Today on Stockhouse

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James Turk of GoldMoney.com dissects the hurdle gold faces at $1140.

This as Larry D. Spears of Money Morning wonders if coal prices are ready to burn hot in 2010.

Top Bullboards post: “Platinex has over $ 4 Million in cash and a current market cap. of under $ 4 Million. Talk about being misunderstood! PTX has multiple properties in the Ring Of Fire, they maintain the 2.5% royalty for the Big Trout Lake properties should they ever decide to let a company develop them AND they have 133 claims in the Shining Tree are. The likely next hot spot in Ontario for gold.” From santi69 on the Platinex (TSX: V.PTX, Stock Forum) board.

Top Bullboard: Great Western Minerals (TSX: V.GWG, Stock Forum) received the most reads and the second-most posts on a day its share price jumped 11%.

Top blog: Risktaker77 provides a stock pick that should benefit from the global mining boom in the Risky Picks... blog.

For news about small stocks that made big moves in Wednesday’s trading, please read the Stockhouse Canadian Small and Micro-cap Stock Report.

Word on Wall Street

"The economic data so far continues to be friendly, but there are a lot of concerns out there," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at the brokerage Avalon Partners Inc., in an interview with Associated Press. "The Greek situation is affecting the dollar."

Today In The Markets

TSX closes down: commodities depressed as Greek debt crisis sends U.S. dollar up

TORONTO, NEW YORK (CP) - Commodity stocks led the way to a sharply lower session on the Toronto stock market Friday after uncertainty over the Greek financial crisis pushed the U.S. dollar higher, which in turn helped drive down prices for oil and metals.

The S&P/TSX composite index fell 92.03 points to 11,947.98. The TSX Venture Exchange gave back 10.8 points to 1,564.06.

New York's Dow Jones industrials moved down 37.19 points to 10,741.98. The Nasdaq composite index dropped 16.87 points to 2,374.41 while the S&P 500 index lost 5.93 points to 1,159.9.

Please click here for the complete U.S. and Canadian market summaries.

After-Hours News

Drake Energy (TSX: V.DPE, Stock Forum) After Friday’s close, the Alberta oil and gas explorer/developer said field production for the company at the end of February exceeded 250 barrels of oil equivalent (boed) with additional production undergoing optimization throughout the company. The acquisition of the remaining 25% working interest at Sousa and the successful drilling and optimization program this winter has enabled Drake to increase production from 130 boed at year end to the current levels.