Mining’s old guard needs strong medicine
A new report details subpar investor returns in the mining industry over the last decade, particularly big cap diversified companies which have not adapted to new realities.
Stock in White Tiger Gold received another 6.6% bump on Tuesday, bringing its gains over the past week to 38.5% after the company announced it has secured a $15 million loan to ramp up production at its Lamaque project in Val d’Or, Quebec.
White Tiger has experienced a flurry of corporate activity recently, installing new senior management and expanding the Lamaque project after sealing the takeover of Century Mining after months of delays due to action from unhappy minority shareholders.
Reuters reported in August Russian investor Maxim Finskiy, who owned 75% of White Tiger and 25% of Century Mining, faced vocal opposition from a group of minority shareholders ahead of the merger. They argued the merger does not offer fair value for Century’s main assets, the Lamaque gold mine in Quebec and the San Juan gold mine in Peru.
Apart from these assets, White Tiger owns an operating mine in Siberia and is also advancing two other Russian projects.
White Tiger Gold (CVE:WTG) is worth some $280 million on the TSX-V and despite recent gains still trades well below levels seen before the takeover. At the outset of 2011 the counter changed hands above $4.00. By early afternoon Tuesday it traded at 97c.
