Markets and commodities react

Canadian equity markets were mixed this week.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index (INDEXTSI:OSPTX) rose 1.89 percent over the week to close Friday (November 14) at 30,326.46.

Meanwhile, the S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index (INDEXTSI:JX) rebounded to gain 1.33 percent to 879.88. The CSE Composite Index (CSE:CSECOMP) had another bad week, plunging 9.01 percent to close at 150.19.

The gold price rose significantly this week, climbing from its open of US$4,000 to US$4,243 by Thursday morning. However, it pulled back to end the week up 2.01 percent at US$4,080.64 per ounce by 4:00 p.m. EST Friday.

The silver price performed even better. After opening at US$48.35, it tested all-time highs at US$54.31 Thursday before ultimately ending the week up 4.57 at US$50.56.

Meanwhile, in base metals, the copper price gained 1.79 percent to US$5.11 per pound.

The S&P Goldman Sachs Commodities Index (INDEXSP:SPGSCI) rose 1.28 percent to end Friday at 559.27.

Top Canadian mining stocks this week

How did mining stocks perform against this backdrop?

Take a look at this week’s five best-performing Canadian mining stocks below.

Stocks data for this article was retrieved at 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday using TradingView’s stock screener. Only companies trading on the TSX, TSXV and CSE with market caps greater than C$10 million are included. Mineral companies within the non-energy minerals, energy minerals, process industry and producer manufacturing sectors were considered.

1. Adex Mining (TSXV:ADE)

Weekly gain: 157.14 percent
Market cap: C$40.63 million
Share price: C$0.09

Adex Mining is an exploration company that holds a 100 percent stake in the Mount Pleasant project in Southwest New Brunswick, Canada.

The property contains two main deposits: the Fire Tower zone, which hosts tungsten and molybdenum mineralization, and the North zone, which hosts tin, zinc and indium.

The asset consists of 102 mineral claims covering 1,600 hectares, as well as equipment and facilities from historic mining operations conducted by BHP (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP) between 1983 and 1985.

According to its most recent investor presentation released on June 11, the property hosts the world’s largest indium reserve and North America’s largest tin deposit. Indicated resources for the North zone demonstrated contained metal values of 47 million kilograms of tin, and 789,000 kilograms of indium from 12.4 million metric tons with average grades of 0.38 percent tin and 64 parts per million indium.

Additionally, the company engaged Moneta Securities in June to oversee selling the mine following a strategic review.

Adex has not released news in the past week. However, its Fire Tower zone bears similarities to Northcliff’s Sisson tungsten-molybdenum project in New Brunswick, which the Canadian government referred to the Major Projects Office on Thursday.

2. Trident Resources (TSXV:ROCK)

Weekly gain: 118.82 percent
Market cap: C$42.58 million
Share price: C$1.86

Trident Resources, formerly Eros Resources, is a gold and copper exploration company focused on projects in Saskatchewan, Canada.

A three-way merger in early 2025 between Eros Resources, MAS Gold and Rockridge Resources allowed the companies to consolidate a portfolio of assets in Saskatchewan, including the Contact Lake and Greywacke gold projects in the La Ronge gold belt as well as the Knife Lake copper project.

Its primary focus has been on its flagship Contact Lake gold project, a 21,440 hectare property located near La Ronge, Saskatchewan. The project hosts four primary deposits: Contact Lake, Preview SW, Preview North and North Lake.

On Wednesday (November 12), the company released assay results from diamond drilling at Contact Lake, the first exploration conducted on the property in nearly 30 years. Highlights from the initial three holes included one hole with 7.03 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold over 43.25 meters, including an intersection of 30.06 g/t gold over 9.25 meters.

The company noted that, while it was still in the early stages of exploration at the property, it was encouraged by results that bore similarities to early results of other significant high-grade discoveries in the region.

3. Northcliff Resources (TSX:NCF)

Weekly gain: 116.22 percent
Market cap: C$279.18 million
Share price: C$0.4

Northcliff Resources is a development and exploration company advancing its Sisson tungsten-molybdenum project in New Brunswick, Canada.

The 14,140 hectare property has seen extensive exploration dating back to the early 1980s.

A 2013 mineral reserve estimate demonstrated total proven and probable quantities of 22.2 million metric tons of tungsten oxide and 154.8 million pounds of molybdenum from 334.36 million metric tons of ore with average grades of 0.07 percent tungsten oxide and 0.02 percent molybdenum.

The project is currently in the development stage, and on Friday, it announced it was granted a five-year extension to the construction commencement timeline by New Brunswick’s Department of Environment and Climate Change. Construction is now anticipated to begin in December 2025.

The project was also one of six that were included in the second-tranche of Canadian nation-building projects referred to the Major Projects Office on Thursday. The inclusion on the list will give Northcliff access to a streamlined regulatory process and open funding assistance to facilitate the development of Sisson.

Commenting on the news, Northcliff Chairman, President and CEO Andrew Ing indicated the company is excited with its inclusion and that its goal is to contribute to building a resilient critical mineral supply chain.

The release also outlined significant financial funding received since the start of the year, including US$15 million from the US Department of Defense and C$8.21 million from Natural Resources Canada.

4. Canada Nickel (TSXV:CNC)

Weekly gain: 61.54 percent
Market cap: C$334.66 million
Share price: C$1.68

Canada Nickel is an exploration and development company advancing its flagship Crawford nickel sulphide project in Ontario, Canada.

The property consists of 116 crown patents and 150 single- and multi-cell mining claims covering an area of approximately 9,600 hectares near Timmins and has seen exploration dating back to the 1960s.

A feasibility study released in October 2023 demonstrated the project’s economics, with a post-tax net present value of US$2.48 billion and an internal rate of return of 17.1 percent.

The included ore reserve estimate reported proven and probable reserves of contained metal values of 3.7 million metric tons of nickel, 9.7 million metric tons of chromium, 215,000 metric tons of copper, 777,000 ounces of palladium, and 519,000 ounces of platinum.

The metal is contained in 1.72 billion metric tons of ore with average grades of 0.22 percent nickel, 0.57 percent chromium, 0.013 percent copper, 0.014 g/t palladium and 0.01 g/t platinum.

Shares in Canada Nickel rose sharply this week after Crawford was included in the second round of projects referred to the Canadian government’s Major Project Office.

In its release following the announcement, Canada Nickel’s CEO said that the company looks forward to working with the government and the MPO to secure financing and permits to begin construction at Crawford by the end of 2026.

He also stated that the project represents a secure, domestic supply of critical minerals, including nickel and North America’s only source of chromium.

5. Gold Terra Resources (TSXV:YGT)

Weekly gain: 57.89 percent
Market cap: C$51.71 million
Share price: C$0.15

Gold Terra is an exploration company advancing the Con Mine gold property in the Northwest Territories, Canada.

The project was initially acquired as part of a 2021 agreement with Newmont that gave Gold Terra the option to earn a 100 percent interest in the asset for meeting certain exploration milestones and regulatory approvals, along with a C$8 million cash payment to Newmont.

The agreement was then amended in September 2024, extending the timeline by 2 years to November 21, 2027.

The property consists of 138 mining leases and 165 claims covering a total area of 79,046 hectares and hosts the historic Con Mine, which produced more than 6.1 million ounces of gold.

A mineral resource estimate included in an October 2022 technical report demonstrated a total inferred resource of 1.21 million ounces of gold from 24.3 million metric tons with an average grade of 1.54 g/t gold.

Shares in Gold Terra gained this week after the company announced a C$6.3 million non-brokered private placement that included a new strategic investment from Franco-Nevada (TSX:FNV,NYSE:FNV) Co-Founder David Harquail and existing shareholder Eric Sprott.

The company said it will use proceeds for general corporate purposes and to fund a drilling program scheduled for January 2026 at the southern end of the Campbell Shear target at the Con Mine property. The program aims to expand the property’s indicated and inferred resources.

FAQs for Canadian mining stocks

How much does it cost to list on the TSXV?

There are a variety of different fees that companies must pay to list on the TSXV, and according to the exchange, they can vary based on the transaction’s nature and complexity. The listing fee alone will most likely cost between C$10,000 to C$70,000. Accounting and auditing fees could rack up between C$25,000 and C$100,000, while legal fees are expected to be over C$75,000 and an underwriters’ commission may hit up to 12 percent.

The exchange lists a handful of other fees and expenses companies can expect, including but not limited to security commission and transfer agency fees, investor relations costs and director and officer liability insurance.

These are all just for the initial listing, of course. There are ongoing expenses once companies are trading, such as sustaining fees and additional listing fees, plus the costs associated with filing regular reports.

How do you trade on the TSXV?

Investors can trade on the TSXV the way they would trade stocks on any exchange. This means they can use a stock broker or an individual investment account to buy and sell shares of TSXV-listed companies during the exchange’s trading hours.

Unbundling portfolios for resilience

Mersch advises unbundling traditional portfolios. Instead of relying solely on equity and fixed income, investors should blend a passive core with active management and alternative asset allocations.

“You might need to…alternative asset classes that might have either lower or even sometimes negative correlations, and start to think about the attributes that you want to build in a lot of resiliency around periods of volatility.”

Digital assets and gold are effective diversifiers in this landscape, contributing to what Mersch calls the ability “to zig while other paper assets zag.”

Active approaches enable investors to explore attractive opportunities beyond mega-cap concentration; however, dynamic risk budgeting and continuous reassessment are critical, especially when markets exhibit complacency or crowding in dominant sectors like tech.

“That’s where you can take a much more active approach in terms of betting on… other pockets or corners of the market.

“What I would encourage people to look at is the cost savings that we’re seeing in a lot of core businesses. A lot of businesses that operate in the real economy are starting to gain some real operating leverage because they’re implementing these tools as well.”

Thematic investment in technology and AI

AI infrastructure and semiconductors stand at the forefront of modern investment themes. Long-term infrastructure buildouts promise a transformative impact.

Mersch highlighted the accelerating buildout of data centers, which are critical to powering AI advancements, noting an expected leap in US electricity demand. “If you look at total electricity growth in the US from 2001 to 2024, it grew around 0.5 percent on an annualized basis. Over the next five years, it’s going to grow 4 percent,” he explained.

This surge underscores the energy-intensive nature of AI, creating substantial structural tailwinds for related real assets and thematic investment vehicles like ETFs.

The semiconductor industry exemplifies the globalization and complexity of technological innovation. Mersch described it as “one of the most global operating systems in the world,” spanning diverse geographies from chip design and fabrication to lithography and memory production.

However, escalating geopolitical tensions and US trade restrictions introduce layers of risk that demand active management and meticulous stock selection.

He also addressed concerns about circular financing risks in AI infrastructure. “When you have vendor financing, you’re essentially front running and creating that artificial demand,” he said, adding that vigilance regarding genuine adoption indicators, such as compute token usage reflecting actual AI workflow application, is needed to guard against this. “All signs right now are pointing to yes,” he said.

While echoes of prior tech cycles suggest potential boom and bust phases, Mersch noted that the scale and pace of capital expenditure in AI infrastructure signify foundational change with likely enduring impact. Complementarily, cybersecurity continues to gain importance as data proliferation accelerates and AI’s dual role as protector and attack vector. Companies specialized in endpoint protection and innovative security solutions play a key part in making tech portfolios more robust.

Meanwhile, speculative avenues like quantum computing offer future innovation frontiers. “I think Canada has definitely a really exciting future when it comes to quantum,” he added, noting Xanadu’s recent IPO announcement. “They kind of have these capabilities that only two other labs in the world have achieved.”

Mersch was referencing the company’s Aurora system, which uses photons as quantum bits, commonly referred to as qubits. “So we’re seeing a lot of that expertise being grown out here.”

Emerging strategies for future growth

Mersch also highlighted venture capital and private equity as core components of alternatives that complement passive and active strategies.

He noted the evolving accessibility of venture capital, with some democratization happening via fractional ownership and tokenization.

However, he cautions that top quartile funds still dominate returns, making established track records and fees critical considerations for investors.

In a similar vein, secondary market platforms offer new gateways by allowing access to direct listings and share sales, but come with layered fees and risks.

Long and short equity strategies also play a pivotal role in reducing correlation to broader markets. These funds can capitalize on thematic disruptions by taking long positions in companies leading structural change while shorting those likely to be disrupted.

Practical insight and forward-looking considerations

The modern paradigm of portfolio construction demands a sophisticated and dynamic approach, moving beyond simple stock and bond allocations. A resilient portfolio must now strategically integrate the three aforementioned key components.

Mersch’s insights offer a roadmap for investors navigating a rapidly evolving dynamic. In this landscape, embracing technology-driven themes is not merely optional but essential for future growth; however, any introduction of higher-risk assets requires both optimism and caution amid volatile and geopolitically complex markets.

Ultimately, building a resilient portfolio for the future means moving beyond old paradigms and proactively integrating new technologies and strategies with disciplined risk management.