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Plus, the disconnect between Sunstone’s $100m market cap and its case for why it could be on its way to 10Moz

The Santa rally which has delivered a 10% rise in the Australian stock market over the past three months started to fade this week as investors took a look at 2023 and the waves of uncertainty and volatility the new year will bring.

Chalice Mining Managing Director & CEO Alex Dorsch hosted a live investor webinar, regarding progress at the Julimar Nickel-Copper-PGE Project in WA.

Sunstone Metals (ASX: STM) Managing Director Malcolm Norris hosted a live investor webinar and provided an update on the Bramaderos gold-copper project in Ecuador.

Calidus Resources Managing Director Mr Dave Reeves provided an update on progress at its Warrawoona Gold Project and the nearby Blue Spec Project.

The billies are diving in via the bigger players. But the less well-heeled can get a slice of the action through numerous leveraged juniors such as RareX and AR3. And Greenvale shares burn rubber on plan to be Australia’s only bitumen producer.

Energy sector deals, funded in part by the re-allocation of iron ore profits, put a spark in the stock market this week even as investment banks ran fresh storm warnings up their economic flagpoles.

Glencore boss Gary Nagle says the company will not bring new copper production online until pricing reflects the severe market deficit (reports MiningNews).

Australia was set to become a lithium powerhouse with some $7bn in planned capital investments, according to a new KPMG report (reports The Australian).

The gradual reopening of China’s economy through looser COVID-19 restrictions could propel iron ore prices as high as $US150 a tonne by June next year, predicts broker Citi (reports The Australian Financial Review).

“If you invested in the energy sector prior to 2022, congratulations – you’ve won the markets,” keynote speaker and Bell Potter market analyst Grady Wulff told investors at the Resources Rising Stars (RSS) Summer Series in Melbourne on Thursday (reports The Australian).

Shares in Chalice Mining opened strongly after the company reported promising sulphide mineralisation intersected at the Hooley prospect, 5km north of the world-class Gonneville deposit in Western Australia (reports MiningNews).

Street Talk understands Sandfire has mandated Azure Capital to shop DeGrussa to potential buyers that would be willing to take a punt on the unexplored gold within the copper mine (reports The Australian Financial Review).

Junior nickel explorer Nimy Resources is aiming to make a big discovery across its underexplored landholding in Western Australia (reports MiningNews).

Copper explorer New World Resources (ASX: NWC) has revealed “exceptional” assay results from deep drilling at its wholly-owned Antler copper project in Arizona, United States (reports Small Caps).

Copper prices will rocket to record levels in the next 12 months, according to Goldman Sachs, as a looming supply shortage coincides with growing demand, keeping the physical market for the metal in deficit in 2023 (reports The Australian Financial Review).

The former Pilbara Minerals MD sees America’s ‘huge lithium supply problems’ as a big opportunity for his new company Patriot Battery Metals.

Christmas came early this week for investors as interest rate pressure eased, the battery metals rush accelerated, gold bounced and Australia’s soccer team progressed to the final 16 of the World Cup.

Pilbara Minerals boss Dale Henderson says despite concerns about China, all the signs point to continued strong lithium demand and pricing (reports MiningNews).

South Korea’s biggest steel manufacturer is eyeing off WA’s critical minerals to shore up its supply chain and make batteries needed to power the global transition to electric vehicles (reports The West Australian).