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September 20, 2025

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The S&P 500 ($SPX) just logged its fifth straight trading box breakout, which means that, of the five trading ranges the index has experienced since the April lows, all have been resolved to the upside.

How much longer can this last? That’s been the biggest question since the massive April 9 rally. Instead of assuming the market is due to roll over, it’s been more productive to track price action and watch for potential changes along the way. So far, drawdowns have been minimal, and breakouts keep occurring. Nothing in the price action hints at a lasting change — yet.

While some are calling this rally “historic,” we have a recent precedent. Recall that from late 2023 through early 2024, the index had a strong start and gave way to a consistent, steady trend.

From late October 2023 through March 2024, the S&P 500 logged seven consecutive trading box breakouts. That streak finally paused with a pullback from late March to early April, which, as we now know, was only a temporary hiccup. Once the bid returned, the S&P 500 went right back to carving new boxes and climbing higher.

New 52-Week Highs Finally Picking Up

If there’s been one gripe about this rally, it’s that the number of new highs within the index has lagged. As we’ve discussed before, among all the internal breadth indicators available, new highs almost always lag — that’s normal. What we really want to see is whether the number of new highs begins to exceed prior peaks as the market continues to rise, which it has, as shown by the blue line in the chart below.

As of Wednesday’s close, 100 S&P 500 stocks were either at new 52-week highs or within 3% of them. That’s a strong base. We expect this number to continue rising as the market climbs, especially if positive earnings reactions persist across sectors.

Even when we get that first day with 100+ S&P 500 stocks making new 52-week highs, though, it might not be the best time to initiate new longs.

The above chart shows that much needs to align for that many stocks to peak in unison, which has historically led to at least a short-term consolidation, if not deeper pullbacks — as highlighted in yellow. Every time is different, of course, but this is something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.

Trend Check: GoNoGo Still “Go”

The GoNoGo Trend remains in bullish mode, with the recent countertrend signals having yet to trigger a greater pullback.

Active Bullish Patterns

We still have two live bullish upside targets of 6,555 and 6,745, which could be with us for a while going forward. For the S&P 500 to get there, it will need to form new, smaller versions of the trading boxes.

Failed Bearish Patterns

In the chart below, you can view a rising wedge pattern on the recent price action, the third since April. The prior two wedges broke down briefly and did not lead to a major downturn. The largest pullbacks in each case occurred after the S&P 500 dipped below the lower trendline of the pattern.

The deepest drawdown so far is 3.5%, which is not exactly a game-changer. Without downside follow-through, a classic bearish pattern simply can’t be formed, let alone be broken down from.

We’ll continue to monitor these formations as they develop because, at some point, that will change.

Statistics Canada released July’s monthly mineral production survey on Friday (September 19). The data showed gold production increased month-over-month, while copper and silver declined; shipments, however, saw broad declines from June for all three metals.

Gold production increased significantly to 18,855 kilograms compared to 16,935 kilograms in June. Meanwhile, copper production fell to 37.99 million kilograms from 39.17 million kilograms in June, and silver production slipped to 25,345 kilograms from 28,390 kilograms.

As for shipments, gold shipments slid to 16,748 kilograms from 18,554, copper fell to 39.28 million kilograms from 45.96 million, and silver decreased to 26,397 kilograms from 31,181.

StatsCan released August’s consumer price index (CPI) data on Tuesday (September 16), the day before the Bank of Canada’s interest rate decision. The release showed that all-items inflation rose 1.9 percent on a yearly basis, up from the 1.7 percent recorded in July.

The agency attributed the faster growth in headline inflation in part to a slower year-over-year decline in gasoline prices, which fell 12.7 percent in August versus 16.1 percent in July, resulting in a less moderating effect on inflation than during the previous month.

StatsCan noted that without volatile gasoline prices included, CPI in August rose 2.4 percent year-over-year after registering a 2.5 percent increase in the three previous months.

The Bank of Canada chose to reduce its benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points to 2.5 percent on Wednesday (September 17), noting ‘a weaker economy and less upside risk to inflation.’ It marks the first cut since March, when it set the rate at 2.75 percent.

South of the border, the US Federal Reserve held its September meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee on Tuesday and Wednesday. The US central bank also chose to cut 25 basis points from the Federal Funds Rate, bringing it to the 4 percent to 4.25 percent range. It is the first change to the interest rate since the last 25 basis point cut in December 2024.

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

Markets and commodities react

Canadian equity markets were in positive territory this week.

The S&P/TSX Composite Index (INDEXTSI:OSPTX) set another new record high this week, ending the week up 1.29 percent to 29,768.36. The S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index (INDEXTSI:JX) performed even better, climbing 2.65 percent to finish Friday at 904.80, its first close above 900 since January 2022. The CSE Composite Index (CSE:CSECOMP) also jumped, gaining 4.98 percent to end the week at 162.04.

The gold price was in focus again this week as it climbed to another new record, reaching an intraday high of US$3,707 per ounce on Wednesday ahead of the FOMC meeting. While the price retreated slightly to US$3,642 on Thursday, it ended the week up 1.15 percent overall at US$3,685.26 per ounce.

The silver price was also volatile, rising to US$42.83 per ounce early in the week before dipping below US$42 per ounce in mid-week trading. It bounced back to end the week on 14 year highs, gaining 2.11 percent to close Friday at US$43.08.

Copper saw its mid-week gains erased by the end of the week, closing Friday largely flat at US$4.63 per pound. The S&P Goldman Sachs Commodities Index (INDEXSP:SPGSCI) echoed those movements with a 0.06 percent gain to end the week at 545.95.

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. EDT 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. Japan Gold (TSXV:JG)

Weekly gain: 119.05 percent
Market cap: C$50.3 million
Share price: C$0.23

Japan Gold is an exploration company focused on a portfolio of Japan-based gold assets.

Its most advanced property is the Mizobe gold project located in Southern Kyushu. The site hosts several exploration targets covering an area of 2 kilometers by 2.5 kilometers and has produced river float samples up to 18.9 g/t of gold.

The company is also working on a trio of projects with Barrick (TSX:ABX,NYSE:B), the most advanced of which is the Hakuryu project located in Northern Hokkaido. The company has identified several targets, including the Hakuryu No. 3 vein, which hosts a 360 meter main zone with a thickness of 20 meters.

Shares in Japan Gold gained significantly at the end of the week; however, the company has not released news since September 9, when it reported that it had mobilized for a four-hole, 1,600 meter drill program at Mizobe.

2. Minnova (TSXV:MCI)

Weekly gain: 110 percent
Market cap: C$21.06 million
Share price: C$0.21

Minnova is an exploration and development company advancing its brownfield PL gold mine in Manitoba, Canada.

The property consists of 28 mining claims and covers an area of 5,114 hectares. An April 2018 feasibility study for the project indicated project economics with an after-tax net present value of C$36.7 million, an internal rate of return of 53 percent and a payback period of 1.2 years, calculated at a gold price of US$1,250 per ounce.

The company has been working to restart the mine over the past few years, but faced funding shortfalls. Trading for Minnova was halted on August 6 as it worked to resolve financial issues to maintain its listing on the TSXV.

On September 11, the company announced that trading would resume on the TSXV alongside a corporate update. It disclosed that it had a working capital deficiency of C$544,611 and is planning a private placement to address the shortfall. Funds will also go towards ongoing activities at PL, including drilling, test work and updated NI 43-101 techno-economic studies.

Minnova also announced that it is advancing plans for preliminary open-pit and underground mine design and layout, and that work on a new mine development plan that takes into account higher gold prices is underway.

Shares in Minnova have surged since trading resumed earlier this week from their price of under C$0.10 before the halt.

3. Stamper Oil and Gas (TSXV:STMP)

Weekly gain: 98.26 percent
Market cap: C$16.02 million
Share price: C$0.018

Stamper Oil and Gas is an exploration and development company working to advance offshore projects in Namibia.

The company holds an interest in five exploration blocks in Namibia; its most significant holding is a 32.9 percent stake in PEL 107 located in the Orange Basin. PEL 107 covers an area of 5,484 square kilometers and is located 210 kilometers from shore in an area that hosts three multi-billion-barrel discoveries since 2022.

The company has been conducting seismic work ahead of the planned drilling of an exploration well set to commence in 2027.

Stamper completed the acquisition of its holdings in the Namibian blocks on September 10, when it reported it had closed its purchase of BISP Exploration, originally announced on May 12.

4. New Break Resources (CSE:NBRK)

Weekly gain: 93.33 percent
Market cap: C$17.03 million
Share price: C$0.29

New Break Resources is a gold exploration company working to advance its Moray gold project in Northeastern Ontario, Canada.

The property is located near Timmins, within the Abitibi Greenstone Belt, and spans an area of 10,326 hectares. Additionally, it is situated 32 kilometres northwest of Alamos Gold’s (TSX:AGI) Young-Davidson gold mine, which produced 174,000 ounces of gold in 2024.

On Wednesday, New Break announced results from its six-hole, 1,502-meter maiden diamond drilling program at the site. The company highlighted one assay with an average grade of 4.11 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold over 31.3 meters, including an interval of 6.75 g/t over 7.1 meters.

The prior week, the company closed the final tranche of an oversubscribed private placement. In total, the company raised proceeds of C$1 million over three tranches, which will be used for ongoing exploration at Moray and for general working capital purposes.

5. Clean Tech Vanadium Mining (TSXV:CTV)

Weekly gain: 91.67 percent
Market cap: C$15.77 million
Share price: C$0.115

CleanTech Vanadium is an exploration company working to advance several critical mineral projects in the US.

Its most recent focus has been on its Kentucky-Illinois fluorspar projects, which consist of over a dozen deposits covering over 8,150 acres along the border of Kentucky and Illinois. Mining in the region dates back to the late 1800s and has produced 12.5 million metric tons of fluorspar, according to the company.

CleanTech also owns the Gibellini vanadium project in Nevada, US. The project has been approved for multiple state permits and received a positive environmental impact statement from the Bureau of Land Management. According to the project page, the site covers 21 kilometers and hosts a measured and indicated vanadium oxide resource of 127 million pounds.

Additionally, the company announced on August 6 that it had acquired the El Triunfo gold-antimony project near La Paz, Bolivia, from Silver Elephant for cash considerations of C$155,000.

The most recent announcement from CleanTech came on Tuesday when it welcomed an additional US$1 billion in funding programs from the Department of Energy (DoE) that was announced on August 13. It also highlighted the continued inclusion of fluorspar, germanium, gallium, indium and vanadium on the US Geological Survey’s Critical Minerals list.

CleanTech stated that it intends to explore funding options with the DoE, with a focus on advancing its Illinois-Kentucky fluorspar district. The company noted that the Department of Defense is funding research at the nearby Hicks Dome rare earth and fluorspar project in Illinois.

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

Gold hit yet another new price record this week, rising past US$3,700 per ounce.

The yellow metal broke that level on Wednesday (September 16), the first day of the US Federal Reserve’s meeting, and then did it again the next day just after the gathering wrapped up.

The Fed was widely anticipated to cut interest rates, and that’s exactly what happened — it announced a 25 basis point reduction to the 4 to 4.25 percent range, with Chair Jerome Powell describing it to reporters as a ‘risk-management cut.’

Although inflation is still outside the Fed’s 2 percent target, Powell said the central bank has shifted its focus toward the jobs market due to a change in the balance of risks — in his view, it’s no longer possible to call the labor market ‘very solid.’

‘Labor demand has softened, and the recent pace of job creation appears to be running below the break-even rate needed to hold the unemployment rate constant.’ — Jerome Powell, US Federal Reserve

All Fed governors were in favor of the 25 basis point cut, with the exception of new addition Stephen Miran, who wanted to see a 50 basis point decline. Miran, who is on leave from his position at the White House Council of Economic Advisers, was confirmed by the Senate this week. He was selected by US President Donald Trump to replace Adriana Kugler.

Miran’s new role at the Fed has raised questions about the central bank’s independence, as Trump has now nominated three out of seven governors. Lisa Cook, who Trump attempted to fire in August, ultimately did not lose her position after a federal appeals court ruling.

Looking forward, the Fed’s latest dot plot shows policymakers expect two additional 25 basis point cuts this year, which would take rates to the 3.5 to 3.75 percent level.

In 2026, they are currently anticipating only one quarter-point reduction.

Going back to gold, it took a breather after passing US$3,700, sinking back down to the US$3,640 level after the Fed’s meeting. It was back at up at US$3,685 as of Friday (September 19) afternoon.

While that’s a fairly big move in a short amount of time, many experts agree that right now it’s the big picture that’s important for gold, not day-to-day factors.

Here’s how Will Rhind of GraniteShares explained it:

‘I think the main thing that’s driving gold, like I said, is this alternative to the dollar. People want an alternative to fiat money and particularly the dollar, and also to traditional stocks and bonds. And so gold’s appeal as being a genuine alternative, an uncorrelated alternative grows by the month, seemingly.’

Bullet briefing — Gold M&A heats up, GDX switches index

Newmont announces sale of Coffee

Denver Gold Group hosted its Mining Forum Americas in Colorado Springs this week, bringing together the gold sector’s major players — and with them a slew of news.

Among the major transactions announced was Newmont’s (TSX:NGT,NYSE:NEM,ASX:NEM) sale of its Yukon-based Coffee project to explorer Fuerte Metals (TSXV:FMT,OTCQB:FUEMF), formerly Atacama Copper, for total consideration of up to US$150 million.

The Coffee transaction is the latest in a series of divestments from Newmont, which is looking to cut costs and hone in on tier-one assets after buying Newcrest Mining in 2023. Once the deal goes through, Newmont will have sold all six operations and two projects it set out to trim.

‘The sale of the Coffee Project reflects our ongoing efforts to streamline the portfolio and sharpen our focus on core operations’ — Tom Palmer, Newmont

During the last gold bull market, major miners were criticized for doing high-priced deals and letting costs spiral out of control — this time, they appear to be taking steps to avoid that.

Alamos to divest Turkish subsidiary

Also divesting an asset this week was Alamos Gold (TSX:AGI,NYSE:AGI), which said it plans to sell its Turkish subsidiary to a unit of industrial conglomerate Nurol Holding.

The US$470 million agreement will take several assets off Alamos’ hands, including its Kirazlı gold project, which has been blocked since 2019, when its mining licenses were not renewed amid protests. Alamos filed a $1 billion claim against Turkey in response, but said arbitration will be suspended and ultimately discontinued if certain contractual milestones are met.

‘This transaction marks a positive outcome, allowing us to crystallize significant value for our Turkish assets, and utilize the proceeds to support the development of our portfolio of other high-return growth projects’ — John A. McCluskey, Alamos Gold

Zijin Gold plans IPO

Zijin Gold International, which operates all of Zijin Mining Group’s (OTC Pink:ZIJMF,HKEX:2899,SHA:601899) mines outside of China, is lining up a Hong Kong initial public offering (IPO) that could raise over US$3 billion.

Trading is set to begin on September 29, and the deal will value Zijin Gold at US$24.1 billion. According to Zijin Gold’s prospectus, it ranks ninth and eleventh globally in terms of gold reserves and production, respectively. The IPO is reportedly the world’s largest since May, and of course comes as gold continues on its record-setting price run.

GDX makes index switch

The VanEck Gold Miners ETF (ARCA:GDX), better known as GDX, began tracking a new index on Friday. It now follows the MarketVector Global Gold Miners Index.

VanEck announced the change at the beginning of June, saying that it would coincide with GDX’s regular index reconstitution and rebalance cycle. In an update this week, the company shared how the shift will impact weightings for its holdings. While in many cases the difference is less than a percentage point, there are some larger changes — for example, Newmont’s weighting is falling by 6.04 percent; in addition, some companies have been removed or added.

So far VanEck hasn’t announced changes for the VanEck Junior Gold Miners ETF (ARCA:GDXJ). Adjustments to that fund could be interesting — market participants often note that it doesn’t provide true exposure to exploration-stage companies.

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream brand, has stepped down from the company he started 47 years ago citing a retreat from its campaigning spirit under parent company Unilever.

Greenfield wrote in an open letter late Tuesday night — shared on X by his co-founder Ben Cohen — that he could no longer ‘in good conscience’ remain an employee of the company and said the company had been ‘silenced.’

He said the company’s values and campaigning work on ‘peace, justice, and human rights’ allowed it to be ‘more than just an ice cream company’ and said the independence to pursue this was guaranteed when Anglo-Dutch packaged food giant Unilever bought the brand in 2000 for $326 million.

Cohen’s statement didn’t mention Israel’s ongoing military operation in Gaza, but Ben & Jerry’s has been outspoken on the treatment of Palestinians for years and in 2021 withdrew sales from Israeli settlements in what it called ‘Occupied Palestinian Territory.’

Greenfield’s resignation comes five months after Ben & Jerry’s filed a lawsuit accusing Unilever of firing its chief executive, David Stever, over his support for the brand’s political activism. In November last year Ben & Jerry’s filed another lawsuit accusing Unilever of silencing its public statements in support of Palestinian refugees.

‘It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone,’ Greenfield said.

‘And it’s happening at a time when our country’s current administration is attacking civil rights, voting rights, the rights of immigrants, women, and the LGBTQ community,’ he added.

Jerry Greenfield, left, and Bennett Cohen, the founders of Ben and Jerry’s founders, in Burlington, Vt., in 1987.Toby Talbot / AP file

Richard Goldstein, the then president of Unilever Foods North America, said in a statement after the sale in 2000 that Unilever was ‘in an ideal position to bring the Ben & Jerry’s brand, values and socially responsible message to consumers worldwide.’

But now Greenfield claims Ben & Jerry’s ‘has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power.’ He said he would carry on campaigning on social justice issues outside the company.

The financial performance of the Ben & Jerry’s brand isn’t made public but Unilever’s ice cream division made 8.3 billion Euros ($9.8 billion) in revenue in 2024. Unilever is in the process of spinning off its ice cream division, however, into a separate entity which involves cutting some 7,500 jobs across its brands globally.

Cohen and Greenfield founded the business in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont, where it is still based.

NBC News has contacted Unilever for comment overnight but had not received any at the time of publication.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS