Two surveys issued today from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Monday highlight the challenges and turmoil that the mining industry is facing in Canada and around the world.

In the first survey, a review of trends in the TSX Venture Exchange mining industry highlights a stark contrast evident to the exuberance that characterized 2007 with 2008 being a dismal year for junior mining. The market capitalization of the top 100 companies declined marginally from $20.2 billion on June 30, 2007 to $18.1 billion a year later. But by the end of November 2008, the market capitalization of the top 100 had plummeted to $4.1 billion as the global financial crisis worsened and investors fled this high-risk sector.

According to the survey, the market capitalization of the mining sector fell 27% to $29.4 billion during the year ended June 30, compared to a decline of just 5% for the TSXV as a whole. Moreover, the share of the TSX-V market capitalization represented by mining companies dropped from 65% to 50% over the year as investors shunned higher risk exploration companies, which make up the majority of mining listings on the TSXV.

“But if the first half of 2008 was challenging, the worst was yet to come,” says Paul Murphy, PwC Canada’s Mining Leader. “By September 30 the mining sector’s market capitalization had plummeted to $15.3 billion and, by November 30, to $7.9 billion, a 73% decline in the five months to the end of November 2008.”

Meanwhile, in the second survey, the annual review by PwC of global mining sector M&A activity shows how the industry experienced a ‘violent downward tailspin’ in the space of a few months, turning much of the deal-making in the sector upside down. Deal volumes plummeted 61% in the fourth quarter of 2008 towards levels last seen in 2005.

“Many companies that had spent the earlier part of the year doing deals or resisting unwelcome overtures finished the year looking at overstretched balance sheets, preparing for write-downs, and welcoming back potential buyers with open arms,” says Murphy.

The largest share of resources targeted by 2008 mining deals continued to be in North America and, in particular, Canada. The region accounted for a total deal value of US$32.8 billion in 2008, although this was down sharply from US$77.1 billion in 2007. The previous year’s total included Rio Tinto’s US$43 billion purchase of Alcan. As a result, North America’s share of assets targeted in deals fell from 49% to 21% of all deals.

North American deal numbers also fell as did those in Europe and Australasia.

IE