Near the boundary of Yellowstone National Park in southern Montana, a 65-year-old man survived a close encounter with a bison, although the attack left him with multiple fractures.

The one-ton animal had been grazing peacefully before suddenly charging the grandfather. He later remarked that while being tossed into the air was startling, the impact of returning to the ground proved far more painful.

Amid continued volatility across global commodity, equity, and fixed-income sectors, investors face a similar concern. While markets can absorb a series of shocks, the real question is whether the global economy can avoid a comparable "hard landing”.

In the Weekly Market Digest, the collapse of the ceasefire and the escalation of the conflict between the US and Iran in the Middle East and the impacts on the Strait of Hormuz, with renewed threats by the Houthis to close down another shipping route, supported a significant move in the oil price and higher real rates, which did not encourage the US equity markets. Precious metals rose as investors sought a safe-haven asset, which supported equities. Industrial metals were predominantly positive, lifting the equities leveraged to them.

The Exploration Insights portfolio was up 4.5% last week, led by a prospect generator in Eastern Europe and a grassroots copper explorer in Perú, while the laggards included a grassroots copper explorer in Australia and a prospect generator in northern Quebec, which raised funds. A Top Pick had a positive week despite raising capital last week.

In The Rant, I cover my recent trip to the Yukon Territory, which included site visits to a Top Pick, a grassroots gold explorer, and an advanced gold explorer.