Feb 28, 2018 Guest(s): Pierre Lassonde Chairman, Franco-Nevada
While a much higher gold price is needed to bring bullish sentiment back into the mining space, they yellow metal is already fairly priced, said Pierre Lassonde, Chairman of Franco-Nevada Corp."At $,1300 [an ounce], I will argue that gold is well priced," Lassonde told Kitco News on the sidelines of the BMO Global Metals & Mining Conference. "It's not overpriced and it's not underpriced. It's where it should be given everything else that's happening in the world."Lassonde noted that the industry itself, particularly the producers of precious metals, have been performing well, but much higher gold prices will be needed to secure investors' interest back into the market. "At $1,300 gold, the mining companies, the operators, are doing well, you can see the balance sheets are better than ever. They've learned their lesson and are focusing on margins," Lassonde said. "But if you look at the investors, they don't want to hear about it."Lassonde noted that Franco-Nevada, Newmont, and Agnico Eagle are currently the top performers in the industry, or as he liked to call it, companies with the "golden halo."