A new research report has highlighted the world-class potential of Sunstone Metals’ (STM) Bramaderos gold-copper discovery in Southern Ecuador, saying it could host more than 10Moz of gold-equivalent (reports Stockhead).

By Stockhead

Takeovers at the top end of the copper resources sector have thinned opportunities for investors seeking exposure to a red-hot energy transition metal, but that simply means do what the big miners do when producing assets dry up – buy explorers (reports Tim Treadgold on Small Caps).

The Honeymoon uranium mine near Broken Hill will restart production before the end of the year, after a decade-long break, its owner Boss Resources says (reports The Australian).

Plus, new report highlights potential game-changer for Sunstone, Australian Rare Earths raises to accelerate South Australian project and Meteoric set for maiden resource.

By Barry FitzGerald

Flashes of encouraging discovery news were not enough to boost the stock market this week as the deadweight of rising costs weighed on investor confidence.

By Tim Treadgold

New gold and silver hits from aircore drilling at the Stavely copper-gold project in western Victoria have highlighted emerging regional discovery opportunities for Stavely Minerals.

By Small Caps

The trigger for gold’s big move higher remains a pause in US interest rate hikes – something that could happen in the second half of the year, ANZ commodity strategists Daniel Hynes and Soni Kumari say in a research note (reports Stockhead).

Kin Mining (ASX: KIN) has reported significant assays from drilling at its wholly-owned Cardinia gold project in Western Australia, targeting a newly-identified high-grade opportunity along the Eastern Corridor (reports Stockhead).

Drilling at Sunstone Metals’ Limon target, within the Bramaderos Project in Southern Ecuador, has intersected further visible gold in an epithermal vein system at 600m below surface (reports Stockhead). 

BHP’s takeover of OZ Minerals has cleared the way for emerging producer Bellevue Gold to join the ASX200 index (reports The West Australian).

But a new generation of juniors like Caravel offer them a way back into the copper game – with much more leverage.

By Barry FitzGerald

Gold edged towards an all-time high this week but the bigger news for Australian investors was the surge of interest in rare earth stocks following speculation that China would impose an export ban on the material.

By Tim Treadgold

Reverse circulation drilling at the Hestia prospect within Astral Resources’ (ASX: AAR) wholly-owned Mandilla gold project has confirmed a high-grade gold zone extending over 300 metres outside of the current mineral resource

(reports Small Caps)

RareX has updated its development strategy for the Cummins Range rare earths and phosphate project in northern Western Australia, under the leadership of new CEO James Durrant (reports MiningNews).

Caravel Minerals has delivered a raft of improvements to the PFS (prefeasibility study) on its copper development of the same name just 150km from Perth in WA’s Wheatbelt, taking the net present value of Australia’s next major copper mine to more than $2 billion (reports Stockhead).

Caravel Minerals will examine a slightly larger scope for its namesake copper project in Western Australia’s Wheatbelt after a review showed enhanced returns from minor changes are likely (reports MiningNews).

Explorer Stavely Minerals (ASX: SVY) has designed an alternate drill hole to test a pivotal target within its Thursday’s Gossan copper-gold project in western Victoria after encountering problems in its initial attempts (reports Small Caps).

Emerging gold producer Calidus Resources says it is on track to achieve its production guidance at its Warrawoona operation in Western Australia’s Pilbara after record sales for the March quarter (reports MiningNews).

A second takeover attempt for Australia’s biggest gold mining company, Newcrest, means only one thing: gold insiders believe the yellow metal is on the way up (reports The Australian).

Clean energy company entX has been granted a gas storage exploration licence in South Australia’s Far West, as it seeks to develop a major hydrogen project which will store the gas underground for later use (reports The Australian).