TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE -August 16-20

The S&P/TSX Venture composite index made small but steady gains during the Aug. 16-20 trading period, ending up 22.57 points. Trading volume was below average but up from the prior week at 83.5 million.

The new high-low balance remains skewed, despite slow and steady improvement, with 36 Venture-listed companies hitting new highs and 144 falling to new lows.

The big story this week was BHP Billiton’s bid for Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan, which brought increased attention to potash-based companies on the TSX Venture Exchange.

Among the volume leaders of the week, Passport Potash had 12.2 million shares traded, Encanto Potash hit 9.6 million shares traded, and Allana Potash counted 6.8 million shares traded. Amazon Mining, meanwhile, was among the top value gainers, up 25¢ to $2.45 per share.

Northern Star Mining was by far the most traded with 67.1 million shares changing hands. The attention, however, was due to the company announcing that it was being sued and intends to file for bankruptcy.

The lawsuit was filed by MineralFields 2010 Super Flow-Through LP and related funds, and relates to alleged misrepresentations in flow-through private placements by some current and former directors and officers. The lawsuit was automatically stayed following the bankruptcy filing. The company dropped from 7¢ to a penny.

Salazar Resources hit a 52-week high after releasing three step-out drill results from its Curipamba polymetallic project in central-west Ecuador. Taken from the El Domo target, hole 56 cut 16 metres of 11.32 grams gold per tonne, 195.31 grams silver per tonne, 3.75% copper, 0.93% lead and 8.19% zinc. The company only recently restarted exploring the project after a two-year suspension following Ecuador’s mining moratorium. Salazar hit a high of $1.42 before closing at $1.21.

New Guinea Gold saw heavy trading after releasing drill results from its Sinivit gold project in Papua New Guinea. Results from seven reverse circulation holes drilled on the southern oxide pit at the mine include: 14 metres of 33 grams gold and 3.21% copper from surface; 12 metres of 10.28 grams gold and 1.85% copper from 10 metres depth; and 8 metres grading 12.64 grams gold and 1.22% copper from 16 metres downhole. The company’s share price climbed 3.5¢ or 43.8% to 11.5¢ on 9.6 million shares traded.

Lumina Copper was one of the big value gainers, ending up 54¢ at $2.09, reaching a new 52-week high. Lumina recently started a four-to six-month drill program on its flagship Taca Taca copper-molybdenum-gold project in Argentina, and also released its quarterly financial statements. The company was trading at a low of 66¢ a year ago.

Right behind Lumina in the value gains was Antares Minerals, which gained 53¢ on its way to a new closing high of $3.60. The company has been steadily gaining since it released a positive preliminary economic assessment for its Haquira copper molybdenum-gold project, in southern Peru, in late July.

More recently, Antares announced that it has started work at the joint-ventured Rio Grande copper-gold-silver project in Argentina. The work includes metallurgical testing, geochemical sampling, geological mapping and an induced-polarization/resistivity survey, but no drilling.

TSX-V most active issues
	VOLUME		WEEK
	(000s)	HIGH	LOW	CLOSE	CHANGE
Northern Star NSM	67141	0.08	0.06	0.01	0.00
Sidon Intl Res SD	12794	0.17	0.12	0.12	-0.02
Passport Metal PPI	12193	0.12	0.08	0.09	-0.01
CurrieRoseRsCUI	9860	0.10	0.06	0.08	+0.01
New Guinea Gld NGG	9640	0.13	0.08	0.12	+ 0.04
Encanto Potash EPO	9625	0.19	0.12	0.19	+ 0.05
Avion Res AVR	7211	0.60	0.55	0.57	+ 0.03
Copper Fox Mtl CUU	6770	0.44	0.34	0.41	+ 0.10
Allana Res AAA	6745	0.44	0.38	0.40	+ 0.01
NorthernSupRSUP	6228	0.25	0.17	0.23	+0.07

TSX-V greatest percentage change
		VOLUME		WEEK
		(000s)	HIGH	LOW	CLOSE	CHANGE
ICS Copper Sys	ICX	382	0.10	0.05	0.10	+ 150.0
Canasil Res	CLZ	580	0.14	0.09	0.14	+ 75.0
Endurance Gold	EDG	235	0.07	0.05	0.07	+ 75.0
MPH Vent	MPS	1442	0.05	0.03	0.05	+ 66.6
Expedition Mng	EXU	1149	0.09	0.06	0.08	+ 60.0
Golden Harp	GHR	246	0.16	0.12	0.16	+ 60.0
Ringbolt Vent	RBV	57	0.14	0.09	0.14	+ 55.5
GMV Minerals	GMV	437	0.21	0.15	0.20	+ 53.8
Logan Res	LGR	46	0.06	0.05	0.06	+ 50.0
Cascade Res	CC	468	0.06	0.04	0.06	+ 50.0
Adroit Res	ADT	1483	0.08	0.06	0.06	-33.3
Gossan Res	GSS	172	0.13	0.09	0.10	-33.3
Module Res	MLE	116	0.07	0.06	0.06	-33.3
Firesteel Res	FTR	31	0.09	0.06	0.06	-33.3
Trillium North	TNM	70	0.03	0.02	0.03	-25.0
Prominex Res	PXR	276	0.05	0.03	0.03	-25.0
Lund Gold	LGD	175	0.09	0.06	0.06	-25.0
Rochester Res	RCT	373	0.12	0.09	0.09	-25.0
Aldrin Res	ALN	1084	0.48	0.34	0.37	-24.4
New Island Res	NIS	394	0.12	0.10	0.10	-23.0

TSX-V greatest value change
WEEK
		VOLUME	CLOSE	CHANGE
East Asia Mnls	EAS	1261167	5.89	+ 0.92
Lumina Copper	LCC	480169	2.09	+ 0.54
Antares Minls	ANM	1275511	3.60	+ 0.53
Amazon Mng	AMZ	1176383	2.45	+ 0.25
Macarthur Mnl	MMS	50150	2.00	+ 0.25
Quaterra Res	QTA	220501	1.54	+ 0.24
Mirasol Res	MRZ	163505	2.06	+ 0.21
Hana Mng	HMG	1791165	1.91	+ 0.18
Andina Mnls	ADM	1206804	1.41	+ 0.18
Rainy River Rs	RR	1597350	6.08	+ 0.18
Maudore Minls	MAO	66364	3.91	-0.31
Chesapeake Gld	CKG	42023	7.15	-0.20
First Point	FPX	1022220	0.53	-0.15
Medoro Res	MRS	438654	1.90	-0.13
Aldrin Res	ALN	1084462	0.37	-0.12
Atac Res	ATC	662665	1.83	-0.11
Clifton Star	CFO	118770	4.33	-0.10
Eurasian Minls	EMX	43700	1.96	-0.09
Quest Rare Mnl	QRM	252938	2.77	-0.09
Argentex Mng	ATX	252250	0.45	-0.08