Ramping up to the Precious Metals Summit in Colorado, junior companies shifted into high gear, accelerating their news flow and, in the process, effectively sealing the end of the summer. At the same time, they’ve been busy tucking their forward-looking statements under the usual “safe harbor” umbrella. 

In the Weekly Market Digest, a higher probability of a cut in US benchmark interest rates in September supported precious metals and the equities levered to them. In addition, the backdrop of falling real rates and strong precious metals prices bodes well for capital access for juniors for the remainder of 2025, although investors should be selective.

The Exploration Insights portfolio handily outperformed base metal equities but trailed the precious metal benchmark. The standouts were a highly levered gold development play in southern Idaho, a prospect generator in Quebec and another in Nevada, while the laggard was a Peruvian grassroots explorer.

This week’s Stock Talk focuses on a river of news. I review drill results from several copper and gold projects in eastern Peru, southeastern Australia, central Kazakhstan, and a Top Pick in northwestern Argentina with mixed results. A gold developer in Idaho advances its metallurgical testwork while a prospect generator in Quebec discovers a new gold showing. A Finland-focused explorer closes a cryptic financing transaction. Finally, a Top Pick copper developer in Arizona completes an infill drill program.