Andrew Bell

Anchor, Reporter

Follow|Archive

“I usually take a walk after breakfast, write for three hours, have lunch and read in the afternoon. Demons don’t like fresh air - they prefer it if you stay in bed with cold feet; for a person who is as chaotic as me, who struggles to be in control, it is an absolute necessity to follow these rules and routines. If I let myself go, nothing will get done.” ― Ingmar Bergman

Swedish cinema director and producer Ingmar Bergman was born on this day in 1918. His work, which often returned to the themes of bleakness and insanity, included the Oscar-winning Fanny and Alexander. Vincent Canby wrote in the New York Times that the film “has that quality of enchantment that usually attaches only to the best movies in retrospect, long after you've seen them, when they've been absorbed into the memory to seem sweeter, wiser, and more magical than anything ever does in its own time.” 

Reviving a historic gold mine

From existentialism to gold: At 11:20 a.m. ET we’ll hear from Ascot Resources chief financial officer Bob Evans, who is working on a plan to revive production in the area of the historic Premier Mine in northwestern B.C. near the town of Stewart.  The stock, trading as AOT on the Venture Exchange, is up 27 per cent in the past week. The company is working on a deal to sell $20 million worth of shares and warrants to renowned precious metals investor Eric Sprott.

Ascot’s CEO is John Toffan, who oversaw Stikine Resources, a penny stock that went to $75 with the discovery of the rich Eskay Creek Mine in B.C.

The surprise energy glut in the U.S.

Also on Commodities, we’ll look at the glut of refined energy products in the U.S., which is seen as a threat to oil prices. Desjardins says that in this week’s Energy Information Administration report, “surprise builds in gasoline and diesel inventories… suggest that the time could be ripe for a correction in refinery runs—a bearish prospect for crude.”

At 11:00 a.m. ET, we’ll hear from Raymond James analyst Chris Cox. He noted last week that production in the lower 48 U.S. states has declined steadily, which is a bullish factor for prices:  “Normalizing for Alaskan production, the weekly supply estimate still implies more than a 20 per cent annualized decrease in U.S. crude production.”

Those obsessed by the hunt for Pokémon Go characters won’t want to miss our own Paul Bagnell joining the search. He was egged on by segment producer Dilys Chan, who apparently used virtual incense to attract the creature he caught.

Bathtub brisket

Finally, if rain tempts you to transfer your BBQ skills indoors … well, just don’t do it.

Firefighters in Knoxville, Tenn., say they recorded "a first in our books" when a woman tried to cook a brisket over a flame in her bathtub. They found “the middle-aged woman fanning light smoke from her apartment and a melting fiberglass tub in the bathroom.”

We just want to know how the brisket turned out. They can be a little dry. 

Every morning Commodities host Andrew Bell writes a ‘chase note’ to BNN's editorial staff listing the stories and events that will be in the spotlight that day. Have it delivered to your inbox before the trading day begins by heading to www.bnn.ca/subscribe.