AGORACOM Small-cap Investor Relations Blog

Durango owns 100% interest in the Trove claims, in the Windfall Lake area between Val d’Or and Chibougamau, Quebec., which are surrounded by Osisko Mining Inc. The property is compelling due to the coincidence of gold found in tills, coinciding with magnetic highs, several Induced Polarization anomalies and two faults crosscutting the property. Durango is undergoing a final review process for the proposed 3,000m drill program in 2020. Click Here For More Info

Global investors seeking a perceived safe haven piled into gold-backed ETFs in 2019, making it the best year on record for gold holdings. Assets under management (AUM) in gold bullion ETFs expanded 37 percent from the previous year, adding $19.2 billion, or 400 tonnes, according to the World Gold Council (WGC). During the fourth quarter, total holdings hit a jaw-dropping 2,900 tonnes, the equivalent of 102 million ounces, which is the most on record.

Physical gold, meanwhile, had its best year since 2010, climbing as much as 18.31 percent. The yellow metal’s role as an exceptional store of value shined brightly in the second half of 2019 when the pool of negative-yielding debt around the world began to skyrocket, eventually topping out at around $17 trillion in August.

As of January 2020, it’s estimated that about 30 percent of all investment-grade sovereign government bonds and 15 percent of corporate bonds traded with a negative yield. This means that investors who buy and hold them until maturity are guaranteed to make a loss.

The 30 percent referenced above only includes nominal rates. When adjusted for inflation, some 90 percent of government debt has a negative yield right now, according to WGC estimates.

“And the low rate environment is unlikely to change any time soon,” writes WGC analysts in their “Outlook 2020” report, released January 15. “Many central banks—the highest number since the global financial crisis—are cutting rates, expanding or implementing quantitative (or quasi-quantitative) easing and, in some instances, doing both.”

Lower for Longer

Some economists use the term “Japanification” to describe the process of being permanently stuck in an environment of low inflation and even lower rates, which leaves policymakers with few options to jolt the economy.

Last year, the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank (ECB) and Bank of Japan (BoJ)—which represent a collective 45 percent of world gross domestic product (GDP)—all either cut lending rates or kept them steady at below 0 percent. Japanese officials hinted that they might trim rates further, while President Donald Trump publically pressured Fed Chair Jerome Powell to implement a low-interest policy that’s more in line with other economies.

The U.S. is “one recession away from joining Europe and Japan in the monetary black hole of zero rates and no prospect of escape,” comments Larry Summers, former director of the National Economic Council (NEC).

This isn’t a phenomenon seen just in developed economies. Emerging markets are in rate-cutting mode as well. In November, there were as many as eight net rate cuts among a group of 37 developing economies, according to Refinitiv. November, in fact, marked the 10th straight month of net cuts, the longest easing cycle for emerging market central banks since 2013.

Turkey’s is the most recent central bank to lower rates, from 12 percent to 11.25 percent on January 15, pushing its benchmark rate below 0 percent for the first time, when adjusted for inflation.

Interest in Gold as an Investment Has Increased

For these reasons and more, interest in gold as an investment has surged, if internet search results are any indication. According to Google Trends data, search queries for the key phrase “gold investment” reached their most extreme level in the past five years. In the chart below, the left axis represents search interest relative to the highest point for the given time period. On January 12, the “gold investment” search term had a reading of 100, indicating that interest in the topic was very recently at its highest point for the five-year timeframe. 

So How Can You Participate?

Besides buying physical gold—in bars, coins or jewelry—investors can get exposure through futures contracts or by buying individual gold mining stocks, mutual funds or ETFs. Our favorite strategy to use is the U.S. Global GO GOLD and Precious Metal Miners ETF (GOAU). The ETF, which launched in June 2017, ended the year up a phenomenal 54.2 percent, beating the price of gold bullion (up 18.3 percent) as well as gold mining companies (up 41.6 percent).

GOAU managed to deliver such impressive results because, number one, it’s quant-based and highly selective of the companies it invests in. Unlike many other gold ETFs, which are market cap-weighted, GOAU aims to select only the most profitable, undervalued and high-momentum mining stocks. It’s also rebalanced and reconstituted at the start of every quarter.

What really makes all the difference is that approximately 30 percent of the ETF is invested in the top three royalty and streaming companies—Franco-Nevada, Wheaton Precious Metals and Royal Gold. Fellow streamers Osisko Gold Royalties and Sandstorm Gold represent a further 8 percent of GOAU, as of January.

We believe these firms are the “smart money” of the metals and mining industry. Royalty and streaming companies can help investors manage many common risks associated with traditional producers. Because they’re not directly responsible for building and maintaining mines and other costly infrastructure, huge operating expenses can be avoided. They also hold highly diversified portfolios of mines and other assets, which helps mitigate concentration risk in the event that one of the properties stops producing. As a result, royalty companies have enjoyed a much lower breakeven cost than traditional miners.

SOURCE: https://www.usglobaletfs.com/insights/gold-prices-supported-by-negative-and-near-zero-bond-yields/

• Identified 15 drill targets for the Trove Property to test favourable IP signatures

July 15, 2020 – Durango Resources Inc. (TSXV-DGO) (Frankfurt-86A1) (OTC:ATOXF), (the “Company” or “Durango“) is pleased to report that its exploration team has completed the initial 2020 reconaissance program on its Windfall Lake, Quebec land package.

As announced on July 2, 2020, Durango deployed its exploration crew to the Trove Property to prepare the site for the 2020 summer drill program. Durango has identified 15 drill targets for the Trove Property to test favourable IP signatures which coincide with geochemistry anomalies including gold found in till samples. Drill access was created on the Trove Property as necessary for the upcoming summer drill program.

Additional mapping and sampling were completed on the Trove Property due to the additional road access recently built by forest companies. Fifty nine (59) grab and channel samples were also collected on the Trove Property. The accessibility of the new outcrops permitted Durango to take additional structural measurements for the upcoming summer drill campaign.

Mineralized zones, hematite quartz veins and lithological contacts including felsic dykes and mafic volcanics were mapped and sampled on the Trove Property. Some mineralized zones with pyrrhotite, traces of chalcopyrite and hematite alteration associated with quartz veins were observed in the sampled areas on the Trove Property. Several gold deposits in the Urban Barry belt have been associated with a set of northeast (NE) shear zones accompanied with deformation by a magmatic event represented by quartz feldspar porphyry (QFP) dykes which are now identified on the Trove Property.

It is recommended that mechanical stripping and sampling be completed immediately on the northeast extremity of the Trove Property near one the previously defined drill targets which may be controlled by the NE-SW Barry fault and associated shear zones.

Nine (9) till samples were also collected on Durango’s East Barry Property along the projected contact of the intrusives and the volcanics. Till sampling conducted in 2018 and 2019 identified a 5km trend but no new outcrops were discovered during the short campaign.

Marcy Kiesman, CEO of Durango, stated, “I am very enthusiastic that many of our first stage observations at the Trove Property correspond to the mineralization reported by Osisko Mining on their neighbouring properties, specifically, in Osisko’s 2018 drilling campaign that returned results of up to 5g/t gold. The potential for the Trove and East Barry properties are high which is great news for our shareholders and further presses the importance of our exceptional properties at Windfall.”

Additional information on the exploration program, including financing, will be released as it becomes available.

The technical contents of this press release were approved by George Yordanov, professional geologist, an Independent Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. The property has not yet been subject to an NI-43-101 report.

Trove, Quebec

Durango owns 100% interest in the Trove claims, which are surrounded by Osisko Mining Inc. (TSX: OSK) , in the Windfall Lake area between Val d’Or and Chibougamau, Quebec. The 1,185 hectare property is compelling due to the coincidence of gold found in tills coinciding with magnetic highs, several Induced Polarization anomalies and two faults crosscutting the property. The fault systems north and south of the Trove, control gold mineralization elsewhere, indicating the Trove has excellent exploration potential. Durango received all the final drill permits for the Trove property in September 2019 and is undergoing its final reviewing process for the proposed 3,000m drill program.

East Barry, Quebec

Durango owns 100% interest in the East Barry claims which run parallel to Trove claims. The East Barry block is over 6,100 hectares in size and borders the eastern perimeter of Osisko’s holdings and the southern perimeter of Bonterra’s holdings and is less than 4km south of the Gladiator deposit. The East Barry claims host a gold trend which covers approximately 10km in length and is subparallel to the main Barry Fault held by Osisko. In 2018 a till sampling program was conducted and one of the till samples returned fourty-two (42) pristine gold grains with reported gold values of 2.184 g/t Au. A high count of pristine gold grains indicates that the gold has travelled a very short distance from its source. The East Barry block underwent an Induced Polarization survey in 2018 which identified a high priority target coincident with the high count of pristine gold grains.

About Durango

Durango is a natural resources company engaged in the acquisition and exploration of mineral properties. The Company is positioned for discovery with a 100% interest in a strategically located group of properties in the Windfall Lake gold camp in the Abitibi region of Quebec, Canada.

For further information on Durango, please refer to its SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Marcy Kiesman, CEO

Telephone: 604.428.2900 or 604.339.2243

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.durangoresourcesinc.comUnfollowRecommend

• Durango Resources Inc.’s exploration team has arrived on site at Windfall Lake, Quebec.
• Preparing drill pads for upcoming summer drill program

The work crew has been tasked with preparing the site for the upcoming summer drill program by way of creating drill pads and clearing access to the areas of interest. As previously announced on April 4, 2019, Durango has identified 15 drill targets for the Trove Property to test favourable IP signatures that coincide with geochemistry anomalies including gold found in till samples.

The exploration team will also be mapping and collecting additional till and rock samples on the East Barry Block in an area of interest along the contact of instrusives and volcanics. Till sampling conducted in 2018 and 2019, identified a 5km trend which we are eager to investigate and identify the source for future drill targets.

Marcy Kiesman, chief executive officer of Durango, stated: “I am excited to finally get our exploration team moving at Windfall Lake. I want to thank our shareholders for their patience this year as we navigated the challenges of closures and increased regulations due to COVID19. We look forward to a busy summer exploring and drilling in the Windfall gold camp adjacent to Osisko with great hopes for success for our shareholders.”

The technical contents of this press release were approved by George Yordanov, professional geologist, an Independent Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. The property has not yet been subject to an NI-43-101 report.

Trove, Quebec

Durango owns 100% interest in the Trove claims, which are surrounded by Osisko Mining Inc., in the Windfall Lake area between Val d’Or and Chibougamau, Quebec. The 1,185 hectare property is compelling due to the coincidence of gold found in tills coinciding with magnetic highs, several Induced Polarization (“IP”) anomalies and two faults crosscutting the property. The fault systems north and south of the Trove, control gold mineralization elsewhere, indicating the Trove has excellent exploration potential. Durango received all the final drill permits for the Trove property in September 2019 and is undergoing its final reviewing process for the proposed 3,000m drill program.

East Barry, Quebec

Durango owns 100% interest in the East Barry claims which run parallel to Trove claims. The East Barry block is over 6,100 hectares in size and borders the eastern perimeter of Osisko’s holdings and the southern perimeter of Bonterra’s holdings and is less than 4km south of the Gladiator deposit. The East Barry claims host a gold trend which covers approximately 10km in length and is subparallel to the main Barry Fault held by Osisko. In 2018 a till sampling program was conducted and one of the till samples returned fourty-two (42) pristine gold grains with reported gold values of 2.184 g/t Au. A high count of pristine gold grains indicates that the gold has travelled a very short distance from its source. The East Barry block underwent an Induced Polarization (“IP”) survey in 2018 which identified a high priority target coincident with the high count of pristine gold grains.

About Durango

Durango is a natural resources company engaged in the acquisition and exploration of mineral properties. The Company is positioned for discovery with a 100% interest in a strategically located group of properties in the Windfall Lake gold camp in the Abitibi region of Quebec, Canada.