1. Introduction

As nearology plays are often characterized by flavor of the day metals and new, hot discoveries front and center, resulting in a staking frenzy around such a discovery, EGR Exploration (EGR.V) is a bit different. Its predecessor Gambier Gold already owned the substantial and highly prospective 39,218ha Detour West land package on trend and indeed west of the giant Detour Lake gold mine in Ontario, and lots of shareholders at the time weren’t particularly satisfied with the way things were going as exploration at Detour West was unstructured at best.

Although the markets are giving back some of the recent gains after the Fed indicated we aren’t done yet with the high inflation, combined with the slow escalation of the Russia invasion of the Ukraine and the strange incident with the shooting down of the Chinese spy balloon hovering over the US, sentiment for metals and miners seems to be in a recovering trend after a disastrous H2 of 2022.

Although lithium juniors are in somewhat of a correction phase after the last round of conferences ignited a real lithium hype, it is good to see Vior Inc. (TSXV:VIO)(FRA:VL51)(OTCQB:VIORF) joining the lithium narrative, as I firmly believe lithium supply will not be able to match demand in the foreseeable future, and shortages and resulting high prices will be the standard.

After acquiring the Muskrat Dam Critical Minerals project in Ontario, with a focus on the extremely hot metal lithium, it was good to see Platinex (PTX:CSE)(9PX:FRA) bringing in Fancamp Exploration (FNC.V) as a partner for the Shining Tree gold project in the same state, as it had 3 district-scale exploration projects in its portfolio by then, which is a bit much for the average C$8-10M market cap.

1. Introduction

At a time where the Western hemisphere is looking to become less dependent on China and others for critical metals and minerals and is scrambling for battery metals, Inomin Mines (MINE.V)(FRA:IMC) is focusing on exploring exactly for these commodities. The company already experienced explosive drilling success in 2022 at their Beaver-Lynx project in British Columbia, by intercepting 252m of 20.6% Magnesium and 0.16% Nickel close to surface, accompanied by 4 other impressive holes.

1. Introduction

In a time where large gold deposits are becoming increasingly rare, Goldshore Resources (TSXV:GSHR)(OTCQB:GSHRF)(FWB:8X00) set the bar high for themselves. After being guided by a 4M oz Au historic resource, Goldshore announced a robust NI43-101 compliant Inferred 4.17Moz @ 1.1g/t gold current resource in November 2022 at their fully owned flagship Moss Lake project in Ontario.

After adding more claims to the highly prospective and strategically located district-scale Shining Tree Gold project and W2 Copper-Nickel-PGE project, both located in mining-friendly Ontario, Platinex Inc (PTX:CSE)(9PX:FRA) decided to expand their horizon, and acquired the Muskrat Dam Critical Minerals project, also located in Ontario.

As 2022 has come to an end, it might be appropriate to not only discuss the latest, successful raise by Banyan Gold, but also reflect on their many successes in 2022 , the potential for the price of gold in 2023, something that is material to Banyan Gold of course, and macro economics and the sector as a whole.

Although markets are turbulent again after the Federal Reserve raised another 50 base points as expected but didn’t appear to be as dovish as hoped for, Vior Inc. (TSXV:VIO)(FRA:VL51)(OTCQB:VIORF) has been looking for ways to generate other exploration success besides their flagship Belleterre project in Quebec, where the first two phases of exploration have been completed and will likely continue with a Phase III drill program in Q2, 2023.

Although the Federal Reserve raised interest rates 50 base points as anticipated, markets didn’t really like the near term outlook of Powell, as they hoped for a more dovish stance on inflation and economic developments. This resulted in more volatility, but fortunately the gold price remained at US$1800/oz levels.