Non-operating income and expenses
Interest income
Interest income was $70 and $9 for the three months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively; and $139 and $10 for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The Company benefited from rising market interest rates for short-term government debt securities.
Financial Position, Liquidity and Capital Resources
Operating activities
Net cash used in operating activities was $2,995 and $4,252 for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease in operating cash outflows largely resulted from the absence of spending for drilling and feasibility study work in 2023 as well as reduced spending on recurring costs in 2023.
Investing activities
Net cash provided by investing activities was $nil and $2,495 for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The principal source of cash from investing activities during the six months ended June 30, 2022 was the $2,500 final payment for the Awak Mas royalty cancellation.
Financing activities
During the six months ended June 30, 2023 and 2022, net cash of $871 and ($304), respectively, was provided by/(used in) financing activities. Cash provided by financing activities during the six months ended June 30, 2023 was $1,013 of net proceeds under the ATM Program (as defined below) offset by payments of $142 for employee withholding tax obligations in lieu of issuing common shares of the Company (“Common Shares”) earned from the vesting of restricted share unit awards. Cash used by financing activities during the six months ended June 30, 2022 was for payments of $355 for employee withholding tax obligations in lieu of issuing Common Shares earned from the vesting of restricted share unit awards offset by $51 of net proceeds under the ATM Program.
Liquidity and capital resources
The Company considers available cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments to be its primary measure of liquidity. Our cash liquidity position as of June 30, 2023, comprising cash and cash equivalents of $5,986, reflected a net decrease of $2,124 during the six months ended June 30, 2023.
Current assets, net of current liabilities (“Working Capital”) is a secondary measure of liquidity for the Company. The Company had Working Capital of $5,570 and $7,714 at June 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively.
The Company initiated cost reduction measures starting in 2022 and continues to evaluate and implement additional reductions. The Company plans to reduce its 2023 fixed costs by approximately 7% compared to 2022, which is anticipated to result in annual net recurring costs of approximately $5,400. Similar net recurring costs are anticipated for 2024, after considering expected increases for inflation and potential offsets for additional spending reductions. Discretionary programs are also being reviewed and are expected to be reduced during the remainder of 2023 to approximately $300.
In addition to Vista’s existing capital resources, we are a party to an at-the-market offering agreement (the “ATM Agreement”) with H. C. Wainwright & Co., LLC (“Wainwright”) to provide balance sheet flexibility at a potentially lower cost than other means of equity issuances. Under the ATM Agreement, the Company can, but is not obligated to, issue and sell Common Shares through Wainwright for aggregate gross proceeds of up to $10,000 (the “ATM Program”). During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Company realized net proceeds of $1,013 under the ATM Program. As of June 30, 2023, $8,702 remained available under the ATM Program.