admin

Investment Insight

Harvest Gold offers investors a compelling opportunity to participate in early-stage exploration within Quebec’s prolific Abitibi Greenstone Belt – home to some of Canada’s richest gold deposits – through three strategically located and 100 percent owned properties, with a flagship asset positioned for significant discovery upside.

Overview

Harvest Gold (TSXV:HVG)is a Canadian junior exploration company advancing a portfolio of three 100 percent owned gold projects – Mosseau, Urban Barry and LaBelle – located within Quebec’s world-renowned Abitibi Greenstone Belt. With more than 200 million ounces of historical gold production, the Abitibi is one of the most productive gold regions globally. Harvest Gold’s properties are strategically positioned within and adjacent to the Urban Barry Greenstone Belt, an emerging gold camp that has attracted sustained interest from major mining companies.

The Urban Barry Belt hosts several high-grade, multi-million-ounce deposits, including the Windfall deposit, developed by Osisko Mining and now owned by Gold Fields, as well as Bonterra’s Gladiator and Barry deposits. As consolidation by major producers continues across the belt, Harvest Gold controls three of the few remaining independent, district-scale land packages. With excellent road access, nearby infrastructure and newly exposed bedrock from recent forest fires, the company’s properties offer exceptional discovery potential.

Harvest Gold’s strategy is underpinned by a highly experienced management and technical team. CEO Rick Mark brings over 30 years of leadership in public resource companies, having guided his 2000’s group of four companies to peak valuations of approximately C$200 million. The technical team includes Louis Martin, a two-time AEMQ “Discovery of the Year” award winner, and Warren Bates, former VP exploration at Pelangio Exploration and part of the Blackwater discovery team. Together, the team brings deep expertise in structural geology, Abitibi-focused exploration, and discovery-driven value creation.

The company is supported by Crescat Capital, a respected institutional investor with a strong record of backing early-stage discoveries. Crescat’s involvement reflects the endorsement of its strategic advisor, Dr. Quinton Hennigh, who has highlighted the district-scale opportunity created by Harvest Gold’s land position along the Wilson Pluton–volcanic contact.

Company Highlights

Flagship Mousseau Project: Large-scale, advanced-stage exploration property with multiple confirmed gold-bearing shear zones.
Tier-one address: All projects located in Quebec’s Urban Barry Greenstone Belt where Gold Fields recently acquired Osisko Mining’s world-class Windfall deposit and much of the rest of the Urban Barry belt.
Institutional Backing: Crescat Capital, with renowned exploration geologist Dr. Quinton Hennigh, owns 19+ percent of Harvest Gold.
Skilled Technical Team: Leadership includes seasoned geologists and executives with proven discovery and development track records.
Favourable Jurisdiction: Operates in Quebec, a politically stable, mining-friendly province with excellent infrastructure and low exploration costs.
Strategic Timing: Harvest Gold has commenced its maiden drill program at Mosseau during a period of historically strong gold prices.

Key Projects

Mousseau Gold Project

The Mosseau Gold Project is Harvest Gold’s flagship asset, comprising approximately 195 claims covering about 9,740 hectares in the northern Abitibi Greenstone Belt of Quebec. Located roughly 15 kilometres east of Lebel-sur-Quévillon, the project benefits from year-round road access and established regional infrastructure. The property is bordered to the north by Gold Fields and Cartier Resources and lies near a large claim block staked by noted prospector Shawn Ryan, placing Mosseau within an active and highly prospective exploration corridor.

Geologically, Mosseau straddles two major structural corridors: the Morono Shear Zone and the Kiask River Fault Zone. These structures host classic shear-related gold mineralization, characterized by multiple stacked quartz–sericite shear zones ranging from less than one metre to more than 30 metres in width, with demonstrated continuity along strike and at depth. To date, 49 significant surface gold showings have been identified, along with a historical, non–NI 43-101 compliant gold resource at the Morono Zone.

In 2024, Harvest Gold completed a high-resolution airborne magnetic survey over the entire Mosseau property. This modern dataset identified previously unrecognized structures and magnetic domains, significantly refining drill targeting. Follow-up mapping, prospecting, and soil geochemistry—greatly enhanced by new bedrock exposure from the 2023 forest fires—outlined multiple high-priority targets along both the Morono and Kiask River structural corridors.

In 2025, Harvest Gold commenced its maiden diamond drill program at Mosseau, targeting priority zones in the Northern and Central areas of the property. Results from the first six drill holes confirmed the discovery of a new, previously untested mineralized horizon approximately 100 metres east of the Trench 1B showing. This newly identified horizon is associated with a moderate induced polarization anomaly that can be traced for approximately 600 metres along strike and remains open.

Recent drilling highlights include:

1.90 g/t gold over 5.4 metres, including 8.67 g/t gold over 0.6 metres
1.10 g/t gold over 6.0 metres, including 2.02 g/t gold over 1.5 metres
Higher-grade gold associated with semi-massive sulphides containing elevated silver and base metals (copper, zinc, lead)

Fourteen drill holes totaling 3,030 metres have now been completed, representing approximately 60 percent of the planned 5,000-metre program. Drilling is ongoing, with results continuing to demonstrate the scale, continuity, and polymetallic character of the Mosseau system.

With its district-scale footprint, proven gold endowment, improving geological model, and active drilling success, the Mosseau Project is well positioned to evolve into a significant discovery with strong potential to attract strategic partners or acquirers.

Urban Barry Property

Acquired from EGR Exploration, the Urban Barry property comprises 6,879 hectares located west of the Osisko/Gold Fields Windfall property. The project spans 20 km of favorable strike length and sits along the southern margin of the Urban Barry Greenstone Belt.

Key advantages:

Analogous geological setting to Windfall and Gladiator
Road-accessible with mapped deformation zones and quartz-vein hosted gold indicators
2024 magnetic surveys and fieldwork completed; drilling strategy is in development

LaBelle Project

Staked in 2024, LaBelle covers 3,394 hectares and represents a 9 km southeast extension of the Kiask River Fault. It mirrors the geological setting of Mousseau, with similar NW-SE oriented shear zones and structural contacts between the Wilson Pluton and volcanic sequences.

Though early-stage, LaBelle offers:

District-scale exploration potential
Proximity to Harvest’s other assets for operational synergy
Favorable structural and lithological environment

Management Team

Rick Mark – President, CEO and Chair

With more than 40 years of leadership in public resource companies, Rick Mark previously helmed VMS Ventures, North American Nickel and Pancontinental Uranium, each achieving peak valuations of C$200 million.

Louis Martin – Senior Technical Advisor, Quebec Exploration

A Quebec-focused geological consultant with more than 40 years of experience, Louis Martin is the former VP of exploration at Clifton Star Mining, where he led the team developing the Duparquet deposit. He is a multiple-time recipient of the AEMQ “Discovery of the Year” award.

Pat Donnelly – Independent Director

Recently VP capital markets at Tutor Gold, Pat Donnelly is a former co-founder and president of First Mining Gold, where he executed eight M&A deals growing the company’s market cap from $30 million to $600 million.

Len Brownlie – Independent Director

Len Brownlie brings more than 30 years of executive leadership in mining exploration. He is the former president of Goldrush Resources and director of First Silver Reserve.

Christopher Cherry – CFO and Director

Christopher Cherry has more than 15 years of experience in corporate accounting and audit for public companies. He oversees Harvest Gold’s financial strategy and compliance.

Ed Zablotny – Independent Director

Ed Zablotny boasts over 35 years in venture capital markets with expertise in trading, credit and regulatory compliance.

Warren Bates – Geological Team

Warren Bates is a veteran geologist with 30+ years in gold and base metals exploration. He is the former VP of exploration at Pelangio Exploration and part of the Blackwater deposit discovery team.

Henry Awmack – Geological Team

Henry Awmack is the co-founder of Equity Exploration Consultants, with over 40 years of exploration experience. He was notably involved in early work on the Cobre Panama copper-gold deposit.

Neil Richardson – Geological Team

Neil Richardson is a geological consultant and the VP Explorations for Hudbay Minerals. He led the team behind the discovery and development of the Reed Mine while at VMS Ventures.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Investing

Tech Weekly: Chip Stocks Soar on Taiwan Semiconductor Earnings

We also break down next week’s catalysts to watch to help you prepare for the week ahead.

This week’s tech sector performance

Tech stocks experienced sharp swings this week, starting on relatively firm footing before a broad selloff midway through the period gave way to a late rebound in semiconductor companies.

A Sunday (January 11) statement from US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell put pressure on US stocks ahead of Monday’s (January 12) open, with ‘sell America’ sentiment prevalent among investors. Powell’s comments centered on a Department of Justice criminal probe into his testimony about Fed building renovations.

Financial and payment companies, including major credit card issuers, also sold off at that time following political pressure for a cap on credit card interest rates. However, the overall reaction was muted during Monday’s trading session, with some early dips recovering fully, and indexes closing at record highs.

Rotation continued to be a major theme this week, with money moving out of some mega-cap tech names and into chip stocks, small-cap companies and resource plays. Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) (NASDAQ:AMD) rallied early on after being upgraded to “overweight” by KeyBanc Capital Markets on Tuesday (January 13). Citigroup (NYSE:C) also lifted its Intel rating to “neutral” from “sell.”

Wednesday (January 14) brought heavy selling in tech stocks, with high-flying growth names seeing losses; however, Google’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) losses were comparatively mild.

Chipmakers were the bright spot, with the real catalyst coming on Thursday (January 15) after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (NYSE:TSM) blowout quarterly results triggered a rally across chipmakers and chip equipment stocks, including Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU), Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO), Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), AMD and ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML), which hit a US$500 billion market cap on Thursday.

This performance helped stabilize the broader tech space, although caution lingered.

3 tech stocks moving markets this week

1. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (NYSE:TSM)

As mentioned, Taiwan Semiconductor reported blowout Q4 results and upbeat guidance on Thursday, fueled by relentless artificial intelligence (AI) demand. Revenue jumped 36 percent year-on-year, with management projecting 20 to 25 percent growth in 2026. Shares climbed 5.8 percent on the week.

2. Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Applied Materials gained 8.56 percent amid the broader semiconductor equipment surge.

The company’s high-bandwidth memory revenues hit US$1.5 billion in its 2025 fiscal year. This new growth engine is tied directly to NVIDIA’s (NASDAQ:NVDA) GPU roadmap.

3. KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC)

KLA, a key supplier of process control equipment to chip fabricators, rode the Taiwan Semiconductor tailwind, rising 11.99 percent for the week as investors bet on sustained CAPEX from foundries.

Taiwan Semiconductor, Applied Materials and KLA performance, January 12 to 16, 2025.

Chart via Google Finance.

Top tech news of the week

Tech ETF performance

Tech exchange-traded funds (ETFs) track baskets of major tech stocks, meaning their performance helps investors gauge the overall performance of the niches they cover.

This week, the iShares Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXX) advanced by 5.04 percent, while the Invesco PHLX Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SOXQ) saw a gain of 4.89 percent.

The VanEck Semiconductor ETF (NASDAQ:SMH) also increased by 3.76 percent.

Tech news to watch next week

Next week brings a packed slate of catalysts that could shape tech sentiment.

Intel is set to report its Q4 earnings on January 22. Recent upgrades have the stock at 52 week highs, but investors will probe foundry progress and AI revenue traction for proof of a sustained turnaround.

Davos starts on January 19, with AI and energy infrastructure front and center. Global leaders and tech executives will tackle data center power crunches and supply chain frictions, with potential hints on tariff policies.

The US Supreme Court is due to deliver rulings on the morning of January 21, including challenges to Trump’s global tariffs, while the House Financial Services Committee will hold a markup on the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act (FIT21), with a floor vote possible soon.

Key economic releases include retail sales on January 20, flash purchasing managers’ indexes and jobless claims on January 22 and existing home sales on January 23. These will test the soft landing narrative.

Securities Disclosure: I, Meagen Seatter, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Investing

Top 5 Canadian Mining Stocks This Week: Homeland Nickel Gains 132 Percent

The Government of Ontario, Canada, announced on Tuesday (January 13) that it was accelerating permitting and development on Canada Nickel Company’s (TSXV:CNC,OTCQX:CNIKF) Crawford nickel project near Timmins, as part of its “One Project, One Process” framework.

The designation will help the project attract C$5 billion in investment funding to develop the mine and a nickel processing plant that will provide materials for the stainless steel and electric vehicle markets.

Once complete, the mine will create 1,300 jobs and support an additional 3,000 workers throughout the community and supply chain.

On the international stage, Canadian representatives, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, travelled to China this week for a four-day visit in hopes of improving relations between the two countries.

Among the results of the visit was a softening of tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles entering Canada. Under the new terms, Chinese companies will be allowed to sell up to 49,000 automobiles per year in Canada at a 6.1 percent tariff. In exchange, China has loosened its tariffs on Canadian canola to 15 percent, and removed all tariffs on canola meal, lobsters, crab and peas.

Additionally, the Canadian government announced on Friday (January 16) that it had reaffirmed a memorandum of understanding with China’s National Energy Administration. The MoU sees both countries strengthen cooperation over energy initiatives and advance dialogue over the energy transition; conventional, clean and nuclear energy; and uranium resources.

South of the border, on Sunday (January 11) US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell issued a rare statement on his relationship with the Trump administration when he revealed that he had received subpoenas from the Department of Justice.

According to his remarks, US Attorney and Trump appointee Jeanine Pirro had opened an investigation into Powell’s oversight of the Federal Reserve’s building renovation project.

Although no charges have been laid, the investigation illustrates a deepening rift between the Fed Chairman and the Trump administration. Powell said he believes the investigation is related to the administration’s frustration over what it claims is a slow pace of interest rate cuts.

The president has previously stated his desire to replace Powell as the Fed’s chair, but because the Fed is independent, he can only do so with the support of Congress. While Powell’s term as chairman ends in May, his term as a Fed governor doesn’t end until January 2028, which may stymie Trump’s plan to gain greater control over the agency and its policy direction.

For more on what’s moving markets this week, check out our top market news round-up.

Markets and commodities react

Canadian equity markets were on the rise this week.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index (INDEXTSI:OSPTX) gained 1.8 percent over the week to close Friday at 33,040.55, while the S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index (INDEXTSI:JX) fared even better, rising 4.28 percent to 1,091.13. The CSE Composite Index (CSE:CSECOMP) also gained ground, rising 2.61 percent to close at 188.29.

The gold price continued to trade at all-time highs this week, reaching US$4,639 per ounce amid heightened tensions in the Middle East over protests in Iran and as the US contemplated military involvement. Overall, it gained 2.32 percent during the week, closing the week at US$4,582.81 per ounce on Friday at 4:00 p.m. EST.

The silver price performed even stronger, trading above US$93 per ounce on Wednesday at new highs. Although the price pulled back slightly by the end of the week, it still posted a weekly gain of 16.08 percent, closing Friday at US$89.36.

In base metals, the Comex copper price recorded a 2 percent drop this week to US$5.88.

The S&P Goldman Sachs Commodities Index (INDEXSP:SPGSCI) rose 1.45 percent to end Friday at 562.91.

Top Canadian mining stocks this week

How did mining stocks perform against this backdrop?

Take a look at this week’s five best-performing Canadian mining stocks below.

Stocks data for this article was retrieved at 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday using TradingView’s stock screener. Only companies trading on the TSX, TSXV and CSE with market caps greater than C$10 million are included. Mineral companies within the non-energy minerals, energy minerals, process industry and producer manufacturing sectors were considered.

1. Homeland Nickel (TSXV:SHL)

Weekly gain: 135.71 percent
Market cap: C$65.57 million
Share price: C$0.33

Homeland Nickel has a portfolio of nickel projects in Oregon, US: Red Flat, Cleopatra, Eight Dollar Mountain and Shamrock.

In addition, the company holds investments in mining companies with nickel projects, including Benton Resources (TSXV:BEX,OTCPL:BNTRF), Canada Nickel Company and Noble Mineral Exploration (TSXV:NOB,OTCQB:NLPXF).

Shares in Homeland surged this week following news on Tuesday that Canada Nickel’s Crawford project in Ontario was selected for the province’s “One Project, One Process” review framework, which will allow for an accelerated timetable for permitting and development of the asset.

Canada Nickel is Homeland’s top investment, holding 742,095 shares valued at C$1.08 million.

Homeland did not release news of its own this week, but its share price has also been supported by rising nickel prices, which climbed from a low of US$14,255 per metric ton in the middle of December to as high as US$18,785 on Wednesday.

2. Eskay Mining (TSXV:ESK)

Weekly gain: 89.66 percent
Market cap: C$108.21 million
Share price: C$0.55

Eskay Mining is an exploration company advancing its namesake project in the Golden Triangle region of British Columbia, Canada.

The property located in the province’s northwest sits on a land package of 130,000 acres, and hosts several gold and silver volcanogenic massive sulfide and magmatic nickel, copper and platinum group metals targets.

Final assay results from its summer 2025 sampling program at the site were released on November 7. The company said the batch consisted of 121 rock chip and channel samples, with 11 returning grades over 20 g/t gold and 31 with grades over 1 g/t.

At the time, the company said mineralization bears similarities to discoveries at Goliath Resources’ (TSXV:GOT,OTCQB:GOTRF) Surebet and Juggernaut Exploration’s (TSXV:JUGR,OTCPL:JUGRF) Big One projects. Eskay added that it can see a path to a maiden drill program in 2026.

The most recent news from Eskay came on Monday when it announced that Clinton Smyth had been hired as the company’s chief geologist for its 2026 exploration program. Smyth has spent 25 years in the industry working for Anglo American (LSE:AAL,OTCQX:NGLOY) and Minorco.

3. Batero Gold (TSXV:BAT)

Weekly gain: 86.36 percent
Market cap: C$23.61 million
Share price: C$0.205

Batero Gold is an exploration company focused on advancing its Quinchia project in the Department of Risaralda, Colombia.

The property is composed of one tenement covering 1,407 hectares, with an additional 155 hectare concession under application. A September 2022 mineral resource estimate was included in its management discussion and analysis for the year ending August 2025.

Across three zones, the project’s La Cumbre deposit hosts a contained measured and indicated resource of 2.2 million ounces of gold and 6.43 million ounces of silver from 51.73 million metric tons of ore with average grades of 0.5 g/t gold and 1.47 g/t silver.

The company has not released news in the past week, but its share price has surged amid significant gains in precious metals prices since the start of 2026.

4. Auric Minerals (CSE:AUMC)

Weekly gain: 82.14 percent
Market cap: C$11.22 million
Share price: C$0.51

Auric Minerals is a uranium exploration company focused on its Route 500 and Bub properties in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.

The projects are both located in Labrador’s Central Mineral Belt, with Route 500 consisting of 441 mineral claims across 11,025 hectares and Bub consisting of 318 claims across 7,949 hectares.

The more advanced Route 500 project hosts surface showings with high-grade uranium mineralization, while Bub includes strong radiometric anomalies covering 30 square kilometers and 20 square kilometers.

Auric announced on December 31 that it had acquired a 100 percent interest in the English Lake, Otter Lake and Kan projects, all located in Labrador, in exchange for 22 million common shares at C$0.315 per share, 8 million warrants, cash payments of C$32,000 and a 2.5 percent net smelter return.

According to the same release, the company also amended its option agreements for the Route 500, Bub and Portage properties deal to waive its additional obligations, including future cash payments, share issuances, and exploration expenditures, in exchange for 500,000 shares to each of the optioners for a total of 1.5 million shares.

On January 8, Auric officially acquired 100 percent of the three properties after issuing the shares.

5. Patagonia Gold (TSXV:PGDC)

Weekly gain: 80.22 percent
Market cap: C$432.5 million
Share price: C$0.82

Patagonia Gold is a precious metals production and development company primarily focused on advancing its Cap-Oeste and Calcatreu underground projects in Argentina.

Located in Santa Cruz province, Cap-Oeste hosted open-pit mining operations until 2018. While Patagonia is working on the exploration and development of the underground resource at the site, it has been able to recover gold and silver from residual leaching on site.

According to the company’s website, a 2018 mineral resource estimate for Cap-Oeste reported measured and indicated values of 704,300 ounces of gold and 21.43 million ounces of silver from 10.56 million metric tons of ore with average grades of 2.07 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold and 63.2 g/t silver.

Its Calcatreu project, located in the Rio Negro province, is currently under construction. Calcatreu hosts a measured and indicated resource of 669,000 ounces of gold and 6.28 million ounces of silver from 9.84 million metric tons of ore, with average grades of 2.11 g/t gold and 19.8 g/t silver.

The most recent news from the company came on Thursday when it provided an update on construction activities at Calcatreu, which it has resumed following a holiday break.

In the announcement, Patagonia said it has extracted and stockpiled 40,000 metric tons of mineralized material from the Veta 49 pit. Of the material, the company said that 5,200 metric tons are expected to be stacked on the leach pad following electric leak detection tests later in January.

Additionally, Patagonia expects the carbon-in-column circuit construction will also be completed in January. After stockpiled material begins being leached and processed, the metal doré product will be sent to Canada to be refined in Ontario.

Patagonia expects to release an updated technical report for the project during the second quarter of the year.

FAQs for Canadian mining stocks

What is the difference between the TSX and TSXV?

The TSX, or Toronto Stock Exchange, is used by senior companies with larger market caps, and the TSXV, or TSX Venture Exchange, is used by smaller-cap companies. Companies listed on the TSXV can graduate to the senior exchange.

How many mining companies are listed on the TSX and TSXV?

As of May 2025, there were 1,565 companies listed on the TSXV, 910 of which were mining companies. Comparatively, the TSX was home to 1,899 companies, with 181 of those being mining companies.

Together, the TSX and TSXV host around 40 percent of the world’s public mining companies.

How much does it cost to list on the TSXV?

There are a variety of different fees that companies must pay to list on the TSXV, and according to the exchange, they can vary based on the transaction’s nature and complexity. The listing fee alone will most likely cost between C$10,000 to C$70,000. Accounting and auditing fees could rack up between C$25,000 and C$100,000, while legal fees are expected to be over C$75,000 and an underwriters’ commission may hit up to 12 percent.

The exchange lists a handful of other fees and expenses companies can expect, including but not limited to security commission and transfer agency fees, investor relations costs and director and officer liability insurance.

These are all just for the initial listing, of course. There are ongoing expenses once companies are trading, such as sustaining fees and additional listing fees, plus the costs associated with filing regular reports.

How do you trade on the TSXV?

Investors can trade on the TSXV the way they would trade stocks on any exchange. This means they can use a stock broker or an individual investment account to buy and sell shares of TSXV-listed companies during the exchange’s trading hours.

Article by Dean Belder; FAQs by Lauren Kelly.

Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, 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.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Investing

Editor’s Picks: Gold Price Breaks US$4,600, Silver Tops US$93 in Record-Setting Week

Gold and silver are wrapping up yet another record-setting week that’s seen economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions combine to push prices upward.

The yellow metal moved decisively through US$4,600 per ounce on Monday (January 12), trading above that level for a decent amount of the week.

For its part, silver reached what’s perhaps an even more impressive price milestone, surging past US$90 per ounce and breaking US$93 on Wednesday (January 14).

At this point, there’s a very long list of factors providing support for the precious metals, and we don’t have time to touch on all of them today. Instead let’s take a look at a few that have been making headlines over the past week or so and break them down.

First, there’s the latest news in the clash between US President Donald Trump and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. On Sunday (January 11), Powell said that two days earlier, the Department of Justice had served the Fed with grand jury subpoenas threatening a criminal indictment.

I had the chance to speak with Mario Innecco, who runs the @maneco64 channel on YouTube, not long after Powell’s statement — here’s how he summed it up:

‘They’ve subpoenaed documents, and it’s supposed to be related to the renovation of the Fed’s headquarters in Washington, DC. But Jay Powell came out and said it’s not, it’s basically because they want him to cut rates.

‘And he’s probably right. I think they’re using any kind of, let’s say tricks, to try to get rid of him, because I think the administration, even though they talk about how the economy is doing so great, they are desperate.’

Trump himself has said he had no knowledge of the investigation, and has also asserted that he’s not interested in firing Powell, whose term as Fed chair wraps up in May.

Nevertheless, the situation has reignited concerns about Fed independence, and has provided support for gold and silver, which tend to fare better when rates are lower. The next Fed chair, who has not yet been appointed, is widely expected to fall in line with Trump.

In addition to that, geopolitical tensions have remained high. Venezuela is still in the spotlight after its former president was removed by the US last week, and this week Trump warned that the US would intervene in Iran if its executions of anti-government protesters did not stop.

Iran responded by saying it would strike US bases if that happened.

Those events and others are boosting safe-haven demand for gold, as well as silver, but I want to hone in on a couple more points on the silver side that I think are worth looking at.

One of those is the news that the US plans to hold off on new critical minerals tariffs after receiving the results of a Section 232 investigation launched last year.

While a presidential proclamation states that imports of processed critical minerals and their derivative products do constitute a national security risk for the US, the country will first take steps such as negotiating supply agreements with other nations.

Silver was recently designated a critical mineral in the US, and some market watchers believe this news out of the US was responsible for a midweek price dip for the white metal. However, others continue to highlight silver’s deeper underlying drivers.

I heard recently from Andy Schectman of Miles Franklin, who emphasized that a key element supporting silver right now is the fact that more and more entities are standing for physical delivery.

Here’s how he explained what he’s seeing:

‘For years I’ve been saying … that the most well-informed, well-funded traders — and I’ll highlight well informed, that being the central banks — have been standing for delivery since 2020. Very unusual, because really no one ever stood for delivery. And this started to accelerate. But all along, the US was not part of this game. We were seeing it in the Global South with the BRICs. And now all of a sudden we are seeing the most well-informed traders in North America stand for delivery in massive amounts.’

Gold ended the week just below US$4,600, while silver was slightly above US$90.

Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Politics

US ambassador warns Iran at emergency UN meeting that Trump is ‘man of action,’ ‘all options are on the table’

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz warned Iran during an emergency meeting of the Security Council that President Donald Trump ‘is a man of action’ who has ‘made it clear all options are on the table to stop the slaughter.’

Waltz said Thursday that, ‘We all have a responsibility to support the Iranian people and to put an end to the regime’s neglect and oppression of the Iranian nation.’

Iran has been plunged into turmoil amid recent anti-government protests, with the death toll from those being at least 2,677, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency told The Associated Press.

‘Colleagues, let me be clear. President Trump is a man of action, not endless talk like we see at the United Nations. He has made it clear all options are on the table to stop the slaughter. And no one should know that better than the leadership of the Iranian regime,’ Waltz added.

Waltz’s remarks came as Gholam Hossein Darzi, the deputy Iranian ambassador to the U.N., accused the U.S. of trying to destabilize the Islamic Republic.

‘Under the hollow pretext of concern for the Iranian people and claims of support for human rights, the United States regime is attempting to portray itself as a friend of the Iranian people, while simultaneously laying the groundwork for political destabilization and military intervention under a so-called humanitarian narrative,’ Darzi said.

Waltz dismissed the claim, telling diplomats at U.N. headquarters on Thursday that Iran’s leaders are ‘afraid of their own people.’

‘I would like to address the allegation put forward by the regime that these inspired protests are somehow a foreign plot to give a precursor to military action. Everyone in the world needs to know that the regime is weaker than ever before, and therefore is putting forward this lie because of the power of the Iranian people in the streets,’ Waltz said.

‘They are afraid. They’re afraid of their own people. Iran says it’s ready for dialogue, but its actions say otherwise. This is a regime that rules through oppression, through violence, and through intimidation, and has destabilized the Middle East for decades. Well, enough is enough,’ he added.

‘The regime’s dereliction of duty to its own citizens is what has put the ayatollahs in the positions they are in today with hundreds of thousands, if not millions, protesting in the streets after decades of neglect and abuse. So everyone should ask themselves, everyone sitting here today, how many people are dead?’ Waltz also said.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that Trump and his team ‘have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences.’

‘And the president received a message as he revealed to all of you and the whole world yesterday, that the killing and the executions will stop. And the president understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place yesterday were halted. And so the president and his team are closely monitoring this situation, and all options remain on the table for the president,’ she added.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Politics

Top Iran prayer leader who dubbed protesters ‘Trump’s soldiers’ calls for executions amid ongoing unrest

An Iranian cleric has called for the death penalty for protesters detained during a nationwide crackdown amid ongoing unrest against the Islamic regime.

The cleric’s calls follow President Donald Trump’s threats of U.S. intervention if protesters were met with violence.

Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami’s sermon, which was broadcast by Iranian state radio, reportedly sparked chants from those gathered for prayers. The Associated Press reported that the chants included, ‘Armed hypocrites should be put to death!’

During his sermon, Khatami gave the first overall statistics of the damage from the protests, which began in late December, according to the AP. This information provides a look at the scale of the protests after the regime instituted a nationwide internet blackout on Jan. 8.

The cleric claimed 350 mosques, 126 prayer halls and 20 other holy places had sustained damage, the AP reported. Khatami also claimed that 400 hospitals, 106 ambulances, 71 fire department vehicles and another 50 emergency vehicles sustained damage.

Another 80 homes of Friday prayer leaders had also reportedly been damaged, the AP reported, adding that it could be a sign of demonstrators taking out their frustrations against the government as the leaders hold an important position within Iran’s theocracy.

‘They want you to withdraw from religion,’ Khatami said, according to the AP. ‘They planned these crimes from a long time ago.’

Khatami, who was appointed by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and serves on the country’s Assembly of Experts and Guardian Council, had previously spoken out against protesters. He described them as being ‘butlers’ of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ‘Trump’s soldiers.’

Khamenei made similar remarks, saying that the protesters were ‘ruining their own streets to make the president of another country happy,’ referring to Trump.

Trump has been vocal in his support for the Iranian people and said early on that the U.S. was ‘locked and loaded’ and ready to intervene if the regime used violence against protesters. It is unclear if and when the U.S. will take concrete action in Iran, but speculation has circulated following the bombing of the country’s nuclear sites in 2025 and the U.S. capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and the State Department for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Politics

UNRWA officials lobby congressional staffers against Trump terrorist designation threat

UNRWA officials urged congressional staffers to oppose a potential Trump administration move to designate the U.N. agency as a foreign terrorist organization, and discussed UNRWA’s ongoing operations in Gaza and the West Bank, including cash-based assistance, during a Dec. 17 briefing, Fox News Digital has learned.

The video conference was organized by UNRWA USA, the American nonprofit that supports the agency through advocacy and fundraising. UNRWA USA Executive Director Mara Kronenfeld opened the briefing by saying the goal was to make clear that UNRWA ‘is still on the ground’ in Gaza and the West Bank despite what she described as ‘the Netanyahu government’s insidious efforts to systematically prevent UNRWA from continuing its life-saving humanitarian work.’

During the meeting, briefers also raised reports that the U.S. government was considering designating UNRWA as a foreign terrorist organization and discussed with congressional offices what steps could be taken to ‘help prevent that and support UNRWA in its critical work,’ according to meeting details reviewed by Fox News Digital.

Bill Deere, UNRWA’s director in Washington, said ‘press reports appear to be true’ that the administration was considering a foreign terrorist organization designation for the agency.

‘This would be unprecedented for a U.N. agency to consider this. It is certainly unwarranted,’ Deere said, asserting that ‘four separate independent investigations’ dispute Israel’s allegations regarding UNRWA’s workforce.

Deere urged congressional offices to respond forcefully.

‘You can loudly express your displeasure,’ Deere said, arguing that the ramifications would extend beyond UNRWA and set a precedent affecting the broader U.N. system.

‘If they go ahead and do this, our recourse with regard to this is limited,’ he said, adding that one step that could be taken is that ‘Congress can override the designation.’

The meeting featured UNRWA field leadership describing conditions and operations in Gaza and the West Bank.

Sam Rose, director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, told participants that international staff were not entering Gaza because of the Israeli Knesset legislation, and that operations were being managed remotely.

Rose said that despite claims that UNRWA has been blocked, the agency’s services in Gaza haven’t stopped for a single day, pointing to primary healthcare, education, water and sanitation work, shelter operations and the use of UNRWA facilities as emergency shelters.

Rose also described the agency’s ability to operate programs that do not rely on immediate supply deliveries.

‘Cash assistance and job creation programs are also able to continue,’ he said and added, ‘we’re able to operate at scale.’

Roland Friedrich, introduced as director of UNRWA affairs in the West Bank, described UNRWA’s scale in the territory, including education, healthcare and assistance programs. He said UNRWA provides support to hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees, including aid that ‘can be cash assistance,’ along with other forms such as food vouchers and social protection payments.

Friedrich also described ‘cash for rent’ assistance for displaced people, and argued that UNRWA’s presence plays a stabilizing role across multiple countries in the region.

The officials also discussed workarounds that allow UNRWA to keep operating under restrictions.

Rose said UNRWA was still able to receive fuel and that certain coordination occurred through third parties, describing indirect engagement involving U.N. channels. He said fuel could run power generators and water pumps and emphasized the importance of keeping basic services running.

On aid flows, Rose said Israel was reporting truck numbers that reached 600 per day, and he said he did not have reason to doubt the overall count. At the same time, he argued that the mix of goods entering had shifted, with commercial supplies playing a larger role while certain humanitarian items remained restricted for U.N. agencies. He described what he called a two-tier system, where some items blocked from U.N. use could enter through private channels.

Beyond the operational discussion, the briefing included explicit advocacy aimed at congressional offices.

Kronenfeld urged participants to support legislation described in the meeting as the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act of 2025, and she thanked offices already backing efforts to restore U.S. funding, describing the United States as historically UNRWA’s largest donor before the funding halt in 2024.

UNRWA USA did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Fox News Digital. UNRWA also did not respond.

William Deere, director of the UNRWA Representative Office in Washington, D.C., provided the following statement in response to a request for comment from Fox News Digital:

‘UNRWA participates in briefings hosted by the UNRWA USA National Committee and attended by bicameral groups of Republican and Democratic staff from Capitol Hill, as well as think tanks and nongovernmental organizations. Briefings like these are important opportunities for the Agency to respond to the government of Israel’s ongoing disinformation campaign suggesting that UNRWA is no longer actively working in Gaza. Quite the opposite is true. Every day, UNRWA staff are delivering critical services in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In fact, in a recent letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, UNRWA thanked President Trump for negotiating the ceasefire, which allows the world to turn to Gaza’s future.’

Deere added: ‘In Gaza, UNRWA medical personnel deliver 40 percent of primary healthcare and play a critical role in distributing water, promoting public health through immunization campaigns, pest control, nutrition screenings, and the disposal of solid waste. UNRWA is also leading the way in Gaza education, stepping up its ‘back to learning’ program, with almost 70,000 children now accessing the Agency’s in-person learning activities. The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is also a challenging area in which to work, especially given the various laws approved by the Israeli Knesset, and policymakers are always interested to hear the impacts of these laws firsthand from our experts.’

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Politics

JD Vance to skip Munich summit after fiery 2025 clash with European leaders

Vice President JD Vance will not attend the Munich Security Conference in 2026, Fox News Digital has learned.

The move comes after Vance attended the conference in 2025 and issued some harsh words for European leaders — prompting some backlash from allies on the other side of the pond.

A source familiar with Vance’s plans confirmed to Fox News Digital that Vance would not participate in the conference in 2026, but no reason was provided for his absence. Bloomberg first reported that Vance would not attend the conference.

The 2026 conference will be held in February in Munich.

Vance’s absence comes as he’s publicly been more focused on domestic issues like fraud cases in Minnesota recently, while President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio appear to be spearheading the administration’s foreign policy agenda.

Meanwhile, Vance in 2025 cautioned that Russia and China don’t pose as great a threat to European nations as the ‘threat from within,’ in regard to issues like censorship and illegal immigration. Likewise, Vance claimed that European voters didn’t endorse opening the ‘floodgates to millions of unvetted immigrants.’

‘To many of us on the other side of the Atlantic, it looks more and more like old entrenched interests hiding behind ugly Soviet-era words like misinformation and disinformation, who simply don’t like the idea that somebody with an alternative viewpoint might express a different opinion or, God forbid, vote a different way, or even worse, win an election,’ Vance said at the 2025 conference, which was held in February.

European leaders challenged the remarks, and German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said shortly after Vance delivered the statement that he perceived the statements as a comparison to ‘conditions in parts of Europe with those in authoritarian regimes.’

‘That is unacceptable, and it is not the Europe and not the democracy in which I live and am currently campaigning,’ Pistorius said.

Meanwhile, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre claimed that Vance was off base on his comments about immigration in Europe.

‘He speaks as though we are not focused on immigration in Europe,’ Gahr Støre said. ‘I mean, this is the big theme in every country, that we want to have control of our borders.’

Fox News Digital reached out to conference officials for comment on Vance’s absence and has not yet received a reply.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Politics

Trump launches phase 2 of Gaza peace plan — but Hamas disarmament remains the real test

President Donald Trump’s administration formally launched the second phase of its plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas this week, shifting from a ceasefire framework toward a post-ceasefire political and security phase for Gaza. The announcement immediately raised a central question that now dominates expert analysis: who will actually disarm Hamas.

U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff announced Wednesday that phase two is underway, describing it as a transition ‘from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance and reconstruction.’ He warned that Hamas must fully comply with its obligations under the deal, including the immediate return of the final deceased Israeli hostage.

‘The U.S. expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage,’ Witkoff wrote on X. ‘Failure to do so will bring serious consequences.’

President Donald Trump reinforced the administration’s announcement on Thursday, writing on Truth Social that the United States had ‘OFFICIALLY entered the next phase of Gaza’s 20-Point Peace Plan,’ following Witkoff’s remarks. Trump said that since the ceasefire, his team had helped deliver ‘RECORD LEVELS of Humanitarian Aid to Gaza, reaching Civilians at HISTORIC speed and scale,’ adding that ‘even the United Nations has acknowledged this achievement as UNPRECEDENTED.’

Trump wrote that these developments had ‘set the stage for this next phase,’ which he said would include backing a newly appointed Palestinian technocratic government, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, to govern the territory during a transitional period. Trump described himself as chairman of the Board of Peace and said the committee would be supported by the board’s high representative.

Trump again warned that Hamas must ‘IMMEDIATELY honor its commitments, including the return of the final body to Israel, and proceed without delay to full Demilitarization,’ adding, ‘They can do this the easy way, or the hard way.’ Trump concluded the post by saying, ‘The people of Gaza have suffered long enough. The time is NOW. PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.’

The new phase envisions the establishment of a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, while the United States works with Egypt and other regional partners to ensure compliance and stability. Yet the announcement offered few operational details, particularly regarding how Hamas would be disarmed after more than two decades of military control in the enclave.

France backs ceasefire, aid and long-term demilitarization

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Jérôme Bonnafont, France’s ambassador to the United Nations, called the ceasefire an ‘incredible achievement’ and said phase two could help lay the groundwork for peace without Hamas.

‘The Trump plan is establishing a ceasefire, which is an incredible achievement,’ Bonnafont said. ‘It has to go to a massive reopening of humanitarian aid, and it is going to be announced within a couple of days.’

He said the next stage includes an international stabilization force that would support reconstruction and contribute to Hamas’s disarmament.

‘That would help disarm Hamas, and that will help the Palestinian Authority return and democratically restart the management of Gaza as part of the Palestinian territory,’ he said.

Bonnafont emphasized that France views Israel’s security as a priority, particularly in the face of regional threats. ‘We have always been on the side of Israel when it comes, for example, to the threats by Iran to the existence of Israel,’ he said.

At the same time, he said France believes long-term security depends on the creation of a demilitarized Palestinian state living in peace with Israel. ‘We believe that security for Israel in the long term comes with the creation of Palestine,’ Bonnafont said. ‘A Palestine that has to be independent but demilitarized and in peace with Israel.’

The United Nations also welcomed the announcement of phase two, calling it ‘an important step’ while emphasizing adherence to international law and existing U.N. resolutions.

A plan advances, but the hardest problem remains

Israeli and U.S. security analysts broadly agree that phase two cannot succeed without addressing Hamas’s weapons and coercive power.

Dr. Avner Golov, vice president of the Israeli policy institute Mind Israel, told Fox News Digital that, ‘The central challenge is Hamas’s demilitarization,’ Golov said. ‘The only actors truly willing to dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities are the Israelis, and as long as Hamas remains armed, there should be no rebuilding and no IDF withdrawal from the current defensive line.’

‘In the end, there must be a credible military threat from the IDF against Hamas,’ he said. ‘Without such a threat, I see no chance that Hamas will voluntarily disarm.’

Golov also pointed to what he described as a gap between diplomatic commitments and action by regional actors. ‘The key test is Turkey and Qatar,’ he said. ‘They signed a document committing to Hamas’s disarmament, but since then they have not demonstrated real commitment to implementing it.’

Reconstruction without security seen as unrealistic

Jonathan Ruhe, a fellow for American Strategy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), argued that phase two presents a detailed reconstruction framework but avoids the most politically difficult decision.

‘The peace plan offers a detailed framework for rebuilding Gaza and promoting better governance,’ Ruhe said. ‘But it’s silent on the ‘who’ and ‘how’ of disarming Hamas.’

‘As long as Hamas can interrupt aid distribution, intimidate and kill Gazans who want a better future, and threaten renewed war with Israel, international investment in reconstruction and reform will be near zero,’ he said.

While Trump’s plan calls for Hamas to disarm voluntarily, Ruhe also said Hamas has little reason to do so. ‘Hamas refuses because it thinks it won the war,’ he said. ‘Now there is an urgent need to decide who will disarm Hamas forcefully.’

Ruhe noted that a U.N. Security Council resolution authorizes an International Stabilization Force to disarm Hamas, but he said no country has been willing to put troops in that role. Instead, he said the Trump plan outlines a more limited mission for international forces, focused on guarding aid sites and preventing Hamas resupply.

‘Trump and Netanyahu both said Israel might have to disarm Hamas,’ Ruhe said. ‘But the IDF ground forces need to rest and refit after two years of grueling combat, and a major offensive risks blowing up the international coalition needed for phase two.’

He suggested that well-vetted private military contractors, overseen by U.S. security officials rather than U.S. Central Command, could play a role, though he acknowledged such a move would involve ‘hard fighting.’

A narrowing window

Despite diplomatic momentum, analysts interviewed by Fox News Digital cautioned that time may be working against the plan. ‘The status quo favors Hamas as it continues tightening its grip over its half of Gaza,’ Ruhe said. ‘Announcing the Board of Peace serves important diplomatic purposes, but it won’t mean much on the ground unless and until Hamas is disarmed.’

Golov echoed that assessment. ‘As long as Hamas remains armed, there should be no rebuilding and no IDF withdrawal from the current defensive line,’ he said.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Investing

BlackRock, Microsoft-Backed AI Venture Draws US$12.5 Billion

BlackRock (NYSE:BLK) has raised US$12.5 billion for its artificial intelligence–focused infrastructure venture backed by Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), as the world’s largest asset manager deepens its push to support surging AI demand.

The capital raise advances a long-term fundraising target of US$30 billion set when the partnership was unveiled in 2024. This positions the venture as one of the largest private efforts aimed at financing AI-related infrastructure globally.

With the use of leverage, BlackRock has said the platform could ultimately support as much as US$100 billion in total investment.

The partnership also brings together BlackRock and its infrastructure unit Global Infrastructure Partners alongside Microsoft, Abu Dhabi–based investment vehicle MGX, NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA), and xAI.

The group is focused on funding new and expanded data centers as well as the energy infrastructure required to power them, with the bulk of initial investments expected to be made in the US.

BlackRock’s recent assessment finds that energy and power infrastructure will become a primary beneficiary of AI-driven growth over the coming years.

In its latest Investment Directions report, which surveyed 732 Europe, Middle East, and Africa–based clients, BlackRock found that while AI remains central to investment thinking, enthusiasm for large US technology firms has cooled.

Only about one-fifth of respondents identified big tech as a compelling opportunity for 2026, signaling a shift after the strong rally in AI-related equities in 2025.

Instead, investors increasingly see power generation, grid upgrades, and related infrastructure as offering more durable returns as data center demand accelerates.

The AI infrastructure partnership was launched last year amid growing concern that constraints in electricity supply and grid capacity could slow the rollout of next-generation computing facilities.

By combining private equity capital with debt financing, the venture aims to scale investment quickly while spreading risk across a broad group of institutional backers.

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com