Christopher Ecclestone, principal and mining strategist at Hallgarten + Company, said gold companies should increase their dividend payments to shareholders as their margins increase due to the increasing gold price, which has grown about 20% this year.

He applauded AngloGold Ashanti, which hiked its dividend from 4c a share to 22c after quintupling profits to $313 million for the six months to June 30. It been one of the best-performing gold stocks this year, up 55%. Of all the gold producers that have reported earnings, AngloGold is the only one that has increased its dividend.

Ecclestone also commented on Gold Fields s looking to option the Santa Cecilia copper-gold project in Chile from Torq Resources, funding for copper juniors now Filo is being bought by BHP,  Glencore keeping its coal business, Arizona Sonoran Copper's PEA on its Cactus copper project in Arizona, and Patriot Battery Metals resource estimate for its Corvette lithium pegmatite project in the James Bay region of Quebec, renamed Shaakichiuwaanaan. 


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Digging Deep is brought to you by Revival Gold. Revival Gold is one of the largest, pure gold, mine developers in the United States. The Company is advancing engineering and economic studies on the Mercur Gold Project in Utah and mine permitting preparations and ongoing exploration at the Beartrack-Arnett Gold Project located in Idaho.

Revival Gold is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol “RVG” and trades on the OTCQX Market under the ticker symbol “RVLGF”. The Company is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with its exploration and development office located in Salmon, Idaho.
 

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this podcast do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.

Copper M&A should heat up as a result of BHP (NYSE:BHP) and Lundin Mining (TSX:LUN) agreeing to buy Filo (TSX:FIL) for $3.25 billion (C$4.5B) and create a joint venture to develop the Josemaria and Filo del Sol deposits in San Juan Argentina, Neil Adshead, Consultant Analyst at Commodity Discovery Fund, said on Kitco Mining’s Digging Deep.

This week Adshead recorded an episode of Digging Deep with Kitco Correspondent Paul Harris. 

“I suspect in every major mining company boardroom of the world, they will be asking questions of their own corporate development team saying, should we have done this deal? There will be pencils sharpened and people getting an email saying ‘come on, we need some growth’,” said Adshead.
With gold producers reporting that June quarter financial results and the gold price at near record levels of more than US$2,400/oz, Adshead said that high prices do not necessarily translate into higher margins as companies often use high prices to lower their cut-off grades. “I don't think we're going to suddenly see 50% of the mining industry making 50% profit margins. … When commodity prices rise, cut-off grades drop, and margins roughly stay the same,” said Adshead.

Higher prices continue to stimulate M&A activity with Integra Resources (TSXV:ITG) to acquire Florida Canyon Gold (TSXV:FGCV) for C$95 million in stock.

Adshead said he expects Vizsla Silver (TSXV:VZLA) to become the next large silver mine in Mexico after it published a preliminary economic assessment on its Panuco project in Sinaloa, targeting production of targets 15.2Moz/y for 11 years. The project would generate an after-tax internal rate of return of 85.7% and have a nine-month payback following an initial capital investment of US$224 million.

“One of my rules of thumb as an investor is if you see a payback of 12 months or less, then you definitely should have a look at the asset, the people and the study, because that type of asset is incredibly rare and usually very high quality,” said Adshead.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this podcast do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.

With analysts expecting another strong earnings quarter from Newmont (NYSE:NEM) when it announces its June quarter results on 24 July, main street investors should start taking notice of gold stocks, Junior Miner Junky editor David Erfle told Kitco Mining's Digging Deep.
 
"I see smart money coming into Newmont. ... The Newmont share price is the big boy, the bellwether, the one that everybody looks at. ... Since the end of February, they've been leading the gold stocks up," said Erfle.
 
In anticipation of better days ahead, major mining houses such as Agnico Eagle Mines, Zijin Mining and Barrick Gold continue to take foothold positions in junior explorers and developers with both gold and copper projects.
 
"The world's biggest mining companies are all seeking to expand in copper in anticipation of rising prices as demand for clean power and data centers are forecast to outstrip supply in the future," said Erfle.
 
Recent days have seen Zijin Mining buy a 9.9% stake in African gold developer Montage Gold for C$57.3 million, South African mining firm Assore invest C$68 million for a 14.99% stake in Chilean copper developer Marimaca Copper, Agnico Eagle Mines invest another C$99 million to maintain its 9.9% stake in Canadian copper developer Foran Mining and take a 13.3% stake in Finland gold explorer First Nordic Metals, and market rumors of BHP and Lundin Mining potentially double-teaming to buy Filo.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this podcast do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.

If the markets don't show appreciation for a quarter that should be quite favorable for the gold miners, cashflow could just go to dividends instead of growth and M&A, said Joe Mazumdar, editor of Exploration Insights. 

This week Mazumdar recorded an episode of Digging Deep with Kitco Correspondent Paul Harris at the Rule Symposium in Boca Raton, Florida. 

The two noted the upcoming second quarter. It is important that the miners show they are containing costs, said Mazumdar. Margins need to grow, and the miners need to build cashflow. With gold hitting several all-time highs this year, profitability should be good, but will the markets care? 

"If they're not getting any love, then [the money] is probably going into dividends," said Mazumdar.

The two also discussed developments in artificial intelligence and its impact upon the resource sector. 

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this podcast do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.

“Ugly” equity financing likely on the way as Victoria Gold grapples with the aftermath of a heap leach failure at its Eagle gold mine in Yukon, Canada, which could be an existential threat to the company, Nicole Adshead-Bell, principal at Cupel Advisory said on Kitco Mining’s Digging Deep show. Adshead-Bell looked at some of the reasons why heap leach pads fail, the impact they have on single asset gold producers and broader impacts on the industry at large.

Adshead-Bell also discussed Skeena Resources' success in financing its Eskay Creek gold project in British Columbia, the positive impacts Argentina's new fiscal legislation would have on the mining sector, Rio Tinto potentially getting permission to build the Jadar lithium mine in Serbia, Agnico Eagle Mines plans to develop an underground mine at its Detour Lake mine in Ontario, taking it to 1Moz/y of production, and Snowline Gold's maiden resource at the Valley target at its Rogue project in Yukon.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this podcast do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.

Equity financings continue to roll in the resource sector, noted Kitco Correspondent Paul Harris. 

This week Harris was joined by John Feneck, Founder & CEO of The Feneck Commodities Report. 

The two discussed green and red flags of gold developers, and why few of them hit it out of the park. Key green flags are the network effect of key investors, like the Lundin Group and Frank Guistra, and management bench strength like US Gold with George Bee, although with the caveat of not knowing what their exit strategies are.

Equity finance continues to flow to the sector with upsized bought deals for Gold Royalty and Faraday Copper, and Centerra Gold making a strategic investment to take a 9.9% position in Kenorland Minerals.

Feneck also discusses why the silver metal and silver stocks are flying high, and looking like they have more room to grow as the gold:silver ratio narrows.

And, the USA implements 25% import tariffs on a number of critical minerals from China, which is likely to boost North American critical minerals explorers and developers.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this podcast do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.

A spate of financings show mining is gaining favor, noted David Erfle, founder of JuniorMiningJunky.com.

This week Erfle recorded Digging Deep with Kitco correspondent Paul Harris. 

The two discussed $1.2B of financings announced on one day, including raises by Cameco, Hudbay Minerals, IAMGOLD, Patriot Battery Metals, Solaris Resources and Faraday Copper, including four bought deals. 

In copper news, Goldman Sachs trader Pierre Andurand out-Friedland’s perma-copper bull Robert Friedland by stating the copper price could reach $40,000/t, or $18/lb in old money, almost four times the record $11,000/t the metal recently hit. Friedland has offered a comparatively tame $15,000/t price.

The two also discussed the divorce between hot metal prices and mining equity prices that shows no signs of healing, which means all those junior miner valuation gap charts could be relabeled reality perception gap charts.

And does Rob McEwen’s poker face mean he is looking to use McEwen Mining’s 270% share price gain to leverage into other assets?

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this podcast do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.

Copper is attracting investor interest from the Middle East, noted Joe Mazumdar, editor of Exploration Insights. 

On Thursday Mazumdar recorded Digging Deep with Kitco correspondent Paul Harris. 

With copper prices hitting $5 pound recently, interest in the metal is spiking. However sizeable funding is coming a non-traditional player in the resource sector. Mazumdar noted Saudi Arabia has been investing heavily, noting the Kingdom's state mining company, Manara Minerals, is nearing a $1 billion deal for stake in Barrick’s Reko Diq. 

Mazumdar and Harris also looked at Teck earnings. The company divested its metallurgical coal business. CEO of Teck is Jonathan Price.  

"It did seem that Jonathan Price was trying to put a positive spin on the company, having sold...the best and most profitable part of its business," said Mazumdar, adding that the company wanted to have more exposures to copper and attract more interest from ESG investors. 

The two also looked at gold. Despite high gold prices, major gold producers haven't seen significant margin expansion due to increased costs and lower grades. Mid-tier gold miners are outperforming majors in terms of margins, with some achieving sub $1,000/oz all-in sustaining costs.

Troilus Gold's feasibility study for its Quebec project was poorly received due to lower grades, increased throughput, and higher capital intensity. Osino Resources' acquisition by Yintai Gold marks a significant approval of Chinese investment in the Canadian mining sector.

Red Pine Exploration's assay manipulation scandal raises concerns about trust and chain of custody in the junior mining sector, and New Gold's buyback of cash flow interest in the New Afton mine from the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan is a positive move, potentially making the company a more attractive takeover target.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this podcast do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.

Some M&A in the mining sector made sense while some other deals are puzzling, observed Luc ten Have, founder of GoldDiscovery.com. 

This week Ten Have spoke to Kitco correspondent Paul Harris to record an episode of Digging Deep at Deutsche Goldmesse in Frankfurt, Germany. 

Some notable deals in 2024 were Osino Resources getting taken out by Yintai Resources for $272 million; Alamos Gold buying Argonaut Gold for $325 million; and Zijin Mining paying $130 million for a 15% stake in Solaris Resources. The headline deal is BHP Group attempting to buy Anglo American with a price tag estimated at $32 billion. To date, Anglo has rebuffed BHP Group. 

Ten Have said the industry as a whole has been insisting on more M&A. Some deals he likes. Other deals are a puzzle. 

"Sometimes you have like a clear project synergy," said Ten Have. "Two projects really add on to each other. It's a bolt on, in some cases. Sometimes the merger doesn't make sense."

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this podcast do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.

BHP's bid for Anglo American indicates a heating M&A cycle: the race for assets is on.

On Friday Kitco correspondent recorded Digging Deep with guest Nicole Adshead-Bell from Cupel Advisory. 

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this podcast are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure accuracy of information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is strictly for informational purposes only. It is not a solicitation to make any exchange in commodities, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this podcast do not accept culpability for losses and/ or damages arising from the use of this publication.