Viva Gold Corp., Novo Nordisk, Vonovia - Gold Rush in Nevada - Dampened mood in Bochum

Viva Gold Corporation presents promising progress at the Tonopah gold project

Gold as an investment is particularly attractive in times of economic downturns, as it offers the opportunity to preserve wealth and provides protection when conventional investments quickly lose value. Gold's durability makes it suitable for crisis situations where obtaining physical cash may be problematic.

Investors should keep their eyes on Viva Gold Corporation. The Canadian explorer company has a tight capital structure with 106.7 million shares and an experienced management team and board with deep experience in gold exploration and production. The lynchpin of Viva Gold Corporation is the high-grade Tonopah Gold Project. The property runs along the prolific Walker Lane mineral trend in western Nevada, just a 20-minute drive from the town of Tonopah.

The Tonopah Gold Project has estimated resource-limited reserves of more than 394,000 ounces in the Measured and Indicated categories and an additional 206,000 ounces in the Inferred category. The area has two clearly distinguishable populations of gold mineralization: A high-grade population (>1.0 gpt Au) associated with structural splays and breccias and a second population of lower-grade disseminated gold mineralization associated with lithological contact zones and favorable bedding horizons.

Current results from the 2023 18-hole drill program at the Company's Tonopah Gold Project are encouraging. "Our 2022 and 2023 drill programs have been extremely successful in expanding, confirming and discovering new, shallow, high-grade zones of gold mineralization at our Tonopah Gold Project." affirms CEO James Hesketh. Drilling details can be found here.

Vonovia - Only profitable with rent of EUR 20 per square meter

The acute housing shortage in Germany is fuelling Vonovia's rental business. As a result, the main business segment of residential rentals has recorded a positive development. EBITDA from letting, which accounts for the largest share at around 91% of the EBITDA contribution, amounts to EUR 618.5 million (Q2 2022: EUR 560.5 million). This increase of 10.3% is largely attributable to organic growth from new construction and modernization, including the integration of Deutsche Wohnen.

According to current data from real estate portals, demand for rental apartments remained unabated across Germany in Q2 2023. Demand for existing apartments was 30% higher than at the end of 2019, while demand for new-build rental apartments rose by as much as 90%. Rolf Buch comments: "This highlights the impact of the housing shortage and underscores the importance of new rental housing construction."

Vonovia now reports a loss of EUR 2 billion and has higher debt than intended. There are currently no plans to issue new bonds to raise additional capital. Likewise, no capital increase is currently on the agenda, as Group CEO Rolf Buch emphasized when presenting the figures on Friday.

Currently, rising interest rates and high construction and management costs are causing the value of apartments and houses to shrink. However, recent market surveys indicate a temporary end to the price decline. *"Our calculation still does not add up," explains Buch in an interview with WELT: "Given construction costs, including planning and land, of EUR 5,000 per square meter, we would ultimately have to charge EUR 20 in rent per square meter at 4% interest.* This is not a conducive development for the market - affordable housing is urgently needed."

Novo Nordisk - Share price soars thanks to weight loss injection

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over half of Europe's adults are overweight. The Obesity Report 2022 from the WHO Regional Office for Europe states that 59% of adults are overweight. The proportion of men who are overweight is 63%, while women make up 54% of the new additions to the statistics.

How wonderful it is to have a shot that simply melts away the pounds, allowing you to continue eating as you have been. At least that is what celebrities in Hollywood seem to think, as they embrace the magical Ozempic injection from Novo Nordisk to lose weight. The active ingredient semaglutide, with names like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, is only intended to be used for obese people in conjunction with cognitive behavioral therapy. But the successes of the miracle injection have been mentioned at the Oscars, promoted by Elon Musk, appear in countless TikTok videos and even have a song dedicated to them.

With an estimated annual global market for injections such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro of up to EUR 136 billion, according to analysts at Jefferies Financial Group Inc, there are predictions that these types of drugs could become the most significant blockbusters in the pharmaceutical industry.

This week, Novo made a significant advance when its long-awaited, five-year study called "Select" showed that Wegovy reduced the risk of heart attacks and strokes by 20% in people who are overweight or obese without diabetes, compared with placebo.

According to studies, individuals who are severely overweight can lose about 10% to 15% of their body weight on average within about 1.5 years by using Novo Nordisk's drug. The problem, as always, is in the details. Users use the injection and lose weight. However, as soon as the drug is discontinued, weight gain starts again because users have not worked on their hunger and body image, nor have they learned anything about eating nutrient-rich food versus junk food. Since humans are creatures of habit, investors can look forward to further jumps in Novo Nordisk's share price.

Gold remains attractive in times of economic uncertainty as a value-preserving investment and protection against the depreciation of conventional investments. Viva Gold Corporation, a Canadian exploration company, is focused on the promising Tonopah Gold Project in western Nevada. It has estimated reserves of over 394,000 ounces in the Measured and Indicated categories and 206,000 ounces in the Inferred category. Novo Nordisk is seeing success from its weight loss injection, which is getting attention in the media and on social media platforms. Analysts predict a significant market potential for drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy. Vonovia is also in the headlines as the housing shortage in Germany boosts the rental industry. Despite rising costs and losses, affordable housing remains a pressing issue. Rising interest rates and high construction costs are influencing the real estate market and the decisions of companies like Vonovia.