For the tale of the tape, the TSX Exchange tacked on 1.42%, while the TSX Gold Index exploded upwards by 5.1% and the TSX Venture Exchange, Canada’s largest junior exploration bourse, added 1.56% with believe it or not the advancing issuers beating out the decliners by a 445 to 388 margin on volume of 112 million shares traded.

Despite no new developments, it was a good day for Western Uranium (CVE:WUC). The company, which recently spun off its lithium assets into a new company, added C$0.10 to close at C$0.88.

Shares of ATAC Resources (CVE:ATC) continued to attract investors as the results to date at its wholly owned Rau property in the Keno Hill district of central Yukon suggest some size potential. ATAC ended the session up C$0.04 at C$0.44.

A formal review to identify strategic alternatives to unlock shareholder value helped EarthFirst Canada (TSE:EF) gain C$0.225 to C$0.475. The wind energy company’s 144 MW Dokie I project in British Columbia is slated for completion next year.

Sherwood Copper (CVE:SWC) tagged 4.7% copper and 1.2 grams gold per tonne over 8.5 metres in Area 118 of its Minto copper-gold mine in the Yukon. Sherwood ended the session up C$0.03 at C$4.60.

On the downside, shares of Antares Minerals (CVE:ANM) dropped C$0.29 to close at C$2.26 on over 2.6 million shares traded. The junior has been pulling some nice intercepts from its Haquira copper-molybdenum-gold project in Peru.

While Thursday marked a quiet news day, the strength of the broader markets suggest that perhaps the worse of the resource sell-off is now behind us as we head into the later part of August. We will see what Friday trading has in store.

Source: Resource Stock Roundup: Friday, August 22nd, 2008

For the tail of the tape; the TSX Exchange dropped 1.88%, while the TSX Gold Index plunged 7.5% and the TSX Venture Exchange, Canada’s largest junior exploration bourse, sank 4.28% with the declining issuers beating out the advancers by a 688 to 245 margin on volume of 130 million shares traded.

New market darling Goldsource Mines (GXS) reported that hole 5 on its Border Property near Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan hit 36.8 metres of coal. The hole was drilled 4.5 kilometres northwest of the discovery hole. Goldsource ended the day down C$0.66, at C$8 even.

Antares Minerals (ANM) tagged 341.8 metres running 0.75% copper at its Haquira copper-molybdenum-gold project in Peru. Antares ended the session unchanged at C$2.99.

Meanwhile in Romania, Carpathian Gold hit 2.01 gold equivalent over 255.7 metres at its Ciresata Porphyry target on the Rovina Exploration License in central Romania. Carpathian ended the day flat at C$0.26.

On the down side, shares of Probe Mines fell C$0.275, to C$0.325, as the junior reported that only three of the first eight holes drilled on its McFauld’s West property in Ontario’s James Bay Lowlands cut ultramafic intrusive rock. None of which appear to have hit any significant sulphides.

A rare bright spot on no news was Zincorp, which added C$0.04 to close at C$0.39. The company has resumed drilling on its Michelle property in the Yukon where the discovery hole cut 40% combined lead-zinc with 510.7 grams silver per tonne over 7.94 metres.

Just when some traction was being made in the junior market, plunging commodity prices drove the overall index back to lows last seen in 2005. We will see what Wednesday trading has in store.

Source: Resource Stock Roundup Wednesday August 6, 2008