Junior aims high

When rumours spread that Australian lead-zinc mining company Pasminco was close to collapse, panic selling of the company's stock resulted in a price drop from a record high of AS$1.13 to a record low of 21.5 cents per share. The company's reassurance that it could meet its commitments brought buyers back and took the price up to 29.5 cents, but analysts predict a loss of AS$70 million for 2001.