Oreninc Index Settles into Slump

The Oreninc Index fell further for the week ending December 4, 2014. Total dollars fell to $38.6m, a four-week low. Two brokered deals were announced for $1.9m, also a four-week low; no bought deals were announced for the third time in five weeks. 

Deal-making picked up this week, led by Aston Bay Holdings Ltd.’s (TSX-V:BAY) announcement of the signing of their Definitive Earn-In Agreement with a wholly owned subsidiary of Antofagasta plc (LON:ANTO). 

Metals prices rallied with gold hitting a five-week high on Monday the 1st (though coming back down to around $1,200 to end the week) and iron ore moving up to its highest level since mid-November, which while not huge news, is certainly better than the fall it had in recent weeks.

As the holidays approach, it seems that bankers and executives are gearing up to be out of the office and investor's checkbooks may be tapped. There is always next year....

Oreninc Index Declines

The Oreninc Index declined for the week ending November 27, 2014. Total dollars fell to $101.4m, a three-week low. One brokered deal was announced for $2m, a three-week low; and no bought deals were announced for the second time in four weeks.

The US Thanksgiving did not close Canadian markets, but it did seem to impact dealflow as no major deals were announced. Oil had a truly horrific week, falling to $70 a barrel on news that OPEC does not intend to alter crude production. Iron ore also had another miserable week, falling below $70 a ton for the first time since 2009. In better news, gold seems to have leveled off and, at least momentarily, stymied the fall that it has experienced since summer. As we head into the holiday season, it will be interesting to see if companies take advantage of raising last minute flow-through, as has happened in previous years, or if they close the doors and bunker down for a very cold winter.

Oreninc Index Stumbles

The Oreninc Index stumbled for the week ending November 20, 2014. Total dollars fell to $60.3m, a two-week low. One bought deal was announced for $15.1m and was also the only brokered deal, two-week lows for both categories.

By far the biggest deal of the week was Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd.’s (TSX:OR) acquisition of Virginia Mines Inc. (TSX:VGQ) for $479m. The all-stock deal combines two companies that are focused on gold royalties in Quebec. Metal prices for the week were positive, with gold having a fantastic week, almost reaching $1,200/oz. Nickel also had a price increase, reaching its highest this month on news the Indonesian government would continue their ban on unprocessed ore. Nothing changed for iron ore, as the metal continued its horrific slide downwards for 2014.

While not as bad as many weeks this autumn, one hopes something would have been built off of last week’s increased performance. Due to the US Thanksgiving Holiday this Thursday, the release of the November 27th Index will be delayed until Tuesday, December 2nd.

Oreninc Index Rebounds to Modest Levels

The Oreninc Index rebounded to modest levels for the week ending November 13, 2014. Total dollars jumped to $101.6m, a four-week high. Five brokered deals were announced for $73m, a four-week high; two brokered deals were announced for $70m, also a four-week high.

There were a couple of smaller deals for the week, with the Scorpio Mining (TSX:SPM) and U.S. Silver & Gold (TSX:USA) merger being the most significant transaction. The company will retain Scorpio Mining as their name. Commodity prices for the week were mostly flat. 

After a couple weeks of truly awful performance, this week’s financing activity is a welcome reprieve. Still, it’s hard to get too excited when the best week in a while is still below our threshold for a healthy financing market.

Oreninc Index Crashes to Lowest Level Since January

The Oreninc Index crashed to its lowest level since January for the week ending November 6, 2014. Total dollars announced fell to $11m, a YTD low. One brokered deal was announced for $0.7m, a 12-week low; no bought deals were announced for the second straight week. 

Deals for the week were a bit heavier, the largest being Antofagasta plc’s agreement to buy Duluth Metals Ltd. for C$96m, and with it the remaining 60% stake in the Twin Metals copper and nickel project in the United States. Metal prices for the week were gruesome, with iron ore falling to a 64-month low and gold falling to a four-and-a-half-year low.

There are not many ways to spin a week like this in a positive way, other than to say it can’t get that much worse.