Investors heading for the exits ahead of the Canada Day holiday as a sea of red engulfed the Canadian Markets during Tuesday’s session. For the tale of the tape, the TSX Exchange down 0.97%, while the TSX Gold Index fell 2.8% and the TSX Venture Exchange, Canada’s largest junior exploration bourse, lost 1.23% with the decliners edging out the advancers by a 413 to 361 margin on 151 million shares traded.

The Canadian Markets continued to march higher with the Bank of Montreal posting better than expected earnings for the second quarter of 2009. For the tale of the tape, the TSX Exchange added 2.15%, while the TSX Gold Index gave back 0.4% and the TSX Venture Exchange, Canada’s largest junior exploration bourse, tacked on 0.07% with the decliners beating out the advancers by a 440 to 398 margin on 171 million shares traded.

In a reversal of fortunes, the bulls bounced back with a vengeance to gain back most of Wednesday’s losses during Thursday trading on the Canadian Markets. For the tale of the tape, the TSX Exchange added 1.44%, while the TSX Gold Index climbed 0.5% and the TSX Venture Exchange, Canada’s largest junior exploration bourse, tacked on 0.66% with the decliners edging out the advancers by a 393 to 382 margin on 212 million shares traded.

The Canadian Markets made a valiant effort to keep the seven-week winning streak intact but by the end of trading on Friday the late week rally fell just short. For the tale of the tape, the TSX Exchange surged 1.85%, while the TSX Gold Index fell 0.3% and the TSX Venture Exchange, Canada’s largest junior exploration bourse, tacked on 0.12% with the advancers beating out the decliners by a 448 to 334 margin on volume good volumes of 168 million shares traded.

After another strong bout of buying, investors elected to book some profits during Tuesday trading on the Canadian markets. For the tale of the tape, the TSX Exchange fell 0.58%, while the TSX Gold Index dropped 1.1% and the TSX Venture Exchange, Canada’s largest junior exploration bourse, gave back 0.40% with the advancers edging out the decliners by a 355 to 353 margin on volume of 148 million shares traded.

What a difference a year makes. Delta Airlines (DAL) has reported a 2Q loss of $1.04 billion, compared with year-ago net income of $1.59 billion. Sky-high crude oil prices and fuel inefficient planes are murdering the airline.

A great way to play the airlines woes is by investing in vanadium. The little-known metal is in high demand due its use in fuel-efficient engine technology. Its primary use is in ultra-light, super-strong metal alloys.

Vanadium is scarce. And there’s high demand for it. This makes it a great investment, says Chris Mayer…