BUY

One of the cornerstones of a Canadian gold portfolio. This stock will rise or get taken over.

WATCH

Has great confidence in the CEO whom he considers a friend. They started a mine in B.C. and delivered a good first quarter, then a poor second one. Be patient. It will take four quarters to see how things work out. Right now, it's way
oversold.

COMMENT

PDAC (Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada's annual mining convention in Toronto): the mood here reflects an industry in rebound after being on life support for a couple of years. There isn't ubiquitous capital like the good, old days, but the current market is not too hot, not too cold but just right. The so-called battery metals--cobalt and lithium--are the hot story this year because of strong demand for electronic components including electric cars. Also, lithium is a new, hot investment, so there is no past disappointing history of lithium for investors. Toronto also is the epicenter of precious metals financing, which encourages gold equities. Cobalt can command higher prices if there was more supply, but most cobalt is produced in the Congo which unfortunately boasts human rights abuses such as child labour. Companies in consumer goods are afraid of tainted cobalt and want to control the production chain.

BUY

It'll go higher. The zinc business is in good shape. A go-to zinc stock that should perform well.

COMMENT

Has reduced his holding due to market strength. They have a highly attractive exploration target, but this is exploration is difficult part of the world, so there's no guarantee of success.

BUY

The northwest BC stocks are always quiet over the winter because snow prevents exploration. Come springtime, this stock should do well.

WATCH

He's attracted to the deposit NDM has. He's been deeply critical about the company's relations with the local indigenous people, but is now heartened to see a turnaround. Deserves a look.

COMMENT

Has great faith in the management team, but beware: exploration (in the mineral space) is capital intensive and high risk.

DON'T BUY

They haven't indicated a discovery in the St. James Bay area, though he likes the management and this part of the world for exploration.

BUY

Used to own it and would like to again this spring or summer. Knows the management team and where they're mining, Nevada, very well.

WATCH

Replace this with Silvercorp? He'd keep Eldorado. If he's down 50% on a stock, he'd sell it for a tax loss, wait 30 days, then decide with a clear mind. This company has made some horrible capital allocation decisions. It's so beaten down and heated that he's actually attracted to it. But he wants to see their next capital allocation decision before buying.

COMMENT

Copper. He's cautiously optimistic on copper which has had a very good year. The price probably continues to rise during this tepid global economic recovery which hasn't translated into wage increases. He's also concerned about Trump's threats to derail global trade.

PAST TOP PICK

(A Top Pick March 2/17, Up 9%) Sold it, but then the stock got too cheap, so he bought it back. He was unhappy with their inability to solve metallurgical problems in Eritrea. The stock sold off because their Serbian deposit won't produce cash for a while. There were alleged human rights abuses in Eritrea.

PAST TOP PICK

(A Top Pick March 2/17, Up 8.5%) A high-quality Canadian company. A brilliant team that's generated substantial free cash.

PAST TOP PICK

(A Top Pick March 2/17, Down 3%) They brought in a deposit under budget which is really tough to do in west Africa. They generate an amazing amount of cash. Management has done a marvellous job of deploying cash and will continue to do so.