The October 2020 Stock Challenge has officially come to a close, and you know what that means… a new Stock Challenge Champion! Ladies and gents, give it up for member ‘thomas woodman’, the latest contestant to earn their place in the Stock Challenge Hall of Fame!

Thomas woodman finished the month in first place with a return of 126.32% while member ‘dwanne williams’ claimed second (79.87% return) and member ‘Fiveniner’ secured third (62.82% return). It was a neck-and-neck battle between dwanne williams and Fiveniner in the last few days — just yesterday, Fiveniner was leading dwanne by almost 10%.

Well done, you three! Your prize packages (which include silver bullion and/or Pinnacle Digest apparel) will be sent out shortly.

Champions Corner: Maple Gold Mines

The secret to a Stock Challenge victory usually lies in one stock… for thomas woodman, that stock was Maple Gold Mines.

Maple Gold Mines, a Quebec-focused exploration company, had this month’s biggest breakout, soaring approximately 264% from C$0.14 to C$0.51. In addition to closing a C$6.2 million strategic investment from Agnico Eagle, Maple Gold Mines recently announced the details of its fall discovery exploration program.

Via Maple Gold Mines,

“Maple Gold Mines . . . is pleased to announce that drill rig mobilization is underway for its planned 3,000-metre Fall 2020 exploration drill campaign at the Douay Gold Project in northern Quebec, Canada. The fall drill program is primarily aimed at testing exploration targets that were detailed through the Company’s 2019-20 Induced Polarization (“IP”) work programs.”

You deserve a pat on the back for your foresight, thomas woodman! Enjoy your well-deserved silver bullion and Pinnacle Digest clothing.

Stock Challenge Index (SCI) Loses Ground in October

It’s been an erratic month for Stock Challenge, to say the least. The SCI swung from a high of 6.11% midway through the month to a low of -3.29% by the end of the challenge. 65% of stocks picked this month were in the red, a meagre improvement over last month’s 67%.

Stock Challenge Index for October 2020

Every exchange featured in this month’s contest in terms of stocks picked was down, except for the NYSE. For context, the Dow is down 4.73% this month while the TSX Venture lost 4.76%.

Stock Challenge Exchange Performances for October 2020

Final Top 10 Leaderboards

Final Top 10 Leaderboards for October 2020 Stock Challenge

November’s Stock Challenge Will Be One for the Books

With COVID-19 cases on the rise again and the highly contentious 2020 U.S. presidential election drawing to a close, November may end up being one of the most volatile months for Stock Challenge on record. Already, the CBOE VIX — a measure of market volatility — is trading near 40. If it rises near 44, there may be no telling what happens next.

If you haven’t already, make sure you sign up for next month’s Stock Challenge right now! There’s only 1 day left to register your picks, and November won’t be a month you want to miss…