The MiningNewsWire Podcast

Personalized treatment for advanced breast cancer is a massive global medical need. According to latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control, in the United States alone more than 41,000 women die from breast cancer each year. Hope is on the horizon, however, as innovative biomedical companies apply their research and technologies to bring personalized immunotherapies to market for this unmet medical need. Among these companies is BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. (OTC: BCTXF) (TSX.V: BCT), an immune-oncology-focused biotech company developing the first off-the-shelf personalized immunotherapy for advanced breast cancer. The company’s technology is based on a targeted immunotherapy regime that has seen encouraging results in clinical trials. Other biotechs in the personalized cancer immunotherapy space include Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD), the parent company of Kite Pharma; Cellectis S.A. (NASDAQ: CLLS); Neon Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTGN); and Loxo Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ: LOXO).

New manufacturers are joining the race to design electric vehicles, accelerating a revolution in the car market that could result in strong lithium demand as a battery ingredient. Standard Lithium (TSX.V: SLL) (OTC: STLHF) is one of several companies that are innovating to meet this demand scenario by developing new technology that could unlock a major supply source untapped in Arkansas. Major producers Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (NYSE: SQM) and Albemarle Corp. (NYSE: ALB) have already got permission by the Chilean government to carry out major expansions in the Atacama Desert to expand supply for the EV market. MGX Minerals, Inc. (CSE: XMG)(OTC: MGXMF) is working to develop a means to separate minerals from oilfield waste in order to meet surging demand from EV manufacturers such as Tesla, Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA).

Consumers are switching to electric vehicles faster than previously thought, making an expected boom in demand for battery-grade lithium ever more real. Current suppliers including Albemarle Corp. (NYSE: ALB) and Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (NYSE: SQM) will reap the rewards of a major paradigm shift in the car industry. But newcomers to this market, from Nemaska Lithium (TSX: NMX) (OTC: NMKEF) and Standard Lithium (TSXV: SLL) (OTC: STLHF) may also profit as they bring new supplies online. Major buyers of lithium including automaker Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) could create massive new demand for this material.

A recent change in United States law has led to a gold rush in the gaming industry as numerous companies scramble to set up sports gambling operations.

• The U.S. Supreme Court’s overruling of 1992 gambling legislation essentially makes sports betting widely legal throughout the country.
• Casinos are moving to make the most of this by opening sports books.
• Technology companies are also exploring possible revenue avenues through online gambling apps.
• The United States is set to see a $3–$5 billion take in the global sports betting market within a few years — a market already worth an estimated $40 billion.

One of the new players in the sports gambling space is SinglePoint, Inc. (OTCQB: SING), a tech company focused on innovation that has invested in gambling app StakeHaul. In the world of big gambling, casino companies such as Caesars Entertainment Corp. (NASDAQ: CZR) are exploring ways to add sports gambling to their existing entertainment rosters. MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) already provides sports gaming alongside traditional betting options. Following suit, Penn National Gaming, Inc. (NASDAQ: PENN) has started offering sports betting at some of its casinos, as has Boyd Gaming Corp. (NYSE: BYD), which is also entering the online gambling space.

The annual report for 2017 by the National Coffee Association indicated that for the first time in almost seven decades of reporting the industry trends, more than half the coffee consumed daily in the United States was gourmet, which represented a hearty 59 percent of total consumption.

• Coffee consumption in North America at highest levels since 2012
• Gourmet coffee over half of all consumption for first time in recorded history
• Coffee prices potentially bottomed out with some analysts predicting major rise
• Product quality/innovation and end market resonance likely the key differentiating factors moving forward

With 64 percent of adults reporting drinking at least one cup per day, overall coffee consumption is up 2 percent from last year to reach the highest levels since 2012. The North American coffee market is on pace to run at a CAGR of some 5.8 percent through 2023, according to a recent report published by Mordor Intelligence. Youngevity International, Inc. (NASDAQ: YGYI), while historically recognized more for the company’s innovative products, direct sales and marketing, has been steadily executing on a plan to build scalable coffee operations across multiple vertical segments. Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: DNKN) continues to differentiate itself in the consumer market with broad appeal and offerings such as its recently debuted Cold Brew coffee, the most successful launch in the company’s history on an incremental sales basis. Industry juggernaut Starbucks Corporation’s (NASDAQ: SBUX) share price may be in a holding pattern with a slight decline lately, but the king is still trying on new clothes, as evidenced by the recent launch of a plant-based Protein Blended Cold Brew in almond and cacao. Coffee Holding Co., Inc. (NASDAQ: JVA) continues to branch out in the commercial end of the market via deals such as its partnership extension with Smart & Final, which has 323 upscale locations across California and Oregon. Farmer Brothers Company (NASDAQ: FARM) is also banking heavily on North America’s seemingly unflappable love affair with coffee, as this roaster, wholesaler and distributor recently detailed expansion of its roasting capacity to more than 200 million pounds per year, as well as expansion of its distribution capabilities.

The designers of self-driving vehicles are creating cars that will talk with each other and their surrounding environment.

• Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) systems allow vehicles to gather information from each other, from local communication networks and even from urban infrastructure.
• V2X systems allow self-driving cars to travel more safely and efficiently.
• The V2X technology could reduce accidents, congestion and pollution.
• Early versions of this technology are now being tested.

Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: FRSX) (TASE: FRSX) is developing the Eye-Net cellular V2X system, through Eye-Net Mobile, its subsidiary company. Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) has called upon urban authorities to create infrastructure to support V2X. Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) is taking big steps forward in self-driving technology, using the batteries of its electric cars to power sensors, processors and other self-driving systems. NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI) is producing secure connectivity systems for vehicles to combat the threat of someone hacking the controls. Qualcomm, Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) is providing electronic components for autonomous systems to major car manufacturers.

Despite the scientifically established harmful health effects of smoking, millions of people around the world still do it. Because of this, many large companies are looking for healthier ways to deliver active ingredients from tobacco and cannabis to people with a smoking habit.

• More than a billion people around the world smoke tobacco or cannabis, leading to 6 million deaths a year.
• Companies in the tobacco and cannabis sectors are looking for alternative delivery systems.
• Some alternatives may be more effective — and healthier — than smoking.

Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP) is one of the companies looking at alternative solutions, using fatty acids to make a pleasing, fast, effective delivery system for nicotine and cannabidiol (CBD). Tobacco company Altria Group, Inc. (NYSE: MO) is creating lower-risk tobacco products and recently received FDA approval for its latest offering. British American Tobacco Industries p.l.c. ADR (NYSE: BTI) has created a tobacco heater that produces fumes instead of smoke, reducing the potential harm from consumption. GW Pharmaceuticals Plc (NASDAQ: GWPH) has produced a liquid CBD product that is the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved medicine of its type. Most telling of all, Philip Morris International, Inc. (NYSE: PM) has announced a long-term strategy to move away from smoking as the core delivery system for its products — a huge step for a global tobacco giant.

As cryptocurrency seeks a route to mainstream adoption, ATMs may pave the way just as they have with other non-cash forms of payment in the past.

• ATMs encouraged the adoption of electronic payments through a gradual move away from cash.
• Cryptocurrency ATMs may offer a similar route for cryptocurrency into the mainstream.
• Focus on overcoming challenges to adoption, including technological practicality.

Previously only usable on the internet, cryptocurrencies are becoming a mainstream option through the proliferation of specialist ATMs such as those provided by Virtual Crypto Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: VRCP). These establish a crypto equivalent to the ATMs of companies such as Diebold Nixdorf Incorporated (NYSE: DBD), the provider of a third of the world’s ATMs. Cryptocurrency is also appearing in other electronic payment systems, such as the point-of-sale solutions of Worldpay, Inc. (NYSE: WP), which is looking to add blockchain payments to its technology. Square, Inc. (NYSE: SQ), whose technology turns phones and computers into point-of-sale systems, is also looking at adding bitcoin to its services. Meanwhile, PayPal Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: PYPL) continues to expand upon its established electronic payment system, showing how smooth integration with everyday life can lead to swift adoption of new technology.

Self-driving cars are reliant on their sensors to see the world around them. After years of testing in favorable conditions, these cars are now being assessed in bad weather conditions.

Self-driving cars use a wide variety of different sensors.

Most testing has taken place until now in areas with good weather to work out the fundamentals of self-driving more easily.

More manufacturers are now testing their self-driving cars in adverse weather conditions.

This is revealing the strengths and weaknesses of different sensor systems.

Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: FRSX) (TASE: FRSX) has developed a sensor system that uses visible light and thermal imaging to see through fog, rain and snow, and has sold a prototype of the sensor to a leading global Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer. Thermal camera manufacturer FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) has adapted its technology to the needs of self-driving cars and recently released data to help all manufacturers test the effectiveness of thermal sensors. Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) has established a subsidiary specializing in self-driving and was the first to carry out tests on snowy roads. Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), has established a self-driving technology center in Michigan for adverse weather testing. And critical software needed to support these essential sensors is being developed by companies such as nuTonomy, a subsidiary of autonomous vehicle specialist Aptiv PLC (NYSE: APTV).

E-commerce continues to see steady growth, thanks in part to growing markets and in part to clever gamification and analytical tools.

• Gamification uses the psychology of video games to encourage shoppers to spend money and share information.
• The addition of analytics lets retailers better understand their customer base.
• China and India will soon have nearly 2 billion smartphone users, vastly increasing the e-commerce market.

DeepMarkit, Inc. (TSX.V: MKT) (OTC: MKTDF) is tapping into all these trends, creating an adaptable gamification app for online retailers that provides analytics while attracting customers. This app can be used on the platform provided by Shopify, Inc. (NYSE: SHOP), which is now one of the biggest online retail venues and actively encourages its merchants to make use of gamification and analytics. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) has made effective use of gamification from early on, with ratings systems that encourage sellers and reviewers. Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) supports online retail through its cloud solutions and has recently teamed up with Walmart to challenge Amazon for online dominance. For any online retailer, Alphabet, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG)‘s Google Analytics is a crucial tool, providing insight into customers and their behavior.

Self-driving and electric cars are poised to combine production efforts as both technologies mature.

• Investment in self-driving vehicles is growing, leading to the emergence of specialist companies.
• Electric cars are also on the rise, supported by the infrastructure of apps and charging points.
• Both engineering and human factors suggest that these technologies are likely to combine.
• Support from the Chinese government is pushing these technologies forward in one of the world’s most important markets.

The growth of advanced automotive technology has led to the rise of companies such as Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: FRSX) (TASE: FRSX), an innovator in advanced vision sensor systems for assistant driving, semi and fully autonomous vehicles. Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) is pairing sensor technology with electric motor vehicles and has recently found a foothold in China. General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) will start mass production of self-driving vehicles next year and has been pushing its latest electric SUV to the Chinese market. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is developing a sophisticated self-driving system that fuses multiple sensor inputs. And Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) has joined the sector by acquiring Mobileye, bringing its technological clout to sensor technology.

According to a new paper from researchers at Imperial College London that suggests digital currencies are now primed for mass adoption, Bitcoin (Crypto: BTC) and other cryptocurrencies will become mainstream forms of payment within the next decade for goods and services on the strength of their increasing suitability for the role.

• Outsiders and even insiders struggle to maintain accurate understanding of rapidly evolving space
• Ratings agencies, indexes and industry analyst sites cropping up to address information verifiability deficits
• “Spendability” and usability emerging as acid tests for cryptos, ICOs and blockchain tech

Key factors driving the mainstream adoption of digital currencies, such as the ability to act as a store of value or function as a technologically superior medium of exchange amid the rapid rise of contactless and mobile payments, have already cemented crypto as a permanent fixture of the payments landscape. However, it is difficult for even well-versed investors to understand and evaluate the legitimacy of individual cryptocurrencies, initial coin offerings (ICOs) and blockchain technology companies. This challenge has led to the emergence of ICO rating agencies and market analysis sites such as Cointelligence. Some of the key players helping to make sense of this increasingly complex space include payment solution developers such as Virtual Crypto Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: VRCP), Worldpay, Inc. Class A (NYSE: WP) and Square, Inc. (NYSE: SQ), as well as online credit marketplace developer LendingClub Corp. (NYSE: LC) and investor-focused fintech leader Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR).

With the number of mobile shoppers increasing every day and e-commerce continuing to gobble up more and more of the $22 trillion-plus global retail market, gamification is emerging as a highly effective conversion technology for turning web app visitors into loyal customers through the use of entertaining game design features.

• E-Commerce has high growth rate and considerable room to grow
• Customer conversion tech such as gamification spreading fast due to efficacy
• China and Asia-Pacific have highest e-commerce growth rates

DeepMarkit Inc. (TSX.V: MKT) (OTC: MKTDF) is at the forefront of the trend toward gamification for e-commerce with offerings such as the recently released multiplatform slide-out app Gamify, which helped accelerate month-over-month growth of the company’s merchant base by 61 percent. Shopify, Inc. (NYSE: SHOP) recently released Shopify Ping, a message consolidation app for iOS that unifies messaging from social media, email and other sources with a merchant’s online storefront to create a seamless real-time conversation space. E-Commerce giant Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) reportedly handled 44 percent of all e-commerce sales in the United States last year (4 percent of all retail), according to One Click Retail. In addition, a recent Alpine.AI and InfoScout study shows the company pulling down 8 percent higher sales from owners of the company’s gamified and Alexa skills-enabled Bluetooth speaker, the Echo. Often called the Amazon.com of China, Alibaba Group Holding, Ltd. (NYSE: BABA) has some 552 million active users via Taobao and Tmall, and the company has established a nice relationship with the Chinese middle-class consumer with offerings such as the augmented reality shopping game “Catch the Cat,” which launched last Singles’ Day (November 11) at the 11.11 Global Shopping Festival. Alibaba’s up-and-coming rival JD.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: JD), via partnership with Tencent’s (OTC: TCEHY) multipurpose messaging, social media and mobile payment app WeChat, has also seen major success in this general area with group-buying platform Pinduoduo’s gamified shopping app sweeping the platform. Pinduoduo recently filed for a $1 billion U.S. IPO.

Emergent fintech such as distributed ledger-based blockchain technology and the cryptocurrencies built thereupon are rapidly transforming the face of the financial industry, reshaping how money is used at an essential level. An explosion of fintech companies marks the dawn of this new era, quickly turning the financial institutions that historically have played middlemen into dinosaurs as an increasing number of businesses and individuals turn to peer-to-peer (P2P) and peer-to-business (P2B) transaction options. This is a hot market for disruptive fintech developers such as Virtual Crypto Technologies Inc. (OTC: VRCP), with its cryptocurrency transaction confirmation application programming interface (API) Bit4Sure, real-time cryptography-based algorithmic cryptocurrency transaction validation engine NetoBit and crypto point-of-sale (POS) offerings such as NetoBit Pay that use the NetoBit application. For payment tech giants such as Square, Inc. (NYSE: SQ) and Worldpay, Inc. (NYSE: WP), or P2P lending innovators such as LendingClub Corporation (NYSE: LC), the iron is now ready to strike and blockchain powerhouses, such as Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: BR), will add considerable force to the hammer blows as the industry forges a new future for money.

Diagnostic devices are a crucial part of the medical technology sector, and many companies are pressing forward with work in this area. Zenosense, Inc. (OTC: ZENO) has just announced breakthrough quantitative test results for its MIDS Cardiac handheld diagnostic technology, under development to provide rapid cardiac biomarker tests in emergency settings. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (NYSE: TMO) has developed devices to streamline protein characterization, improve analysis of small molecules, and improve the speed and confidence of laboratory spectrometry. Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MMSI) has recently finalized a deal with NinePoint Medical that will increase access to NinePoint’s groundbreaking platform for the detection of esophageal cancer. Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) has undertaken the U.S. launch of an analyzer to help diabetics diagnose their state of health. And Koninklijke Philips N.V. (NYSE: PHG) has acquired Remote Diagnostic Technologies to increase its offering of frontline diagnostic tools, which include invaluable devices for emergency medicine.

Lithium stocks have soared over the last couple years, driven by global demand for lithium-ion batteries and anticipated subsequent supply chain deficits. The supply-demand imbalance is highlighted by reports that Li-ion battery consumption grew 73 percent from 2010 to 2014, whereas lithium production only increased 28 percent. Moreover, between 2014 and 2017 the cost of a lithium-ion battery was cut in half, increasing demand and further exacerbating lithium feedstock shortages. Portending the enormity of coming shortfalls, Roskill, a leader in international metals and minerals research, tripled its lithium demand forecast last year, and now expects demand to exceed a million tons annually within the next eight years. Under these market factors, acquisitions and joint ventures are becoming almost commonplace among manufacturers and miners. Institutional investors are also entering the fray and attention is turning to junior miners since the majors will be hard pressed to alleviate feedstock deficits. Prospective junior miner Lithium Chile (TSX.V: LITH) (OTC: LTMCF) aims to capitalize on these deficits. With vast resources directly in the heart of South America’s famed lithium triangle, the company recently announced a joint venture MOU and is initiating a new high-priority drilling program. In attempts to keep pace with global deficits, other lithium producers such as Albemarle Corp. (NYSE: ALB), Sociedad Quimica y Minera S.A. (NYSE: SQM), Lithium Americas Corp. (NYSE: LAC) and FMC Corporation (NYSE: FMC) have all taken measures to increase production. 

While there remains some uncertainty about how forthcoming cryptocurrency and virtual currency regulations will shake out, “cryptocurrency is here to stay,” said Jason Huang, CEO of graphics card giant NVIDIA during a recent CNBC Mad Money interview (http://nnw.fm/7MAsT). Factors sustaining this looming permanency include the need more than 2 billion people worldwide who are unbanked have for financial services — 15.6 million of those individuals in the United States, according to MoneyGram. ATMs offering cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin (Crypto: BTC) are rapidly emerging as an alternative banking paradigm, but only around half of the bitcoin ATMs support altcoins such as litecoin (Crypto: LTC) or ethereum (Crypto: ETH) (http://nnw.fm/Z7l9S). There is substantial opportunity here for developers such as Virtual Crypto Technologies Inc. (OTCQB: VRCP), with its cryptocurrency transaction validation and ATM/POS (point of sale) offerings. Naturally, opportunity also encompasses risk for payment-processing tech developers such as PayPal Holdings, Inc. (PYPL), Square, Inc. (SQ)and Green Dot Corp. (GDOT), or blockchain developers such as financial services industry heavy-hitter Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (BR).

The key component in making the indispensable lithium-ion battery is in exceedingly short supply, and competition to obtain the mineral has heated up. The race to acquire reliable, long-term lithium feedstocks has sparked a worldwide shift in procurement strategy. EV makers, battery producers, and strategic investment companies are now joint venturing, buying in or looking to acquire lithium miners. At least 12 lithium transactions have been closed between downstream manufacturers and mining companies since 2016, and in the years to come ever more supply agreements between manufacturers and miners are expected (http://nnw.fm/3ZUgR). Lithium mining stocks, especially junior miners, are liable to become outsized beneficiaries of the investment and acquisition spree that’s underway. Prospective junior miner, Lithium Chile (TSX-V: LITH) (OTCQB: LTMCF), which owns vast tracks of indicated lithium assets, is positioned to potentially be one of the largest beneficiaries in the space. Some look to the Global X Lithium & Battery Tech ETF (NYSE: LIT), but direct exposure junior miners is limited. Other lithium miners in the mix include American Lithium (TSX-V: LI) (OTCQB: LIACF), Nemaska Lithium, Inc. (TSX: NMX) and Orocobre Ltd. (ASX: ORE) (TSX: ORL).

In the increasingly complex payments industry, companies have to provide new products and services to prove their relevance. Net Element, Inc. (NASDAQ: NETE) is providing novel payment solutions to the events industry while also expanding its existing services into Russia, carving a space in previously underserved niches. Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) uses its superior bargaining position to pass along the benefits of its corporate power to smaller businesses in the form of discounts on card transactions for those using its payment system. While Apple, Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) continues to its mark through technological innovation, testing out a payment system that allows customers to order and pay for products on the way to pick them up, Alibaba Group (NASDAQ: BABA) has made payment an integral part of a broader digitization strategy. Another industry player, Evo Payments, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVOP), offers payment processing with easy cross-border transactions to businesses around the world.

Self-driving cars are close to becoming a reality. When this happens, the sensors they use will be particularly important. Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: FRSX) (TASE: FRSX) is developing a sensor system that uses multiple visual light and infrared cameras in stereoscopic technology to interpret its surroundings. Google’s parent company Alphabet, Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) is installing a wide range of sensors in its cars, combining their different inputs to create a fuller picture. Ford (NYSE: F) is focusing on other aspects of the future of driving, with its app-controlled Chariot commuting system. General Motors (NYSE: GM) is about to enter mass production of a car that uses LIDAR to test its surroundings. Meanwhile Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA), the business most famous for work in this area, is using pattern recognition to help its cars interpret the input from their sensors.