Ramp Metals (TSXV:RAMP) specializes in battery and base metals, particularly nickel and lithium with three properties, two situated in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada, and one in Nevada, United States. The company's Rottenstone SW Claims is situated along a geological structure that historically yielded the highest-grade nickel and platinum group elements (PGE) in Canada. Rottenstone exhibits similarities to the Nova-Bollinger nickel-copper mine in Western Australia, which was discovered by Sirius Resources and ultimately sold to IGO Limited for AU$1.8 billion. The Nova-Bollinger mine had an estimated resource of 13.1 million tons (Mt) grading 2 percent nickel, 0.8 percent copper, and 0.07 percent cobalt.
Ramp Metals' fully permitted drill program in 2024 consists of four drilling locations with eight holes. The current drill program is focused on testing two of these targets. The first target is positioned at the anomaly within the center of the claims and falls within the "Rottenstone Eye" structure. The second target is an anomaly located outside the eye structure, approximately 3 kilometers east-southeast from the first location. To date, Ramp has successfully drilled four holes for a total of 1,180 meters.
The striking similarity between Rottenstone and Nova-Bollinger mine is encouraging and the appointment of Dr. Mark Bennett, the discoverer of the Nova-Bollinger deposit, as a strategic advisor, reinforces Ramp’s belief in the potential of the Rottenstone property. Bennett has over three decades of experience in establishing mines, and played a key role in multiple discoveries, such as the Wahgnion gold mine, the Thunderbox gold mine, and the Waterloo nickel mine, in addition to the Nova-Bollinger nickel-copper mine. Along with Bennett, Ramp Metals has also appointed leading geologist Scott McLean, a 35-year veteran in the mining industry, as its strategic advisor.
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Ramp Metals’ strategic focus on precious and base metals is essential for various growing industries in the global market. The company is in a compelling position to potentially make a significant gold discovery in a top-tier Canadian mining jurisdiction which is currently underexplored.
Ramp Metals (TSXV:RAMP) is a grassroots exploration company specializing in precious and base metals, particularly gold and nickel-copper-PGE. The company has two properties, two situated in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada.
The flagship property, Rottenstone SW Claims is situated along a geological structure that historically yielded the highest-grade nickel and platinum group elements (PGE) in Canada. It exhibits remarkable parallels to the Nova-Bollinger nickel-copper mine in Western Australia, which was discovered by Sirius Resources and ultimately sold to IGO Limited for AU$1.8 billion. The Nova-Bollinger mine had an estimated resource of 13.1 million tons (Mt) grading 2 percent nickel, 0.8 percent copper, and 0.07 percent cobalt.
The striking similarity between Rottenstone and Nova-Bollinger mine is encouraging and the appointment of Dr. Mark Bennett, the discoverer of the Nova-Bollinger deposit, as a strategic advisor, reinforces Ramp’s belief in the potential of the Rottenstone property. Bennett has over three decades of experience in establishing mines, and played a key role in multiple discoveries, such as the Wahgnion gold mine, the Thunderbox gold mine, and the Waterloo nickel mine, in addition to the Nova-Bollinger nickel-copper mine. Along with Bennett, Ramp Metals has also appointed leading geologists Scott McLean and Richard Murphy, as its strategic advisors to bolster its geology team.
The project’s presence in Saskatchewan is also encouraging for investors given the region’s mining-friendly policies. Saskatchewan was ranked second globally and the top in Canada by the Fraser Institute as the most attractive jurisdiction for mining investment in 2021.
Saskatchewan has gained prominence for its abundant uranium resources, yet its geological diversity presents significant potential beyond this. Exploration for other battery metals in the region has been limited or largely unexplored.
According to data from the World Gold Council, total gold demand gained a record 5 percent year-over-year to 1,313 tons during the third quarter of 2024, resulting in a series of record-high gold prices during the same quarter. The value of demand rose 35 percent to more than US$100 billion for the first time ever.
A major driver for gold’s growth are global gold ETF inflows, while bar and coin investments dipped 9 percent year-over-year. Gold jewelry consumption declined 12 percent, despite an increase in spending, with the value of demand jumping to 13 percent to more than US$36 billion.
Year-to-date central bank buying remains in line with 2022, despite a notable slowing down in Q3 2024.
Gold application in technology continues to be driven by artificial intelligence, growing 7 percent year-over-year and the “outlook remains cautious,” the World Gold Council report said.
The demand for battery metals will continue to grow, due to a strengthening EV market. S&P Global Mobility's 2024 global sales forecast anticipates battery-electric passenger vehicles will reach approximately 13.3 million units worldwide by the end of 2024, an increase of 40 percent year-over-year. In terms of market share, EVs will constitute around 16.2 percent of the total global passenger vehicle sales in 2024, compared to 12 percent in 2023.
Further, the emerging trend toward high-density batteries using nickel and cobalt, and less lithium, is also expected to boost demand for these metals. As one of the top critical minerals in the US and Canada, nickel projects are likely to see increased funding over the coming years.
There is a strong demand in the market for new, high-quality nickel-copper and lithium opportunities. Rottenstone SW borders Fathom Nickel, which recently secured C$4.6 million in funding and seems to be focusing on a similar geological system. The Rottenstone SW eye structure presents an ideal target for nickel-copper-PGE exploration.
The Rottenstone SW property is approximately 115 kilometers north of La Ronge, Saskatchewan. The property comprises 12 claims encompassing 17,285.5 hectares and is situated adjacent to a northeast-southwest geological formation connected to the renowned Rottenstone Mine. This mine yielded 40,000 tons of high-grade nickel-copper-PGE and gold ore, with grades averaging 3.28 percent nickel, 1.83 copper, and 9.63 grams per ton platinum-palladium-gold.
The company has completed various geophysical surveys including time-domain airborne geophysical measurements (TDEM), and soil sampling, all aimed at identifying potential drill targets. The survey results show striking similarities between Rottenstone SW Claims and the Nova-Bollinger deposit. The Rottenstone SW conductors show a strong correlation with the conductors identified at the Nova-Bollinger deposit. Based on the geophysical survey results, the company has identified four high-priority targets.
The company’s first drill program at the Rottenstone property was completed in April 2024 which led to a new high-grade gold discovery of 73.55 g/t gold over 7.5 meters in drill hole Ranger-01.
The company has expanded the Rottenstone SW claim block to a total of 32,715 hectares. Additional unexplored EM and mag targets are situated on the original claim block with similar signatures to Ranger and Rogue.
The Peter Lake Domain (PLD) property is situated within the Peter Lake Domain of the Swan River complex in Northern Saskatchewan, Canada, around 260 kilometers northeast of La Ronge, Saskatchewan. The property comprises two mineral deposit claims spanning approximately 1,171 hectares.
Peter Lake Domain has a history of exploration done by earlier operators. The previous exploration work returned surface grab samples of gabbro outcrop with disseminated pyrite and chalcopyrite (SMDI 5545) having values of 1,860 parts per million (ppm) copper, 461 ppm nickel, 41 parts per billion (ppb) platinum and 49 ppb palladium. A historical VTEM survey conducted by Geotech outlined compelling targets. According to Ramp Metals, the earlier operators drilled the property inaccurately and did not properly test the targets that were generated.
The project has the potential to be a major new discovery. Ramp Metals plans to undertake an airborne TDEM survey to build upon historical data and identify exploration targets. Once the targets are identified, the company will implement a drill program of about 2,000 to 2,500 meters.
Jordan Black brings over 12 years of geotechnical engineering experience for various infrastructure, renewable energy and mining projects. Black was previously the vice-president of business development at GoldSpot Discoveries and worked as a senior geotechnical engineer at WSP Canada.
Garrett Smith graduated with a BSc in geology from the University of Regina. Throughout his career, he has been involved in projects across Western Canada, focusing on various commodities. His extensive expertise ranges from greenfield mapping and exploration to on-site drill management. Driven by a genuine passion for exploration, Smith has dedicated the past few years to assembling a collection of base metal projects in northern Saskatchewan.
Brett Williams is a seasoned geologist with a diverse background, having worked as a mine geologist in both open pit and underground mining, as well as an exploration geologist in the diamond, base metals, gold and uranium sectors for Rio Tinto and SSR Mining. He earned his B.Sc. in geology and a diploma in business administration from the University of Regina. Williams is a registered member of the Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan.
Prit Singh is a seasoned capital markets professional and presently serves as the CEO of Thesis Capital, an advisory firm offering support to high-growth companies in fundraising, Canadian market initial public offerings and investor relations. Throughout his career, Singh has collaborated with more than 50 issuers, facilitating fundraising and providing counsel, resulting in the procurement of over $100 million in capital across various emerging sectors. Before establishing Thesis Capital, he gained experience in investment banking and wealth management, fostering enduring relationships within Canada's buy-side and sell-side communities. Singh holds a BBA with a specialization in finance from Brock University.
David Parker has more than 15 years of experience in business financing, consulting and recapitalizing public/private companies in the mining, technology, and media sectors. He also has experience in retail, office, and industrial real estate sales and development. He has led projects from initial market analysis to acquisition, design, approval, site servicing, construction and disposition. He understands the financial implications of technical issues and planning policy changes, making him an effective director.
Peter Schloo has a decade of experience and expertise in capital markets, operations and assurance, and holds CPA, CA and CFA designations. Additionally, he is a licensed prospector in the province of Ontario, Canada. His track record includes facilitating over C$85 million in associated capital raising opportunities for both public and private enterprises. Currently, he is the CEO, president, and director of Heritage Mining, and a director of Pacific Empire Minerals. His previous roles included CFO of Spirit Banner Capital and VP corporate development and interim CFO for Ion Energy.
Michael Romanik has over 14 years of resource exploration and public market experience with an emphasis on management, promotion and corporate finance. He has built an impressive network of resource and investment industry contacts over the years, and demonstrated a proven ability to utilize those relationships to advance his business objectives. Romanik has served as the president and CEO of GoldON Resources (TSXV:GLD) since 2009 and is a founding shareholder and the CEO of Silver Dollar Resources (CSE:SLVDF).
A PhD-qualified geologist with over 30 years of experience in capital raising, mineral exploration and establishing mines; Instrumental in several discoveries, including the Wahgnion gold mine, the Thunderbox gold mine and Waterloo nickel mine, and the Nova-Bollinger nickel-copper mine in Australia for Sirius Resources (acquired for AUD$1.8 billion in 2015); Involved in raising over $1 billion in debt and equity financing for funding exploration and development projects and overseen mergers, demergers, acquisitions, investments and divestments.
A professional geologist with over 35 years of senior management, executive and board experience in the metals and mining industry. Between 1985 and 2007, he worked for Falconbridge Limited and its successor Xstrata Nickel in various capacities throughout Canada with a focus on gold and base metal exploration; Founded HTX Minerals Corp in 2007, Transition Metals Corp in 2010, SPC Nickel Corp in 2013 and Canadian Gold Miner in 2016; Currently leads Transition Metals and is the Executive Chairman of SPC Nickel.
A seasoned exploration entrepreneur with 27+ years of experience in the mineral exploration business. Brought two public companies through founding, acquisition, exploration and sales processes, most notably, Manitou Gold Inc. (acquired by Alamos Gold in Q2 2023). Expertise in building and advancing junior mining companies through discovery, resource definition and pre-feasibility stages to establish fully-valued mine reserves.
Ramp Metals Inc. (TSXV: RAMP) ("Ramp Metals" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a new copper discovery found during its recently completed mapping and sampling program on its flagship Rottenstone SW property. The Company has now confirmed three unique mineralized targets on the property, including the gold discovery of 73.55 gt Au over 7.5m that was identified in drillhole Ranger-01.
Key Highlights:
Ramp Metals is pleased to share key highlights from its ongoing exploration efforts and upcoming plans at its flagship Saskatchewan project:
"Following a successful field program, the Ramp Metals team is excited to have identified three distinct styles of mineralization on the property, including a world-class gold intercept after just one season of exploration," commented Jordan Black, CEO of Ramp Metals. "Saskatchewan has historically been underexplored, and this discovery demonstrates the immense potential that can be unlocked through grassroots exploration. Moving forward, the company will prioritize drilling in the high-grade gold zone at the Ranger target, with Rush and Rogue as secondary focus areas. By integrating the latest prospecting data with geophysics, we aim to refine our targeting and maximize the success of the upcoming drill program."
The mapping and sampling program lasted 14 days and focused on the Ranger, Rogue, and newly identified Rush targets (Figure 1). During this program, a total of 312 rock samples and 225 soil samples were taken (Figure 2) throughout the Rottenstone SW property.
Figure 1: Area of Focus for the sampling and mapping program. Zoomed in image are rock samples from the 2023 field program.
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Figure 2: October 2024 field program sample overview, overlaying TDEM channel 25
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Highlights
Rush Target
| ROCK SAMPLES | *0.45% Cu cutoff | |||||
| SAMPLE ID | SAMPLE TYPE | Cu % | Au g/t | Ag g/t | Pb % | Zn % |
| 416621 | Rock | 0.64 | 0.05 | 5.50 | 0.02 | 0.06 |
| 416622 | Rock | 0.45 | 0.04 | 5.10 | 0.01 | 0.12 |
| 416623 | Rock | 0.89 | 0.14 | 15.50 | 0.03 | 0.06 |
| 416629 | Rock | 0.75 | 0.06 | 6.50 | 0.02 | 0.07 |
| 416630 | Rock | 0.79 | 0.07 | 8.00 | 0.02 | 0.10 |
| 416711 | Rock | 0.47 | 0.01 | 10.10 | 0.46 | 0.31 |
| 416799 | Rock | 0.53 | 0.12 | 12.30 | 0.04 | 0.15 |
| 416800 | Rock | 1.61 | 0.28 | 28.10 | 0.11 | 0.05 |
| 416859 | Rock | 0.73 | 0.79 | 113.40 | 1.63 | 0.64 |
| 170558 | Rock | 0.45 | 0.04 | 4.70 | 0.01 | 0.06 |
| 170567 | Rock | 0.91 | 0.48 | 30.90 | 0.30 | 0.01 |
Table 1: Rush Rock Sample results. A cutoff of 0.45% Cu was used for this table.
| SOIL SAMPLES | *100 ppm Cu cutoff | |||||
| SAMPLE ID | SAMPLE TYPE | Cu PPM | Au PPB | Ag PPB | Pb PPM | Zn PPM |
| 499260 | Soil | 240.7 | 2.2 | 300.0 | 20.0 | 563.0 |
| 499261 | Soil | 619.7 | 0.9 | 111.0 | 30.0 | 400.8 |
| 499265 | Soil | 798.5 | 42.9 | 21152.0 | 7509.0 | 747.3 |
| 499266 | Soil | 383.2 | 2.8 | 158.0 | 538.9 | 208.1 |
| 499268 | Soil | 395.4 | 2.1 | 115.0 | 184.2 | 354.3 |
| 499274 | Soil | 217.1 | 2.4 | 246.0 | 10.8 | 68.0 |
| 499275 | Soil | 223.8 | 3.0 | 252.0 | 11.7 | 30.2 |
Table 2: Rush Soil Sample results. A cutoff of 100ppm Cu was used for this table.
Rogue Target
| SOIL SAMPLES | *50 ppb Au cutoff | ||
| SAMPLE ID | SAMPLE TYPE | Au PPB | Ag PPB |
| 499055 | Soil | 216.1 | 181.0 |
| 499061 | Soil | 530.7 | 38.0 |
| 499074 | Soil | 170.7 | 38.0 |
| 499120 | Soil | 119.7 | 43.0 |
| 499022 | Soil | 108.0 | 95.0 |
| 499147 | Soil | 50.5 | 5.0 |
| 499013 | Soil | 98.1 | 83.0 |
Table 3: Rogue Soil Sample results. A cutoff of 50ppb was used for this table.
Ranger
With drilling anticipated in February, goals at Ranger will be to further define the mineralization encountered within a quartz-diorite intrusion and to gain a better understanding of how the gold system is oriented. The quartz-diorite intrusion was intersected starting at 145.05m, with mineralization starting at 227m in the Ranger-01 discovery hole.
The Ranger target is in an area of exposed bedrock ridges which parallel the NE-SW striking regional foliation. A NE-SW striking high-conductivity zone approximately 1350m in length is associated with the target. The main lithologies encountered in this area are migmatites. Minor packages of quartz diorite, volcanic and sedimentary units were also encountered.
To date, gold mineralization has been found in two distinct rock packages. Prospecting in fall 2023 discovered two samples grading 5.11 g/t Au and 1.09 g/t Au in mafic packages within the migmatite country rock. These samples were located on separate ridges approximately 100m across regional strike (Figure 1). The discovery intercept of 73.55 g/t Au over 7.5m was found in a coarse-grained quartz diorite. During the October 2024 field program, a total of 177 rock samples were taken from multiple different lithologies around the Ranger target (Figure 3). Anomalous gold values up to 53 ppb were encountered. Field crews were not able to locate the surface expression of the large quartz diorite intrusive body that was intersected in the inaugural drill program. The diorite intrusion was intersected starting at 145.05m in the Ranger-01 discovery hole.
Core orientation tools will be used in the upcoming drill program in order to gain a better understanding of the orientation of the mineralized system, and determine whether or not it outcrops at surface.
Figure 3: Rock sample locations at Ranger from the 2024 & 2023 field season
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Rush
The Rush target is a newly identified area of interest located approximately 7.5 km NW of Ranger. Rush overlies a NE-SW striking zone of high conductivity approximately 1200m in length. The area is heavily forested and bedrock exposure is limited to sporadic ridges which parallel the NE-SW regional foliation. A total of 56 rock samples were taken over the area. Disseminated Chalcopyrite and Malachite staining were noted in multiple rock samples. Rock samples returned values of up to 1.61% copper, 0.79 g/t gold, and up to 113 g/t silver across different samples. A total of 24 soil samples were also taken and returned values of up to 798.5 ppm copper and 21,152 ppb (21.15 g/t) silver. Highlights of both rock and soil samples can be seen in Table 1 and Table 2.
A mineralized outcrop was traced for 20m along the base of an exposed ridge, and dips under cover to the NE and SW. When combined with the soil samples, the strike length of the mineralized zone defined to date is 270m and remains open in all directions.
"Rush is an incredibly exciting new target," said Garrett Smith, VP of Exploration for Ramp Metals. "The presence of a large conductive body beneath the surface samples creates a highly compelling drill target. We are eager to test the Rush target and build on the known gold mineralization at Ranger as part of our upcoming drill program."
Figure 4: Rock and soil sample locations from Table 1 & 2 at the newly identified Rush target.
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Rogue
The Rogue target is located approximately 3km NW from Ranger. The area is heavily forested and is covered by up to 10m of glacial till overburden. The Rogue target area appears to be associated with regional folding. The targets are located within the axis of these folded structures. Limited drilling to date has identified broad zones of chlorite and sericite alteration along with pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, pyrite, and minor gold mineralization (see Ramp Metals' news release dated July 8, 2024). A total of 221 soil samples were taken throughout the Rogue target area (Figure 5). Gold values of up to 530.7 ppb (0.53 g/t) were encountered in the soil samples, with multiple samples over 100 ppb (Table 3). These samples, along with the high-grade gold, associated alteration, sulphides, and quartz-carbonate veining encountered in previous drilling, make for a compelling drill target for the upcoming program.
Figure 5: Soil sample grid and results over the Rogue target area.
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Geophysics
The Company has contracted Axiom Exploration Group out of Saskatoon for an extensive airborne geophysical program in order to complete the magnetic and electromagnetic datasets over the entire Rottenstone SW property. An estimated 2877 line-km will be flown using the Xcite HTDEM system at 100m line spacing. The geophysical program, combined with the lab results from the above-noted mapping program will be used to define drill targets in the upcoming winter drill program.
Furthermore, the Company is pleased to add Steve Balch as an advisor to the company, to aid in the selection of drill targets. Steve is an Ontario registered geoscientist with 40 years of experience in geophysics, specializing in magnetic and electromagnetic methods, but also with experience in large exploration compilations. After working at Inco for six years in the Sudbury Basin and at Voisey's Bay, Steve joined Aeroquest in 2001 and helped develop the AeroTEM system, focusing on the on-time measurements of the linear triangular waveform. In 2007, Mr. Balch founded Triumph Instruments and developed the AirTEM system, a multi-coil helicopter-borne EM system that is now in use in Mexico, China, Canada and Eastern Europe.
Mr. Blach will assist the Company in the selection of drill targets.
In connection with Mr. Balch's engagement, the Company granted 100,000 incentive stock options to Mr. Balch's management company, each of which vests immediately, exercisable into one common share of the Company at a price of $1.08 per share for a period of five years, and is governed by the terms of Ramp Metals' stock option plan.
Permits
The Company has two community meetings scheduled in La Ronge and Stanley Mission on January 28th and 29th respectively. We look forward to discussing the project with Lac La Ronge Indian Band and all community members. It is anticipated that drilling permits will be received in February and that drilling can commence shortly after receipt.
QA/QC and Geochemical Sampling Procedure
All rock & soil samples were taken, described, photographed, and bagged on-site. Control samples consisting of certified reference samples and blank samples were systematically inserted into the sample stream and analyzed as part of the Companies QA/QC protocol at a rate of 1:15 or better. All samples were transported by Ramp Metals staff to a secure warehouse, packaged and transported by Manitoulin Transport to Bureau Veritas Commodities Canada Ltd.("BV"), an internationally recognized and ISO 17025:2017 accredited analytical services provider, at its Vancouver, British Columbia laboratory. The Companies QA/QC protocol is in addition to BV's QA/QC standard procedure.
Rock samples were prepared using the PRP70-250 package, where samples were weighed, dried, and crushed to greater than 70% passing a 2mm sieve, then pulverized to greater than 85% passing 75 microns. Samples were then analyzed in accordance with BV's FA330 and MA300 packages, for both gold, platinum & palladium analysis by fire assay (30g fire assay with AAS finish) and multi-element ICP analysis (0.25 g, multi-acid and ICP-ES analysis). Gold returning >10ppm is automatically analyzed by gravimetric method in accordance with lab standard of practice. Copper and lead over limits were re-assayed using BV's MA370 package, a multi-acid digestion with ICP-ES finish.
Soil samples were prepared using the SS80 package, where samples are dried at 60°C and sieved to depletion to -180 μm (80 mesh). Samples were then analyzed in accordance with BV's AQ251+PGM package, an ultra-trace by ICP-MS analysis where aqua regia digestion is used for low to ultra-low determination on soils followed by a 37 element ICP-MS and the platinum, palladium add on for analysis of a 15g sample.
Qualified Person
Brett Williams, P.Geo., VP Operations and Senior Geologist for Ramp Metals, and a "qualified person" under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the technical content in this news release.
About Ramp Metals Inc.
Ramp Metals is a grassroots exploration company with a focus on a potential new Saskatchewan gold district. The Company currently has a new high-grade gold discovery of 73.55 g/t Au over 7.5m at its flagship Rottenstone SW property. The Rottenstone SW property comprises of 32,715 hectares and is situated in the Rottenstone Domain.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking statements. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's exploration activities.
These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: requirements for additional capital; future prices of minerals; changes in general economic conditions; changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities; other risks of the mining industry; the inability to obtain any necessary governmental and regulatory approvals; changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations; hedging practices; and currency fluctuations.
Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements or information. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Except as required by applicable securities laws, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
For further information, please contact:
Jordan Black
Chief Executive Officer
jordaneblack@rampmetals.com
Prit Singh
Director
905 510 7636
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Ramp Metals Inc. (TSXV: RAMP) ("Ramp Metals" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on its Rottenstone SW property where a gold discovery of 73.55 gt Au over 7.5m was identified in drillhole Ranger-01. The Company recently completed a mapping and sampling program to follow up on this discovery, and to groundtruth other potential targets that were generated from the 2023 TDEM geophysical survey.
The mapping and sampling program focused on the Ranger, Rogue, and newly identified Rush targets (Figure 1). During this program, a total of 312 rock samples and 225 soil samples were taken (Figure 2) throughout the Rottenstone SW property. Assays from this program are currently pending.
Figure 1: Area of Focus for the Sampling and Mapping Program.
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Figure 2: October 2024 field program sample overview, overlaying TDEM channel 25
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Ranger
The Ranger target is in an area of exposed bedrock ridges which parallel the NE-SW striking regional foliation. A NE-SW striking high-conductivity zone approximately 1350m in length is associated with the target. The main lithologies encountered in this area are migmatites and intrusive quartz diorite, with minor volcanic and sedimentary packages.
To date, gold mineralization has been found in two distinct rock packages. Prospecting in fall 2023 discovered two samples grading 5.11 g/t Au and 1.09 g/t Au in mafic packages within the migmatite country rock. These samples were located on separate ridges approximately 100m across regional strike (Figure 1). The discovery intercept of 73.55 g/t Au over 7.5m was found in a coarse grained quartz diorite. During the October 2024 field program, a total of 177 rock samples were taken around the Ranger target (Figure 3), with a focus on these two packages of interest.
Rogue
The Rogue target is located approximately 3km NW from Ranger. The area is heavily forested and is covered by 10m of glacial till overburden. The conductive geophysical targets appear to be associated with regional folding. The targets are located within the axis of these folds. Limited drilling to date has identified broad zones of chlorite alteration along with pyrrhotite, arsenopyrite, pyrite, and minor gold mineralization (see Ramp Metals' news release dated July 8, 2024). The Company believes that these indicators warrant further exploration of these targets. A total of 221 soil samples and 1 rock sample were taken throughout the Rogue target area.
Figure 3: Sample locations over Rogue & Ranger targets overlaying TDEM Channel 25
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Figure 4: Rusty Schist outcrop at 'Ranger'
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Figure 5: Channel sample taken at 'Ranger'
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Rush
The Rush target is a newly identified area of interest located approximately 7.5 km NW of Ranger. It consists of a NE-SW striking zone of high conductivity approximately 1200m in length. The area is heavily forested and bedrock exposure is limited to sporadic ridges which parallel the NE-SW regional foliation. A total of 56 rock samples and 24 soil samples were taken over the area. Disseminated Chalcopyrite and Malachite staining were noted in multiple rock samples.
This mineralized zone was traced for 20m along the base of an exposed ridge, and dips under cover to the NE and SW.
Figure 6: 'Rush' sample locations overlaying TDEM Channel 25. Photos of samples SRC416800 & SRC170558 can be seen in Figures 7 & 8 below.
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Figure 7: 'Rush' sample SRC416800 showing weathered ultramafic with malachite staining
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Figure 8. 'Rush' sample SRC170558. Example of Malachite staining taken at contact of ultramafic and migmatite
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"The Rush target is an exciting new development as it highlights just how underexplored the Rottenstone domain is," commented Garrett Smith, VP of Exploration at Ramp Metals Inc. "As we eagerly await the results from the October program, we are excited by the potential of a new deposit type to go along with our recent gold discovery."
The Company is currently planning an extensive airborne geophysical program in order to complete the dataset over the entire Rottenstone SW property. The geophysical program, combined with the lab results from the above-noted mapping program will be used to define drill targets in the upcoming winter drill program. An amendment to allow up to 5000m of drilling has been submitted to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment (see Ramp Metals' news release dated Oct 3, 2024) and is currently in the review process.
QA/QC and Geochemical Sampling Procedure
All rock and soil samples were taken, described, photographed, and bagged on-site. Control samples consisting of certified reference samples and blank samples were systematically inserted into the sample stream and analyzed as part of the Company's QA/QC protocol at a rate of 1:15 or better. All samples were transported by Ramp Metals staff to a secure warehouse, packaged and then transported by Manitoulin Transport to Bureau Veritas Commodities Canada Ltd.("BV"), an internationally recognized and ISO 17025:2017 accredited analytical services provider, at its Vancouver, British Columbia laboratory.
Samples have been submitted to BV using the following packages and procedures:
Rock samples are prepared using the PRP70-250 package, where samples are weighed, dried, and crushed to greater than 70% passing a 2mm sieve, then pulverized to greater than 85% passing 75 microns. Samples are then analyzed in accordance with BV's FA330 and MA300 packages, for both gold, platinum and palladium analysis by fire assay (30g fire assay with AAS finish) and multi-element ICP analysis (0.25 g, multi-acid and ICP-ES analysis). Gold returning >10ppm is automatically analyzed by gravimetric method in accordance with BV's standard of practice.
Soil samples are prepared using BV's SS80 package, where samples are dried at 60°C and sieved to depletion to -180 μm (80 mesh). Samples are then analyzed in accordance with BV's AQ251+PGM package, an ultra-trace by ICP-MS analysis where aqua regia digestion is used for low to ultra-low determination on soils followed by a 37 element (including gold) ICP-MS with the platinum, palladium add on for analysis of a 15g sample.
Qualified Person
Brett Williams, P.Geo., VP Operations and Senior Geologist for Ramp Metals, and a "qualified person" under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the technical content in this news release.
About Ramp Metals Inc.
Ramp Metals is a grassroots exploration company with a focus on a potential new Saskatchewan gold district. The Company currently has a new high-grade gold discovery of 73.55 g/t Au over 7.5m at its flagship Rottenstone SW property. The Rottenstone SW property comprises of 32,715 hectares and is situated in the Rottenstone Domain.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking statements. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's exploration activities.
These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: requirements for additional capital; future prices of minerals; changes in general economic conditions; changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities; other risks of the mining industry; the inability to obtain any necessary governmental and regulatory approvals; changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations; hedging practices; and currency fluctuations.
Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements or information. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Except as required by applicable securities laws, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
For further information, please contact:
Ramp Metals Inc.
Jordan Black
Chief Executive Officer
jordaneblack@rampmetals.com
Prit Singh
Director
905 510 7636
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/232139
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Ramp Metals Inc. (TSXV: RAMP) ("Ramp Metals" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the receipt of necessary permits to continue exploration at the Company's Rottenstone SW project. The Company will focus on its Ranger target where 73.55 gt Au over 7.5m was discovered. Mobilization of the field crew for the mapping and sampling program will occur on October 7, 2024.
"The Ramp Metals team hit a world class gold intercept after only one exploration season on site. Historically, the Rottenstone SW property has not been explored in detail. Saskatchewan is very underexplored in general, which shows the potential for a new gold district. The team will use the data from this mapping and sampling program to help prioritize areas for drill targeting," commented Jordan Black, CEO and Director of Ramp Metals Inc.
Figure 1: Area of Focus for the Sampling and Mapping Program
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The goals of this program will be to attempt to find and trace the mineralized high-grade Quartz-Diorite at surface, and to follow up on the two samples (5.11 g/t and 1.09 g/t) from October 2023 which were found in a more mafic rock package.
Due to the presence of mineralization in two different rock packages, multiple samples will be taken from all lithologies encountered during the program. This has the potential to highlight more packages of interest and generate additional drill targets. Mapping and sampling of the surface bedrock units is critical to build a database of information essential for modeling important units and targeting mineralization accurately for the upcoming drill program.
The Ranger target has bedrock exposed at surface; therefore, the focus will be on collecting rock samples and mapping of bedrock. In lower lying areas of interest, where cover is thick and no outcrop is visible, soil samples will be taken.
The lower priority zones in Figure 1 are targets generated from our 2023 EM and Magnetic geophysical survey and will be visited if time allows. Bedrock exposure around the Rogue target is minimal and covered by 1-10m of overburden.
The Company is currently permitted for mapping, sampling and geophysics until December 2025. An amendment to allow up to 5000m of drilling has been submitted to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment.
In addition, Ramp Metals also announces that the Company has adopted a stand-alone restricted share unit plan (the "RSU Plan") in order to supplement its existing stock option plan, and granted an aggregate of 720,000 restricted share units (or RSUs) to certain directors, officers and consultants of the Company. Both the RSU Plan and the Company's existing stock option plan are "rolling up to 10%" plans, and the RSU Plan remains subject to the approval of the Company's shareholders as well as the acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"). In accordance with the policies of the TSXV, none of the RSUs will vest until the date that is 12 months following the grant date, subject to certain limited exceptions.
Qualified Person
Brett Williams, P.Geo., VP Operations and Senior Geologist for Ramp Metals, and a "qualified person" under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the technical content in this news release.
About Ramp Metals Inc.
Ramp Metals is a grassroots exploration company with a focus on a potential new Saskatchewan gold district. The Company currently has new high-grade gold discovery of 73.55 g/t Au over 7.5m at its flagship Rottenstone SW property. The Rottenstone SW property comprises of 32,715 hectares and is situated in the Rottenstone Domain.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking statements. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's exploration activities.
These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: requirements for additional capital; future prices of minerals; changes in general economic conditions; changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities; other risks of the mining industry; the inability to obtain any necessary governmental and regulatory approvals; changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations; hedging practices; and currency fluctuations.
Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements or information. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Except as required by applicable securities laws, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
For further information, please contact:
Jordan Black
Chief Executive Officer
jordaneblack@rampmetals.com
Prit Singh
Director
905 510 7636
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/225441
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Ramp Metals Inc. (TSXV: RAMP) ("Ramp Metals" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the proposed sale of the Company's Railroad Valley Project located in Nye County, Nevada, to Canter Resources Corp. (CSE: CRC) ("Canter").
On September 11, 2024, Ramp Metals USA Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ramp Metals ("Ramp USA"), entered into a claims acquisition agreement with Canter and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Canter pursuant to which Ramp USA agreed to sell its 100% interest in 50 unpatented association placer claims to Canter's subsidiary in exchange for (i) 300,000 common shares of Canter at a deemed price of $0.13 share and (ii) the reimbursement of certain claim maintenance fees recently paid by Ramp USA.
The Canter entities are responsible for paying any fees associated with the transfer of the claims and Ramp USA will retain a 0.5% net smelter returns royalty on the claims. Canter's subsidiary has the ability to repurchase the royalty for a one-time payment of $500,000 to Ramp USA.
The transaction remains subject to regulatory approval with a targeted closing date of September 19, 2024.
Field Exploration Update
The Company is currently planning a 14-day mapping and sampling program that will focus on the Ranger target where 73.55 g/t Au over 7.5m was discovered at its Rottenstone SW Project. Ramp Metals has contracted Axiom Exploration Group, located in Saskatoon, to assist with the field exploration. Three teams will be in the field mapping the area around the Ranger discovery hole and along regional strike. The goal of the mapping and sampling program is to gather information on the surface geology to better understand the mineralization and refine priority targets for the upcoming drill program.
Qualified Person
Brett Williams, P.Geo., VP Operations and Senior Geologist for Ramp Metals, and a "qualified person" under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects, has reviewed and approved the technical content in this news release.
About Ramp Metals Inc.
Ramp Metals is a grassroots exploration company with a focus on a potential new Saskatchewan gold district. The Company currently has new high-grade gold discovery of 73.55 g/t Au over 7.5m at its flagship Rottenstone SW property. The Rottenstone SW property comprises of 32,715 hectares and is situated in the Rottenstone Domain.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking statements. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's exploration activities.
These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: requirements for additional capital; future prices of minerals; changes in general economic conditions; changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities; other risks of the mining industry; the inability to obtain any necessary governmental and regulatory approvals; changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations; hedging practices; and currency fluctuations.
Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements or information. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Except as required by applicable securities laws, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
For further information, please contact:
Jordan Black
Chief Executive Officer
jordaneblack@rampmetals.com
Prit Singh
Director
905 510 7636
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/223150
News Provided by Newsfile via QuoteMedia
Ramp Metals Inc. (TSXV: RAMP) ("Ramp Metals" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the Company has closed its previously announced non-brokered private placement financing (the "Financing") for total proceeds of $4,937,125.58. The Financing was led by Eric Sprott and EarthLabs.
In the Financing, Ramp Metals issued and sold an aggregate of 4,090,546 charity flow-through common shares (the "CFT Shares") at a price of $0.78 per CFT Share, plus 3,175,454 common shares (the "Common Shares") at a price of $0.55 per Common Share. No finder's' fees were payable in connection with the Financing.
"We are pleased to complete this financing and have the financial resources to continue our next phase of drilling at the company's flagship Rottenstone SW property," said Jordan Black, CEO of Ramp Metals. "We would like to thank everyone for their support, including strategic investors Eric Sprott and EarthLabs, who are both established and prominent Canadian mining investors."
The Company plans to use the proceeds from the issuance of CFT Shares for exploration expenses at its Rottenstone SW property in Saskatchewan, Canada. The proceeds from the sale of the Common Shares will be used for both exploration expenses and general working capital.
All securities issued in the Financing are subject to a hold period in Canada until December 10, 2024, in accordance with applicable securities laws.
The CFT Shares will qualify as "flow-through shares" (within the meaning of subsection 66(15) of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "Tax Act"). An amount equal to the gross proceeds from the issuance of the CFT Shares will be used to incur eligible resource exploration expenses which will qualify as (i) "Canadian exploration expenses" (as defined in the Tax Act), (ii) as "flow-through mining expenditures" (as defined in subsection 127(9) of the Tax Act), and (iii) as "eligible flow-through mining expenditures" within the meaning of The Mineral Exploration Tax Credit Regulations, 2014 (Saskatchewan) (collectively, the "Qualifying Expenditures"). Qualifying Expenditures in an aggregate amount not less than the gross proceeds raised from the issuance of the CFT Shares will be incurred (or deemed to be incurred) by the Company on or before December 31, 2025 and will be renounced by the Company to the initial subscribers of the CFT Shares with an effective date no later than December 31, 2024.
One director of Ramp Metals subscribed for 90,000 Common Shares in the Financing, valued at $49,500. This constituted a "related party transaction" as that term is defined in Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company is relying on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements under MI 61-101, and in particular, Sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, as the fair market value of the transactions is not more than the 25% of the Company's market capitalization.
The Financing remains subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.
About Ramp Metals Inc.
Ramp Metals is a grassroots exploration company with a focus on a potential new Saskatchewan gold district. The Company currently has new high-grade gold discovery of 73.55 g/t Au over 7.5m at its flagship Rottenstone SW property. The Rottenstone SW property comprises of 32,715 hectares and is situated in the Rottenstone Domain.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements contained herein that are not clearly historical in nature may constitute forward-looking statements. Generally, such forward-looking information or forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or may contain statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "will continue", "will occur" or "will be achieved". The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements contained herein include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the completion of the Financing, the use of proceeds therefrom, and the Company's exploration activities.
These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements, including but not limited to: requirements for additional capital; future prices of minerals; changes in general economic conditions; changes in the financial markets and in the demand and market price for commodities; other risks of the mining industry; the inability to obtain any necessary governmental and regulatory approvals; changes in laws, regulations and policies affecting mining operations; hedging practices; and currency fluctuations.
Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements or information. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Except as required by applicable securities laws, forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
For further information, please contact:
Jordan Black
Chief Executive Officer
jordaneblack@rampmetals.com
Prit Singh
Director
905 510 7636
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/219604
News Provided by Newsfile via QuoteMedia
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Nickel Price 2024 Year-End Review
Nickel Price Forecast: Top for Nickel in 2025
Nickel market activity has been underwhelming for the past couple of years as supply exceeds demand.
This trend continued in 2024's final quarter, with Indonesian supply being the primary force weighing on prices. Indonesia is the largest source of nickel globally, with much output destined for Chinese-owned refineries in the country.
Meanwhile, demand stayed weak as China’s economy continued to sputter. The Asian nation's housing and manufacturing markets are important demand drivers for nickel, which is used in stainless steel products.
Read on to learn what other key factors moved the nickel sector in 2024.
Nickel reached its 2024 peak of US$21,615 per metric ton on May 20, but was back below the US$16,000 mark by the end of July. Following some volatility in August and September, it reached US$18,221 on October 2.
However, higher prices were not to last, and nickel spent much of Q4 in a downward trend.
By the end of October, nickel had fallen to US$15,732 before climbing back to US$16,607 on November 7.
Since then, the nickel market's downtrend has largely continued. On December 19, the metal slumped to its 2024 low of US$15,090, ultimately ending the year at US$15,300 on December 31.
Nickel price, Q4 2024.
Chart via Trading Economics.
As mentioned, nickel’s weak price performance is largely due to high output from Indonesia and low demand, particularly from Asian markets, as China’s recovery has failed to gain traction.
Against that backdrop, Indonesia said on December 19 that it was considering cutting mining quotas to boost prices. The move would reduce the amount of nickel ore allowed to be mined almost in half, to 150 million metric tons in 2025.
Additionally, Indonesia is looking to tighten environmental regulation compliance for miners in the new year, which could increase volatility for metals including nickel. The move comes not long after the country signed several new agreements in November with Chinese companies that would see billions invested in Indonesian nickel operations.
Indonesia had previously worked to distance itself from partnerships with China as it sought to improve relations with the US and be included under the country's US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The new agreements emerged shortly after Donald Trump won the US presidential election on November 7. Trump’s return to the Oval Office is unlikely to bode well for Indonesian officials seeking to secure a trade deal with the US. However, a loosening of rules in the IRA might create new inroads for Indonesian nickel producers.
The story since the start of the year has been high output from Indonesian operations.
Low prices saw some nickel producers, including major miner First Quantum Minerals (TSX:FM,OTC Pink:FQVLF) and Australia’s Wyloo Metals, cut production. However, New Caledonia was most affected. The country is highly dependent on its nickel sector, with industry giants like Glencore (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF), Eramet (EPA:ERA) and raw materials trader Trafigura owning significant stakes in nickel producers in the country.
Ultimately, cuts there led to a 200 million euro bailout package from the French government, which exacerbated tensions over New Caledonia's independence from France. Opponents of the agreement argued that it risks the territory's sovereignty, and that mining companies aren’t contributing enough to bail out the mines, which employ thousands.
The second quarter was defined by a surge in nickel prices.
Positive momentum began to work its way into the market at the end of Q1, as Indonesia experienced delays in approving mining output quotas and speculation grew that Russian nickel could be sanctioned by the US and UK.
On April 12, news broke that Washington and London had banned US and UK metal exchanges from admitting new aluminum, copper and nickel from Russia. Taking immediate effect, the prohibitions also halted the import of those metals, causing prices to soar to a year-to-date high of US$21,615 on May 20.
At the time, Joe Mazumdar, editor of Exploration Insights, suggested this move would have little impact on the sector.
“That nickel is still going to make it into the market, it’s just going to go to a different exchange, probably Shanghai … So I could still see that nickel moving and getting consumed in the global market — it’s just not coming to the west,” he explained to the Investing News Network in an interview.
Ultimately, by the end of the quarter, the price was trending toward US$17,000.
Nickel saw a strong end to the third quarter, with prices rising above the US$18,000 mark.
Nickel found support in September as the Chinese government introduced a raft of stimulus measures intended to boost economic growth in the country. Among the measures were a 0.5 percent interest rate cut on existing mortgages, and a reduction in the downpayment required to purchase a home to 15 percent from 25 percent.
The announcement came alongside cuts at Chinese smelters as they were forced to deal with a shortage in feeder supply due to more delays to Indonesia’s permitting and quota system.
The nickel market is expected to remain oversupplied for some time.
With China’s economy on a slow path to recovery, demand is projected to remain weak. Meanwhile, supply will likely hinge on whether Indonesia chooses to make significant cuts to its output.
While demand for nickel in electric vehicle batteries is expected to be up 27 percent year-on-year in 2024, producers have also been pursuing alternatives that don’t require as much nickel. Additionally, more consumers are looking to plug-in hybrid vehicles with smaller batteries that require less nickel.
Even with the increased demand from the battery sector, nickel is primarily used in stainless steel products, which are still dominated by the Chinese manufacturing and real estate sectors.
Perhaps the most significant factors to consider are political. A new administration in the US and a shift in its approach to sourcing critical metals like nickel could alter the landscape for nickel producers in 2025.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates.
Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, 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.
The nickel market has faced challenges over the past few years due to a supply glut and weak demand.
Even though the price of nickel surged in the first quarter of 2024, higher prices didn’t last. By the end of the year, any gains the base metal had made were erased, and it entered 2025 in the US$15,000 to US$15,200 per metric ton range.
What's in store for the rest of the year, and what nickel trends should investors be watching?
Indonesian supply is a key reason nickel prices are under pressure, as is a lack of demand growth.
In comments emailed to the Investing News Network (INN), Ewa Manthey, commodities strategist at ING, suggested that the situation isn’t likely to change for nickel in 2025.
“We believe nickel’s underperformance is likely to continue — at least in the near term — amid weakening demand and a sustained market surplus. A surge in output in Indonesia has dragged nickel lower over recent years, and demand from the stainless steel and electric vehicle (EV) battery sectors continues to disappoint,” she said.
Her statement follows recently introduced measures from China. Set to take effect in 2025, they involve injecting US$1.4 trillion over the next five years, and are meant to help the country’s ailing economy.
However, past measures introduced in 2024, particularly those in September, have yet to significantly affect the nation's housing and manufacturing sectors, which are net demand drivers for stainless steel.
Jason Sappor, senior analyst, metals and mining research, at S&P Global Commodity Insights, expressed similar sentiments about nickel's 2025 performance in comments to INN.
“We expect the market to remain oversupplied in 2025, as Indonesia and China’s primary nickel output expands further,” he said. Sappor added that subdued prices could lead to further output curtailments across the industry. This would be in addition to cuts already made at various operations around the world, particularly in Oceania.
The situation even has top producer Indonesia considering restricting output.
“The latest news reports that Indonesia’s government is considering making deep cuts to nickel-mining quotas to boost prices also highlight that the implementation of restrictions on the country’s nickel output should not be ignored as a risk to forecasts for the market to stay in surplus in 2025,” Sappor said.
For her part, Manthey suggested that cuts to nickel supply in 2024 did little to upset the market surplus — instead, they may have solidified Indonesia’s dominance over the industry.
“The recent supply curtailments also limit the supply alternatives to the dominance of Indonesia, where the majority of production is backed by Chinese investment. This comes at a time when the US and the EU are looking to reduce their dependence on third countries to access critical raw materials, including nickel,” she said.
One of the biggest factors that could come into play in 2025 is Donald Trump's return to the White House.
During his campaign, Trump made several promises that could lead to a shift in the US’ environmental and energy transition policies. While nothing is set in stone just yet, the actions he takes could include reversing commitments made under the Paris Agreement and ending tax credits for EVs.
A significant unknown is how Trump will approach the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The program, which was established under the outgoing Biden administration, was designed to stimulate a move away from fossil fuels, while also supporting the procurement of friendly supply of low-carbon nickel.
One part of the IRA has made it challenging for Indonesia to export nickel to the US. As it stands, EVs must meet foreign entity of concern (FEOC) rules to qualify for the US$7,500 tax credit outlined under the IRA.
The US considers nations like China, Russia, Iran and North Korea to be areas of concern. Under rule 30D of the act, these nations cannot control more than 25 percent of the board seats, voting rights or equity interests of any company that supplies critical minerals for EV batteries destined for the US.
This has been a major obstacle for Indonesia as it has worked to build a trade partnership with the US.
Manthey outlined how Trump may seek to tighten rules, making a trade pact with Indonesia more difficult.
“Indonesia has been trying to reduce China-based ownership of new nickel projects to help its nickel sector qualify for the IRA tax credits. Tighter FEOC rules would create more issues for nickel supply chains, and would be an obstacle to Indonesia’s goal of expanding its export market to the US,” she said.
Manthey also said if the rules are tightened, primary and intermediate production will continue to be sent to China.
Barring any major shift in the supply and demand environment, nickel prices are unlikely to see significant gains over the next year. For investors, this is likely to make for a less supportive environment.
“The surplus in the Class 1 market is reflected in the rising exchange stocks," said Manthey.
"Further inflows of Chinese and Indonesian metal into the exchange’s sheds could put additional downward pressure on the London Metal Exchange’s nickel prices," she added in her comments to INN.
For Manthey, the potential upside would be stronger stainless steel output or restricted ore supply from Indonesia. However, slower EV market growth or the cancellation of some incentives in the US could offset this.
Overall, she isn’t expecting large price movements in the coming year.
“We forecast nickel prices to remain under pressure next year as the surplus in the global market continues. We see prices averaging US$15,700 in 2025,” Manthey said.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: FPX Nickel is a client of the Investing News Network. This article is not paid-for content.
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.
After trending down in 2023, nickel prices climbed to a 10 month high in late May of this year. However, they've since pulled back to four year lows. While this environment has been tough, some nickel stocks are still thriving.
Supply is expected to outflank demand over the short term, but the longer-term outlook for the metal is strong. Demand from the electric vehicle (EV) industry is one reason nickel's outlook looks bright further into the future.
Battery nickel demand is poised to triple by 2030, according to Benchmar Mineral Intelligence.
“Mid and high level performance EVs will be the primary driver of battery nickel demand growth in the coming years, particularly in Western markets,” said Jorge Uzcategui, senior nickel analyst at the firm.
“There will be growth in China, but it won’t be as pronounced as in ex-China markets.”
As for Canada, nickel is listed as a top priority in the government's Critical Minerals Strategy. The country is the world's fifth largest producer of nickel, with much of its production coming from mines in Ontario's Sudbury Basin, including Vale’s (NYSE:VALE) Sudbury operation and Glencore's (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF) Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations.
In February, Canada Nickel Company (TSXV:CNC,OTCQX:CNIKF) announced its subsidiary NetZero Metals is planning to develop a US$1 billion nickel-processing plant in Ontario that will become North America’s largest once complete.
How have Canadian nickel stocks performed in 2024? Below are the top nickel stocks in Canada on the TSXV and CSE by share price performance so far this year. TSX stocks were considered, but didn't make the cut.
All year-to-date and share price data was obtained on December 13, 2024, using TradingView’s stock screener. The top nickel stocks in Canada listed had market caps above C$10 million at that time.
Year-to-date gain: 533.33 percent
Market cap: C$35.9 million
Share price: C$0.19
Class 1 Nickel and Technologies' flagship property is its Alexo-Dundonald nickel project near Timmins, Ontario. The past-producing asset hosts four nickel sulfide deposits. The company’s pipeline also includes the past-producing Somanike nickel-copper project near Val-d’Or, Québec, and the River Valley platinum-group metals (PGMs) project near Sudbury, Ontario.
Class 1 Nickel released resource estimate updates for the Alexo South and Alexo North deposits in April and May of this year, respectively. The company said it expects to start work on a preliminary economic assessment for Alexo-Dundonald in the near term as part of its plan to bring the asset back into production.
On October 3, Class 1 Nickel put out an updated resource estimate for the Dundonald South nickel deposit. In the indicated category, the company reported a 781 percent increase in metric tons of ore and a 474 percent increase in pounds of nickel.
The Canadian nickel exploration company's share price started off the year at C$0.06, and began climbing in April to reach a year-to-date high of C$0.40 on November 18.
Year-to-date gain: 318.18 percent
Market cap: C$187.23 million
Share price: C$0.92
Power Nickel is developing its 80 percent owned Nisk polymetallic property in Québec, which hosts nickel, copper, platinum and palladium mineralization. According to the company, it plans to create Canada's first carbon-neutral nickel mine. The polymetallic nature of the project is a plus for the economic case for future nickel production in a low price environment.
This ongoing work has generated positive news flow for the company in 2024. After starting the year at C$0.24, Power Nickel began gaining in mid-April following two key announcements. First, the company released drill results from the newly discovered Lion zone 5 kilometers northeast of the main Nisk deposit. Shortly after, it announced the completion of its option to earn an 80 percent stake in Nisk from Critical Elements Lithium (TSXV:CRE,OTCQX:CRECF).
Power Nickel’s share price jumped more than 15 percent on May 10 to reach C$0.64 following news that drilling continued to expand the high-grade, near-surface Lion discovery, with notable assays including 14.42 meters at 0.59 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold, 69.14 g/t silver, 8.17 percent copper, 6.25 g/t palladium, 8.44 g/t platinum and 0.58 percent nickel.
In June, Power Nickel started an 8,000 meter drill program at Nisk, and closed a flow-through offering for gross proceeds of over C$20 million. Some of the biggest names in mining — Robert Friedland and Rob McEwen — participated.
The company's excellent news flow continued into the fourth quarter with a series of stellar drill results from its Nisk winter drill program, including significant intersections as shared in its October 3, October 28 and November 11 news releases. Additionally, on December 5, Power Nickel announced it was executing a spinout of its interest in the Golden Ivan property in Chile into a wholly owned subsidiary called Chilean Metals.
Power Nickel continued to climb before peaking at a year-to-date high of C$0.96 on December 12. On that same day, the company released another set of positive assay results from its work at Nisk.
Year-to-date gain: 234.15 percent
Market cap: C$214.48 million
Share price: C$1.37
Magna Mining is a base metal exploration and development company based in Sudbury, Ontario.
The company’s flagship assets are the Shakespeare mine and the Crean Hill project. Shakespeare is a past-producing nickel-copper-PGMs mine with major permits in place. It hosts an indicated open-pit resource of 16.51 million metric tons at 0.56 percent nickel equivalent. Crean Hill is a past-producing nickel, copper and PGMs mine.
In March, Magna announced the signing of a definitive offtake agreement with Vale Base Metals' wholly owned subsidiary Vale Canada for the advanced exploration portion of Crean Hill. A few months later, in June, it inked a toll-milling agreement with Glencore Canada for the surface bulk sample of the 109 Footwall zone at Crean Hill.
The company entered into a definitive share purchase agreement with a subsidiary of KGHM Polska Miedz (FWB:KGHA) to acquire a portfolio of base metals assets located in the Sudbury Basin, including the producing McCreedy West copper-nickel mine. In November, Magna completed an updated preliminary economic assessment at Crean Hill.
Magna's share price started off the year at C$0.57, and gradually climbing to double its value by September 13. It reached a year-to-date high of C$1.67 on December 4.
Year-to-date gain: 108.7 percent
Market cap: C$27.19 million
Share price: C$0.24
Tartisan Nickel is a Canadian battery metals exploration and development company that's focused on developing the Kenbridge nickel-copper-cobalt project located in Northwestern Ontario, Canada.
Tartisan acquired additional exploration claims for Kenbridge in mid-May. In November, the company closed a C$1.5 million flow-through financing with proceeds primarily going to fund the exploration and development of the project.
Shares of Tartisan Nickel fluctuated significantly in 2024. The company kicked off the year at C$0.19 before falling to a low of C$0.10 on March 12. However, its share price climbed rapidly in May to reach a year-to-date high of C$0.26 on May 16. Although shares fell as low as C$0.12 in late June, their value doubled back up to C$0.24 on December 13.
Year-to-date gain: 70.83 percent
Market cap: C$38.41 million
Share price: C$0.41
EV Nickel’s primary project is the 30,000 hectare Shaw Dome asset, which is situated near Timmins, Ontario. The property includes the high-grade W4 deposit, which has a resource of 2 million metric tons at 0.98 percent nickel for 43.3 million pounds of Class 1 nickel across the measured, indicated and inferred categories.
Shaw Dome also holds the large-scale CarLang A zone, which has a resource of 1 billion metric tons at 0.24 percent nickel for 5.3 billion pounds of Class 1 nickel across the indicated and inferred categories.
EV Nickel is working on integrating carbon capture and storage technology for large-scale clean nickel production, and has procured funding from the Canadian government and Ontario's provincial government. In late 2023, the company announced it was moving its carbon capture research and development to the pilot plant stage.
The company's news in 2024 includes the closure of a flow-through financing in March that ultimately saw EV Nickel raise C$5.12 million to fund the development of its high-grade, large-scale nickel resources.
In April, EV Nickel launched an exploration program that is aimed at advancing the CarLang trend and exploring other nickel targets. The most recent news out of the program came in early September with the announcement that diamond drilling at the Langmuir #2 high-priority nickel target had confirmed high-grade nickel, with intercepts such as 18.5 meters grading 1.07 percent nickel, 7.5 meters grading 1.67 percent nickel, 2 meters grading 3.27 percent nickel and 1 meter grading 5.11 percent nickel. EV Nickel described the results as "very encouraging."
The Canadian nickel exploration company's share price started off the year at C$0.30 before steadily climbing to reach a year-to-date high of C$0.79 on May 17.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: Canada Nickel Company is a client of the Investing News Network. This article is not paid-for content.
Nickel has traditionally been used in alloys such as stainless steel. However, in recent years, growing demand for lithium-ion batteries has brought attention to its role in the quickly developing battery sector.
In Australia, the country's largest nickel-mining stocks are providing key support for both markets.
Nickel saw strong volatility in the first half of 2024 as Indonesian supply continued to flood the market, with some companies curtailing their production as the price fell below the US$16,000 per tonne mark in February.
A broad increase in commodities prices in April and May pushed nickel to a year-to-date high of US$21,615, but the base metal wasn't able to hold on to those gains and quickly dropped below the US$16,000 mark. Despite a boost past US$18,000 in early October, as of December 17, nickel prices were back down to US$15,775.
Given the challenges for nickel in 2024, share prices for many Australian producers have declined. However, with the long-term outlook for nickel looking more robust, there may be chances for less risk-averse investors to find entry points.
Below are the five largest nickel stocks on the ASX by market cap. Data for this list was gathered using TradingView's stock screener, and all values were accurate as of December 17, 2024.
Market cap: AU$204.67 billion
Share price: AU$40.52
BHP is a diversified mining company with headquarters in Melbourne, Australia. Worldwide, BHP runs dozens of mines that span North and South America and Australia. The company produces nickel sulphide ore out of its operations in Western Australia's Northern Goldfields area. It covers the mining, development and production of nickel until both matte and metal are ready to be shipped to buyers. BHP sells over 85 percent of its nickel to the electric vehicle (EV) industry.
BHP is on its way toward net-zero nickel production. In September 2022, its Nickel West division signed a deal with renewable energy company Enel Green Power to begin construction of the Flat Rocks wind farm in Western Australia. The project is set to include 18 wind turbines, and they will be the tallest wind turbines in Western Australia. As of October 2023, more than half of the wind turbines were already in place. The first stage of the wind farm is expected to provide enough energy to power BHP's Kalgoorlie nickel smelter and Kambalda concentrator once complete.
In the operational review for its 2024 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, BHP reported production of 81,600 tonnes of nickel during the period, a 2 percent increase compared to its 2023 fiscal year. This came in at the middle range of the major mining company's 2024 guidance, which was set at 77,000 to 87,000 tonnes.
In October, BHP temporarily suspended nickel production from Nickel West due to oversupply and low prices, but will continue to invest in the site to enable a restart and support. It will review the decision by February 2027.
Market cap: AU$3.79 billion
Share price: AU$5.09
IGO is a diversified miner that produces several different metals, but its focus is on its 100 percent owned Nova nickel-copper-cobalt operation. Nova is located in Western Australia's Fraser Range and primarily produces nickel.
The company's results for its first fiscal quarter of 2025 show that nickel production from Nova came in at 3,692 tonnes, down 42 percent from the previous quarter on reduced ore grades and a flow through to recoveries.
IGO's other nickel production operation is Forrestania, which was placed on care and maintenance as of the December quarter of 2024. Forrestania put out 802 tonnes in Q1, down 36 percent from the previous quarter due to the earlier-than-planned closure of the Spotted Quoll mine following a major seismic event in July.
IGO also has a 49 percent stake in the Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia joint venture with Tianqi Lithium (SZSE:002466,HKEX:9696). The joint venture has 51 percent ownership of Greenbushes, Australia's largest lithium mine.
Market cap: AU$3.78 billion
Share price: AU$0.84
New South Wales-based Nickel Industries, formerly Nickel Mines, is a significant producer of nickel pig iron, a critical component in manufacturing stainless steel. The company began producing high-grade nickel matte for EVs in 2022.
Nickel Industries has 80 percent interests in multiple nickel rotary kiln electric furnace (RKEF) operations in Indonesia: Hengjaya Nickel, Oracle Nickel and Ranger Nickel in the Morowali Industrial Park, and Angel Nickel in the Weda Bay Industrial Park. It also has an 80 percent interest in the Hengjaya nickel mine near the Morowali Industrial Park.
In the company's 2023 annual report, it reported that its operations set a nickel production record of 131,126 tonnes. This included contained nickel in the 834,192 tonnes of nickel pig iron it produced with an average grade of 12.9 percent nickel, along with additional low-grade matte production of 119,822 tonnes grading 17.1 percent.
In its June quarterly report, the company said it had brought its interest in the Excelsior nickel-cobalt project up to 44 percent, an increase of 30.25 percent. The project is under construction and is expected to commissioned ahead of October 2025. Nickel Industries' September quarterly report shows that the period was the company's strongest quarter of the year, delivering over US$100 million in EBITDA from operations.
Market cap: AU$183.78 million
Share price: AU$0.375
Centaurus Metals is a mining and development company based in Brazil.
According to the company, its goal is to become a major supplier of nickel sulphide to help provide a cleaner and greener future. The firm has its sights set on the development of its wholly owned Jaguar nickel-copper-cobalt project, which is located in Brazil's Carajás mineral province.
On July 2, Centaurus released a feasibility study for Jaguar forecasting an after-tax net present value of AU$997 million with an internal rate of return of 31 percent and payback period of 2.7 years from first production.
The following month, the company released an updated mineral resource estimate of 138.2 million tonnes at 0.87 percent nickel for 1.2 million tonnes of contained nickel. This includes measured and indicated resources of 112.6 million tonnes at 0.87 percent nickel for 978,900 tonnes of contained nickel. According to Centaurus, an underground scoping study is now underway on the high-grade nickel resource immediately below the feasibility study pit.
Market cap: AU$69.89 million
Share price: AU$0.335
Ardea Resources is developing its wholly owned Kalgoorlie nickel-cobalt project in Western Australia, which includes the Goongarrie Hub deposit. The company has said the project “hosts the largest nickel-cobalt resource in the developed world.” Ardea is currently working toward a planned definitive feasibility study (DFS).
A 2023 prefeasibility study for Goongarrie Hub shows an ore reserve of 194.1 million tonnes at 0.7 percent nickel and 0.05 percent cobalt, resulting in 1.36 million tonnes of contained nickel and 99,000 tonnes of contained cobalt. The study indicates an open-pit operation with a 40 year life and annual output of 30,000 tonnes of nickel and 2,000 tonnes of cobalt.
In July 2023, the company signed a memorandum of understanding to develop Goongarrie Hub with a Japanese consortium consisting of Sumitomo Metal Mining (TSE:5713), Mitsubishi (TSE:8058) and Mitsui (TSE:8031). On February 29, Ardea shared that it had agreed with the consortium on a DFS budget and the scope of work for the study.
On August 14, the consortium obtained approval from the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board for its investment; it also received merger control clearance from the Korea Fair Trade Commission.
Ardea provided an update on progress toward Kalgoorlie's DFS in its September quarterly report.
Article by Melissa Pistilli; FAQs by Lauren Kelly.
This is an updated version of an article first published by the Investing News Network in 2018.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Australia for real-time updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Securities Disclosure: I, Lauren Kelly, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
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Nickel market activity has been underwhelming for the past couple of years as supply exceeds demand.
This trend continued in 2024's final quarter, with Indonesian supply being the primary force weighing on prices. Indonesia is the largest source of nickel globally, with much output destined for Chinese-owned refineries in the country.
Meanwhile, demand stayed weak as China’s economy continued to sputter. The Asian nation's housing and manufacturing markets are important demand drivers for nickel, which is used in stainless steel products.
Read on to learn what other key factors moved the nickel sector in 2024.
Nickel reached its 2024 peak of US$21,615 per metric ton on May 20, but was back below the US$16,000 mark by the end of July. Following some volatility in August and September, it reached US$18,221 on October 2.
However, higher prices were not to last, and nickel spent much of Q4 in a downward trend.
By the end of October, nickel had fallen to US$15,732 before climbing back to US$16,607 on November 7.
Since then, the nickel market's downtrend has largely continued. On December 19, the metal slumped to its 2024 low of US$15,090, ultimately ending the year at US$15,300 on December 31.
Nickel price, Q4 2024.
Chart via Trading Economics.
As mentioned, nickel’s weak price performance is largely due to high output from Indonesia and low demand, particularly from Asian markets, as China’s recovery has failed to gain traction.
Against that backdrop, Indonesia said on December 19 that it was considering cutting mining quotas to boost prices. The move would reduce the amount of nickel ore allowed to be mined almost in half, to 150 million metric tons in 2025.
Additionally, Indonesia is looking to tighten environmental regulation compliance for miners in the new year, which could increase volatility for metals including nickel. The move comes not long after the country signed several new agreements in November with Chinese companies that would see billions invested in Indonesian nickel operations.
Indonesia had previously worked to distance itself from partnerships with China as it sought to improve relations with the US and be included under the country's US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The new agreements emerged shortly after Donald Trump won the US presidential election on November 7. Trump’s return to the Oval Office is unlikely to bode well for Indonesian officials seeking to secure a trade deal with the US. However, a loosening of rules in the IRA might create new inroads for Indonesian nickel producers.
The story since the start of the year has been high output from Indonesian operations.
Low prices saw some nickel producers, including major miner First Quantum Minerals (TSX:FM,OTC Pink:FQVLF) and Australia’s Wyloo Metals, cut production. However, New Caledonia was most affected. The country is highly dependent on its nickel sector, with industry giants like Glencore (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF), Eramet (EPA:ERA) and raw materials trader Trafigura owning significant stakes in nickel producers in the country.
Ultimately, cuts there led to a 200 million euro bailout package from the French government, which exacerbated tensions over New Caledonia's independence from France. Opponents of the agreement argued that it risks the territory's sovereignty, and that mining companies aren’t contributing enough to bail out the mines, which employ thousands.
The second quarter was defined by a surge in nickel prices.
Positive momentum began to work its way into the market at the end of Q1, as Indonesia experienced delays in approving mining output quotas and speculation grew that Russian nickel could be sanctioned by the US and UK.
On April 12, news broke that Washington and London had banned US and UK metal exchanges from admitting new aluminum, copper and nickel from Russia. Taking immediate effect, the prohibitions also halted the import of those metals, causing prices to soar to a year-to-date high of US$21,615 on May 20.
At the time, Joe Mazumdar, editor of Exploration Insights, suggested this move would have little impact on the sector.
“That nickel is still going to make it into the market, it’s just going to go to a different exchange, probably Shanghai … So I could still see that nickel moving and getting consumed in the global market — it’s just not coming to the west,” he explained to the Investing News Network in an interview.
Ultimately, by the end of the quarter, the price was trending toward US$17,000.
Nickel saw a strong end to the third quarter, with prices rising above the US$18,000 mark.
Nickel found support in September as the Chinese government introduced a raft of stimulus measures intended to boost economic growth in the country. Among the measures were a 0.5 percent interest rate cut on existing mortgages, and a reduction in the downpayment required to purchase a home to 15 percent from 25 percent.
The announcement came alongside cuts at Chinese smelters as they were forced to deal with a shortage in feeder supply due to more delays to Indonesia’s permitting and quota system.
The nickel market is expected to remain oversupplied for some time.
With China’s economy on a slow path to recovery, demand is projected to remain weak. Meanwhile, supply will likely hinge on whether Indonesia chooses to make significant cuts to its output.
While demand for nickel in electric vehicle batteries is expected to be up 27 percent year-on-year in 2024, producers have also been pursuing alternatives that don’t require as much nickel. Additionally, more consumers are looking to plug-in hybrid vehicles with smaller batteries that require less nickel.
Even with the increased demand from the battery sector, nickel is primarily used in stainless steel products, which are still dominated by the Chinese manufacturing and real estate sectors.
Perhaps the most significant factors to consider are political. A new administration in the US and a shift in its approach to sourcing critical metals like nickel could alter the landscape for nickel producers in 2025.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates.
Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, 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.
The nickel market has faced challenges over the past few years due to a supply glut and weak demand.
Even though the price of nickel surged in the first quarter of 2024, higher prices didn’t last. By the end of the year, any gains the base metal had made were erased, and it entered 2025 in the US$15,000 to US$15,200 per metric ton range.
What's in store for the rest of the year, and what nickel trends should investors be watching?
Indonesian supply is a key reason nickel prices are under pressure, as is a lack of demand growth.
In comments emailed to the Investing News Network (INN), Ewa Manthey, commodities strategist at ING, suggested that the situation isn’t likely to change for nickel in 2025.
“We believe nickel’s underperformance is likely to continue — at least in the near term — amid weakening demand and a sustained market surplus. A surge in output in Indonesia has dragged nickel lower over recent years, and demand from the stainless steel and electric vehicle (EV) battery sectors continues to disappoint,” she said.
Her statement follows recently introduced measures from China. Set to take effect in 2025, they involve injecting US$1.4 trillion over the next five years, and are meant to help the country’s ailing economy.
However, past measures introduced in 2024, particularly those in September, have yet to significantly affect the nation's housing and manufacturing sectors, which are net demand drivers for stainless steel.
Jason Sappor, senior analyst, metals and mining research, at S&P Global Commodity Insights, expressed similar sentiments about nickel's 2025 performance in comments to INN.
“We expect the market to remain oversupplied in 2025, as Indonesia and China’s primary nickel output expands further,” he said. Sappor added that subdued prices could lead to further output curtailments across the industry. This would be in addition to cuts already made at various operations around the world, particularly in Oceania.
The situation even has top producer Indonesia considering restricting output.
“The latest news reports that Indonesia’s government is considering making deep cuts to nickel-mining quotas to boost prices also highlight that the implementation of restrictions on the country’s nickel output should not be ignored as a risk to forecasts for the market to stay in surplus in 2025,” Sappor said.
For her part, Manthey suggested that cuts to nickel supply in 2024 did little to upset the market surplus — instead, they may have solidified Indonesia’s dominance over the industry.
“The recent supply curtailments also limit the supply alternatives to the dominance of Indonesia, where the majority of production is backed by Chinese investment. This comes at a time when the US and the EU are looking to reduce their dependence on third countries to access critical raw materials, including nickel,” she said.
One of the biggest factors that could come into play in 2025 is Donald Trump's return to the White House.
During his campaign, Trump made several promises that could lead to a shift in the US’ environmental and energy transition policies. While nothing is set in stone just yet, the actions he takes could include reversing commitments made under the Paris Agreement and ending tax credits for EVs.
A significant unknown is how Trump will approach the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
The program, which was established under the outgoing Biden administration, was designed to stimulate a move away from fossil fuels, while also supporting the procurement of friendly supply of low-carbon nickel.
One part of the IRA has made it challenging for Indonesia to export nickel to the US. As it stands, EVs must meet foreign entity of concern (FEOC) rules to qualify for the US$7,500 tax credit outlined under the IRA.
The US considers nations like China, Russia, Iran and North Korea to be areas of concern. Under rule 30D of the act, these nations cannot control more than 25 percent of the board seats, voting rights or equity interests of any company that supplies critical minerals for EV batteries destined for the US.
This has been a major obstacle for Indonesia as it has worked to build a trade partnership with the US.
Manthey outlined how Trump may seek to tighten rules, making a trade pact with Indonesia more difficult.
“Indonesia has been trying to reduce China-based ownership of new nickel projects to help its nickel sector qualify for the IRA tax credits. Tighter FEOC rules would create more issues for nickel supply chains, and would be an obstacle to Indonesia’s goal of expanding its export market to the US,” she said.
Manthey also said if the rules are tightened, primary and intermediate production will continue to be sent to China.
Barring any major shift in the supply and demand environment, nickel prices are unlikely to see significant gains over the next year. For investors, this is likely to make for a less supportive environment.
“The surplus in the Class 1 market is reflected in the rising exchange stocks," said Manthey.
"Further inflows of Chinese and Indonesian metal into the exchange’s sheds could put additional downward pressure on the London Metal Exchange’s nickel prices," she added in her comments to INN.
For Manthey, the potential upside would be stronger stainless steel output or restricted ore supply from Indonesia. However, slower EV market growth or the cancellation of some incentives in the US could offset this.
Overall, she isn’t expecting large price movements in the coming year.
“We forecast nickel prices to remain under pressure next year as the surplus in the global market continues. We see prices averaging US$15,700 in 2025,” Manthey said.
Don’t forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!
Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: FPX Nickel is a client of the Investing News Network. This article is not paid-for content.
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.
After trending down in 2023, nickel prices climbed to a 10 month high in late May of this year. However, they've since pulled back to four year lows. While this environment has been tough, some nickel stocks are still thriving.
Supply is expected to outflank demand over the short term, but the longer-term outlook for the metal is strong. Demand from the electric vehicle (EV) industry is one reason nickel's outlook looks bright further into the future.
Battery nickel demand is poised to triple by 2030, according to Benchmar Mineral Intelligence.
“Mid and high level performance EVs will be the primary driver of battery nickel demand growth in the coming years, particularly in Western markets,” said Jorge Uzcategui, senior nickel analyst at the firm.
“There will be growth in China, but it won’t be as pronounced as in ex-China markets.”
As for Canada, nickel is listed as a top priority in the government's Critical Minerals Strategy. The country is the world's fifth largest producer of nickel, with much of its production coming from mines in Ontario's Sudbury Basin, including Vale’s (NYSE:VALE) Sudbury operation and Glencore's (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF) Sudbury Integrated Nickel Operations.
In February, Canada Nickel Company (TSXV:CNC,OTCQX:CNIKF) announced its subsidiary NetZero Metals is planning to develop a US$1 billion nickel-processing plant in Ontario that will become North America’s largest once complete.
How have Canadian nickel stocks performed in 2024? Below are the top nickel stocks in Canada on the TSXV and CSE by share price performance so far this year. TSX stocks were considered, but didn't make the cut.
All year-to-date and share price data was obtained on December 13, 2024, using TradingView’s stock screener. The top nickel stocks in Canada listed had market caps above C$10 million at that time.
Year-to-date gain: 533.33 percent
Market cap: C$35.9 million
Share price: C$0.19
Class 1 Nickel and Technologies' flagship property is its Alexo-Dundonald nickel project near Timmins, Ontario. The past-producing asset hosts four nickel sulfide deposits. The company’s pipeline also includes the past-producing Somanike nickel-copper project near Val-d’Or, Québec, and the River Valley platinum-group metals (PGMs) project near Sudbury, Ontario.
Class 1 Nickel released resource estimate updates for the Alexo South and Alexo North deposits in April and May of this year, respectively. The company said it expects to start work on a preliminary economic assessment for Alexo-Dundonald in the near term as part of its plan to bring the asset back into production.
On October 3, Class 1 Nickel put out an updated resource estimate for the Dundonald South nickel deposit. In the indicated category, the company reported a 781 percent increase in metric tons of ore and a 474 percent increase in pounds of nickel.
The Canadian nickel exploration company's share price started off the year at C$0.06, and began climbing in April to reach a year-to-date high of C$0.40 on November 18.
Year-to-date gain: 318.18 percent
Market cap: C$187.23 million
Share price: C$0.92
Power Nickel is developing its 80 percent owned Nisk polymetallic property in Québec, which hosts nickel, copper, platinum and palladium mineralization. According to the company, it plans to create Canada's first carbon-neutral nickel mine. The polymetallic nature of the project is a plus for the economic case for future nickel production in a low price environment.
This ongoing work has generated positive news flow for the company in 2024. After starting the year at C$0.24, Power Nickel began gaining in mid-April following two key announcements. First, the company released drill results from the newly discovered Lion zone 5 kilometers northeast of the main Nisk deposit. Shortly after, it announced the completion of its option to earn an 80 percent stake in Nisk from Critical Elements Lithium (TSXV:CRE,OTCQX:CRECF).
Power Nickel’s share price jumped more than 15 percent on May 10 to reach C$0.64 following news that drilling continued to expand the high-grade, near-surface Lion discovery, with notable assays including 14.42 meters at 0.59 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold, 69.14 g/t silver, 8.17 percent copper, 6.25 g/t palladium, 8.44 g/t platinum and 0.58 percent nickel.
In June, Power Nickel started an 8,000 meter drill program at Nisk, and closed a flow-through offering for gross proceeds of over C$20 million. Some of the biggest names in mining — Robert Friedland and Rob McEwen — participated.
The company's excellent news flow continued into the fourth quarter with a series of stellar drill results from its Nisk winter drill program, including significant intersections as shared in its October 3, October 28 and November 11 news releases. Additionally, on December 5, Power Nickel announced it was executing a spinout of its interest in the Golden Ivan property in Chile into a wholly owned subsidiary called Chilean Metals.
Power Nickel continued to climb before peaking at a year-to-date high of C$0.96 on December 12. On that same day, the company released another set of positive assay results from its work at Nisk.
Year-to-date gain: 234.15 percent
Market cap: C$214.48 million
Share price: C$1.37
Magna Mining is a base metal exploration and development company based in Sudbury, Ontario.
The company’s flagship assets are the Shakespeare mine and the Crean Hill project. Shakespeare is a past-producing nickel-copper-PGMs mine with major permits in place. It hosts an indicated open-pit resource of 16.51 million metric tons at 0.56 percent nickel equivalent. Crean Hill is a past-producing nickel, copper and PGMs mine.
In March, Magna announced the signing of a definitive offtake agreement with Vale Base Metals' wholly owned subsidiary Vale Canada for the advanced exploration portion of Crean Hill. A few months later, in June, it inked a toll-milling agreement with Glencore Canada for the surface bulk sample of the 109 Footwall zone at Crean Hill.
The company entered into a definitive share purchase agreement with a subsidiary of KGHM Polska Miedz (FWB:KGHA) to acquire a portfolio of base metals assets located in the Sudbury Basin, including the producing McCreedy West copper-nickel mine. In November, Magna completed an updated preliminary economic assessment at Crean Hill.
Magna's share price started off the year at C$0.57, and gradually climbing to double its value by September 13. It reached a year-to-date high of C$1.67 on December 4.
Year-to-date gain: 108.7 percent
Market cap: C$27.19 million
Share price: C$0.24
Tartisan Nickel is a Canadian battery metals exploration and development company that's focused on developing the Kenbridge nickel-copper-cobalt project located in Northwestern Ontario, Canada.
Tartisan acquired additional exploration claims for Kenbridge in mid-May. In November, the company closed a C$1.5 million flow-through financing with proceeds primarily going to fund the exploration and development of the project.
Shares of Tartisan Nickel fluctuated significantly in 2024. The company kicked off the year at C$0.19 before falling to a low of C$0.10 on March 12. However, its share price climbed rapidly in May to reach a year-to-date high of C$0.26 on May 16. Although shares fell as low as C$0.12 in late June, their value doubled back up to C$0.24 on December 13.
Year-to-date gain: 70.83 percent
Market cap: C$38.41 million
Share price: C$0.41
EV Nickel’s primary project is the 30,000 hectare Shaw Dome asset, which is situated near Timmins, Ontario. The property includes the high-grade W4 deposit, which has a resource of 2 million metric tons at 0.98 percent nickel for 43.3 million pounds of Class 1 nickel across the measured, indicated and inferred categories.
Shaw Dome also holds the large-scale CarLang A zone, which has a resource of 1 billion metric tons at 0.24 percent nickel for 5.3 billion pounds of Class 1 nickel across the indicated and inferred categories.
EV Nickel is working on integrating carbon capture and storage technology for large-scale clean nickel production, and has procured funding from the Canadian government and Ontario's provincial government. In late 2023, the company announced it was moving its carbon capture research and development to the pilot plant stage.
The company's news in 2024 includes the closure of a flow-through financing in March that ultimately saw EV Nickel raise C$5.12 million to fund the development of its high-grade, large-scale nickel resources.
In April, EV Nickel launched an exploration program that is aimed at advancing the CarLang trend and exploring other nickel targets. The most recent news out of the program came in early September with the announcement that diamond drilling at the Langmuir #2 high-priority nickel target had confirmed high-grade nickel, with intercepts such as 18.5 meters grading 1.07 percent nickel, 7.5 meters grading 1.67 percent nickel, 2 meters grading 3.27 percent nickel and 1 meter grading 5.11 percent nickel. EV Nickel described the results as "very encouraging."
The Canadian nickel exploration company's share price started off the year at C$0.30 before steadily climbing to reach a year-to-date high of C$0.79 on May 17.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: Canada Nickel Company is a client of the Investing News Network. This article is not paid-for content.