Pinetree Capital Announces Status of Convertible Debenture Debt Covenant

TORONTO, CANADA--(Marketwired - July 12, 2013) - Pinetree Capital Ltd. (TSX:PNP) ("Pinetree") announces that, as at June 30, 2013, it was not in compliance with one of the debt covenants contained in the convertible debenture indenture dated May 17, 2011, as supplemented by the first supplemental indenture dated December 11, 2012, in each case, between the company and Equity Financial Trust Company, as trustee, which govern Pinetree's 8% convertible unsecured subordinated debentures due May 31, 2016 ("Debentures") (TSX:PNP.DB). The debt covenant at issue prohibits the company's debt from exceeding 33% of the total value of its assets, as reflected on its (unaudited) consolidated balance sheet as at the last day of each month. As at June 30, 2013, Pinetree's debt-to-assets ratio was 36%.

Pinetree has attempted to manage its debt-to-assets ratio throughout the year, primarily by retiring in excess of $14 million principal amount of Debentures under normal course issuer bids (representing approximately 19% of the Debentures originally issued), however, the downturn in both commodity prices and the junior resource space generally has eroded the value of the company's investment portfolio.

Pinetree will continue to monitor its debt ratio, which it estimates to currently remain at a similar level to the June figure.

About Pinetree

Pinetree Capital Ltd. ("Pinetree") was incorporated under the laws of the Province of Ontario and its shares are publicly-traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") under the symbol "PNP". Pinetree is a diversified investment and venture capital firm focused on the small cap market. Pinetree's investments are primarily in the resources sector: Precious Metals, Base Metals, Oil and Gas, Potash, Lithium and Rare Earths, Uranium and Coal. Pinetree's investment approach is to develop a macro view of a sector, build a position consistent with the view by identifying micro-cap opportunities within that sector, and devise an exit strategy designed to maximize our relative return in light of changing fundamentals and opportunities. Pinetree is recognized as a value-added partner in the resource industry.