Gold and Copper Stocks Lead on 2018 OTCQX Best 50 List

OTC Markets Group recently released its latest OTCQX Best 50 list, which ranks the top-performing companies on the OTCQX Best Marketplace in 2017.
The companies, which represent a range of sectors, proved to be exemplary in their one-year total returns and average daily dollar volume growth.
In 2017, the Best 50 companies traded an aggregate $19.9 billion in dollar volume and delivered an average total return of 120 percent to investors.
Released last Wednesday (January 24), the list includes a number of companies from within the resource sector. Below we run through the top five in order of their appearance on the list. 

1. Amerigo Resources (OTCQX:ARREF)

Amerigo’s 100-percent-owned MVC operation in Chile has been producing low-risk copper since 1992. Last year, Amerigo produced 60 to 65 million pounds of copper at a cash cost of $1.60 to $1.75 per pound, and in 2018 it expects to produce 65 to 70 million pounds of copper. The company listed on the OTCQX on June 22, 2010.

2. Novo Resources (OTCQX:NSRPF)

Novo Resources, which listed on the OTCQX on August 13, 2012, evaluates, acquires and explores gold properties. The company has a number of projects in Western Australia, and it made headlines midway through last year when it discovered gold nuggets in the first bulk sample from its Purdy’s Reward prospect. Purdy’s Reward is part of the Karratha gold project, and is a joint venture with Artemis Resources (ASX:ARV), another exploration company.  
Purdy’s Reward and Novo have attracted further media and investor attention since the discovery, and the company continues to move forward at the prospect.

3. Excelsior Mining (OTCQX:EXMGF)

Excelsior calls itself the “copper solution company,” and is currently developing its Gunnison copper project. Gunnison is a low-cost in-situ copper recovery asset located in Arizona. The project covers 9,560 acres and has a projected production rate of 25 million pounds a year.
The company reached a number of key milestones in 2017. In September, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality provided Excelsior with a grant letter for Gunnison’s aquifer protection permit, paving the way for the company to obtain a draft operating permit from the Environmental Protection Agency shortly thereafter. This permit was a milestone as it was the last of the three key permits required to go into production. Excelsior listed on the OTCQX onMay 24, 2011.

4. Critical Elements (OTCQX:CRECF)

This junior mining company is the highest-ranking lithium–tantalum entry on the list, and commenced trading on the OTCQX on October 29, 2010. Critical Elements’ flagship project is the Rose lithium-tantalum project, which is located in Quebec.
According to a September 2017 feasibility study, Rose is expected to produce an average of 186,327 tonnes of chemical-grade lithium concentrate, 50,205 tonnes of technical-grade lithium concentrate and 429 tonnes of tantalum concentrate a year. Rose has an expected lifespan of 17 years and an average gross margin 63.6 percent. The company said when the feasibility study was released that it expected to start construction in 21 months.

5. Corvus Gold (OTCQX:CORVF)

Corvus Gold is a junior gold exploration and development company focused on its North Bullfrog and Mother Lode gold projects in Nevada. The former encompasses 75 square kilometers, while the latter is about 10 kilometers southeast and covers 10 square kilometers.
The company listed on the OTCQX on May 9, 2011, and in 2017 it completed work at both North Bullfrog and Mother Lode, which it acquired from Goldcorp (TSX:G,NYSE:GG) in June. It recently raised money for further exploration at Mother Lode in 2018.

Other winners

Which other mining stocks made it onto this year’s OTCQX Best 50 list? Following behind the five listed above were: Nemaska Lithium (OTCQX:NMKEF), Mason Graphite (OTCQX:MGPHF), Ivanhoe Mines (OTCQX:IVPAF), Columbus Gold (OTCQX:CBGDF) and Northern Graphite (OTCQX:NGPHF). Click here to view the full list.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Nicole Rashotte, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: Critical Elements and Nemaska Lithium are clients of the Investing News Network. This article is not paid-for content.