Independent investment bank PI Financial Corp. has hired a new mining research head, snagging a veteran analyst amid a resurgence for junior mining companies.
Chris Thompson is joining PI from Raymond James and will be based in Vancouver, building out the investment bank's mining research team, which already had three analysts. PI focuses on small-and-mid-cap mining companies.
The hire comes as retail investors pay more attention to junior Canadian companies. At the moment, the hottest sectors in this market are marijuana and cryptocurrencies, but the junior mining industry is also starting to rebound after collapsing when the last commodity supercycle ended. The S&P/TSX Venture Exchange is up 14 per cent in the past twelve months.
Mr. Thompson started at PI in January.
Tim Kiladze