The Conversation (0)
Warriedar Resources Limited (ASX: WA8) (Warriedar or the Company) is pleased to provide an update on drilling progress and assay results from its Golden Range Project, located in the Murchison region of Western Australia (Figure 1).
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Assay results for a further two (2) diamond tails at Ricciardo confirm a 77m wide (not true width) mineralisation zone 180m down-dip of the current Resource beneath the Ardmore pit, including a high-grade shoot.
- Significant gold intervals include:
- 7.2m @ 4.51 g/t Au from 232.8m, incl. 3m @ 9.03 g/t Au from 234m
- 10.5m @ 1.53 g/t Au from 218.8m
- 3.9m @ 3.35 g/t Au from 218.8m
- 23.2m @ 1.60 g/t Au from 270.8m
- Mineralisation in this area is structurally complex, extends to a vertical depth of ~ 460m and remains open.
- Ricciardo sits in the middle of the 25km-long ‘Golden Corridor’ at Golden Range, which hosts six (6) discrete deposits (18 historic pits) that are all open at depth and possess immediate growth potential.
- Current diamond drilling program (now extended to 3,000m) at Ricciardo and M1 set to be completed in mid-August, with all assays expected by late-September.
- Update of the Ricciardo MRE is targeted for Q4 2024.
- Further growth-focussed drilling of the ‘Golden Corridor’ scheduled for H2 2024.
The results reported in this release are for a further two (2) of the diamond holes drilled in the current program. Results for the first twelve (12) diamond holes of the current program were previously reported (refer WA8 ASX releases dated 3 July 2024 and 19 July 2024).
The results for these two (2) holes again demonstrate wide infill of the broader Ricciardo deposit at depth, further validating the outstanding Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) growth potential that exists at Ricciardo and along the broader ‘Golden Corridor’ trend (refer Figure 2).
Warriedar Managing Director and CEO, Amanda Buckingham, commented:
“The outcomes of these two diamond tails are significant, given that they represented substantial depth step-outs under the shallow Ardmore pit. A 77m wide mineralised zone (downhole) with a central high-grade shoot (4.51 g/t), 180m below the MRE is a great result. We don’t fully understand the structural geometry here yet, but we are delighted that the deeper part of hole 49 validates the drill results from a previous explorer – confirming the deposit extends to about 460m vertical depth and retains some good grade (3.19 g/t). Excellent progress.
We continue to drill ahead at Ricciardo as part of the current diamond program, with follow-up growth drilling activities in planning for the remainder of H2 2024.”
Figure 1: The Golden Range and Fields Find Projects. Mines and projects within trucking distance of the Warriedar tenure are shown.
Ricciardo deposit
The Ricciardo gold system spans a strike length of approximately 2.3km, with very limited drilling having been undertaken below 100m depth. Ricciardo possesses a current MRE of 8.7 Mt @ 1.7 g/t Au for 476 koz gold.1 The oxide material at Ricciardo has been mined by previous operators.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Warriedar Resources, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
WA8:AU
Targeted Exploration Focus Delivers an Additional 471koz or 99% Increase in Ounces, and a Higher Grade for Ricciardo
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) for the Ricciardo Deposit (part of the broader Golden Range Project) of 16.44 Mt @ 1.8 g/t Au for 947.5 koz gold.
- Represents a 99% increase in Ricciardo MRE contained gold ounces.
- Proven high-returning exploration with the increased Ricciardo MRE ounces delivered at an attractive all-in discovery cost of only approx. A$16/oz.
- High-quality resource additions given drilling focus on high-grade growth ounces with strong commercial potential.
- The updated Ricciardo MRE comprises:
- 467.5 koz @ 1.6 g/t Au open-pit gold Resource (75% M&I) (optimised pit shell constrained at A$3,300/oz)
- 480.0 koz @ 2.0 g/t Au underground gold Resource
- Critically, the Ricciardo system remains wide open at depth and along strike.
- Total Golden Range Project Mineral Resources now stand at over 1.28 Moz gold, a 58% increase from the previous level.
- This initial outcome validates the excellent potential for further growth within the broader 25km ‘Golden Corridor’ via the ongoing, simple strategy of targeting fresh rock extensions under shallow existing pits.
- RC drilling at the southern end of the ‘Golden Corridor’ targeting high-grade Resource growth is progressing well; 9 holes completed for 1,472 metres to date, assays pending.
Warriedar Managing Director and CEO, Amanda Buckingham, commented:
“This is the result we have been working towards all year. With less than 15,000m of targeted, efficient drilling we have added over 470 koz to the Ricciardo deposit, doubling the Resource.
We are excited by both the outcome itself, and the outlook that it delivers us for the wider corridor of gold deposits. The simple strategy of drilling below shallow open pits to find mineable ounces worked exceptionally well for our producing neighbours. The validity of this strategy is now beyond doubt, for us.
Not only is the Ricciardo system still wide open down-plunge, but the entire 25km long ‘Golden Corridor’ offers similar potential upside from such a relatively simple drilling focus.
In the middle of the infrastructure-rich southern Murchison, and located on existing Mining Leases, the opportunity in front of us is utterly irresistible.”
The Ricciardo Deposit
The Ricciardo Gold Deposit is located on existing mining leases 100% owned by WA8, in the Murchison Region, approximately 300 km east of Geraldton, and 420 km by road north-northeast of Perth. Sitting approximately 8km South of the Golden Range Mill on M59/421, and M59/458, within the Golden Range group of historic open pit mines and deposits.
Discovered in the 1990’s, open pit mining of the oxide resources commenced in 2001, and the plant entered Care & Maintenance twice (between July 2004 and 2009, and May 2010 to mid- 2013). Production was over 300 Koz before finally going into ongoing Care and Maintenance in August 2019.
The Ricciardo deposit is located 90km north of Capricorn Metals’ Mt Gibson Gold Project, 8kms south of the Company’s plant, 26km from the neighbouring Golden Grove processing facility and 40 km northeast of Vault Minerals’ high grade Rothsay gold mine (Figure 1).
Figure 1: The location of the Ricciardo gold deposit within the Golden Range Project; within the broader Southern Murchison region.
The Ricciardo gold system spans a strike length of approximately 2.3km, with very limited drilling having been undertaken below 100m depth prior to Warriedar drilling. Historical mining operations at Ricciardo were primarily focused on oxide material, with the transition and primary sulphides mineralisation not systematically explored.
Warriedar’s drilling of Ricciardo during CY2024 achieved excellent results, demonstrating high- grade extensions to the resource. The results demonstrated that the previously quantified resource is part of a much larger system.
Warriedar engaged independent mining consultants, Measured Group to update the Ricciardo MRE, previously reported 476Koz gold.1
The Ricciardo Gold Deposit consists of six semi-continuous historical open pit mines along the 2.3 km arcuate stretch of the Mougooderra Shear Zone, running north to south. These mines are named (from north to south) Silverstone North, Ardmore, Copse, Silverstone, Silverstone South, and Eastern Creek (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Drilling carried out by the Company during 2023 & 2024, which was used to update the MRE.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Warriedar Resources Limited, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Continued Delivery of High Grade Antimony Mineralisation at Ricciardo
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Review of the antimony (Sb) potential at Ricciardo is complete with drillhole assay data confirming Sb mineralisation of significant thickness and grade exists below both the Ardmore pit (previously identified) and the Copse-Silverstone pits (newly identified), representing a potential combined strike length of approx. 1km.
- Multiple significant Sb intervals have been identified (reviewing both historic and WA8 drill hole assays), in addition to results recently released (* indicated below):
- Most of the Sb mineralisation appears to be located above the main gold zone, a distinct metallurgical positive for future processing and economic potential. Similarly to the gold mineralisation, the Sb zones remain wide open at depth.
- Only 11% of historical drill samples at Ricciardo were assayed for Sb. Retained pulp samples from historical holes are currently being tested with pXRF, with those favourable for significant Sb set to undergo laboratory multi element assay.
- An approx. 100kg high-grade sample of antimony mineralisation from Ricciardo has also been dispatched for scoping-level metallurgical testwork.
Warriedar Managing Director and CEO, Amanda Buckingham, commented:
“Following the recent high grade antimony intersections at Ricciardo, our initial review of the broader antimony potential has delivered further promise. An exceptionally high-grade antimony interval, as well as a much wider intersection, are now able to be placed in greater context. This context is a broader volume of antimony, not yet well-defined but with existing drilling showing serious scale and grade potential.
“Importantly, the high-grade antimony appears relatively discrete from higher-grade gold mineralisation, an excellent metallurgical outcome. While it remains early days, we are cautiously optimistic and have commenced initial metallurgical testing for potential processing and antimony recovery.
“While we are excited about this emerging opportunity at Ricciardo, I want to emphasise however that pursuit of this opportunity will be in parallel with our growth-focussed gold drilling at Golden Range, which remains our current core focus.”
Figure 1: The Golden Range and Fields Find Projects, with proximate mines, mills and projects.
Key Ricciardo context
The Ricciardo gold system spans a strike length of approximately 2.3km, with very limited drilling having been undertaken below 100m depth. Ricciardo possesses a current Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 8.7 Mt @ 1.7 g/t Au for 476 koz gold.1
Historical gold mining operations at Ricciardo were primarily focused on the oxide material, with the transition and primary sulphides mineralisation not systematically explored. Antimony was not a focus of previous exploration, with only about 11% of historic drill holes assayed for antimony.
The gold and antimony mineralisation at Ricciardo is predominantly hosted within intensely altered and deformed ultramafic units. The high-grade antimony-dominant mineralisation occurred later than the main gold events and generally sits above the high-grade gold mineralisation.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Warriedar Resources, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Further Strong Extensional Diamond Drill Results from Ricciardo
HIGHLIGHTS:
- All residual assay results received from the recent 2,701m (27 holes) diamond drilling program at Ricciardo.
- Drilling underneath the Silverstone pit confirms the identified high-grade shoot continues at depth and at better than previously modelled grades:
- 13.7m @ 3.27 g/t Au and 0.36% Sb (4.04 g/t AuEq) from 253.3m, inc.
1.2m @ 9.00 g/t Au and 0.00% Sb (9.00 g/t AuEq) from 264.85m (RDRC046) - 22.6m @ 2.11 g/t Au and 0.29% Sb (2.71 g/t AuEq) from 294m, inc.
3m @ 7.22 g/t Au and 0.02 % Sb (7.26 g/t AuEq) from 312m (RDRC044)
- 13.7m @ 3.27 g/t Au and 0.36% Sb (4.04 g/t AuEq) from 253.3m, inc.
- Drilling from the Eastern Creek area, located at the southern end of Ricciardo, confirms down dip continuity with increasing grade and width at depth:
- 7.0m @ 2.54 g/t Au and 0.24% Sb (3.05 g/t AuEq) from 170m (RDRC060)
- 25.0m @ 1.23 g/t Au and 0.17% Sb (1.60 g/t AuEq) from 232m, inc.
6.8m @ 2.37 g/t Au and 0.37% Sb (3.16 g/t AuEq) from 250.2m (RDRC059)
- Update of Ricciardo Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) on track for Q4 2024.
- Aircore drilling program now in progress at the Golden Range Project targeting an underexplored section at the southern end of the 70-km long shear.
- Further growth-focussed Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling of the ‘Golden Corridor’ scheduled to commence in November.
The assays reported in this release are full results for the final 11 diamond holes (1,021m) from the recent 27-hole diamond tail program at Ricciardo. Results for the first 16 holes of this program have previously been reported (refer WA8 ASX releases dated 3 July 2024, 19 July 2024, 2 August 2024 and 26 August 2024).
Warriedar Managing Director and CEO, Amanda Buckingham, commented:
“This final set of diamond results from the recent Ricciardo drilling have really put a bow on the whole program for us. The broad-based extensional success delivered by this drilling is both real and exciting. The fact that these results are being delivered at what are still relatively shallow down-dip depths, and in such proximity to excellent surrounding infrastructure, also delivers excellent potential for the economic character of the anticipated resource additions at Ricciardo. It is my firm belief that we are just getting started in terms of the opportunity at Ricciardo, let alone within the larger ‘Golden Corridor’ and along the broader mineralised shear.”
Key Ricciardo context
The Ricciardo gold system is located within Warriedar’s flagship Golden Range Project in the Murchison region of Western Australia (refer Figures 1 and 2).
Ricciardo spans a strike length of approximately 2.3km, with very limited drilling having been undertaken below 100m depth. It possesses a current MRE of 8.7 Mt @ 1.7 g/t Au for 476 koz gold. 1 Importantly, historical mining operations at Ricciardo were primarily focused on oxide material, with the transition and primary sulphides mineralisation not systematically explored.
Figure 1: The Golden Range and Fields Find Projects, with proximate mines, mills and projects.
Figure 2: The ‘Golden Corridor’ within the Golden Range Project. The image on the right is gravity over shaded residualmagnetic RTP.
The most recent phase of RC and diamond drilling of Ricciardo has concluded. This release reports on the assays from the final 11 holes of the diamond program. These holes were predominantly located in the southern part of the Ricciardo deposit, focusing on down-dip extension where no previous drilling had been undertaken (refer Table 1 and Figure 3 for drill collar and relevant section locations).
All 11 holes returned significant intersections, delivering a further round of meaningful extensional success from the recent program (refer Table 2). All results are set to be incorporated into an update of the Ricciardo MRE, which remains on track for completion during Q4 2024.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Warriedar Resources, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Further Step-Out Gold Success and High-Grade Antimony Discovery
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Assay results received for a further 1,102m of diamond drilling at Ricciardo.
- Extremely high-grade antimony (Sb) intersected in multiple holes below the Ardmore pit, including in RDRC067 above the main zone of high-grade gold mineralisation:
- 12.7m @ 4.98% Sb and 0.36 g/t Au (10.92 g/t AuEq*) from 229.2m
incl. 1.85m @ 28.50% Sb and 0.45 g/t Au (60.94 g/t AuEq) from 238.25m
- 12.7m @ 4.98% Sb and 0.36 g/t Au (10.92 g/t AuEq*) from 229.2m
- A wide zone of antimony mineralisation was encountered in hole RDRC001:
- 34m @ 1.0% Sb and 0.59 g/t Au (2.72 g/t AuEq) from 158.80m
- This newly identified and exceptionally high-grade Sb zone, along with the broader antimony potential at Ricciardo, demands prompt follow-up and evaluation.
- Further high-grade gold extension delivered below the Ardmore pit:
- 18m @ 3.41 g/t Au and 0.27% Sb (3.97 g/t AuEq) from 276m (RDRC048B) incl. 4.5m @ 9.90 g/t Au and 0.01% Sb (9.93 g/t AuEq) from 286.5m
- 1m @ 28.31 g/t Au and 2.18% Sb (32.92 g/t AuEq) from 286m (NMRC005)
- 42.6m @ 1.08 g/t Au and 0.05% Sb (1.17 g/t AuEq) from 253.38m (RDRC067)
- ‘Golden Corridor’ diamond drilling now complete, with 31 holes drilled for 3,300m.
- All residual diamond assays expected to be received by late September, with update of the Ricciardo Mineral Resource targeted for Q4 2024.
- Further growth-focussed RC drilling of the ‘Golden Corridor’ scheduled for H2 2024, as well as planned aircore drilling along select parts of the regional shear.
Warriedar Managing Director and CEO, Amanda Buckingham, commented:
“The results for these holes successfully demonstrate further extensional high-grade gold, and for the first time very high-grade antimony zones below the Ardmore pit area.
Given the relative absence of assaying for antimony in historical drilling at Golden Range, we are cautiously optimistic on the potential that might exist here. Moreover, the apparent zonation in RDRC067 is also highly encouraging for any future antimony development potential.
I want to emphasise however that pursuit of this opportunity will be in parallel with our growth-focussed gold drilling at Golden Range, which remains our current core focus.”
* Refer to page 8 of this release for full gold equivalent (AuEq) calculation methodology.
Figure 1: The Golden Range and Fields Find Projects, with proximate mines, mills and projects.
Key Ricciardo context
The Ricciardo gold system spans a strike length of approximately 2.3km, with very limited drilling having been undertaken below 100m depth. Ricciardo possesses a current MRE of 8.7 Mt @ 1.7 g/t Au for 476 koz gold.1 Historical mining operations at Ricciardo were primarily focused on oxide material, with the transition and primary sulphides mineralisation not systematically explored.
Due to the limited number of multi-element assays from historical drill holes at Ricciardo, other mineral potential (outside of gold) has also not been properly evaluated historically.
Figure 2: The ‘Golden Corridor’ within the Golden Range Project. The image on the right is gravity over shaded residual magnetic RTP.
The gold mineralisation at Ricciardo is predominantly hosted with intensified altered and deformed ultramafic units. It is important to note that the newly identified antimony-dominant mineralisation identified in RDRC067 (discussed below) sits above high-grade gold mineralisation in the same area, and may overprint the earlier gold mineralisation in some areas.
High-grade antimony zone discovery below the Ardmore pit
RDRC067 was designed to drill south to north along strike to better understand the structural controls within the Ricciardo deposit and assess the continuity of the ultramafic unit (Figure 3). All previous drill holes (by Warriedar and previous explorers) have been drilled eastward perpendicular to the known mineralised structure. RDRC067 was considered an important hole by the Warriedar technical team in order to confirm there are no additional structural controls and to provide further confidence in the geological model.
Figure 3: Plan view of Ricciardo deposit with current cross section locations annotated. The holes drilled in Q2/Q3 as part of the current program are highlighted in red. Additional holes are also outlined but not presented in below cross sections.
Unexpectedly, RDRC067 intersected significant high-grade antimony mineralisation from 229.2m to 241.9m downhole, returning 12.7m @ 4.98% Sb and 0.36 g/t Au (10.92 g/t AuEq) (Figure 4). Above this high-grade antimony zone, another significant zone was also identified from 183m to 198.1m downhole, returning 15.1m @ 1.42% Sb and 0.42 g/t Au (3.42 g/t AuEq) (Figure 4).
The antimony zones intersected by RDRC067 are interpreted to correlate with a lower grade antimony zone intersected in RDRC038 and RDRC049 (Figure 4). Encouragingly, drillhole RDRC001 returned a wide zone of antimony mineralisation: 34m @ 1.0% Sb and 0.59 g/t Au (2.72 g/t AuEq). Further work is required to determine the geometry and extent of the antimony mineralisation.
RDRC067 concluded at 296.96m downhole depth, within the gold mineralisation domain, as the target depth of the hole had been reached. As RDRC067 is not drilled perpendicular to the Mougooderra Shear, which is the main control of the mineralisation, it is important to note that the intersected thickness does not reflect the true thickness of the mineralisation.
Click here for the full ASX Release
This article includes content from Warriedar Resources, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Gold Price Hits Another New All-time High, US$3,600 in Reach
Gold price chart, August 29, 2025, to September 5, 2025.
Chart via the Investing News Network.
Expectations that the US Federal Reserve will lower interest rates when it meets later this month are part of what's driving gold's move. The central bank hasn't made a cut since December 2024, but comments made by Fed Chair Jerome Powell in a recent Jackson Hole, Wyoming, speech stoked anticipation among market participants.
US jobs data for August, released on Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), has essentially locked in a downward move in rates. Nonfarm payrolls were up by 22,000, significantly lower than the 75,000 expected by economists.
Meanwhile, the country's unemployment rate came in at 4.3 percent.
The report is the first to be released since US President Donald Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, former commissioner at the BLS. She was ousted after July jobs data came in lower than expected, and after major downward revisions to May and June jobs numbers. The latest BLS report also brought revisions — the July number was boosted by 6,000 to come in at 79,000, but June stands at a net loss of 13,000 after a downward revision of 27,000.
CME Group's (NASDAQ:CME) FedWatch tool now shows a 90.2 percent probability of a 25 basis point rate cut in September, with a 9.8 percent probability of a 50 basis point reduction.
Target rate probabilities for September 17, 2025, Fed meeting.
Chart via CME Group.
Bond market turmoil also helped move the gold price this week.
Yields for 30 year US bonds rose to nearly 5 percent midway through the period, their highest level since mid-July, on the back of a variety of concerns, including tariffs, inflation and Fed independence.
Globally the situation was even more tumultuous, with 30 year UK bond yields reaching their highest point since 1998; meanwhile, 30 year bond yields for German, French and Dutch bonds rose to levels not seen since 2011.
In Japan, 30 year bond yields hit a record high.
Looking at gold's path forward, experts agree that its prospects are bright, although what kicks off its next leg and how high it could go during this cycle remain to be seen. While rates are in focus as a key price mover right now, other potential drivers include a stock market correction and the return of western investors.
Watch six experts share their thoughts on gold's next price trigger.
Elsewhere in the precious metals space, silver was trading at the US$41 per ounce level, down from its peak of around US$41.30 seen earlier in the week, but still at highs not seen since 2011.
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.
What Was the Highest Price for Gold?
Gold market gurus from Lynette Zang to Chris Blasi to Jordan Roy-Byrne have shared eye-popping predictions on the gold price that would intrigue any investor — gold bug or not.
Some have posited that the gold price may rise as high as US$4,000 or US$5,000 per ounce, and there are those who believe that US$10,000 gold or even US$40,000 gold could become a reality.
These impressive price predictions have investors wondering, what is gold's all-time high (ATH)?
In the past year, gold has reached a new all-time high dozens of times. Find out what has driven it to these levels, plus how the gold price has moved historically and what has driven its performance in recent years.
In this article
How is gold traded?
Before discovering what the highest gold price ever was, it’s worth looking at how the precious metal is traded. Knowing the mechanics behind gold's historical moves can help illuminate why and how its price changes.
Gold bullion is traded in dollars and cents per ounce, with activity taking place worldwide at all hours, resulting in a live price for the metal. Investors trade gold in major commodities markets such as New York, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong. London is seen as the center of physical precious metals trading, including for silver. The COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange is home to most paper trading.
There are many popular ways to invest in gold. The first is through purchasing gold bullion products such as bullion bars, bullion coins and rounds. Physical gold is sold on the spot market, meaning that buyers pay a specific price per ounce for the metal and then have it delivered. In some parts of the world, such as India, buying gold in the form of jewelry is the largest and most traditional route to investing in gold.
Another path to gold investment is paper trading, which is done through the gold futures market. Participants enter into gold futures contracts for the delivery of gold in the future at an agreed-upon price.
In such contracts, two positions can be taken: a long position under which delivery of the metal is accepted or a short position to provide delivery of the metal. Paper trading as a means to invest in gold can provide investors with the flexibility to liquidate assets that aren’t available to those who possess physical gold bullion.
One significant long-term advantage of trading in the paper market is that investors can benefit from gold’s safe-haven status without needing to store it. Furthermore, gold futures trading can offer more financial leverage in that it requires less capital than trading in the physical market.
Interestingly, investors can also purchase physical gold via the futures market, but the process is complicated and lengthy and comes with a large investment and additional costs.
Aside from those options, market participants can invest in gold through exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Investing in a gold ETF is similar to trading a gold stock on an exchange, and there are numerous gold ETF options to choose from. For instance, some ETFs focus solely on physical gold bullion, while others focus on gold futures contracts. Other gold ETFs center on gold-mining stocks or follow the gold spot price.
It is important to understand that you will not own any physical gold when investing in an ETF — in general, even a gold ETF that tracks physical gold cannot be redeemed for tangible metal.
With regards to the performance of gold versus trading stocks, gold has an interesting relationship with the stock market. The two often move in sync during “risk-on periods” when investors are bullish. On the flip side, they tend to become inversely correlated in times of volatility. There are a variety of options for investing in stocks, including gold mining stocks on the TSX and ASX, gold juniors, precious metals royalty companies and gold stocks that pay dividends.
According to the World Gold Council, gold's ability to decouple from the stock market during periods of stress makes it “unique amongst most hedges in the marketplace.” It is often during these times that gold outperforms the stock market. For that reason, it is often used as a portfolio diversifier to hedge against uncertainty.
What was the highest gold price ever?
The gold price peaked at US$3,599.61, its all-time high, during trading on September 5, 2025.
What drove it to set this new ATH? Gold reached its new highest price following the release of unexpectedly weak US job data. Following the release, FedWatch's odds for a 25 basis point rate cut at the upcoming US Federal Reserve meeting dropped from 99 to 90.2 percent, while odds of a 50 point drop jumped to 9.8 percent. The meeting will take place from September 16 to 17.
Gold set new highs several times in the preceding week amid significant uncertainty in the US and global economies and surging gold ETF purchases.
One significant driver came on August 29, when a US federal appeals court ruled that US President Donald Trump's "liberation day" tariffs, announced in April, are illegal, stating that only Congress has the power to enact widespread tariffs. The Trump administration is expected to appeal the ruling, which will go into effect on October 14.
Stock markets fell during trading September 2, while treasury yields in the US and abroad rose significantly, providing tailwinds to the gold price. Gold was also boosted by the expectation of interest rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve at the September meeting.
News surrounding the tariffs had previously led gold to reach multiple new highs back in April, as we dive into below.
Why is the gold price setting new highs in 2025?
This string of record-breaking highs this year are caused by several factors.
Increased economic and geopolitical turmoil caused by the new Trump administration has been a tailwind for gold this year, as well as a weakening US dollar, sticky inflation in the country and increased safe haven gold demand.
Since coming into office in late January, Trump has threatened or enacted tariffs on many countries, including blanket tariffs on longtime US allies Canada and Mexico and tariffs on the European Union. Trump has also implemented 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports.
The gold price set a string of new highs in the month of April amid high market volatility as markets reacted to tariff decisions from Trump and the escalating trade war between the US and China. By April 11, Trump had raised US tariffs on Chinese imports to 145 percent and China has raised its tariffs on US products to 125 percent.
As for the effect of these widespread tariffs raising prices for the American populace, Trump has reiterated his sentiment that the US may need to go through a period of economic pain to enter a new "golden age" of economic prosperity. Falling markets and a declining US dollar support gold, as did increased gold purchasing in China in response to US tariffs on the country. Elon Musk's call to audit the gold holdings in Fort Knox has also brought attention to the yellow metal.
What factors have driven the gold price in the last five years?
Despite these recent runs, gold has seen its share of both peaks and troughs over the last decade. After remaining rangebound between US$1,100 and US$1,300 from 2014 to early 2019, gold pushed above US$1,500 in the second half of 2019 on a softer US dollar, rising geopolitical issues and a slowdown in economic growth.
Gold’s first breach of the significant US$2,000 price level in mid-2020 was due in large part to economic uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To break through that barrier and reach what was then a record high, the yellow metal added more than US$500, or 32 percent, to its value in the first eight months of 2020.
Gold price chart, August 31, 2020, to September 1, 2025.
Chart via the Investing News Network.
The gold price surpassed that level again in early 2022 as Russia's invasion of Ukraine collided with rising inflation around the world, increasing the allure of safe-haven assets and pulling the yellow metal up to a price of US$2,074.60 on March 8, 2022. However, it fell throughout the rest of 2022, dropping below US$1,650 in October.
Although it didn't quite reach the level of volatility as the previous year, the gold price experienced drastic price changes in 2023 on the back of banking instability, high interest rates and the breakout of war in the Middle East.
After central bank buying pushed the gold price up to the US$1,950.17 mark by the end of January, the US Federal Reserve’s 0.25 percent rate hike on February 1 sparked a retreat as the dollar and Treasury yields saw gains. The precious metal went on to fall to its lowest price level of the year at US$1,809.87 on February 23.
The banking crisis that hit the US in early March caused a domino effect through the global financial system and led to the mid-March collapse of Credit Suisse, Switzerland’s second-largest bank. The gold price jumped to US$1,989.13 by March 15. The continued fallout in the global banking system throughout the second quarter of the year allowed gold to break above US$2,000 on April 3, and go on to flirt with a near-record high of US$2,049.92 on May 3.
Those gains were tempered by the Fed’s ongoing rate hikes and improvements in the banking sector, resulting in a downward trend in the gold price throughout the remainder of the second quarter and throughout Q3. By October 4, gold had fallen to a low of US$1,820.01 and analysts expected the precious metal to drop below US$1,800.
That was before the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel ignited legitimate fears of a much larger conflict erupting in the Middle East. Reacting to those fears, and to rising expectations that the Fed would begin to reverse course on interest rates, gold broke through the important psychological level of US$2,000 and closed at US$2,007.08 on October 27. As the fighting intensified, gold reached a then-new high of US$2,152.30 in intraday trading on December 3.
That robust momentum in the spot gold price continued into 2024, chasing new highs on fears of a looming US recession, the promise of Fed rate cuts on the horizon, the worsening conflict in the Middle East and the tumultuous US presidential election year. By mid-March, gold was pushing up against the US$2,200 level.
That record-setting momentum continued into the second quarter of 2024 when gold broke through US$2,400 in mid-April on strong central bank buying, sovereign debt concerns in China and investors expecting the Fed to start cutting interest rates. The precious metal went on to hit US$2,450.05 on May 20.
Throughout the summer, the hits kept on coming.
The global macro environment was highly bullish for gold in the lead up to the US election. Following the failed assassination attempt on Trump and a statement about coming interest rate cuts by Fed Chair Powell, the gold spot price hit a then new all-time high on July 16 at US$2,469.30. One week later, news that then-President Joe Biden would not seek re-election and would instead pass the baton to Vice President Kamala Harris eased some of the tension in the stock markets and strengthened the US dollar. This also pushed the price of gold down to US$2,387.99 on July 22, 2024.
However, the bullish factors supporting gold remained in play, and the spot price for gold went on to breach US$2,500 on August 2 that year on a less than stellar US jobs report; it closed just above the US$2,440 level. A few weeks later, gold pushed past US$2,500 once again on August 16, closing above that level for the first time ever after the US Department of Commerce released data showing a fifth consecutive monthly decrease in a row for homebuilding.
The news that the Chinese government issued new gold import quotas to banks in the country following a two month pause also helped fuel the gold price rally. Central bank gold buying has been a significant tailwind for the gold price this year, and China's central bank has been one of the strongest buyers.
Market watchers expected the Fed to cut interest rates by a quarter point at their September 2024 meeting, but news on September 12 that the regulators were still deciding between the expected cut or a larger half-point cut led gold prices on a rally that carried through into the next day, bringing gold prices near US$2,600.
At the September 18 Fed meeting, the committee ultimately made the decision to cut rates by half a point, news that sent gold even higher. By September 20, it moved above US$2,600 and held above US$2,620.
In October 2024, gold first breached the US$2,700 level and continued to higher on a variety of factors, including further rate cuts and economic data anticipation, the escalating conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Hezbollah, and economic stimulus in China — not to mention the very close race between the US presidential candidates.
While the gold price fell following Trump's win in early November and largely held under US$2,700 through the end of the year, it began trending upwards in 2025 to the new all-time high discussed earlier in the article.
What's next for the gold price?
What's next for the gold price is never an easy call to make. There are many factors to consider, but some of the most prevalent long-term drivers include economic expansion, market risk, opportunity cost and momentum.
Economic expansion is one of the primary gold price contributors as it facilitates demand growth in several categories, including jewelry, technology and investment. As the World Gold Council explains, “This is particularly true in developing economies where gold is often used as a luxury item and a means to preserve wealth.”
Market risk is also a prime catalyst for gold values as investors view the precious metal as the “ultimate safe haven,” and a hedge against currency depreciation, inflation and other systemic risks.
Going forward, in addition to the Fed, inflation and geopolitical events, experts will be looking for cues from factors like supply and demand. In terms of supply, the world’s five top gold producers are China, Australia, Russia, Canada and the US. The consensus in the gold market is that major miners have not spent enough on gold exploration in recent years. Gold mine production has fallen from around 3,200 to 3,300 metric tons (MT) each year between 2018 and 2020 to around 3,000 to 3,100 MT each year between 2021 and 2023.
On the demand side, China and India are the biggest buyers of physical gold, and are in a perpetual fight for the title of world’s largest gold consumer. That said, it's worth noting that the last few years have brought a big rebound in central bank gold buying, which dropped to a record low in 2020, but reached a 55 year high of 1,136 MT in 2022.
World Gold Council data shows 2024 central bank gold purchases came to 1,044.6 MT, marking the third year in a row above 1,000 MT. In H1 2025, the organization says gold purchases from central banks reached 415.1 MT.
“I expect the Fed’s rate-cutting cycle to be good for gold, but central bank buying has been and remains a major factor," Lobo Tiggre, CEO of IndependentSpeculator.com, told the Investing News Network (INN) at the start of Q4 2024.
David Barrett, CEO of the UK division of global brokerage firm EBC Financial Group, is also keeping an eye on central bank purchases of gold. “I still see the global central bank buying as the main driver — as it has been over the last 15 years,” he said in an email to INN. "This demand removes supply from the market. They are the ultimate buy-and-hold participants and they have been buying massive amounts."
In addition to central bank moves, analysts are also watching for escalating tensions in the Middle East, a weakening US dollar, declining bond yields, and further interest rate cuts as factors that could push gold higher as investors look to secure their portfolios. “When it comes to outside factors that affect the market, it’s just tailwind after tailwind after tailwind. So I don’t really see the trend changing,” Coffin said.
Randy Smallwood of Wheaton Precious Metals (TSX:WPM,NYSE:WPM) told INN in March 2025 that gold is seeing support from many factors, including central bank buying, nervousness around the US dollar and stronger institutional interest. Smallwood is seeing an influx of fund managers wanting to learn about precious metals.
Joe Cavatoni, senior market strategist, Americas, at the World Gold Council, believes that market risk and uncertainty surrounding tariffs and continued demand from central banks are the main drivers of gold.
"Market risk in particular is a key strategic driver for the gold price and performance," Cavatoni told INN in a July 2025 interview. "Think strategically when you think about gold, and keep that allocation in mind."
Check out more of INN's interviews to find out what experts have said about the gold price during its 2025 bull run and where it could go next.
Should you beware of gold price manipulation?
It’s important for investors to be aware that gold price manipulation is a hot topic in the industry.
In 2011, when gold hit what was then a record high, it dropped swiftly in just a few short years. This decline after three years of impressive gains led many in the gold sector to cry foul and point to manipulation.
Early in 2015, 10 banks were hit in a US probe on precious metals manipulation.
Evidence provided by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) showed “smoking gun” proof that UBS Group (NYSE:UBS), HSBC Holdings (NYSE:HSBC), the Bank of Nova Scotia (TSX:BNS,NYSE:BNS and other firms were involved in rigging gold and silver rates in the market from 2007 to 2013. Not long after, the long-running London gold fix was replaced by the LBMA gold price in a bid to increase gold price transparency. The twice-a-day process, operated by the ICE Benchmark Administration, still involves a variety of banks collaborating to set the gold price, but the system is now electronic.
Still, manipulation has by no means been eradicated, as a 2020 fine on JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) shows. The next year, chat logs were released in a spoofing trial for two former precious metals traders from the Bank of America's (NYSE:BAC) Merrill Lynch unit. They show a trader bragging about how easy it is to manipulate the gold price.
Gold market participants have consistently spoken out about manipulation. In mid-2020, Chris Marcus, founder of Arcadia Economics and author of the book “The Big Silver Short,” said that when gold fell back below the US$2,000 mark after hitting close to US$2,070, he saw similarities to what happened with the gold price in 2011.
Marcus has been following the gold and silver markets with a focus specifically on price manipulation for nearly a decade. His advice? “Trust your gut. I believe we’re witnessing the ultimate ’emperor’s really naked’ moment. This isn’t complex financial analysis. Sometimes I think of it as the greatest hypnotic thought experiment in history.”
Investor takeaway
While we have the answer to what the highest gold price ever is as of now, it remains to be seen how high gold can climb, and if the precious metal can reach as high as US$5,000, US$10,000 or even US$40,000.
Even so, many market participants believe gold is a must have in any investment profile, and there is little doubt investors will continue to see gold price action making headlines this year and beyond.
This is an updated version of an article first published by the Investing News Network in 2020.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Lauren Kelly, 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.
Aurum Resources
Investor Insights
Aurum Resources offers a compelling value proposition through its highly prospective gold assets in Côte d'Ivoire, a fast-emerging gold region in West Africa. Its cost-effective exploration strategy of drill rig ownership also distinguishes it from its peers.
Overview
Aurum Resources (ASX:AUE) is a mineral exploration company primarily focused on gold through its Boundiali and Napié gold projects in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa.
Côte d'Ivoire's gold mining sector is experiencing significant growth and development, with several key projects contributing to the country's economic expansion. The overall gold mining sector in Côte d'Ivoire is supported by substantial investments in infrastructure and exploration.
Geopolitically, Côte d'Ivoire outperforms most developing countries in the world in political, legal, tax and operational risk metrics. Additionally, Côte d'Ivoire continues to make notable strides in its political stability and Absence of Violence and Terrorism Index.
Boundiali Gold Project – BD Target 1 Artisanal Working
In March 2025, Aurum completed the acquisition of 100 percent of Mako Gold, bringing together its strong balance sheet and industry-leading drilling efficiencies to accelerate resource growth across northern Côte d’Ivoire. The company now holds a 90 percent interest in the highly prospective Napié Project, a 224 sq km land package with a 30 km strike near Korhogo.
Aurum has delivered a major milestone in 2025 with a +50 percent increase in the JORC Mineral Resource Estimate at its Boundiali Gold Project in Côte d’Ivoire, adding 820koz for a total of 2.41Moz. This lifts the company’s group resources to 3.28Moz, including Napié, highlighting the scale and growth potential of Aurum’s portfolio.
Supported by a seasoned board and management team with deep gold sector expertise—and strengthened by its recent capital raising—Aurum is well-funded to expand resources and advance development plans that drive long-term shareholder value.
Company Highlights
- 3.28Moz and Growing in Côte d’Ivoire: Two cornerstone gold projects — Boundiali (2.41Moz) and Napié (0.87Moz) — positioned for rapid growth with multiple resource updates and development milestones in 2025–2026.
- Outstanding Metallurgy = Simple, Profitable Processing: Boundiali delivers free milling ore with 95 percent recoveries and a straightforward flowsheet, while Napié achieves +94 percent recoveries in tests, showcasing strong economics and low technical risk.
- Aggressive, Cost-Effective Growth Strategy: In-house drill fleet drives efficiency and scale: 100,000m at Boundiali and 30,000m at Napié planned in 2025.
- Premier Mining Jurisdiction: Located in Côte d’Ivoire’s prolific Birimian Greenstone Belt, backed by a stable, supportive government and excellent infrastructure—creating the right conditions for mine development success.
- Strategic Placement: Aurum has completed a AU$35.6 million private placement of 100 million shares at AU$0.356 per share. Key participants in the placement included:
- Lundin Family and Associates, with an AU$11.71 million cash investment, securing a 9.9 percent post-placement interest.
- Zhaojin Capital (subsidiary of Zhaojin Mining), with an AU$8.19 million cash investment, increasing its holding to 8.5 percent.
- Montage Gold with 2.9 million shares, resulting in a 9.9 percent post-placement interest.
- Leadership with a Proven Track Record: A seasoned management team with a history of value creation, supported by committed shareholders who back the company’s long-term growth vision.
Key Projects
Boundali Gold Project
The Boundiali gold project in Cote d’Ivoire is located within the Boundiali Greenstone Belt, which hosts Resolute’s Syama gold operation (11.5 Moz) and the Tabakoroni deposit (1 Moz) in Mali. Neighbouring assets also include Barrick’s Tongon mine (5 Moz) and Montage Gold’s Kone project (4.5 Moz).
The Boundiali project area covers the underexplored southern extension of the Boundiali belt, where a highly deformed synclinal greenstone horizon traverses finer-grained basin sediments, and to the west, Tarkwaian clastic rocks lie in contact with a granitic margin. The project benefits from year-round road access and excellent infrastructure.
The first stage of drilling at Boundiali occurred from late October 2023 to end of November 2024 for both the BM and BD tenements (BM1 and BM2; BD1, BD2 and BD3 targets) and was designed to test below-gold-in-soil anomalies oriented along NE trending structures, define new gold prospects and define maiden JORC resources. With over 63,000m diamond holes drilled during this period, Maiden JORC gold resources estimate was delivered in late December 2024.
Drilling costs are estimated at US$45 per metre, as Aurum owns all of its eight drilling rigs and employs its operators, representing a significant value proposition relative to peers who use commercial drilling companies that charge upwards of $200 per meter. The company believes there is potential for multi-million ounce gold resources to be defined with hundreds thousands meters of drilling over years within the Boundiali Gold Project’s land holding areas.
The Boundiali gold project comprises four contiguous granted licenses: PR0808 (80 percent interest), PR0893 (80 percent and earning to 88 percent interest), PR414 (100 percent interest), and PR283 (earning to 70 percent interest). Historic exploration at PR0893 includes 93 AC drill holes and four RC holes. Airborne geophysical surveying, geological mapping and extensive soil sampling have also been performed at PR0893, while PR0808 has had 91 RC holes drilled for 6,229 metres along with geochemical analysis and modeling. Detailed geochemical sampling and drilling at PR414 revealed three strong gold anomalies and returned impressive high-grade results.
In May 2024, Aurum entered a strategic partnership agreement to earn up to a 70 percent interest in exploration tenement PR283, to be renamed Boundiali North (BN). Aurum, through subsidiary Plusor Global Pty Ltd, has partnered with Ivorian company Geb & Nut Resources Sarl and related party (GNRR) to explore and develop the Boundiali North (BN) tenement which covers 208.87sq km immediately north of Aurum’s BD tenement. Further to this agreement,
Aurum announced it has earned 80 percent project interest after completing more than 20,000 m of diamond core drilling.
Boundiali Project JORC Mineral Resource Estimate
Aurum has announced a maiden independent JORC mineral resource estimate of 1.59 Moz gold for its 1,037 sq. km. The Boundiali Gold Project comprises the BST, BDT1 & BDT2, BMT1 and BMT3 deposits. Drilling is ongoing on these deposits, and Aurum has identified other prospects at Boundiali which have yet to be drilled. Since October 2023, the company has completed an extensive 63,927-metre diamond drilling program. This aggressive exploration campaign has rapidly defined a significant gold resource of 50.9 Mt @ 1.0 g/t gold for 1.6 million ounces.
In August 2025, Aurum announced a 50 percent increase in the JORC Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE). The update adds 820koz, lifting Boundiali’s resource to 2.41Moz and boosting total group resources to 3.28Moz, including Napié. The 2025 MRE covers six deposits, including BST1, BDT1, BDT2, BDT3, BMT1, and BMT3, with drilling ongoing and additional untested targets offering strong growth potential.
Aurum is working towards completing an open pit PFS for the Boundiali Gold Project by the end of 2025. This will provide an evaluation of the project's economics and technical feasibility.
Napié Gold Project
Aurum holds a 90 percent interest in the Napié Project in north-central Côte d’Ivoire, acquired through its takeover of Mako Gold. Located approximately 30 km southeast of Korhogo, the project covers a 224 sq km land package with a 30 km strike length along the highly prospective Napié Shear Zone.
As of June 2022, Napié hosts a JORC 2012 Mineral Resource Estimate of 868,000 ounces of gold (22.5 Mt at 1.20 g/t Au), based on the Tchaga and Gogbala deposits—two of four known prospects along the shear. To date, only 13 percent of the Napié Shear has been explored, leaving substantial potential for further discoveries.
Napié Project – Previous results with detailed mapping area on Komboro Prospect shown in black rectangle
Project Highlights:
- Gold Resource: Shallow open pit 0.87Moz JORC Resource at 1.20g/t Au, with mineralisation open along strike and at depth. Maximum resource depth between 160 m – 195m across the two deposits
- Exploration Upside: Less than 13 percent of the 30 km Napié Shear has been explored, offering significant potential for resource growth.
- Drilling Commenced in June 2025: 30,000 m of diamond drilling has commenced to expand the project's resource.
- Preliminary Recovery Test Work: Returned more than 94 percent average gold recoveries.
- Resource Growth Target: First MRE update planned end of 2025, to significantly expand the resource base.
- Infrastructure: Excellent access to hydroelectricity, roads, and water, supporting future development.
Management Team
Troy Flannery – Non-executive Chairman
Troy Flannery has more than 25 years’ experience in the mining industry, including nine years in corporate and 17 years in senior mining engineering and project development roles. He has a degree in mining engineering, masters in finance, and first-class mine managers certificate of competency. Flannery has performed non-executive director roles with numerous ASX listed companies and was the CEO of Abra Mining until October 2021. He has worked at numerous mining companies, mining consultancy and contractors, including BHP, Newcrest, Xstrata, St Barbara Mines and AMC Consultants.
Dr. Caigen Wang – Managing Director
Dr. Caigen Wang founded Tietto Minerals (ASX:TIE), where he led the company as managing director for 13 years through private exploration, ASX listing, gold resource definition, project study and mine building to become one of Africa’s newest gold producers at its Abujar gold mine in Côte d’Ivoire. He holds a bachelor, masters and PhD in mining engineering. He is a fellow of AusIMM and a chartered professional engineer of Institution of Engineer, Australia. Wang has 13 years of mining academic experience in China University of Mining and Technology, Western Australia School of Mine and University of Alberta, and over 20 years of practical experience in mining engineering and mineral exploration in Australia, China and Africa. Other professional experience includes senior technical and management roles in mining houses, including St. Barbara, Sons of Gwalia, BHP Billiton, China Goldmines PLC and others.
Mark Strizek – Executive Director
Mark Strizek has nearly 30 years’ experience in the resource industry, having worked as a geologist on various gold, base metal and technology metal projects. He brings invaluable geological, technical and development expertise to Aurum, most recently as an executive director at Tietto Minerals’, which progressed from an IPO to gold production at the Abujar gold project in West Africa. Strizek has worked as an executive with management and board responsibilities in exploration, feasibility, finance, and development-ready assets across Australia, West Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Steve Zaninovich - Non-Executive Director
Ateve Zaninovich is a qualified engineer with over 25 years of experience in mining project development, business development, maintenance, and operational readiness, with a focus on gold, base metals, and lithium. He is currently director of operations at Kodal Minerals, where he is responsible for advancing the Bougouni Lithium Project. His previous roles include project director at Lycopodium Minerals for the Akyem Gold Project in Ghana and chief operating officer at Gryphon Minerals. Following Gryphon’s acquisition by Teranga Gold Corporation, he became vice-president of major projects and a member of Teranga’s executive management team.