VRIC 2018, Day 2: Notes from the Floor

It’s a wrap for 2018’s Vancouver Resource Investment Conference (VRIC).
Held this past Sunday (January 21) and Monday (January 22), the event was the busiest it’s been in years, with more than 8,000 attendees and over 250 exhibitors.
If you weren’t able to make it to the two-day show, don’t worry. The Investing News Network (INN) team was on the floor covering talks and panels, speaking with analysts and of course tweeting throughout the day. Click here to see our overview of the first day of the conference, and scroll on to see our recap of day two.
And don’t forget to watch out for additional coverage and interviews from the event in the coming weeks.

Like Sunday, Monday was a busy day at VRIC, with crowds on the floor and in the presentation halls.

Huge turnout at the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference #VRIC18! If you get a chance have a chat with U.S. Global CEO Frank Holmes and share your thoughts on #gold and #blockchainpic.twitter.com/Q28VXylBW7

— US Global Investors (@USFunds) January 22, 2018

One of the morning’s many presentations came from David Morgan, publisher of the Morgan Report. In a Q&A led by Peter Spina of GoldSeek.com and SilverSeek.com, Morgan shared his thoughts on the future of silver, from supply and demand to prices.

#Silver is an essential and irreplaceable metal, says @silverguru22 – 2018 should be a good year #VRIC18

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) January 22, 2018

The EV market will create higher demand for #silver in the future, says David Morgan #VRIC18

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) January 22, 2018

Morgan stopped by the INN booth later in the day to share more of his thoughts on silver and other metals. Check out the photo below for a behind-the-scenes look at one of our key video interview props.

.@silverguru22 in conversation with Charlotte #VRIC2018#VRIC18pic.twitter.com/QJKWOYeeOa

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) January 22, 2018

Cryptocurrencies were again a hot topic at the show, and Teeka Tiwari, co-editor of Palm Beach Confidential, gave some insight on them in a Q&A with Marin Katusa of Katusa Research. Tiwari, who believes bitcoin could reach $40,000 by the end of the year, doesn’t think it’s too late to enter the space.

A packed keynote by @teekatiwari this afternoon at #VRIC2018: “Is it too late to buy crypto?” #cryptopic.twitter.com/DR5ik6qyto

— Cambridge House (@Cambridge) January 22, 2018

Brent Cook and Joe Mazumdar of Exploration Insights took the stage near the middle of the day, sharing their thoughts on exploration in the gold space. Stay tuned for a video interview featuring both analysts.

We’re not finding enough ore, says Brent Cook. What’s more, discoveries are getting deeper – and deeper deposits require higher grades #VRIC18

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) January 22, 2018

Ever wanted to see the TSX close? VRIC attendees got to see it happen remotely at 1:00 p.m. PST/4:00 p.m. EST on Monday. Fun!

The TSX closes remotely from #VRIC18 on Day 2 #mining#Investingpic.twitter.com/rBpr5ed8hW

— The Prospector News (@prospectornews) January 22, 2018

What are the safest places in the world to do business in the mining world? The answer may surprise you — Charles Dumbrille of 3i Partners discussed geopolitical risk in an afternoon talk, commenting that Canada, Botswana and Chile are the safest countries in which to operate.

Charles Dumbrille of @3iPartners lists Canada, Botswana and Chile as safest countries to be #mining in and the most riskiest countries as Mexico, Colombia and Iran #VRIC18pic.twitter.com/1Tomd3DDai

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) January 22, 2018

Peter Schiff of EuroPacific Capital presented multiple times throughout the conference, and his Monday talk, titled “How to Profit from the Trump Trainwreck,” was packed. Check back later for a video interview with Schiff where he discusses Trump, the US economy and of course cryptocurrencies.

Standing room only for the @PeterSchiff presentation. Packed all day for both days of the conference @KatusaResearch@Cambridge#VRIC18pic.twitter.com/C6IhFAhj1g

— Robbie Joseph (@Robbie_Joseph) January 22, 2018

“Queen of diamonds” Eira Thomas also took part in a Q&A with Katusa, sharing the story behind her successes at Kaminak Gold and Stornoway Diamond (TSX:SWY), among others. Katusa emphasized that Thomas is four out of four for discoveries in her 18-year career, and while she wasn’t able to share what her next project will be, she encouraged investors to “stay tuned.”

What does Eira Thomas look for when choosing companies to invest in? People – make sure to choose companies with the best of the best behind them #VRIC18

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) January 22, 2018

In a talk titled “Let’s Talk About Gold and Cryptos … But Mostly Gold,” Byron King of the Daily Reckoning and Agora Financial kept his promise — after a brief discussion of cryptocurrencies, he shared many of his picks in the gold space.

The #gold price is going up for lots of reasons, says Byron King of @AgoraFinancial – #cryptocurrencies are a bubble that’s going to pop #VRIC18

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) January 22, 2018

Sid Rajeev, vice president, head of research at Fundamental Research, shared his top picks for 2018 in an afternoon talk covering a variety of commodities, from copper to zinc to gold.
In the gold space, his favorite companies include Dyancor Gold Mines (TSX:DNG), Corvus Gold (TSX:KOR), Kerr Mines (TSX:KER), East Africa Metals (TSXV:EAM) and Eskay Miming (TSXV:ESK).

Sid Rajeev of @FRCorp stock picks for #copper: Trilogy Metals, Quaterra Resources, Chilean Metals #VRIC2018

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) January 22, 2018

Sid Rajeev of @FRCorp stock picks for #zinc: Foran Mining and Hannan Metals #VRIC18pic.twitter.com/L2T7l29ZtD

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) January 22, 2018

Of course, the most anticipated event of the day was the gold vs. cryptocurrencies debate held at the very end of the conference. Moderated by Katusa, it featured well-known author Jim Rickards, along with Tiwari and Schiff. See below for a taste of the discussion.

.@JamesGRickards says #gold vs cryptocurrency is a “phoney” debate because there is one and only one #gold in contrast to over a thousand cryptocurrencies #bitcoin#VRIC18

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) January 23, 2018

.@teekatiwari says there have been flash crashes in cryptocurrency so “take a small position and grow your money.” Be rational, have a diversified portfolio #VRIC18

— Resource Investing (@INN_Resource) January 23, 2018

VRIC is done for this year, but watch this space for videos and other content from the show. After a jam-packed two days, the INN team is excited to share the latest insights from experts.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.