“Because metal prices have risen, Saskatchewan will continue to be stable, transparent, and we know that provides investors (with) what they need: the stability over a long period to make an investment in a mine,” shared Fortune Bay CEO Dale Verran.
While Saskatchewan has long been recognized for uranium, its geology and historical exploration also make it a promising place for gold. Canadian company Fortune Bay (TSXV:FOR,OTCQB:FTBYF) seeks to maximize this potential with its flagship Goldfields project.
Fortune Bay’s 100 percent owned Goldfields project is among the highest-grade open-pit developments in the Americas with a 95.4 percent gold recovery rate and a 13.9 year mine life. It hosts the Box and Athona gold deposits, with the former historically mined underground between 1939 and 1942, producing 64,000 ounces of gold.
A fully funded program is planned for the project in 2026, with exploration drilling underway and prefeasibility study-level technical programs currently ongoing.
“It's so nice to talk to regulators who listen and want to broaden their mineral economy in Saskatchewan outside of uranium and potash. We're getting a lot of support from them for our project to move forward quickly and to get Saskatchewan’s next gold mine going," CEO Dale Verran shared.
“You're looking at a very stable regulatory environment; the taxation, the royalty system hasn't changed since 2006 … (Saskatchewan’s) very favorable. The geology is good. There's infrastructure (and) collaborative communities. It really checks all those boxes.”
Watch the full interview with Fortune Bay CEO Dale Verran above.
With an eye for detail and over a decade of experience covering the mining and metals sector, Charlotte is passionate about bringing investors accurate and insightful information that can help them make informed decisions.
She leads the Investing News Network's video and event coverage, and guides a team of writers reporting on niche investment markets.
Stefan Gleason, CEO of Money Metals, breaks down recent silver and gold dynamics, discussing trends in the US retail market, as well as backups at refineries.
While the situation has begun to normalize, he sees potential for further disruptions in the future.
Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
With an eye for detail and over a decade of experience covering the mining and metals sector, Charlotte is passionate about bringing investors accurate and insightful information that can help them make informed decisions.
She leads the Investing News Network's video and event coverage, and guides a team of writers reporting on niche investment markets.
Gold and silver prices experienced declines early in the week, but ended higher.
The yellow metal closed the week at US$5,111.88 per ounce, while silver finished at US$84.65 per ounce, buoyed by reignited tariff uncertainty out of the US.
On Friday (February 20), the US Supreme Court stuck down tariffs put in place by President Donald Trump using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. He quickly responded by announcing a new 10 percent global tariff and then increasing it to 15 percent, ramping up trade tensions.
Earlier in the week, Wednesday (February 18) brought the release of the US Federal Reserve's latest meeting minutes, which show that although officials largely agreed with the January decision to hold interest rates steady, they aren't aligned about the path forward as 2026 continues.
What's received more attention is the Lunar New Year holiday.
Most Asian markets are closed for the occasion, and will reopen next week. I asked Ole Hansen of Saxo Bank about the significance of the closure, and he said that in his view, the more important question is what will happen when they're back in business next week.
Here's how he thinks that could play out:
"I think ... if they come back to more or less unchanged prices, they will see that probably as a buying opportunity. Simply — well, they probably hope that they might be able to pick it up cheaper in the absence. But if we can manage to hold these levels, then there could be a positive story building as we as we see China reopen."
Hansen is bullish on gold this year, saying he sees it reaching US$6,000 in the next 12 months.
But interestingly, he has a different take on silver — he thinks the white metal's upside could be limited by demand-side factors like substitution and higher supply from scrap material.
"Gold over time can go to US$10,000, it can go to US$20,000 — it's a monetary metal, which doesn't really depend on demand from areas where demand could be negatively impacted with the price.
"Silver hasn't got that luxury. And that basically means if gold moves towards US$6,000, I would believe that — I would think that silver, at some point, will struggle to keep up, and we will see basically gold relatively outperform silver. But when that point, when that time comes, I can't see. Again it's very unclear, especially given the speculative demand, which can carry on for a while longer."
I also heard this week from Christopher Aaron of iGold Advisor and Elite Private Placements, who has a much brighter outlook for silver — he said given that the metal has just broken out of a 45 year consolidation period, it still has much further to go:
"Now that whole process, the 45 year consolidation breakout and now coming back, that is — for a number of people here — that is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime breakout. We're talking a multi-generational breakout happening in silver right now. And it's really important to — I mean, the bottom line is this: After 45 years of consolidation, a market doesn't end just two months after a breakout and then kind of withering and petering out for the next 45 years. Again, that's not how 45 year breakouts happen when we look back."
Ultimately Aaron sees US$250 to US$350 as a reasonable price level for silver.
The latest TSX Venture 50 list was released on Wednesday, with gold and silver juniors dominating. In fact, of the companies included, only three fall outside the mining sector.
The list ranks TSXV companies' annual performance by market cap growth, share price performance and Canadian consolidated trading value. Taking the top spot was Santacruz Silver Mining (TSXV:SCZ,NASDAQ:SCZM), which had an impressive share price increase of over 1,100 percent.
As a group, the companies on the list delivered a share price increase of 431 percent.
We'll have to wait and see whether these types of gains are repeated — or exceeded — in 2026, but the list definitely underscores the strength in gold and silver prices, and shows that their momentum is boosting not just the majors, but also the juniors.
On the M&A side, BHP (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP) has entered into a long-term streaming agreement with Wheaton Precious Metals (TSX:WPM,NYSE:WPM).
Under the deal, which was signed by subsidiaries of BHP and Wheaton, BHP will receive an upfront payment of US$4.3 billion in exchange for the delivery of silver from the Peru-based Antamina mine, plus ongoing payments when metal is delivered. According to BHP, this is the most valuable streaming transaction to date based on upfront consideration received.
Antamina is a joint venture between commodities giants BHP, Glencore (LSE:GLEN,OTCPL:GLCNF), Teck Resources (TSX:TECK.A,TECK.B,NYSE:TECK) and Mitsubishi (TSE:8058,OTCPL:MSBHF), and Wheaton already has a silver stream in place with Glencore. Once the BHP arrangement closes, Wheaton will receive a combined 67.5 percent of the mine's silver.
Want more YouTube content? Check out our expert market commentary playlist, which features interviews with key figures in the resource space. If there's someone you'd like to see us interview, please send an email to cmcleod@investingnews.com.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.
With an eye for detail and over a decade of experience covering the mining and metals sector, Charlotte is passionate about bringing investors accurate and insightful information that can help them make informed decisions.
She leads the Investing News Network's video and event coverage, and guides a team of writers reporting on niche investment markets.
Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, believes US$6,000 per ounce is in the cards for gold in the next 12 months; however, silver may not enjoy the same price strength.
"If gold moves toward US$6,000, I would believe that ... silver at some point will struggle to keep up, and we'll see basically gold relatively outperform silver," he explained.
Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
With an eye for detail and over a decade of experience covering the mining and metals sector, Charlotte is passionate about bringing investors accurate and insightful information that can help them make informed decisions.
She leads the Investing News Network's video and event coverage, and guides a team of writers reporting on niche investment markets.
Christopher Aaron, founder of iGoldAdvisor and Elite Private Placements, explains where gold and silver are in the current cycle and what his strategy looks like now.
"This cycle is going to end in a mania," he said. "You want to position not when the mania is unfolding, but when it gets quiet, and I think we're in one of those windows now to be positioning."
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Before the Trump administration revealed plans for Project Vault, Howard Klein, co-founder and partner at RK Equity, proposed the idea of a strategic lithium reserve.
“The goal of a strategic lithium reserve is to stabilize prices and allow the industry to develop,” he told the Investing News Network. “If prices fall too low, the reserve would step in as a buyer. If prices spike too high, it could sell into the market.”
Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Georgia Williams, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
