Stillwater Mining's Shares Popped: What You Need to Know

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of precious-metals miner Stillwater Mining (NYSE: SWC  ) struck a rich vein today, jumping as much as 15.9% on about double their average trading volume.

So what: This bounce is one heck of a backhanded compliment: The stock fell 35% last week in a mining meltdown of epic proportions, and today's jump comes as Stillwater backed out of a plan to raise capital via junk bond sales.

Now what: CEO Frank McAllister explained that those bond sales wouldn't be in shareholders' best interest thanks to "the dramatic deterioration of the capital markets during the past week." Moreover, he noted that the company's capital needs and working capital liquidity are fully met by current cash equivalents. That raises the question of why Stillwater was digging for bond gold in the first place, in turn shining an unforgiving light on the management team. If I were looking for a mispriced mining stock after last week's crash, the amazingly profitable Silver Wheaton (NYSE: SLW  ) would catch my eye, rather than Stillwater's potentially mismanaged mess.

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