Most junior miners follow a familiar script. Find a deposit, drill it for years, publish a study with a headline-grabbing net present value, then discover nobody will fund the £300 million construction bill.
The industrial metals trade has quietly become the most interesting corner of the commodity market, and the choice between iShares Silver Trust (NYSEARCA:SLV), United States Copper Index Fund (NYSEARCA:CPER), and SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (NYSEARCA:XME) carries real performance consequences.
The spike in copper prices to a record high earlier this year has added weight to arguments for switching from copper to cheaper and lighter aluminium in a range of sectors.
Critical Mineral Resources PLC (LSE:CMRS, FRA:98J) said it has uncovered further near-surface copper and silver drill results at its Agadir Melloul project in Morocco, as well as updating on progress on an internal block model ahead of a maiden resource estimate targeted for the third quarter of 2026. Headline intersections include 9.7 metres at 0.74% copper and 4.46 grams per tonne silver from 25.2 metres depth in hole BH157, which contains a higher-grade interval of 3.6 metres at 0.98% copper and 6.22g/t silver.
Critical Mineral Resources PLC (LSE:CMRS, FRA:98J) this week outlined continued progress at its Agadir Melloul copper project in Morocco, with chief executive Charlie Long highlighting strong drilling results, an upcoming maiden resource estimate and ambitions to move into production within three years. Speaking to Proactive, Long described Morocco as one of Africa's most attractive yet underexplored mining jurisdictions.
China's exports of sulphuric acid to Chile dwindled to zero in March, Chinese customs data show, leaving the world's top copper producing nation facing a squeeze on supplies of the chemical used to make around half of its refined metal.
As demand for electricity surges in the age of artificial intelligence, copper has become a critical input for everything from data centers to power grids. But US production has stagnated for decades, leaving the country increasingly reliant on imports even as global demand accelerates.
Chilean copper producer Codelco (COBRE.UL) and global miner Anglo American plan to submit separate environmental studies to regulators for their planned shared copper mine in Chile, documents seen by Reuters show, using what they called an "unprecedented" twin-track to streamline the approval process.
Copper has doubled in price per metric ton over the past decade, and every major electrification trend — from EV manufacturing to grid expansion — runs on it.
The red metal's selloff looks extreme. The upside trend is still intact.
Trump signals Iran progress, oil drops sharply, and risk appetite returns -- here are 5 beaten-down ETFs that could rally if tensions ease.
With no ceasefire in sight, the bank sees copper prices falling to $4.20 a pound and warns that the 'buy the dip' trade is close to exhaustion. A war with no end is forcing one of the City's biggest research teams to tear up its commodity outlook.