-- The US Treasury's 30-year auction hit a high yield of 4.876% on Thursday, up from the 4.871% high in the previous auction.
The bid to cover ratio for the auction was 2.39, below the 2.45 ratio in the previous auction.
Dealers represented 54.35% of the bids, with direct bidders at 12.87% and indirect bidders at 32.78%.
For takedown, dealers took 11.62%, with direct bidders at 24.23% and indirect bidders at 64.14%.
European bourses tracked sideways midday Wednesday after US President Donald Trump unilaterally extended a Persian Gulf ceasefire on Tuesday, but the Strait of Hormuz remained closed to tanker traffic.Property, oil, and tech stocks led gains on continental trading floors, while bank shares lagged.Front-month North Sea Brent crude-oil futures were up 1% at $99.49 a barrel.Investors also eyed Wall Street futures in the green amid choppy closes overnight on Asian exchanges.In economic news, the European Commission on Wednesday proposed AccelerateEU, a set of measures to tackle fossil fuel shortages triggered by the Strait of Hormuz closure. However, the EC said true security would come from a shift to domestically produced clean energies.The pan-continental Stoxx Europe 600 Index was stable mid-session.The Stoxx Europe 600 Technology Index was up 1%, while the Stoxx 600 Banks Index lost 0.9%.The Stoxx Europe 600 Oil and Gas Index rose 1.5%, while the Stoxx 600 Europe Food and Beverage Index edged 0.1% higher.The REITE, a European REIT index, gained 0.8%.On the national market indexes, Germany's DAX was down 0.2%, and the FTSE 100 in London was steady. The CAC 40 in Paris was down 0.4%, and Spain's IBEX 35 eased 0.4%.Yields on benchmark 10-year German bonds were steady, near 3%.The Euro Stoxx 50 volatility index was down 4.4% at 23.10, but still indicating above-average volatility for European stock markets in the next 30 days, a negative signal. A reading above 20 indicates choppier markets ahead, while below 20 suggests calmer exchanges.
Raymond James raised its price target on Altius Minerals Corp. (ALS.TO) to $52 from $48.Analyst Brian MacArthur maintained an Outperform rating on shares of the Canadian diversified mining and metals royalty company ahead of its Q1 results on May 12."ALS expects to report 1Q26 attributable royalty revenue of about $26.4 Million compared to $15.0 Million in 1Q25," MacArthur said in a note to clients."Of note base metal revenue of $9.1 Million for the quarter reflects higher realized copper prices and the timing of copper stream deliveries from Chapada, as well as higher Voisey's Bay revenue while increased lithium revenue of $5.4 Million reflects the acquisition of Lithium Royalty Corp," the analyst said.
Pulsar Helium (PLSR.V) said Wednesday that it secured an option to lease 488,090 gross acres of mineral rights comprising the Falcon project in Michigan from Keweenaw Land Association (KLA).Pulsar said the three-year option commenced March 31 and covers non-hydrocarbon gases including helium-4, helium-3, carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The company must spend at least US$1.0 million in exploration under the agreement.The agreement contains a staged acreage surrender schedule, allowing Pulsar to refine its exploration focus across the project and thereby reduce its retained acreage. A final development leasehold of up to 20,000 net acres can be selected at the exercise of the option, Pulsar said.Upon the exercise of the option, Pulsar and KLA would enter into a definitive agreement with established commercial terms, including proceeds distributed as royalty revenue payable to KLA."Michigan's Precambrian basement geology is highly prospective, and the region has not seen any activity for primary helium exploration," Pulsar Chief Executive Officer Thomas Abraham-James said.The company said it has assembled a team to evaluate the property.