I recently took a ride down the world's fastest bobsled track at Whistler, British Columbia, which was built for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The bobsled sped through 1,450 meters of ice with a 150-meter drop, and speeds north of 120 km/h, all packed in just about 40 seconds. 

As the instructors reminded us, the descent is not devoid of risk. But unlike the recent slide across global equity, bond, and commodity markets, triggered by Middle East tensions, rising energy prices, and renewed inflation concerns, this one came with a clear track... and a defined finish line. 

In the Weekly Market Digest, despite the US Secretary of State commenting that the US/Israel conflict with Iran should end in a “...matter of weeks, not months”, the markets reacted with higher volatility. Precious metal equities had a positive week, outperforming gold and silver prices. The impacts on the supply of some critical metals supported base metal equities.

The Exploration Insights Portfolio had a strong week in line with precious and base metal benchmarks, driven by a strong move from a cash-flowing royalty generator after reporting its preliminary 2025 results. 

In The Rant, I highlight the impacts of the restriction of crude oil due to the Middle Eastern conflict on the mining sector, specifically on Australian production of iron ore, coal, and lithium, which have significant exposure to diesel prices and availability.

In Stock Talk, I cover a significant inflow of capital via a divestment for a gold developer in the western US and trench results from a PGE-gold +/- copper project in Brazil.