Brent Cook of Exploration Insights spoke to the Investing News Network at this year's Vancouver Resource Investment Conference about what he expects from the mining and metals markets over the company year. Overall, Cook was fairly optimistic, stating that he thinks 2016 will do "alright," but that we're "setting ourselves up for the up-part of the mining boom and bust cycle.""We're into the bust, and I think it's going to get better, so I'm actually positive this year. I think we'll end the year somewhat higher than we began."In terms of specific commodities, he's more positive on gold than on any other metals. "I like gold a little bit better than base metals right now," he said. "I think gold stands a better chance of doing well this year given what I see out there." However, he doesn't see a big jump in gold prices next year unless something unexpected happens during the upcoming US elections.Our conversation also covered:Which junior exploration and mining companies have done the best job of weathering the bear market so farAn update on his thoughts on Mirasol Resources (TSXV:MRZ), Reservoir Minerals (TSXV:RMC) and Mariana Resources (LSE:MARL).Where he's found some of the other new discoveries he's interested inWatch the video above for more of what Cook had to say, and don't forget to check out our overview of his Q&A on junior mining stocks with Joe Mazumdar.