The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday, Oct. 31, edition that National Bank Financial analyst Rabi Nizami has elevated his recommendation for Novagold Resources to "outperform" from "sector perform." The Globe's David Leeder writes in the Eye On Equities column that Mr. Nizami continues to target the shares at $15. Analysts on average target the shares at $13.50. Mr. Nizami issued his upgrade in response to Monday's announcement of its Donlin project in Alaska being included in the U.S. federal government's FAST-41 infrastructure program, which signals broad alignment to advance the project. Mr. Nizami says in a note: "Projects included in FAST-41 are entitled to comprehensive permitting timetables and transparent, collaborative management of those timetables on the Federal Permitting Dashboard. We see inclusion in the program as a vote of confidence, highlighting its importance to advancing domestic mining. This follows President Trump's Executive Order on 'Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production,' and the ongoing narrative of the administration's support of development in the State of Alaska. It is worth noting that Novagold already received federal permits for the Donlin project in 2018."