Reckless overspending and over-expansion in the past few years has become virtually synonymous with the world's largest gold mining companies. Newly installed CEOs like Barrick's Jamie Sokalsky have insisted that boondoggle projects are a thing of the past. Glencore's CEO publically ripped fellow majors for such behavior.

In this climate, many investors are looking for companies that focus on a small number of high-quality projects. Such investors would be well-served to take a look at Kirkland Lake Gold (KGILF.PK), which was conceived precisely to serve these mandates.

"When we started out, we were looking for assets with big exploration potential", said CEO Brian Hinchcliffe in a phone interview, "so we looked particularly in Canada for mines with production history." The Kirkland Lake area has a century of gold production history, and when geologists saw a new ore body in the area, it seemed to fit the bill.

Already

The TSX Venture Exchange is perhaps best known for its seemingly bottomless reservoir of early-stage mining outfits, but is also home to a number of highly promising technology companies. This makes sense given the requirements and structure of the exchange, designed for early-stage companies with potential to attract investors in the public equity markets. In 2011 and 2012, the winner of the TSX Venture's "Pick of the Street" award for the technology and life sciences category was Vancouver-based EnWave Corporation (NWVCF.PK), a very intriguing niche company that has grown to a market capitalization of over $111 million CAD ($111.4 million USD) despite being at least two years away from its cash flow breakeven point. Impressively, the company also boasts zero debt load, and a cash position and burn rate that would allow for two and a half more years of R&D without having to re-invest any revenue.

So what does

The company, called Newstrike Capital (NWSKF.PK), has generated considerable buzz from analysts, even before its maiden resource statement, due by year end. When CEO Richard Whittall wistfully described the first year of the project in a phone

I invested in Midway gold (MDW) stock, thinking that its slide had ended and that it would be shooting back up to $1.40 for a quick gain. Instead, I bought it at $1.19, and almost immediately it started to go down, down, down. It's now at $1.10, and was flirting with dropping below its 52 week low of $1.07 yesterday. Is there any reason stocks like this one drop on heavy volume with no news reports? That stuff gets me nervous. All of the indicators tell me this is a good stock, run by people who know gold and silver mining. My worries are 1) That Barrick Gold would pull the rug from under Spring Valley project, and 2) That permit issues

Diligent chemistry students may remember vanadium as the 23rd element on the periodic table. Most investors, save those focused on the diversified metals and mining space, may remember vanadium not at all. Yet according to the press releases of American Vanadium (RMRCF.PK), and a company presentation at the annual Metals and Mining Conference in New York, the titular substance is the "Critical Element." A material once considered a key strategic priority by the United States government has seemingly flown under the radar. As explained in a dramatic video presentation, there are many industrial applications of vanadium and reason to believe that global demand is growing.

Vanadium's primary end use is in High Strength Low Alloy Steel, which can increase the strength of steel relative to standard carbon steel by up to 100%, in addition to decreasing weight by around 30% and lowering energy consumption, shipping costs, and production of pollutants.

Such a position has been echoed widely in the past few weeks. In a recent Barron's article, ASA Gold and Precious Metals CEO David Christensen explained that while mining shares had been historically more leveraged than ETFs, the current gold rush had reversed the trend. Fred Hickey, author of "The High-Tech Investor" has affirmed an explicit preference