20 year copper price performance.

Chart via Macrotrends.

The pandemic’s impact on mine supply and refined copper in 2020 pushed prices higher despite the economic slowdown. The copper price climbed from a low of US$2.17 in March to close out the year at US$3.52.

In 2021, signs of economic recovery and supercharged interest in EVs and renewable energy pushed the price of copper to rally higher and higher. Copper topped US$4.90 per pound for the first time ever on May 10, 2021, before falling back to close at US$4.76.

Also affecting the copper price at that time was expectations for higher copper demand amid supply concerns out of two of the world’s major copper producers: Chile and Peru. In late April 2021, port workers in Chile called for a strike, while in Peru presidential candidate Pedro Castillo proposed nationalizing mining and redrafting the country’s constitution.

In early May 2021, news broke that copper inventories were at their lowest point in 15 years. Expert market watchers such as Bank of America commodity strategist Michael Widmer warned that further inventory declines into 2022 could lead to a copper market deficit.

After climbing to start 2022 at US$4.52, the copper price continued to spike on economic recovery expectations and supply shortages to reach US$5.02 per pound on March 6. Throughout the first quarter, fears of supply chain disruptions and historically low stockpiles amid rising copper demand drove prices higher.

However, copper prices pulled back in mid-2022 on worries that further COVID-19 lockdowns in China, as well as a growing mortgage crisis, would slow down construction and infrastructure activity in the Asian nation. Rising inflation and interest hikes by the Fed also placed downward pressure on a wide basket of commodities, including copper. By late July 2022, copper prices were trading down at nearly a two year low of around US$3.30.

In the early months of 2023 the copper price was trading over the US$4 per pound level after receiving a helpful boost from continuing concerns about low copper inventories, signs of rebounding demand from China, and news about the closure of Peru’s Las Bambas mine, which accounts for 2 percent of global copper production.

However, that boost turned to a bust in the second half of 2023 as China continued to experience real estate sector issues, alongside the economic woes of the rest of the world. The price of copper dropped to a low for the year of US$3.56 per pound in mid October.

Elevated supply levels kept copper trading in the US$3.50 to US$3.80 range for much of Q1 2024 before experiencing strong gains that pushed the price of the red metal to US$4.12 on March 18.

Those gains were attributed to in part to tighter copper concentrate supply following the closure of First Quantum Minerals’ Cobre Panama mine, guidance cuts from Anglo American (LSE:AAL,OTCQX:AAUKF) and declining production at Chile’s Chuquicamata mine. In addition, China’s top copper smelters announced production cuts after limited supply led to lower profits from treatment and refining charges.

BHP’s (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BHP,LSE:BHP) attempted takeover of Anglo American also stoked fears of even tighter global copper mine supply. These supply-side challenges continued to juice copper prices in Q2 2024, causing a jump of nearly 29 percent from US$4.04 per pound on April 1 to a then all-time high of US$5.20 by May 20, 2024.

What was the highest price for copper ever?

The price of copper reached its highest recorded price of US$5.72 per pound, or US$12,610 per metric ton, on July 8, 2025. The red metal’s price surged more than 13 percent from July 7 to its new all time high. Read on to found out how the copper price reached those heights.

Markets and commodities react

In Canada, equity markets were mostly positive this week. The S&P/TSX Composite Index (INDEXTSI:OSPTX) gained 1 percent to close at 27,314.01 on Friday (July 18) and set a new all-time high during the week. The S&P/TSX Venture Composite Index (INDEXTSI:JX) fared even better this week, gaining 2.53 percent to 797.75. However, the CSE Composite Index (CSE:CSECOMP) fell 2.6 percent to 126.84.

As for US equity markets, the S&P 500 (INDEXSP:INX) gained 0.66 percent to close Friday at 6,296.78 and the Nasdaq 100 (INDEXNASDAQ:NDX) climbed 1.35 percent to 23,065.47, with both also setting new record highs during the week. On the other hand, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:.DJI) fell 0.1 percent to 44,342.20.

In precious metals, the gold price rose 0.78 percent over the week to US$3,349.66 by Friday at 5 p.m. EDT. Meanwhile, the silver price continued to trade near 11-year highs, climbing 3.13 percent on the week to US$38.15 per ounce.

In base metals, copper ended the week were it started out, but was still trading near all time highs at US$5.60 per pound. The S&P GSCI (INDEXSP:SPGSCI) posted a 1.26 percent gain to finish the week at 551.61.

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.

Stock data for this article was retrieved at 4 p.m. EDT on Friday using TradingView’s stock screener. Only companies trading on the TSX, TSXV and CSE with market capitalizations 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. Altima Energy (TSXV:ARH)

Weekly gain: 97.96 percent
Market cap: C$43.99 million
Share price: C$0.97

Altima Energy is a light oil and natural gas exploration and development company with operations in Alberta, Canada.

Its primary asset is the Richdale property in Central Alberta. The property consists of five producing light oil wells and sits on 5,920 acres of long-term reserves. The property hosts combined proved and probable reserves of just under 2 billion barrels of oil equivalent, with a pre-tax net present value of C$25.8 million.

The company also owns two wells at its Twinning light oil site near Nisku, seven producing wells at its Red Earth property in Northern Alberta and two multi-zone wells at its Chambers Ferrier liquid gas production property.

Shares in Altima started to gain after it released news on July 8 that it had completed a private placement for proceeds of up to C$5.5 million. Under the terms of the deal, the company will issue 20 million units at C$0.275 per unit, which each include one common share and one warrant allowing the holder to purchase a common share for C$0.40.

The company said that part of the proceeds would be used to complete field upgrades at its Red Earth and Richdale properties.

2. Kirkland Lake Discoveries (TSXV:KLDC)

Weekly gain: 81.82 percent
Market cap: C$11.26 million
Share price: C$0.10

Kirkland Lake Discoveries is a gold and copper exploration company focused on projects in its district-scale land package located in the Kirkland Lake area of Ontario, Canada.

Its holdings span an area of approximately 38,000 hectares in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt that has been host to past-producing gold and copper mines. It is broadly divided into KL West and KL East, which contain the Goodfish-Kirana and Lucky Strike gold projects, respectively, among others.

On April 29, the company announced it entered into a mining option agreement with Val-d’Or Mining (TSXV:VZZ) to acquire a 100 percent interest in the Winnie Lake and Amikougami properties, as well as mining claim purchase agreements with two vendors to acquire further claims around the Winnie Lake Pluton. The properties expand KL West’s southern portion.

Following the agreement, the company conducted grab samples at the Winnie Lake property and reported the results on July 9. One grab sample collected near the historic Winnie Shaft zone yielded grades of 1.6 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold, 28.2 g/t silver, 5.7 percent copper, 5.3 percent zinc and 1.65 g/t tellurium.

The company also discovered a quartz-veined intrusive outcrop 150 meters west of the shaft during field prospecting, with samples displaying characteristics of magmatic-hydrothermal copper-gold systems, including visible malachite and strong potassic alteration.

Additionally, Kirkland Lake reported it has received full drill permits for Winnie Lake and plans to initiate activities at the site this summer, focusing on the newly defined zones.

3. Happy Creek Minerals (TSXV:HPY)

Weekly gain: 70 percent
Market cap: C$10.33 million
Share price: C$0.085

Happy Creek Minerals is an exploration company focused on advancing a portfolio of assets in British Columbia, Canada.

Its primary focus has been on its Fox tungsten property located in the South Caribou region of the province. It comprises 135.9 square kilometers of mineral tenure and hosts deposits containing tungsten, molybdenum, zinc, indium, gold and silver. In total, 21,125 meters of exploration drilling have been carried out at the site, primarily in shallow holes, for resource definition.

Happy Creek’s share price began climbing Tuesday after the company announced a non-brokered private placement to raise gross proceeds of up to C$3.25 million in flow-through units at C$0.07 per share and non-flow-through units at C$0.05 per share.

The following day, Happy Creek upsized the offering to C$3.75 million.

The company plans to use the gross proceeds for drilling, exploration and development at Fox, as well as other exploration work in the Caribou.

4. Camino Minerals (TSXV:COR)

Weekly gain: 56.52 percent
Market cap: C$13.5 million
Share price: C$0.36

Camino Minerals is a copper exploration and development company with a portfolio of projects in Chile and Peru.

Earlier in 2025, the company shifted its focus to its newly acquired, construction-ready Puquois copper project in Chile.

In October 2024, Camino entered a definitive agreement to create a 50/50 joint venture with Nittetsu Mining (TSE:1515) that would acquire Cuprum Resources, which owns the Puquios project. The partners completed the acquisition April 17 and said they would turn their attention to project financing.

On March 17, Camino filed a prefeasibility study for the project. The study results demonstrate a post-tax net present value of US$118 million, with an internal rate of return of 23.4 percent and a payback period of 3.1 years at a fixed copper price of US$4.28. It also outlines all-in sustaining costs of US$2.00 per pound over a 14.2 year mine life.

In addition to the economic details, the included mineral resource estimate shows a measured and indicated resource of 149,000 metric tons of copper from 32.16 million metric tons of ore grading 0.46 percent copper.

Camino also owns the Los Chapitos project, which has been a long-time focus of the company. The project covers approximately 22,000 hectares near the coastal town of Chala, Peru, and hosts near-surface mineralization.

Camino has been conducting exploration efforts at Los Chapitos throughout the first half of 2025. On Wednesday, it reported trench results from the newly identified Mirador zone, including 1.07 percent copper over 90 meters, with a four-meter section containing 3.05 percent copper.

5. Solstice Gold (TSXV:SGC)

Weekly gain: 56.25 percent
Market cap: C$29.38 million
Share price: C$0.125

Solstice Gold is an exploration company focused on its flagship Strathy gold project in Ontario, which it acquired in June 2024.

The project consists of 45 claims covering an area of 45 square kilometers in the Temagami Greenstone belt. Historical documents report six gold showings in the central portion of the project areas, with documented mineralization at the Leckie prospect.

In its latest project update on July 2, Solstice announced it had wrapped up its spring drill program, which focused on four target areas. In total, the company completed 3,125 meters of drilling across 14 holes, and results are expected in July.

The company also reported that it had entered into an agreement to acquire 17 additional claims, which would increase the project area by 50 percent. It added that targets identified from its IP program may extend along strike into these claims.

FAQs for Canadian mining stocks

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.

Gold pricing 101

Gold pricing is often characterized as being driven by “fear and uncertainty,” at least in the short run, including geopolitical fears like war and economic uncertainties such as recession. It is also typically recognized to be an “inflation hedge,” in the long run anyway.

Gold is an asset with a price determined in a 24/7/365 global auction, most often quoted per troy ounce, in the world’s reserve currency of US dollars. New supply plays an unusually small role compared to almost all other commodities, goods or services. Thus, highest bid wins.

Perhaps none of these things about gold, and its price, are new nor surprising. But what might be, despite the end of the gold standard in 1971 and legalization of gold investment in 1974, is that gold is still a shadow currency to fiat ones, especially US dollar, in the ‘always run.’

The annual gold price from 1960 to 2024 is displayed below, as sourced from the World Bank. Rises include: late 1970s; late 2000s; and mid 2020s. Slides include: early 1980s; late 1990s; and early 2010s. Overall growth was: Sum 555 percent; Ave 8.7 percent; Max 98 percent; Min –24 percent; and CAGR 6.8 percent.

Gold yearly growth ($).

Source: World Bank.

Money supply 101

Gold is the inflation hedge, precisely because it is shadow currency. Money supply is the inflation source, precisely because it is fiat currency. As Chicago economist Milton Friedman wrote in Money Mischief (1994): “In the modern world, inflation is a printing-press phenomenon.”

There are multiple money supply measures, such as M0, M1, M2 and M3. M1 includes paper and coin currency held by the general public as well as liquid bank deposits (e.g. checking accounts). M3 includes M1, plus less liquid bank deposits (e.g. savings accounts) as well as “repos.”

Austrian economist Robert Murphy details in Understanding Money Mechanics (2021) just how the Fed’s printing, Treasury bonds and bank loans create US money supply, through open market operations. Since 2008 and 2020, the Fed has expanded to buying and selling just about anything.

Speaking on behalf of the Fed, and all major central banks, the Bank of England wrote in Money Creation in the Modern Economy (2014): “(B)ank lending creates deposits. At that moment, new money is created. (This is) ‘fountain pen money,’ created at the stroke of bankers’ pens(.)”

Annual M1 and M3 money supply from 1960 to 2024 are displayed below, as sourced from the OECD. M3 starts to take off from the mid 1990s. Both blast off in the early 2020s, M1 in part due to redefinition. Combined growth was: Sum 533 percent; Ave 8.3 percent; Max 126 percent; Min –6.4 percent; and CAGR 7.4 percent.

Money yearly growth ($).

Source: OECD.

Gold inflation 101

Christian economist Gary North points out in Honest Money (2011) that businesses have three choices in the face of money inflation: A) profit deflation; B) price inflation; C) quality shrinkflation. Investors have a fourth: D) gold inflation. A, B, and C are all bad options. D is good.

The chart below shows cumulative annual growth of gold versus M1 and M3. Gold performs and protects against both M1 and M3 from 1974 to 2019, even in 2001, but not against M1 from 2020 to 2024. In 2019, gold had a 150 percent lead on M1 and 92 percent on M3. By 2022, it shrunk to –110 percent and 80 percent.

Cumulative yearly growth (percent).

Sources: OECD and World Bank.

A 2020 regression study found: “When the Federal Reserve increases money supply by 1%, gold prices increase by 0.94%.” A 2023 academic paper: “Confirms a long-term relationship between gold price and US M2.” Note that M1’s 2021 redefinition has now made it nearly identical to M1.

Period yearly change (percent).

Sources: OECD and World Bank.

However, the authors of Austrian School for Investors (2015) wrote: “Gold does not correlate with the rate of inflation as such, but with the rate of change of the inflation rate. In order to buttress this hypothesis, we calculated the regression depicted in (the chart below).”

Source: Austrian School for Investors: Austrian Investing between Inflation and Deflation.

In conclusion, as per my Wokenomics 101 (2023) ghost blog, money inflation by: “increasing demand puts upward pressure on price and quantity and downward pressure on quality.” That puts upward pressure on: nominal CPI and GDP statistics; as well as real gold investment and price.

Inflation doesn’t harm all. It helps some. They are the “Bootleggers and Baptists,” as Public Choice economist Bruce Yandle dubbed them in 1983. Bootleggers are crony capitalists, politicians and bureaucrats whose inflated revenue outpaces costs. Baptists are the “useful idiots.”

Thus, “Follow the Money” back to the “inflationistas” of: Big Business; Big Government; and Big Banks. All gain supernormal profits from easy money: one, making more money; two, collecting more money; and three, creating more money. Also, “Follow the Money” when it comes to gold.

And, sadly, there is one policy that is always bipartisan; print more money. But, gladly, gold will always win.

About Darren Brady Nelson

Darren Brady Nelson is chief economist with Fisher Liberty Gold and policy advisor to The Heartland Institute. He previously was economic advisor to Australian Senator Malcolm Roberts. He authored the Ten Principles of Regulation and Reform, and the CPI-X approach to budget cuts.

Bitcoin and Ethereum price update

Bitcoin (BTC) was priced at US$118,687, up by 0.8 percent in the last 24 hours. The day’s range for the cryptocurrency brought a low of US$117,829 and a high of US$120,689.

Bitcoin price performance, July 18, 2025.

Chart via TradingView

Ethereum (ETH) was priced at US$3,604.95, up by 7.2 percent over the past 24 hours. Its lowest valuation as of Friday was US$3,382.09 and its highest was US$3,669.85.

Altcoin price update

• Solana (SOL) was priced at US$180.04, up by 4.1 percent over 24 hours. Its lowest valuation on Wednesday was US$172.08, and its highest was US$184.13.

• XRP was trading for US$3.45, up 7.8 percent in the past 24 hours. The cryptocurrency’s lowest valuation was US$3.21, and its highest was US$3.65.

• Sui (SUI) is trading at US$4.03, down by 2.7 percent over the past 24 hours. Its lowest valuation was US$3.91, and its highest was US$4.23.

• Cardano (ADA) was trading at US$0.8524, up by 4.3 percent over 24 hours. Its lowest violation was US$0.7885 while its highest was US$0.8865.

Today’s crypto news to know

US passes first major federal crypto regulation

The US Congress has passed the first-ever federal law to regulate stablecoins—marking a milestone victory for the digital asset industry.

The bill, formally titled the “Genius Act,” cleared the House this week after earlier winning bipartisan support in the Senate.

It now awaits President Trump’s signature, which would make it the first major digital asset legislation enacted into law in the US. The legislation establishes clear oversight for stablecoin issuers, including requirements for reserve backing, regular audits, and compliance with anti-money laundering and sanctions laws.

Lawmakers argue that such rules are necessary to ensure the safety of a fast-growing market that is pegged to the US dollar but has, until now, operated in a regulatory gray zone.

Stablecoins are used to facilitate trading, payments, and transfers within the crypto ecosystem without the volatility of traditional cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently stated the law could help grow the stablecoin market to US$3.7 trillion by 2030.

Two other bills also passed the House during the so-called “Crypto Week”: one defining which crypto assets are securities or commodities, and another barring the Fed from launching a US central bank digital currency.

These bills will now proceed to the Senate, but the Genius Act’s passage alone is already being hailed as a defining moment in the evolution of U.S. crypto regulation.

Crypto market soars past US$4 trillion after bill’s passage

The global crypto market capitalization has topped US$4 trillion for the first time, spurred by optimism following the US House’s passage of federal stablecoin legislation.

Investors are piling into altcoins and crypto-related equities as momentum builds behind what markets have dubbed “Crypto Week” in Washington. Ether led the charge with a 22 percent jump over five days, while Bitcoin soared to an all-time high of US$123,205 and continues to make up over half of the market’s total value.

The gains reflect increasing confidence that a regulatory framework is finally taking shape in the world’s largest economy.

Analysts predict that the stablecoin sector alone could balloon to US$3.7 trillion by 2030, especially with state and federal guardrails in place. ETF inflows have been particularly strong this month, with US-listed Bitcoin and Ether funds attracting a combined US$8.4 billion in July.

House blocks digital dollar rollout with Anti-CBDC Act

The US House passed the CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act, effectively banning the Federal Reserve from issuing or piloting a digital dollar without direct approval from Congress.

The move represents growing Republican backlash against central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs, which critics fear could enable state monitoring of financial transactions.

The bill passed on a razor-thin 219–217 vote, marking the third major crypto bill to clear the chamber during Washington’s so-called “Crypto Week.”

Unlike cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, CBDCs are centralized and government-controlled, raising concerns about programmability and surveillance.

With this vote, the House has now backed legislation on stablecoins, crypto market structure, and CBDCs — a trifecta of digital asset policy initiatives that now await Senate scrutiny.

What happened to the platinum price in Q2?

Platinum started the year at US$910 on January 2, reaching its Q1 high of US$1,035.40 on February 13.

It hovered around the US$1,000 mark to the end of the first quarter before falling to its year-to-date low of US$893.50 on April 8 on the back of US President Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariff announcements on April 2.

Platinum price, January 1 to July 16, 2025.

Chart via TradingEconomics.

The price gained some momentum starting on April 9 after the US government announced a 90 day pause on tariffs. Platinum climbed back toward the US$1,000 range and remained there until May 16.

After that, the price of platinum saw a dramatic climb, first rising to US$1,081 on May 26 and then jumping even higher to reach an 11 year high of US$1,454.50 on July 14.

Platinum demand rises, supply shrinks

In its latest platinum quarterly, released on May 19, the World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) reinforces many of the same beliefs it held at the beginning of the year, but adds nuance on evolving trade policy in the US.

In the first quarter of the year, demand for platinum increased by 10 percent year-on-year, rising to 2.27 million ounces from 2.06 million ounces. The growth came despite a 4 percent decline in demand from the automotive sector — its usage fell to 753,000 ounces during the first three months of the year from 784,000 ounces in 2024. There was also a 22 percent decline from industrial components, which sank to 527,000 ounces from 673,000 ounces.

Gains in platinum demand largely came from a more than 300 percent rise in investment, which jumped to 461,000 ounces in 2025’s first quarter from 113,000 ounces recorded in the first quarter of 2024.

Much of the increase was owed to significant additions to aboveground stocks held by exchanges, which gained 361,000 ounces during the quarter, versus an 11,000 ounce loss in the same period of 2024.

Additionally, jewelry demand saw a 9 percent increase, rising to 533,000 ounces. Jewelry makers are beginning to use platinum instead of gold as the price of the yellow metal trends near all-time highs.

The increase in demand was met with significant declines in supply.

Q1 saw a 25 percent decrease in supply, which fell to 1.46 million ounces compared to 1.95 million ounces a year ago. This is the lowest quarterly production since the second quarter of 2020.

Most significant were the declines from South Africa, the world’s largest producer of platinum, where output dropped to 715,000 ounces in Q1 from 1.16 million ounces in the year-ago period.

The WPIC attributes the decrease to heavy rainfall events and flooding, which has impacted mining activities. However, South Africa has been facing significant challenges in recent years as operations in the country have dealt with issues including declining grades and instability in the nation’s power grid.

“Roughly 73 percent of the platinum supply comes from South Africa. South Africa is suffering from power outages. It’s dependent on this dilapidated infrastructure that needs really improving, and that obviously translates to the difficulty of mining platinum,” explained Butler, who writes for publications including the Morgan Report.

Butler added that the other primary supplier of the metal is Russia, whose output isn’t making it into western hands due to the sanctions stemming from its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Rick Rule, proprietor at Rule Investment Media, also called out supply-side risks with South Africa and Russia.

“Neither of those places, politically, are garden spots. Russia is at war, which is difficult. South Africa has ongoing social challenges that haven’t yet really manifested themselves, but I suspect will,’ he said.

‘In the South African mining industry, first of all, the South African government keeps making noises about nationalizing the mines or increasing the social take. What that means is that the mining companies won’t make substantial capital investments in the mines because they don’t know who’s going to own them,” he said in an interview on July 9.

Industrial demand for platinum boost price

Industrial demand for platinum rose during the quarter on the back of speculative buying in the US and China, helping propel the metal above US$1,400. The buying was a result of carmakers stockpiling the metal in June ahead of a vote on a new US spending bill that was set to revoke consumer subsidies for the purchase of new EVs.

The bill was ultimately signed into law by Trump on July 4. It also eliminates penalties for vehicles that don’t meet Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards. The laws have been part of the Environmental Protection Agency’s mandate for decades, and Congress can’t remove them entirely; instead, fines for violations are now zero.

The combination of removing penalties and dropping EV credits may cause carmakers to adjust plans to roll out new EVs in favor of hybrids or internal combustion engine vehicles.

“If the green energy transition doesn’t happen as swiftly as we believe it will, we could see a reversion back to internal combustion engines, and platinum is a crucial component in those cars,” Butler said.

Platinum price forecast for 2025

Platinum fundamentals are strong. Demand for the metal for the year is expected to outstrip supply by a considerable margin, with the WPIC predicting a deficit of 966,000 ounces this year.

That would follow a 992,000 ounce shortfall in 2024.

However, Rule urged some caution for investors due to overall market conditions.

“Platinum and palladium are economically sensitive … if the economy continues to deteriorate, likely that softness will extend to the internal combustion engine car sales, and that could impact platinum and palladium prices,” he said.