back into gear. Lion One Metals Ltd. [LIO-TSXV] has the potential to discover more high-grade gold at Tuvatu, LIO's project in Fiji, but rather than just spend money exploring, Lion One plans to start up a small-scale gold mine to fund further exploration. It's a plan that makes a lot of sense in today's market. GoldQuest Mining Corp.'s [GQC-TSXV] revamped mine plan has transformed the Romero gold-copper resource in the Dominican Republic from an interesting discovery into an eco- nomic asset. Management has already successfully permitted and built a mine in the country. sabina Gold & silver Corp.'s [SBB-TSX] Hackett River is home to more than 7 million oz. gold. More than half of the high-grade resource is open pittable. This is a big project in a safe jurisdiction – Alaska – in a company with enough cash to carry itself for years. Balmoral Resources Ltd.'s [BAR-TSX] high-grade Martiniere gold project and a new Grasset nickel-PGM discovery, located side-by-side in the mining-friendly Abitibi region of Québec and managed by experienced and proven personnel, made Balmoral the best-performing, Vancouver-based, mining and exploration company last year. See page 27. Fission 3.0 Corp. [FUU-TSXV] assembled by the same team that brought you Fission Uranium, discoverer of the incredible Patterson Lake South uranium deposit in the Athabasca, holds 17 exploration projects in Saskatchewan. Using their proprietary exploration techniques, the Fission team is intent on making another major uranium discovery. Pure Gold inc. [PGM-TSXV] is in the Red Lake gold camp which has produced over 28 million oz. Applying new ideas to an old district is what Pure Gold is doing at Madsen, one of few large land packages in Red Lake. The company hit gold in its first drill holes and a raft of targets remain untested. excelsior Mining Corp.'s [MIN-TSXV] Gunnison is the only advanced in-situ leach copper project controlled by a junior com- pany. The pre-feasibility study outlined a scalable, capital-efficient mine that could produce copper at low enough costs to generate a remarkable 45% IRR. Feasibility study work is now underway. It's been a tough four years, with few reasons to get excited. Now confidence is growing that the worst is over and an upswing is pending…but until it is obviously underway mining market par- ticipants will remain anxious. Four bad years will do that. But at MIF the companies were active, the projects were full of potential, and the investors were positioning. n Metals InvestOR FORUM – a spot for select stocks by Gwen Preston The well-attended Metals Investor Forum in Vancouver, BC. Photo submitted. iNvESTmENTS

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