Gold prices were already on a tear amid wild pandemic, economic and electoral uncertainty, with big banks predicting $3,000 gold …Or even $5,000 gold. Right before Biden’s electoral victory, JPMorgan had called another 5% price hike in a “blue wave”.   Mentioned in today’s commentary includes:  AngloGold Ashanti Limited (NYSE: AU), Gold Fields Limited (NYSE: GFI), Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited (NYSE: HMY), Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE: FCX), Compañía de Minas Buenaventura S.A.A. (NYSE: BVN).

Though Trump loves gold and adorns everything with the precious metal, the precious metal itself was banking on a Biden win. Why? Because what it loves more than anything is the Biden-backed promise of monetary stimulus.

Historically, gold has risen consistently on similar economic packages…And today is no different. But the best way to take advantage of a transformative year for gold is at the center of the next major discovery.

Where will the next major gold discovery be?

The Canadian province of Quebec has long been renowned as a hotspot for gold seekers across the globe. But that doesn’t mean its time in the spotlight is over just yet. Home to 30 major gold-mining venues and 160 exploration projects, Quebec is the undisputed queen of gold. But even with that title, only 40% of the province’s mineral potential has been tapped into.

That makes it ripe for the next big discovery. And it isn’t just ripe, it’s already in major new discovery mode. Amex Exploration Inc has made a monstrous discovery. And the next in line could be Starr Peak Exploration, which hopes to be like Amex’s twin brother after gobbling up the most sought after properties adjacent to their property.

In times like these, gold isn’t just a safe haven, it may be a massive opportunity. And the most rewarding opportunities are often found among the junior mining stocks, which are set to outperform the market in this environment. But the biggest prize is the junior miner that makes the next huge gold discovery–and it’s sitting on gold that’s likely worth billions more than its market cap.

We recently saw a stunning high-grade gold discovery by Amex Exploration (AMEX) in one of the most prolific venues in the world–Quebec. You missed the massive 7,000% rally on that one. But another company is gearing up for a repeat, and even some Amex directors and shareholders are piling into it.

The company is Starr Peak Exploration Ltd. (STE.V; STRPF) and they are getting ready for a drill campaign right next to Amex’s discovery. As legendary gold voices predict $3,000 or even $5,000 per ounce prices in our uncertain future, there’s probably no better place to be than on the edge of the next big discovery in a venue that is both prolific and largely untapped. And there’s not much time left before this news goes mainstream, and Starr Peak’s stock has already gained 600% this year.

Want to Ride the Gold Train? Head to Quebec

Quebec is already home to at least 30 major venues and 160 exploration projects. Yet, only some 40% of the province’s mineral potential is known today. The province’s Abitibi Greenstone Belt is where Amex Exploration recently hit very high-grade gold in its Perron Gold Project.

In a perfectly timed move, Starr Peak swooped in and scooped up land adjoining and adjacent to Amex right before the big discovery. From then on, Starr Peak has been aggressively making acquisitions to expand its position.

Starr Peak didn’t stop there. In what could be considered to be a major coup amongst junior gold companies, Starr Peak was successful in acquiring the past-producing gold mine on the other side. Now, it’s got 74 mining claims on some 2,280 hectares in one of the world’s hottest gold venues.

• The NewMétal Property contains 53 mineral claims covering 1,420 hectares of highly prospective ground adjacent to the AMEX discovery.
• The Normétal Mine is a past-producing mine from which approximately 10.1 million tonnes grading 2.24% Cu, 5.41% Zn, 0.526 g/t Au, and 44.45 g/t Ag were extracted periodically between 1937 and 1975.
• The Normetmar mine shows a historic resource of 306,000 t grading 11% zinc, of which only ~48,000 t has been mined since 1990. It also shows several gold intersections.
• Rousseau is a bloc of 12 claims covering over 470 hectares in the Rollmac gold zone of 31,298 tonnes grading 11.99 g/t Au (historical) …
• Turgeon Lake gives Starr Peak two more claims covering almost 113 hectares with samples at the water line assaying up to 168.3 g/t Au, 30.2 g/t Au and 23.7 g/t Au (GM 52490) and a drill hole assaying 18.7 g/t Au over 3.09 m, including 68.9 g/t Au and 10.48 g/t Ag over 0.4 m. (historical).

Right now, Amex is drilling with a vengeance. And it’s drilling closer and closer to Starr Peak’s property line. In fact, Amex is now drilling within 750 meters of Starr Peak’s property line. As they keep drilling towards Starr Peak the grades keep getting higher and thicker.

In other words, Amex is drilling closer and closer to Starr Peak and each time it announces new results, Starr Peak looks like it’s sitting on an even sweeter gold play. That’s why the stock bounces every time Amex makes an announcement.

Fully Funded to Drill

But Starr Peak Exploration Ltd. (STE.V; STRPF) isn’t just banking on Amex results here. Far from it. Starr is fully funded to drill. Why? Because the Amex land deal wasn’t just a simple land-grab—it even convinced some Amex directors themselves to jump in on Starr as shareholders. Right now, Starr Peak is identifying targets.

In August, the company signed on top geological consulting firm Laurentia Exploration–the same firm behind the Amex discovery. In early September, Starr launched VTEM (Versatile Time Domain Electromagnetic) system surveys on the main block of its NewMétal property. It also launched high-resolution drone mag geophysics surveys over the entire property, including its new plays of Rousseau and Turgeon Lake Gold.

Small-Cap Companies Behind Supermajor Discoveries

After years of cost-cutting, gold miners are now ready to spend, spend, spend on exploration – globally. But not in the way you would expect. This isn’t a supermajor game anymore.

Mining majors don’t really explore these days. Instead, they let the junior miners do all the heavy lifting and then buy them up when they make a major discovery, or when they prove it up in the development phase.

That’s why there’s so much upside to junior miners–so much so that Wall Street is expecting them to outperform the market and even short-sellers are now giving them a wide berth.

The upside is found in some very simple math: When you’re a junior miner with a tiny market cap and you make a discovery showing you are sitting on a potentially massive gold discovery, your stock is headed for gains that are out of this world. This is where millionaires are minted in the end.

In this case, we’re looking at a small-cap miner sitting right next to another gold discovery. That miner has moved fast to expand its position in a flanking movement. And now, Amex–which has already announced high-grade gold discoveries–is drilling closer to Starr Peak, and the winds of discovery could well be blowing in its favor.

Mining Heavyweights Are Set To Win Big As Well

While Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) is primarily known for its significant copper mining operations, the resource giant also has a fair influx of gold as well. In fact, its Grasberg mine in Indonesia holds of the world’s largest deposits of copper and gold. But that’s just scratching the surface of the miner’s global assets. Freeport-McMoRan also has extensive operations across the Americas, including mines in Arizona, Mexico and Peru.

Though its business struggled as global demand for copper took a hit, panic-buying from China has lifted prices higher in recent months – and that’s good news for Freeport-McMoRan. In addition to climbing copper prices, gold prices hit record levels, which will add even more to the mining giant’s bottom line.

Freeport-McMoRan has had a solid year, with the price of its stock bouncing off a low of $5.31 back in March to a high of $15.70 today, representing a strong 195% gain for shareholders.

Gold Fields (NYSE:GFI) has catapulted itself into the global mining elite in recent years thanks to its forward-looking vision and exceptional management. Based out of Johannesburg, South Africa, Gold Fields is one of the de facto leaders in the region. With operations in South Africa, Ghana, Australia and Peru, Gold Fields is well-diversified.

In 2019, Gold Fields produced over 68 tons of the precious metal, up nearly 8% from the year before. And thanks to this year’s rally in gold prices, it’s on track to produce even more by the end of 2020.

Last September, Gold Fields was trading at only $5.12 per share, but thanks to its increased production, and the dramatic rise in gold prices, it’s now trading at $13.15, which means investors who held on have brought home over 150% returns – with many analysts suggesting the stock could go even higher.

It’s rare to see miners from outside of North America on the New York Stock Exchange, but Compania de Minas Buenaventura (NYSE:BVN) is an exception. Listing on the NYSE in 1996, Minas Buenaventura has clawed its way up the ranks of the global mining elite. Currently valued at $3.51 billion, the mining giant is far from its all-time highs. But it’s not down for the count just yet.

Minas Buenaventure is exposed to six different mining properties around the globe which bring in an estimated 945,000 ounces of gold every year. But that’s not all its got going for it. It is also has exposure to a number of silver mines which produce as much as 26.5 million ounces per year, and tens of thousands of metric tons of industrial metals such as zinc, lead and copper from its domestic mines.

Harmony Gold (NYSE:HMY) is another South African miner which has exploded onto the radars of investors this year. Though it’s only the third-largest miner in the country, it has made some stellar moves in the marketplace. Domestically, it has nine underground mines in the resource-rich Witwatersrand Basin and one open-pit mine in the Kraaipan Greenstone Belt. It also has a major joint-venture with Newcrest Mining in Papua New Guinea.

Earlier this year, Harmony raised a whopping $200 million to partially fund a key acquisition of AngloGold’s assets in its home country. The deal is expected to more-than-triple its gold production to as much as 1.8 million ounces per year.

This time last year, Harmony was trading at just $3.22, dropping to a low of $1.93 in March as a result of the wider market downturn, but it has since soared by 260% in a matter of months, now trading at $6.95 per share.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) is the third-largest gold mining company by production volume. And though it has had some problems over the past decade, specifically in the early 2010s when the gold market took a major hit forcing many miners, including AngloGold to shutter operations, the mining giant has persevered.

AngloGold is one of the more diverse miners on the planet, shielding itself from country-specific regulatory troubles or civil strife. It has operations on four continents including Africa, Australia, South America and North America.

Though AngloGold hasn’t performed quite as well as some of its peers over the past year, it has shown that it still has the potential for long-term growth. Back in 2015, the company’s share price dropped to just $5.97, but since then, investors who have been able to hold onto the stock have seen a 401% return over a five-year period.

By. Shawn Yandell

SOURCE Oilprice.com