Precious Metals Stocks Dominate OTCQX Best 50 List

OTC Markets Group (OTCQX:OTCM) has released its latest annual list of the 50 top performers traded on the OTCQX Best Market. 

The ranking assesses companies’ one year total returns and average daily dollar volume growth. 2019’s OTCQX Best 50 traded an aggregate US$13.7 billion in volume throughout the year and delivered an average total return to investors of 91 percent.

“This year’s roster of industry leaders demonstrates the breadth, depth and diversity of companies represented on OTCQX,” said Jason Paltrowitz of OTC Markets Group.

“We continue to be the market of choice for established US community banks, smaller growth and developing companies and leading foreign exchange-listed global brands looking to build their profile with US investors,” added Paltrowitz, who is executive vice president of corporate services at the firm.

Published on Tuesday (January 21), this year’s list features almost 20 precious metals stocks, with gold companies leading. Below we run through the top five in order of their appearance on the list.

1. New Pacific Metals (OTCQX:NUPMF)

New Pacific Metals saw its share price rise 15 percent last year, and that positive performance helped the silver-focused explorer take the number one spot on the latest edition of the OTCQX Best 50 list.

Its flagship asset is the Silver Sand project in Bolivia, where an exploration drill program is currently underway. New Pacific also has properties in China and Canada, where it is exploring for both precious and base metals.

New Pacific began trading on the OTCQX in March 2018.

2. Lion One Metals (OTCQX:LOMLF)

The number two spot on the list went to Lion One Metals, a Canadian junior developing the Tuvatu Alkaline gold project on the island of Fiji.

According to the company, Tuvatu is one of the highest-grade gold deposits in the world. When the site comes online, Lion One expects production to hit 100,000 ounces of gold annually over a decade.

Lion One emerged on the OTCQX in November 2011.

3. K92 Mining (OTCQX:KNTNF)

K92 Mining operates the Kainantu gold project in the eastern highlands of Papua New Guinea. Currently, the precious metals company is focused on the Kora deposit within the Kainantu site.

Over the last year, the firm has worked to expand and upgrade the underground mining infrastructure and capacity at the mine.

“The company is moving forward rapidly with the Kora Expansion project expected to significantly increase throughput, achieving 400,000 tonnes per annum (tpa) annualized process plant run-rate by the end of 2020,” reads a recent press release.

K92 commenced trading on the OTCQX in May 2018.

4. Impala Platinum (OTCQX:IMPUY)

Impala Platinum (Implats) is the only platinum-group metals (PGMs) producer to crack the top five on the OTCQX Best 50 list. Shares of the miner have climbed more than 100 percent in the last six months.

Focused on platinum in South Africa, the miner produced 153 million ounces of the metal in 2019.

In mid-December, Implats finalized its acquisition of North American Palladium for C$1 billion. This will be the company’s first foray into the Canadian palladium-mining sector. The newly formed operator, Impala Canada, will oversee the Lac des Iles mine in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

“Impala Canada will accelerate our progress against a number of key strategic imperatives and the acquisition is an important development in the evolution of the Implats Group into a sustainable PGM producer,” Nico Muller, CEO of Implats, said at the time.

Impala first listed on the OTCQX in December 2011.

5. Continental Gold (OTCQX:CGOOF)

Rounding out the top five is Continental Gold, a Colombia-focused gold company with two projects in development: Berlin and its flagship asset Buriticá.

In early December, Continental announced plans to accept a friendly takeover offer from Chinese company Zijin Mining Group (OTC Pink:ZIJMF,HKEX:2899).

The deal, which will be voted on this month, will see Zijin pay C$1.4 billion for Continental.

“Continental’s 100 percent-owned Buriticá project in Antioquia, Colombia is one of the largest and highest-grade gold projects in the world and represents a highly complementary addition to Zijin’s international asset portfolio,” Chen Jinghe, chairman of Zijin, said in a statement. “The Buriticá project is expected to produce approximately 250k ounces of gold per annum on average over a 14-year mine.”

Continental Gold made its debut on the OTCQX in April 2012.

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Securities Disclosure: I, Georgia Williams, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.