Breaking
New Market Perspective
Author

admin

Browsing
Investing

West High Yield

Investor Insight

West High Yield’s advanced-stage Record Ridge magnesium silica project is progressing through the final approval process. Supported by a positive pre-feasibility study and the Osoyoos Indian Band, the project is well-positioned to advance toward development.

Overview

West High Yield (TSXV:WHY,FSE:W0H) is an exploration and development mining company focusing on strategic critical minerals with a high-grade magnesium/silica/nickel/iron project nearing production. The company’s Record Ridge property project leverages the opportunity to create a new supply of magnesium outside of China and Russia. West High Yield has an experienced management team ready to bring its project to production.

West High Yield’s advanced 100-percent-owned Record Ridge magnesium project in British Columbia, Canada is poised to create a secure, strategic domestic supply chain to cater to North America’s magnesium and silica demand. The company has received a draft permit from the British Columbia Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals outlining the proposed conditions for proceeding with planned extraction activities. WHY has undertaken a thorough review of the permit, working with internal and external subject matter experts to evaluate the requirements and ensure all technical, environmental, and operational considerations are fully addressed.

Once production commences, West High Yield will start generating cash flow through the sale of ore and will seek additional offtake agreements.

The Record Ridge asset has one of the largest and highest-grade magnesium/silica deposits in North America, and globally. The company’s resource estimate shows 43 million tonnes (Mt) of ore at 24.6 percent magnesium, which implies a world-class asset containing 10.6 Mt of magnesium. The resource further contains 18.9 Mt of silica (Si02), 3.8 Mt of iron (Fe203) and 103,200 tonnes of Nickel (NiO). In addition, West High Yield’s pre-feasibility study indicates strong economics with an after-tax NPV of 5 percent of $872 million, an internal rate of return (IRR) of 72 percent over a 172-year mine life, and payback in 1.5 years.

Additionally, the company has developed a green mining and refinement process to minimize carbon emissions during production. This green process utilizes over 94 percent of the ore extraction, not only of magnesium but substantial saleable quantities of silica, nickel and iron. Magnesium is widely used in renewable energy technologies, so maintaining a strong ESG rating is essential for downstream manufacturing.

Record Ridge magnesium mine project general plan

WHY continues to engage with the local community and government on the Record Ridge permitting process and with the plans to begin construction and mining. In 2023, WHY Resources signed a cooperation agreement with the Osoyoos Indian Band (OIB). The agreement ensures OIB oversight to protect environmental and economic interests, with OIB’s Skemxist Solutions providing services for construction and mining operations.

An experienced management team with expertise throughout the mining industry leads the company towards fully leveraging its promising asset. Experts in geology, corporate administration and engineering create confidence in the team’s ability to reach its goals.

Company Highlights

  • Flagship Asset for North America: West High Yield’s Record Ridge project has the potential to strengthen and secure North America’s onshore strategic critical mineral supply chain, reducing reliance on China and Russia for magnesium, silica, and nickel.
  • Advancing Toward Production: West High Yield has received a draft permit from the British Columbia Ministry of Mining and Critical Minerals setting out the proposed conditions for proceeding with planned extraction activities.
  • Strong Economic Viability: A completed pre-feasibility study confirms robust project economics, supporting WHY’s commitment to moving forward with development.
  • Sustainable, Low-Emission Operations: WHY prioritizes clean energy solutions, aiming to minimize emissions and maintain a strong ESG rating. The company’s low-cost, high-quality magnesium, silica, nickel, and iron products are produced with virtually zero CO₂ emissions.
  • Experienced Leadership: A seasoned management team is steering WHY toward fully unlocking the potential of its assets, driving the company’s vision for a sustainable and strategically valuable critical minerals operation.

Key Project

Record Ridge Magnesium Mine

Record Ridge commercial proprietary hydrometallurgical process

The 100-percent-owned Record Ridge project spans 8,972 hectares, approximately 7.5 kilometers southwest of Rossland, BC. The project is only 5 kilometers away from the US-Canadian border and has excellent regional infrastructure, including power, water, roads, a proximate labor force and transportation. Permit application process is in its final stage with a draft permit under review and a final permit expected in the near term. .

Project Highlights:

  • Nearing Production: The advanced-stage project is in the final technical review for its mining permit to initiate production. Once in production, the company expects to generate cash flow from ore sales, pursue additional offtake agreements, and leverage positive cash flow to advance development of the property’s gold deposits.
  • Sustainable Production with Minimal Carbon Emissions: The HCI leaching process the company will be using produces minimal CO2 emissions. The company’s specific process was developed to recycle the HCI and produce virtually no waste and low environmental impact. These efforts result in a top-tier ESG rating that will reflect on downstream manufacturers.

High Purity MgO Plant

WHY is developing an advanced-stage Magnesium Oxide (MgO) Plant focused on producing multiple critical and strategic mineral products. The project is on track for a feasibility study in 2025 and aims to deliver high-purity MgO (>99 percent) and Mg(OH)₂, with valuable byproducts including nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), and silica (SiO₂).

A 2022 Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) highlighted the project’s strong economics, demonstrating a rapid 1.5-year payback period. Additionally, a market study supports a premium pricing outlook, with baseline prices of US$1,500/Mt for >98 percent MgO and US$2,200/Mt for >99 percent MgO.

The company will commence pilot plant testing, followed by a feasibility study for the commercial-scale plant, scheduled for 2025.

Management Team

Frank Marasco Jr. – Founder, President, CEO and Director

Frank Marasco is the founder of West High Yield Resources. Marasco is also president and director of Big Mountain Development Corp. Over the course of 45 years, Marasco has built and sold 47 successful businesses, including hotels, motels, rental units, RV and mobile home parks, apartments, retail liquor stores, pubs, nightclubs and a retail mall. At the age of 47, he retired and later entered the business sector, focusing on oil and mining. He had purchased 81 oil and gas development sections in S.E. Saskatchewan in the Bakken, as well as gold mines in Rossland, BC. After briefly exploring for and finding gold on the project, Marasco and his team then discovered what is now a world-class, 2,000-acre, high-grade, low-cost, critical mineral magnesium deposit known as Record Ridge.

Barry Baim – Director and Corporate Secretary

Barry Baim brings over 35 years of activating and inspiring teams to achieve profitable revenue growth. His senior leadership experience is diverse having held executive positions with both private and public companies including Tier one CPG and in the natural resource sector mining site development projects in oil sands, 3d seismic, logistics, remote lodging, and other service-related entities in energy, oil, and gas. Baim is currently a director for KMKR Holdings and a past board member with SGV Canada, Millennium Seismic, Paradigm Chemical Technologies, Camelot Exploration and Siksika Resource Developments Ltd.

Patricia L. Nelson – Director

Patricia Nelson was controller for Sabre Petroleum’s, Petroterra Natural Resources and manager of Financial Control for Suncor. She is the vice-chair and director of the In Situ Oil Sands Alliance, director of Altalink, and director of Optiom. Nelson served 15 years as an elected member of the Legislature of Alberta. She was appointed and served as minister of energy, minister of economic development and tourism, minister of government services, and finally, was appointed minister of finance. She served 12 years as a member of the treasury board and the agenda and priorities committee of the government. An active member of the community, she supports charitable organizations such as the kidney foundation, the cancer foundation, heart and stroke and juvenile diabetes.

Maria Marasco – Director

Maria Marasco is an independent businesswoman who has provided services in corporate restructuring finance, acquisitions, and strategic planning. She is also responsible for overseeing management information systems, human resource strategies, and property management systems.

Shelina Hirji – Chief Financial Officer

Shelina Hirji is a designated accountant with over 38 years of experience in infrastructure construction, oil and gas exploration, and mining. Hirji has been engaged in the oil and gas industry since early 1990, starting with various senior accounting and management roles in both public and private companies with extensive participation in growth opportunities. She has been a key member of the executive management team, assuming a strategic role in the overall management of the company. Hirji’s experience in financial management includes financial reporting, corporate accounting, budgeting and forecasting, as well as stewardship of internal controls. Hirji is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta and the advisory committee for the TSX Venture Exchange.

Fouad Kamaleddine – Advisor

Dr. Fouad Kamaleddine is the founder/principal of AIS Inc., an integrated mining consulting partnership that provides technical services to mining companies including processing and metallurgy, project development and engineering studies. He has been an officer and director of many public and private mining companies. Kamaleddine has over 20 years of academic and industry experience with demonstrated success in conducting challenging industrial research leading to several inventions and multiple achievement awards.

Rick Walker – P. Geologist and P. Engineer

Rick Walker has over 25 years of geological and structural mapping experience in the mineral exploration industry. Walker has a strong background, ranging from structurally complex areas to advanced exploration property definition. In addition, he has worked on a wide variety of deposit types, including porphyries, sedimentary exhalative, volcanogenic massive sulphides, low tonnage vein-type, industrial minerals; gold, silver, base metals, rare to strategic metals and diamonds. Walker has delivered significant geological value throughout his career for companies, ranging from junior to major resource companies, both nationally and internationally.

He has also served as a volunteer for industry-related organizations, serving for 12 years as president of the East Kootenay Chamber of Mines, five years as a director of the BC and Yukon Chamber of Mines (now the Association of Mineral Exploration for BC), on the committee that developed the initial Mineral Exploration Code for BC and as an industry representative in the Commission on Resources and Environment (CORE) process resulting in the East Kootenay Land Use Plan.

Corey Peck – Junior Geologist

Corey Peck is a junior geologist who came to West High Yield Resources in the spring of 2007. He studied at the University of Calgary, where he received a B.Sc. in geology, with a minor in earth science. He has extensive training in both the field and lab settings. His skill set encompasses all aspects of geology, geophysics and geography, with particular emphasis on geotechnical logging, mineralogy and mapping. He currently resides full-time in Rossland, BC.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Keep Reading
Investing

Crypto Market Update: Strive to Buy Semler Scientific in US$1.34 Billion Deal

Here’s a quick recap of the crypto landscape for Monday (September 22) as of 9:00 p.m. UTC.

Get the latest insights on Bitcoin, Ethereum and altcoins, along with a round-up of key cryptocurrency market news.

Bitcoin and Ethereum price update

Bitcoin (BTC) was priced at US$112,214, a 2.9 percent decrease in 24 hours and its lowest valuation of the day. The cryptocurrency’s price peaked at US$113,384 on Monday.

Bitcoin price performance, September 22, 2025.

Chart via TradingView.

Bitcoin dropped to the US$112,000 range after falling below a key support level, triggering the year’s largest long-liquidation event — over US$1.7 billion in leveraged long positions were closed.

The decline came even as some investor accumulation showed through surging exchange outflows and rising longs on platforms like Bitfinex, which added pressure from both sides.

Bitcoin dominance in the crypto market is 56.74 percent, showing a slight rise week-on-week.

Ether (ETH) was trading at US$4,141.26, down by 7.9 percent. Its lowest valuation as of Monday was US$4,138.92, while its highest was US$4,213.42.

Altcoin price update

  • Solana (SOL) was priced at US$217.12, a decrease of 8.7 percent over the last 24 hours to its lowest valuation of the day. Its highest value was US$223.83.
  • XRP was trading for US$2.83, down by 5.2 percent in the past 24 hours, also reaching its lowest valuation of the day as markets wrapped. Its highest level was US$2.86.
  • Sui (SUI) was valued at US$3.32, trading at its lowest valuation of the day and down by 8.8 percent over the past 24 hours. Its highest price point on Monday was US$3.40.
  • Cardano (ADA) was priced at US$0.8156, down by 8.2 percent over 24 hours to its lowest value of the day. Its highest was US$0.832.

Crypto market insights

Total cryptocurrency liquidations have reached US$132.07 million in the past four hours, with long positions accounting for US$81.71 million and short positions reaching US$50.36 million. This activity signals bearish pressure in the derivatives market, as forced selling of longs often reflects market downside pressure.

Conversely, the BTC perpetual futures funding rate sits at 0.0081 percent, an indication of bullish sentiment.

Ethereum shows similar dynamics, with a funding rate of 0.002 percent; however, bullishness for Ethereum is milder versus Bitcoin. Open interest for BTC and ETH futures stands at US$81.91 billion and US$57.95 billion, respectively.

Anticipated regulatory hearings on crypto oversight, tentatively scheduled to be held by the end of the month, as well as key macroeconomic data releases and remarks from US Federal Reserve policymakers at the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce 2025 Economic Outlook Luncheon, are expected to influence market direction this week.

Existing US home sales data is also due on Wednesday (September 24). It will give insight on the state of the housing market, one of the key components of consumer spending and overall economic health.

Fear and Greed Index snapshot

CMC’s Crypto Fear & Greed Index has remained firmly in neutral territory over the past week.

The past week’s negative funding rates on perpetual futures and long/short ratios suggest slight caution, but strong exchange-traded fund (ETF) inflows and recent whale buying show underlying bullish conviction.

CMC Crypto Fear and Greed Index, Bitcoin price and Bitcoin volume.

Chart via CoinMarketCap.

Today’s crypto news to know

Coinbase launches Mag7 + Crypto Equity Index Futures

Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN) announced the launch of Mag7 + Crypto Equity Index Futures, a monthly, cash-settled futures contract that offers equal exposure to 10 assets:

  • Coinbase’s own shares.
  • BlackRock’s Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs.

The index follows an even-weighting methodology, with all 10 components representing 10 percent each, and will be rebalanced quarterly. It marks the first US-listed derivative combining traditional equities with crypto.

Strive to acquire Semler Scientific

Strive (NASDAQ:ASST), a former asset manager led by former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, has agreed to acquire Semler Scientific (NASDAQ:SMLR), a former healthcare tech firm that shifted its strategy by adopting Bitcoin as its primary treasury reserve asset in 2024. Strive itself became a Bitcoin treasury company in 2025 through a merger with Asset Entities, going public to pursue its Bitcoin accumulation strategy.

The all-stock deal is valued at about US$1.34 billion. According to Reuters, the combined entity will hold over 10,900 BTC, making it one of the largest corporate Bitcoin holders globally.

Strive announced a significant US$675 million Bitcoin purchase alongside the acquisition, boosting its Bitcoin holdings from about 70 BTC to almost 6,000 BTC before the acquisition closes. The deal also includes a 210 percent premium offer to Semler shareholders, exchanging each Semler share for 21.05 shares of Strive Class A stock.

“We are proud to announce this exciting strategic merger combining two pioneering Bitcoin treasury companies to form a scaled, innovative and accretive Bitcoin acquisition platform,” said Matt Cole, chairman and CEO of Strive.

Metaplanet becomes fifth largest corporate Bitcoin holder

Tokyo-based Metaplanet (TSE:3350,OTCQX:MTPLF) has cemented itself as a heavyweight in corporate crypto holdings, announcing the purchase of 5,419 BTC worth US$633 million.

The acquisition boosts its total stash to 25,555 BTC valued at nearly US$3 billion, making it the fifth largest corporate Bitcoin treasury, according to BitcoinTreasuries.net. The buy came at an average of about US$117,000 per Bitcoin, leaving the firm temporarily down almost 4 percent as spot prices hovered closer to US$112,500.

Despite the purchase, Metaplanet’s share price has struggled to keep pace. The company has tumbled by more than 30 percent over the past month, even as shares rose modestly this week.

London prepares for US$7 billion Bitcoin fraud trial

The UK is bracing for one of its most significant crypto trials as Zhimin Qian, a Chinese national accused of orchestrating a US$7 billion Ponzi-style fraud, faces charges in London starting on September 29.

Qian allegedly ran Tianjin Lantian Gerui Electronic Technology, a scheme that lured nearly 130,000 investors in China with promises of triple-digit returns between 2014 and 2017.

After China’s crypto ban, she fled to Britain and converted proceeds into Bitcoin, some of which were later seized in UK money laundering probes linked to her associate Jian Wen, already convicted in 2024. Prosecutors have avoided direct fraud charges, instead focusing on offenses tied to the possession and transfer of illicit cryptocurrency.

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

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Keep Reading
Investing

Silver Price Surges Above US$44 Following Fed Rate Decision

The silver price surged on Monday (September 22), breaking US$44 per ounce to rise as high as US$44.11.

Silver was last above US$44 in 2011, and many of the same factors that drove it to that level are present in today’s market, including significant uncertainty around the economy, a global debt crisis and a dovish US Federal Reserve.

Silver price chart, December 31, 2024, to September 22, 2025.

The gold price also reached a fresh all-time high on Monday, climbing to US$3,748.80 per ounce. The gains for both metals follow an interest rate cut from the US Federal Reserve at its meeting last week.

Although inflation has been moving further from the Fed’s 2 percent target, there has been greater uncertainty in the labor force. August’s nonfarm payroll report indicates greater slowing in the jobs market, with just 22,000 jobs added during the month; it also came with a downward revision showing the economy lost 13,000 jobs in June.

In its post-meeting statement, the Fed focuses on the worsening jobs market, noting that a 25 basis point cut allows it greater flexibility should the effects of tariffs on inflation be more sustained.

However, 90 percent of analysts are predicting that the central bank will make another cut when it next meets on October 28 and 29. That would provide additional tailwinds for precious metals markets.

The silver market is also benefiting from a high gold price as some investors turn to alternative safe-haven assets with lower entry prices. Additionally, silver has been in a structural deficit for the past several years as demand increases from industrial segments, providing significant upward momentum.

So far this year, the silver price has increased 52 percent, outpacing gold, which has gained 42 percent.

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Keep Reading
Investing

DRC to End Cobalt Export Ban, Move to Quota System

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) announced it will lift its eight month cobalt export ban on October 16, replacing it with annual quotas designed to stabilize global supply and prices.

Bloomberg reported that the country’s Authority for the Regulation and Control of Strategic Mineral Substances’ Markets (ARECOMS) will allow miners to export 18,125 metric tons of cobalt for the remainder of 2025.

Yearly limits of 96,600 metric tons will be set for both 2026 and 2027, the Sunday (September 21) article states. Quotas will be allocated on a pro-rata basis and according to each company’s historical exports.

The export suspension, which was first imposed in February and then extended in June, was triggered by a collapse in prices that drove cobalt to its weakest level in nine years. Benchmark prices earlier this year fell below US$10 a pound, a threshold not breached in more than two decades except for a brief dip in 2015.

The decline in cobalt prices followed a surge in output from Chinese miner CMOC Group (HKEX:3993,SHA:603993,OTC Pink:CMCLF), which has expanded two large projects in the DRC. Since then, cobalt has staged a recovery, with prices for cobalt hydroxide rising more than two-and-a-half times from their lows.

Still, inventories remain high, and the DRC’s government has pressed ahead with tighter controls on the sector.

ARECOMS said the quota system will allow it to intervene in the market by buying back cobalt stocks exceeding companies’ authorized quarterly shipments. It added that 10 percent of future volumes will be set aside for “strategic national projects,” and that quotas could be adjusted depending on market conditions or progress in local refining.

The new rules carry wide implications for both producers and consumers. Mining giant Glencore (LSE:GLEN,OTC Pink:GLCNF), one of the country’s largest operators, has backed the system, while CMOC has opposed it.

Both companies declared force majeure earlier this year after the ban cut off exports.

The Chinese market’s reaction was swift. Prices for cobalt edged lower on Monday (September 22), falling around 2 percent at the open on the Wuxi Stainless Steel Exchange as traders reassessed supply expectations and stock levels.

Imports of cobalt intermediates into China, the largest buyer of Congolese output, have already slumped by more than 90 percent in August compared with a year earlier.

The shift also comes during a period of heightened instability in the Eastern DRC, where the government says illegal mineral exploitation is fueling the insurgency of M23 rebels. Despite remaining largely unregulated, the artisanal mining sector continues to account for a significant share of cobalt production.

Market watchers say the DRC’s new cobalt export quotas could sharply reduce effective supply even as production capacity continues to grow. As mentioned, exports will be capped at 96,600 metric tons annually in 2026 and 2027, a figure that amounts to less than half the roughly 220,000 metric tons produced globally in 2024.

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

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

Keep Reading
Investing

How to Invest in OpenAI’s ChatGPT

OpenAI’s ChatGPT is one of the latest technological breakthroughs in the artificial intelligence space. But what is ChatGPT, and can you invest in OpenAI?

This emerging technology is representative of a niche subsector of the AI industry known as generative AI — systems that can generate text, images or sounds in response to prompts given by users.

According to a United Nations Trade and Development report, the global AI market is expected to reach US$4.8 trillion by 2033. Just how much of an impact OpenAI’s ChatGPT will have on this space is hard to predict, but S&P Global Market Intelligence estimates that the total market revenue of generative AI will see a CAGR of 39.6 percent through 2029, increasing from US$16 billion in 2024 to US$89 billion in 2029.

In September 2024, Reuters reported that OpenAI was planning a restructuring from a non-profit to a for-profit company in order to make it ‘more attractive to investors.’

However, after encountering backlash and potential legal conflicts, in May 2025 OpenAI’s management decided to remain a non-profit while still converting its for-profit arm into a public benefit corporation.

That plan is easier as of mid-September 2025, according to the Wall Street Journal, as the company’s tech partner and major funder Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) have reached a new road-block-clearing, but currently non-binding, deal. The Journal reported that the OpenAI nonprofit company and Microsoft would each have a stake of about 30 percent in the for-profit firm.

OpenAI launched a new round of funding totaling US$40 billion in late March 2025 projected to bring its valuation to US$300 billion. Japanese multinational investment firm SoftBank made up 75 percent of the funding, while Microsoft, and investment firms Coatue Management, Altimeter Capital and Thrive Capital also took part in the raise.

The US Department of Defense (DoD) awarded a US$200 million contract to OpenAI in June 2025 to provide the DoD with artificial intelligence tools for addressing national security challenges, including cyber defense and warfare.

Massive news dropped on September 22, 2025, that NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) plans to invest US$100 billion in OpenAI through a strategic partnership centered on the generative AI company deploying a minimum of 10 gigawatts of AI datacenters using NVIDIA’s systems. If the deal is finalized, the pair expect to deploy the first gigawatt in H2 2026.

In this article

    What is OpenAI’s ChatGPT?

    Created by San Francisco-based tech lab OpenAI, ChatGPT is a generative AI software application that uses a machine learning technique called reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF) to emulate human-written conversations based on a large range of user prompts. This kind of software is better known as an AI chatbot.

    ChatGPT learns language by training on texts gleaned from across the internet, including online encyclopedias, books, academic journals, news sites and blogs. Based on this training, the AI chatbot generates text by making predictions about which words (or tokens) can be strung together to produce the most suitable response.

    More than a million people engaged with ChatGPT within the first week of its launch for free public testing on November 30, 2022. The introduction of ChatGPT quickly ushered in a new era in the tech industry.

    Based on this success, OpenAI created a more powerful version of the ChatGPT system called GPT-4, which was released in March 2023. This iteration of ChatGPT can accept visual inputs, is much more precise and can display a higher level of expertise in various subjects. Because of this, GPT-4 can describe images in vivid detail and ace standardized tests.

    Unlike its predecessor, GPT-4 doesn’t have any time limits on what information it can access; however, AI researcher and professor Dr. Oren Etzioni has said that the chatbot is still terrible at discussing the future and generating new ideas. It also hasn’t lost its tendency to deliver incorrect information with too high a degree of confidence.

    Further improving on its product, in May 2024 OpenAI launched Chat GPT-4o, with the o standing for omni. OpenAI describes GPT-4o as ‘a step towards much more natural human-computer interaction—it accepts as input any combination of text, audio, image, and video and generates any combination of text, audio, and image outputs.’

    This version has done away with the lagging response time afflicting GPT-4. This proves especially helpful for producing immediate translations during conversations between speakers of different languages. It also allows users to interrupt the chatbot to pose a new query to modify responses.

    More recently, in December 2024, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT Pro subscriptions targeting engineers and academics. For US$200 monthly, users have nearly unlimited access to all ChatGPT models and tools.

    The ChatGPT 3.5 and ChatGPT-4 platforms are free to use, and can be accessed via the web. Those with an iPhone or iPad can also use ChatGPT through an app, and an Android version launched in July 2023. OpenAI also launched a paid subscription, ChatGPT Plus for business use, in August 2023. ChatGPT Plus gives users access to GPT-4 and the newest iteration GPT-4o.

    ChatGPT-5 was released on August 7, 2025. OpenAI bills this latest iteration of its generative AI technology as a ‘significant leap in intelligence over all our previous models, featuring state-of-the-art performance across coding, math, writing, health, visual perception, and more.’ The basic version is available to all users, while there are upgraded capabilities for Plus and Pro subscribers.

    However, for some techies GPT-5 does not live up to the hype. Following the release, users took to social media to express their disappointment and report humorous errors made by the chatbot.

    What is the Stargate Project?

    The Stargate Project is an AI joint venture focused on building new AI infrastructure in the US through US$500 billion in investments. It was announced on January 21, 2025.

    Stargate’s initial funding is coming from OpenAI, SoftBank, Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) and UAE-based technology fund MGX. In addition to OpenAI and Oracle, Stargate’s technology partners include Microsoft, NVIDIA, and British semiconductor and software design company Arm Holdings (NASDAQ:ARM).

    Newly re-elected US President Donald Trump unveiled Stargate during a press conference at the White House highlighting the importance of investment in US AI infrastructure. During the announcement, OpenAI’s Altman, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son credited Trump’s return to office as a major catalyst in making Stargate a reality. The construction of data centers for the Stargate Project are already underway in Texas, according to Ellison.

    How much has Microsoft invested in OpenAI?

    Ascannio / Shutterstock

    Over the years, Microsoft has reportedly invested nearly US$14 billion in OpenAI to help the small tech firm create its ultra-powerful AI chatbot.

    As for how Microsoft could benefit from its investment in OpenAI, OpenAI officially licensed its technologies to Microsoft in 2020 in a then-exclusive partnership. Indeed, Pitchbook has described the deal as an “unprecedented milestone” for generative AI technology. Since then, Microsoft has made good use of OpenAI’s technology in developing new advancement in its Azure cloud computing business.

    However, the relationship between the two has changed in recent months.

    Notably, Microsoft is not a financier of the Stargate Project joint venture, and is instead just described as a technology partner. According to OpenAI’s press release, the new joint venture builds on its existing partnership with Microsoft.

    Microsoft’s lack of a funding role in Stargate led some to wonder if the trillion-dollar tech firm had soured on its relationship with OpenAI. This conclusion was understandable given reports that Microsoft refused to make a bigger contribution than the US$750 million it invested during the OpenAI US$6.6 billion funding round in October 2024.

    Additionally, Microsoft changed the contract between the two companies and is no longer the exclusive cloud provider for OpenAI, but has the right of first refusal for deals the AI firm may make with other cloud companies.

    As Bloomberg technology reporter Dina Bass explained, Microsoft stands to benefit from its role as a technology partner without having to invest a dime into the project.

    “Microsoft views the revised contract with OpenAI as advantageous, according to people familiar with the company’s thinking. The software giant retains its share of OpenAI’s revenue and is the largest investor in a company that may now become even more valuable — though the size of that stake could change as the startup works to restructure as a for-profit,” wrote Bass. “And Microsoft also still has access to OpenAI models, even if they’re trained in a data center funded by Softbank or Oracle.”

    In the spring of 2025, there were reports that Microsoft and OpenAI’s relationship was on the brink of a big breakup. The tech giant had been pushing for a much larger percentage of OpenAI’s revenues than the 20 percent it currently enjoys. According to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) in June 2025, OpenAI was considering making antitrust complaints about Microsoft to regulators. However, it seems the pair of tech companies have reached a more amenable consensus about the future of ChatGPT and their partnership.

    ‘OpenAI is also putting final touches on the ownership structure behind the new for-profit company it is trying to create. The company said it plans to keep the nonprofit’s control over the new for-profit and endow it with a stake valued at more than $100 billion,’ reported WSJ. ‘That would make the nonprofit one of the largest philanthropies in the world on paper, although it is unclear how long it would take for funds to be available for distribution.’

    Elon Musk’s position on OpenAI

    DIA TV / Shutterstock

    OpenAI was founded in 2015 by Altman, its current CEO, as well as Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk and other big-name investors, such as venture capitalist Peter Thiel and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. Musk left his position on OpenAI’s board of directors in 2018 to focus on Tesla and its pursuit of autonomous vehicle technology.

    A few days after ChatGPT became available for public testing, Musk took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to say, “ChatGPT is scary good. We are not far from dangerously strong AI.” That same day, he announced that X had shut the door on OpenAI’s access to its database so it could no longer use it for RLHF training.

    His reason: “OpenAI was started as open-source & non-profit. Neither are still true.”

    Furthering his feud with OpenAI, Musk filed a lawsuit against the company in March 2024 for an alleged breach of contract. The crux of his complaint was that OpenAI has broken the ‘founding agreement’ made between the founders (Altman, Greg Brockman and himself) that the company would remain a non-profit. Altman and OpenAI have denied there was such an agreement and that Musk was keen on an eventual for-profit structure.

    Musk dropped the lawsuit three months later without giving a reason, reported Reuters. The day before he dropped the lawsuit, he reacted to the news that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is partnering with OpenAI to incorporate ChatGPT with Apple devices. On X, Musk declared, ‘If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS (operating system) level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies. That is an unacceptable security violation.” It should be noted that OpenAI has said queries completed on Apple devices will not be stored by OpenAI. By August 2024, Musk had resumed his litigation in federal court.

    It seems that the US government also has questions about the restructuring of the private company and the involvement of tech giant Microsoft, as reported by Bloomberg. In early January 2025, the Financial Press also reported the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has raised questions about the potential anti-trust violations in the newly emerging AI technology space arising from Microsoft’s partnership with and investments in OpenAI.

    Of course, Musk took to X to weigh in on the Stargate Project, suggesting OpenAI and its partners don’t actually have the US$500 million they’ve pledged to invest. Sam Altman was quick to reply, telling Musk he’s mistaken and inviting him to visit their data center under construction in Texas.

    However, Musk is not alone in his skepticism. For example, Atreides Management Chief Investment Office Gavin Baker also questioned the deal on X. “Stargate is a great name but the $500b is a ridiculous number and no one should take it seriously,” Baker wrote, backing up his statement by explaining the financial positions of each of the partners. “Nowhere close to $500b. Everyone should just start issuing press releases for $1 trillion AI projects.”

    OpenAI criticisms and lawsuits

    While ChatGPT has served as a major step forward in generative AI technology, there are many technical and ethical concerns with the program that have emerged since it launched, including fears over job destruction and targeted disinformation campaigns.

    Accuracy of information in ChatGPT’s answers is not guaranteed. Its selection of which words to string together are actually predictions — not as fallible as mere guesses, but still fallible. Even the 4.0 version is “still is not fully reliable (it “hallucinates” facts and makes reasoning errors),” says the company, which emphasizes that users should exercise caution when employing the technology.

    Indeed, ChatGPT’s failings can have dangerous real-life consequences. Among other negative applications, the tech can be used to spread misinformation, carry out phishing email scams or write malicious code.

    There’s also the fear among teachers that the technology is leading to an unwelcome rise in academic dishonesty, with students using ChatGPT to write essays or complete their homework.

    “Teachers and school administrators have been scrambling to catch students using the tool to cheat, and they are fretting about the havoc ChatGPT could wreak on their lesson plans,” writes New York Times tech columnist Kevin Roose.

    Many lawsuits against OpenAI have emerged as well. Multiple news outlets, including the the New York Times, have launched copyright lawsuits against OpenAI, and some of the plaintiffs are also seeking damages from the private tech firm’s very public partner Microsoft.

    Additionally, the Authors Guild, which represents a group of prominent authors, launched a class-action lawsuit against OpenAI that is calling for a licensing system that would allow authors to opt out of having their books used to train AI, and would require AI companies to pay for the material they do use.

    In October, OpenAI researcher Suchir Balaji blew the whistle on the company, reporting that the firm was violating US copyright laws. He died one month later in what was ruled a suicide, but the investigation is still open.

    Cybersecurity risks are also a concern for ChatGPT users, and recent events along these lines add validity to Musk’s warning. For one, in 2024 ChatGPT for macOS was discovered to be breaching Apple’s security rules by storing data as plain text rather than encryption, making it possible for other apps to access.

    What’s the future of OpenAI and ChatGPT?

    What about the long-term goals for OpenAI and ChatGPT? For most of the tech leaders in this space, the end game is artificial general intelligence (AGI) — a system that can perform any function the human brain can, including self-teaching, abstract thinking and understanding cause and effect.

    As uptake increases, AI technology is taking over the role of humans and will likely continue doing so in a number of fields, from content creation and customer service to transcription and translation services, and even in graphic design, software engineering and paralegal fields.

    In addition to Microsoft’s use of the ChatGPT technology as part of Copilot, other companies are working with OpenAI to incorporate the technology into their platforms, including Canva, Duolingo (NASDAQ:DUOL), Expedia Group (NASDAQ:EXPE), Intercom, Salesforce (NASDAQ:CRM), Stripe, Tinder, Upwork (NASDAQ:UPWK) and Visa (NYSE:V).

    For 2025, OpenAI is focusing on developing agentic AI capabilities into its ChatGPT platform. Agentic AI, a part of the evolution towards AGI, involves AI systems and models that can act autonomously and complete tasks without much human guidance. Early in January, OpenAI announced the rollout of new task features for ChatGPT Pro, Plus and Teams users. While still in the beta stage, these features allow users to schedule future tasks to be completed by ChatGPT, such as a weekly news brief or reminders about important meetings.

    OpenAI first debuted its foray into agentic AI in September 2024 with the introduction of ChatGPT o1, stating ‘We’ve developed a new series of AI models designed to spend more time thinking before they respond.’ The release of the next iterations of this model, ChatGPT o3 mini and o4 mini happened in the first half of 2025.

    The recent release of Chinese startup DeepSeek’s AI assistant may present a problem for OpenAI and the US tech industry as a whole. In what tech gurus like Marc Andreesen call AI’s Sputnik moment, DeepSeek unseated ChatGPT as the most downloaded free app in the Apple App Store, at reportedly a fraction of the cost. For reference, in 1957 the Soviets launched Sputnik, the earth’s first artificial satellite, beating out the United States and sparking a Cold War space exploration race between the two nations.

    The DeepSeek launch set off a significant sell off in technology stocks on January 27, 2025, especially among the Magnificent Seven members, including NVIDIA, Microsoft and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL).

    When will OpenAI go public?

    OpenAI stock is not currently publicly traded, and despite the plan to transition to include both a non-profit and for-profit business, there are no signs of an on initial public offering (IPO) in the works for 2025. For now, investors can gain exposure through related tech companies discussed below.

    Which stocks will benefit the most from AI chatbot technology?

    Other than companies directly tied to generative AI technology, which stocks are likely to get a boost from generative AI advancements?

    There are several verticals in the tech industry with indirect exposure to AI chatbot technology, such as semiconductors, network equipment providers, cloud providers, central processing unit manufacturers and internet of things.

    Some of the publicly traded companies in these verticals include:

      You can also take a look back at the market with our AI Market 2024 Year-End Review and AI Market Update: Q2 2025 in Review, or read projections for AI this year in our AI Market Forecast: 3 Top Trends that will Affect AI in 2025. Generative AI is also a major theme in the Top 10 Emerging Technologies to Watch.

      FAQs for investing in OpenAI and ChatGPT

      How is OpenAI funded?

      OpenAI raised US$57.9 billion over 11 funding rounds from 2016 to March 2025.

      Top investors include technology investment firm Thrive Capital, venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and revolutionary technology investment firm Founders Fund.

      What is the market value of ChatGPT/OpenAI?

      OpenAI has a market valuation of US$300 billion as of June 2025. The company’s annualized revenue reached the US$10 billion mark in June 2025, up from the US$5.5 billion achieved in December 2024.

      Does ChatGPT use NVIDIA chips?

      ChatGPT’s distributed computing infrastructure depends upon powerful servers with multiple graphics processing units (GPUs). High-performance NVIDIA GPU chips are preferred for this application as they also provide excellent Compute Unified Device Architecture support.

      What is DeepSeek?

      DeepSeek is a Chinese AI company that launched new AI-driven, open-source language models known as DeepSeek-V3 and DeepSeek-R1 into the market in January 2025. Reuters reports that ‘the training of DeepSeek-V3 required less than $6 million worth of computing power from Nvidia H800 chips.’

      DeepSeek-R1 is designed to compete with the performance of OpenAI-o1 across math, code, and reasoning tasks.

      Can ChatGPT make stock predictions?

      A University of Florida study from 2023 highlighted the potential for advanced language models such as ChatGPT to accurately predict movements in the stock market using sentiment analysis.

      During the course of the study, ChatGPT outperformed traditional sentiment analysis methods, and the finance professors conducting the research concluded that “incorporating advanced language models into the investment decision-making process can yield more accurate predictions and enhance the performance of quantitative trading strategies.”

      When to expect ChatGPT 5?

      OpenAI’s latest version of ChatGPT, GPT-5, was released on August 7, 2025. The basic version is available to all users, while there are upgraded capabilities for Plus and Pro subscribers.

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

      This post appeared first on investingnews.com

      Keep Reading
      Investing

      What Was the Highest Price for Silver?

      Like its sister metal gold, silver has been attracting renewed attention as a safe-haven asset.

      Although it continues to exhibit its hallmark volatility, many silver investors believe that a bull market is starting up for the precious metal. Experts are optimistic about the future, and as the silver price’s momentum continues above US$40 in 2025, investors are looking for price forecasts and asking, “What was the highest price for silver?”

      The answer reveals how much potential there is for the silver price to rise. Read on for a look at silver’s historical moves, and what they could mean for both the price of silver today and the white metal’s price in the future.

      In this article

        How is silver traded?

        Before discovering what the highest silver price was, it’s worth looking at how the precious metal is traded. Knowing the mechanics can be useful in understanding why and how its price changes on a day-to-day basis and beyond.

        Put simply, silver bullion is traded in dollars and cents per ounce, with market activity taking place worldwide at all hours, resulting in a live silver price. Key commodities markets like New York, London and Hong Kong are just a few locations where investors trade the metal. London is seen as the center of physical silver trade, while the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, called the NYMEX, is where most paper trading is done.

        There are two popular ways to invest in silver. The first is through purchasing silver bullion products such as bullion bars, bullion coins and silver rounds. Physical silver is sold on the spot market, meaning that in order to invest in silver this way, buyers pay a specific price for the metal — the silver price per ounce — and then have it delivered immediately.

        The second is accomplished through paper trading, which is done via the silver futures market, with participants entering into futures contracts for the delivery of silver at an agreed-upon price and time. In such contracts, two positions can be taken: a long position to accept delivery of the metal or a short position to provide delivery.

        Paper trading might sound like a strange way to get silver exposure, but it can provide investors with flexibility that they wouldn’t get from buying and selling bullion. The most obvious advantage is perhaps the fact that trading in the paper market means silver investors can benefit long term from holding silver without needing to store it. Furthermore, futures trading can offer more financial leverage in that it requires less capital than trading in the physical market.

        Market participants can also invest in silver through exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Investing in a silver ETF is similar to trading a stock on an exchange, and there are several silver ETFs to choose from. Some ETFs focus on physical silver bullion, while others focus on silver futures contracts. Still others focus on silver stocks or follow the live silver price.

        What is silver’s all-time high price?

        The silver all-time high was US$49.95 per ounce, a level it reached on January 17, 1980.

        However, the price didn’t exactly reach that level by honest means. As Britannica explains, two wealthy traders called the Hunt brothers attempted to corner the market by buying not only physical silver, but also silver futures — they took delivery of those silver futures contracts instead of taking legal tender in the form cash settlements.

        Their exploits ultimately ended in disaster: On March 27, 1980, they missed a margin call and the silver market price plunged to US$10.80. This day is infamously known as Silver Thursday.

        That record silver price wouldn’t be tested again until April 2011, when it reached US$47.94. This was more than triple the 2009 average silver price of US$14.67, with the price uptick coming on the back of very strong investment demand.

        Silver’s price history since 2011

        Silver price chart, September 22, 2005, to September 22, 2025.

        Chart via SilverPrice.org.

        After its 2011 peak, silver’s price pulled back over the following years before settling between US$15 and US$20 for much of the second half of last decade. An upward trend in the silver price started in mid-2020, when it was spurred on by the economic uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The price of silver breached the key US$26 level in early August 2020, and soon after tested US$30. However, it failed to make substantial progress past that.

        In the spring of 2023, the silver price surged by 30 percent, briefly rising above US$26 in early May; however, the precious metal cratered back down to US$20.90 in early October. Later that month, silver advanced toward the US$23 level on the back of safe-haven demand due to the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.

        Following remarks from US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, speculation about interest rate reductions sent the price of silver to US$25.48 on November 30, its highest point for the fourth quarter.

        After starting 2024 on a low note, the white metal saw gains in March on rising Fed rate cut expectations. The resulting upward momentum led silver to reach a Q1 high of US$25.62 on March 20 before breaking through the US$30 mark on May 17. The silver price reached a then 12 year high of US$32.33 on May 20. In Q3, the metal’s price slid down below the US$27 mark to as low as US$26.64 by August 7 alongside its industrial cousin copper.

        Heading into Q4 2024, silver reversed course to the upside, tracking the record breaking moves in the gold price. Silver once again breached the US$30 level on September 13 and continued higher. On October 21, the silver price moved as high as US$34.20 during the trading day, up more than 48 percent since the start of the year and its highest level in 12 years. However, silver spent the rest of the year in decline, bottoming out at US$28.94 on December 30.

        Silver price performance in 2025

        Silver price chart, December 31, 2024, to September 22, 2025.

        The silver price experienced a momentum shift at the start of 2025, breaking through the US$30 barrier as early as January 5, and reached US$31.31 by January 29. The metal continued to post gains through much of February and March, climbing to US$32.94 on February 20 and then peaking at its quarterly high of US$34.21 on March 28.

        Following US President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements on April 2, silver slumped to below US$30. While the Trump administration’s tariff policies have been largely beneficial for safe-haven assets like precious metals, there were concerns that the threat of tariffs could weaken industrial demand, which could cool price gains in the silver market.

        Yet those concerns were pushed to the back burner as recent economic and geopolitical events have raised analysts’ expectations of a September rate cut by the Fed. The benchmark rate has not changed since November 2024.

        On June 5, the silver price rose to a 13 year high of US$36.05 in early morning trading, before retreating toward the US$35.50 mark. By June 16, the white metal had broken through the US$37 mark for the first time since May 2011.

        In July, increasing geopolitical strife in the Middle East and Russia-Ukraine coupled with a positive outlook for China’s solar power industry proved price positive for both silver’s precious metals and industrial angles.

        The silver price overtook the US$39 level to reach US$39.24 on July 22.

        These same forces, coupled with the nearly unanimous rate cut expectations, launched the price of silver to over US$40 on August 31 for the first time since 2011, and by September 3 it had climbed as high as US$41.45.

        The price of silver continued climbing rapidly through September, breaking through US$42, US$43 and US$44 per ounce. Silver set its latest 14 year high of US$44.11 per ounce during trading on September 22.

        While it has yet to surpass its all time high in US dollars set in 1980, the silver price has now beat its all-time highs in most currencies, including Canadian dollars and Australian dollars.

        Silver supply and demand dynamics

        Market watchers are curious as to whether the silver price will continue its upward trajectory in 2025. Only time will tell, and it will depend on the white metal’s ability to remain above the critical US$30 level.

        Like other metals, the silver spot price is most heavily influenced by supply and demand dynamics. However, as the information above illustrates, the silver price can be highly volatile. That’s partially due to the fact that the metal is subject to both investment and industrial metal demand within global markets.

        In other words, it’s bought by investors who want it as a store of wealth, as well as by manufacturers looking to use it for different applications that are incredibly varied. For example, silver has diverse technological applications and is used in devices like batteries and catalysts, but it’s also used in medicine and in the automotive industry.

        In terms of supply, the world’s three top producers of the metal are Mexico, China and Peru. Even in those countries silver is usually a by-product — for instance, a mine producing primarily gold or lead might also have silver output.

        The Silver Institute’s latest World Silver Survey, put together by Metals Focus, outlines a 0.9 percent increase in global mine production to 819.7 million ounces in 2024. This was in partly the result of a return to operations at Newmont’s (TSX:NGT,NYSE:NEM,ASX:NEM) Peñasquito mine in Mexico following a suspension of activity brought about by strike action among workers and improved recoveries out of Fresnillo (LSE:FRES,OTC Pink:FNLPF) and MAG Silver’s (TSX:MAG,NYSEAMERICAN:MAG) Juanicipio. Silver output also increased in Australia, Bolivia and the US.

        The firm is forecasting a 1.9 percent rise in global silver mine production to 823 million ounces in 2025. Much of that growth is expected to come out of Mexico, and it is also projecting output will rise in Chile and Russia.

        Lower production from Australia and Peru will offset some of these gains.

        Looking at demand, Metals Focus sees growth in 2025 flatlining as industrial fabrication takes a hit from the global tariff war. This could be tempered by an anticipated rebound in demand from physical investment in silver bars and coins.

        The silver market is expected to experience a substantial deficit of 117.6 million ounces in 2025, amounting to the sixth straight year of supply shortage for the metal.

        Is the silver price manipulated?

        As a final note on silver, it’s important for investors to be aware that manipulation of prices is a major issue in the space.

        For instance, in 2015, 10 banks were hit in a US probe on precious metals manipulation. Evidence provided by Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) showed “smoking gun” proof that UBS Group (NYSE:UBS), HSBC Holdings (NYSE:HSBC), the The Bank of Nova Scotia (TSX:BNS) and other firms were involved in rigging silver rates from 2007 to 2013. In May 2023, a silver manipulation lawsuit filed in 2014 against HSBC and the Bank of Nova Scotia was dismissed by a US court.

        JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) has been long at the center of silver manipulation claims as well. For years the firm has been in and out of court for the accusations. In 2020, JPMorgan agreed to pay US$920 million to resolve federal agency probes regarding the manipulation of multiple markets, including precious metals.

        In 2014, the London Silver Market Fixing stopped administering the London silver fix, which had been used for over a century to fix the price of silver. It was replaced by the LBMA Silver Price, which is run by ICE Benchmark Administration, in a bid to increase market transparency.

        Market watchers like Ed Steer have said that the days of silver manipulation are numbered, and that the market will see a significant shift when the time finally comes.

        Investor takeaway

        Silver has neared US$50 multiple times, including its all-time high, and as momentum continues for the silver price in 2025 investors are wondering if it could reach those heights once again.

        While it’s impossible to know for sure what’s next for silver, keeping an eye on the factors driving its performance, including gold’s performance, geopolitics, the economy and industrial demand, will help investors make decisions on when to buy and sell.

        Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, currently hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

        This post appeared first on investingnews.com

        Keep Reading
        Investing

        Mali Approves New Gold Deals Under Revised Code

        Mali’s military government has approved a fresh round of mining agreements under its revised code.

        On September 19, the country’s Council of Ministers ratified seven exploitation and exploration agreements.

        According to Reuters, the deals cover some of Mali’s biggest gold operations, including Allied Gold’s (TSX:AAUC,NYSE:AAUC) Sadiola project, B2Gold’s (TSX:BTO,NYSE:BTG) Fekola mine, Resolute Mining’s (ASX:RSG,LSE:RSG) Syama site and Ganfeng Lithium’s (OTC Pink:GNENF,HKEX:1772) Bougouni lithium project.

        The government said the agreements guarantee Mali a “non-reducible” stake in projects along with priority access to dividends, part of its drive to secure greater revenue from natural resources.

        The approvals follow preliminary accords reached last year and reflect the provisions of the 2023 mining code, which lifted royalties to 10 percent from 6.5 percent and increased mandatory state and local ownership in mines to at least 35 percent from 20 percent. Companies such as Endeavour Mining (TSX:EDV,LSE:EDV,OTCQX:EDVMF) have already signed deals on those terms, while Allied Gold, B2Gold and Ganfeng Lithium have not release any statements.

        Barrick Mining (TSX:ABX,NYSE:B), by contrast, has resisted the government’s demands and remains locked in a confrontation that has now spilled into courts and international arbitration.

        Tensions escalated in November 2024, when Malian authorities arrested four of the company’s employees, including a regional manager, on allegations of money laundering, terrorism financing and tax violations.

        A judge later granted bail set at 50 billion CFA francs (about US$90.3 million), but prosecutors appealed, keeping the employees in jail pending review by the Court of Appeal, Bloomberg reported. The arrests are widely seen as part of a protracted standoff over Barrick’s Loulo-Gounkoto complex, once the company’s largest African operation.

        Mali has pressed for a larger share of profits under the new mining code, while Barrick has resisted altering its existing arrangements. The dispute intensified this year when government forces twice removed bullion directly from the site.

        In January, officials seized 3 metric tons of gold and blocked exports, forcing Barrick to suspend operations.

        In July, military helicopters again landed unannounced at Loulo-Gounkoto and took more than a metric ton of gold, worth over US$117 million at prevailing prices, without company consent. Barrick has described the seizures as illegal and launched proceedings at the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes. The company also disputes the legitimacy of a provisional administrator installed at Loulo-Gounkoto following a local court order in June.

        Despite the tensions, Mali remains one of Africa’s top gold producers, with output from mines operated by foreign companies forming a backbone of state revenues.

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

        This post appeared first on investingnews.com

        Keep Reading
        Investing

        BPH Energy LimitedPEP 11 Update

        Perth, Australia (ABN Newswire) – On 20 January 2025, BPH Energy Limited (ASX:BPH) and Bounty Oil & Gas NL (Bounty) (ASX:BUY) as the PEP 11 Joint Venture announced that they had been given notice by the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator (NOPTA) that the Joint Authority had refused the Joint Venture Applications made on 23 January 2020 (First Application) and 17 March 2021 (Second Application) (the Decision).

        On 12 February 2025 BPH advised that investee Advent Energy Limited’s (BPH 36.1% direct interest) 100% subsidiary Asset Energy Pty Ltd had applied to the Federal Court for an Originating Application for judicial review pursuant to s 5 of the Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977 (Cth) and s 39B of the Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth) to review a Decision of the Commonwealth-New South Wales Offshore Petroleum Joint Authority, constituted under section 56 of the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (Cth).

        The Company has previously announced that the Originating Application was listed for a 2-day hearing commencing on 16 September 2025 and 17 September 2025.

        On 16 September after hearing from the parties on technical points of law, the Honourable Justice Jackson decided that the hearing should be conducted by him in NSW and adjourned the proceeding.

        On 16 September initial orders reflecting that decision were published and the Company advised that further orders concerning Justice Jackson’s decision will be published once available.

        These orders and reasons are now available at the following link.
        https://www.abnnewswire.net/lnk/XD14L72C

        Asset Energy Pty Ltd is a 100% owned subsidiary of Advent Energy Ltd and lodged the Originating Application as Operator for and on behalf of the PEP11 Joint Venture Partners, Bounty Oil and Gas NL (ASX:BUY) and Asset Energy Pty Ltd.

        About BPH Energy Limited:

        BPH Energy Limited (ASX:BPH) is an Australian Securities Exchange listed company developing biomedical research and technologies within Australian Universities and Hospital Institutes.

        The company provides early stage funding, project management and commercialisation strategies for a direct collaboration, a spin out company or to secure a license.

        BPH provides funding for commercial strategies for proof of concept, research and product development, whilst the institutional partner provides infrastructure and the core scientific expertise.

        BPH currently partners with several academic institutions including The Harry Perkins Institute for Medical Research and Swinburne University of Technology (SUT).

        Source:
        BPH Energy Limited

        Contact:
        David Breeze
        admin@bphenergy.com.au
        www.bphenergy.com.au
        T: +61 8 9328 8366

        News Provided by ABN Newswire via QuoteMedia

        This post appeared first on investingnews.com

        Keep Reading
        Investing

        Altech Batteries LtdNext Generation Cerenergy Battery Pack Achieves 90 Kilowatt Hours

        Perth, Australia (ABN Newswire) – Altech Batteries Limited (ASX:ATC,OTC:ALTHF) (FRA:A3Y) (OTCMKTS:ALTHF) is pleased to announce that the latest research and development efforts for the CERENERGY(R) cell and battery pack have resulted in the design possibility of a higher-capacity battery system. Development has focused on an expanded module concept that delivers greater energy within the same casing. By shifting from the current 48-cell configuration to a beehive arrangement of 72 cells per module, each pack-comprising five modules-now achieves an energy capacity of 90 kWh (from 60 KWh) while maintaining the existing battery casing structure.

        Highlights

        – R&D work developed an expanded CERENERGY(R) module concept, increasing capacity from 48 to 72 cells per module in a beehive arrangement

        – Each five-module pack now delivers 90 kWh (from 60 KWh) of energy while retaining the existing casing and factory setup, requiring no infrastructure changes.

        – System-level benefits include higher energy and power density, improved thermal behaviour, and cost reductions of ~30% at module and pack level

        – Thermal modelling confirms uniform heat distribution with no excessive build-up, resulting in lower internal resistance and stable performance

        – Engineering refinements-simplified cell contacting, optimised welding, repositioned sensors, and a redesigned frame-improve layout, assembly efficiency, and long-term reliability

        – The redesign enhances competitiveness in EUR/kWh and strengthens scalability towards full industrial production

        – No final decision on final design as yet – further modelling work

        – R&D work on incorporation into a grid pack has commenced

        Importantly, this innovation requires no modification to the established factory design and setup. At the system level, the improvements deliver higher energy and power density, enhanced thermal performance, and cost reductions of approximately 30% at both the module and pack levels.

        The redesign reduces inactive or unheated areas within the battery, with R&D efforts focused on analysing thermal distribution and heat accumulation during operation. Thermal modelling confirms that effective heat management is achievable, showing no excessive build-up during charging and discharging. Results demonstrate a uniform temperature profile, leading to lower internal resistance and more stable performance under load.

        From an engineering perspective, the new module concept also resolves practical design challenges. It introduces simplified cell contacting, creating additional internal space and a cleaner layout. Further refinements include optimised welding techniques, repositioned temperature sensors, and a redesigned frame-collectively enhancing assembly efficiency, structural robustness, and long-term reliability.

        At the system level, these advancements deliver higher energy and power density, improved thermal behaviour, and cost reductions of around 30% at both the module and pack levels. This results in a more competitive EUR/kWh and strengthens scalability towards full industrial production.

        A final decision on the design has not yet been reached, as additional modelling work continues alongside ongoing R&D focused on achieving seamless integration into a grid-scale battery pack, ensuring optimised performance, reliability, and cost-efficiency for future commercial deployment.

        Group Managing Director, Iggy Tan said ‘We are very encouraged by the outcome of our latest CERENERGY(R) development program. Achieving a 72–cell beehive module design that lifts pack capacity to 90 kWh-without any change to the existing casing or factory setup-is a significant milestone. Not only does this innovation increase energy density, it also simplifies engineering, enhances thermal management, and reduces cost by nearly 30%. These results strengthen the commercial competitiveness of CERENERGY(R) and confirm its scalability towards full industrial production. With each step, we are moving closer to delivering a next-generation, high-performance battery solution for the global energy storage market.’

        *To view tables and figures, please visit:
        https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/3NN1GBH0

        About Altech Batteries Ltd:

        Altech Batteries Limited (ASX:ATC,OTC:ALTHF) (FRA:A3Y) is a specialty battery technology company that has a joint venture agreement with world leading German battery institute Fraunhofer IKTS (‘Fraunhofer’) to commercialise the revolutionary CERENERGY(R) Sodium Alumina Solid State (SAS) Battery. CERENERGY(R) batteries are the game-changing alternative to lithium-ion batteries. CERENERGY(R) batteries are fire and explosion-proof; have a life span of more than 15 years and operate in extreme cold and desert climates. The battery technology uses table salt and is lithium-free; cobalt-free; graphite-free; and copper-free, eliminating exposure to critical metal price rises and supply chain concerns.

        The joint venture is commercialising its CERENERGY(R) battery, with plans to construct a 100MWh production facility on Altech’s land in Saxony, Germany. The facility intends to produce CERENERGY(R) battery modules to provide grid storage solutions to the market.

        Source:
        Altech Batteries Ltd

        Contact:
        Corporate
        Iggy Tan
        Managing Director
        Altech Batteries Limited
        Tel: +61-8-6168-1555
        Email: info@altechgroup.com

        Martin Stein
        Chief Financial Officer
        Altech Batteries Limited
        Tel: +61-8-6168-1555
        Email: info@altechgroup.com

        News Provided by ABN Newswire via QuoteMedia

        This post appeared first on investingnews.com

        Keep Reading
        Investing

        Questcorp Mining to Present at the Emerging Growth Conference

        Questcorp Mining Inc. (CSE: QQQ,OTC:QQCMF) (OTCQB: QQCMF) (FSE: D910) (the ‘Company’ or ‘Questcorp’) is pleased to announce that it has been invited to Present on the Emerging Growth Conference Thursday September 25th, 2025.

        Questcorp invites individual and institutional investors as well as advisors and analysts, to attend its real-time, interactive presentation on the Emerging Growth Conference.

        The next Emerging Growth Conference is presenting on Thursday September 25th, 2025. This live, interactive online event will give existing shareholders and the investment community the opportunity to interact with the Company’s President, CEO and Founding Director in real time.

        Mr. Dhillon will give a presentation and may subsequently open the floor for questions. Please submit your questions in advance to Questions@EmergingGrowth.com or ask your questions during the event and Mr. Dhillon will do his best to get through as many of them as possible.

        Questcorp Mining Inc. will be presenting at 12:00PM Eastern time for 30 minutes.

        Please register here to ensure you are able to attend the conference and receive any updates that are released.

        https://goto.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1717091&tp_key=c78a55764a&sti=qqcmf

        If attendees are not able to join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available on EmergingGrowth.com and on the Emerging Growth YouTube Channel, http://www.YouTube.com/EmergingGrowthConference. We will release a link to that after the event.

        About the Emerging Growth Conference
        The Emerging Growth conference is an effective way for public companies to present and communicate their new products, services and other major announcements to the investment community from the convenience of their office, in a time efficient manner.

        The Conference focus and coverage includes companies in a wide range of growth sectors, with strong management teams, innovative products & services, focused strategy, execution, and the overall potential for long term growth. Its audience includes potentially tens of thousands of Individual and Institutional investors, as well as Investment advisors and analysts.

        All sessions will be conducted through video webcasts and will take place in the Eastern time zone.

        About Questcorp Mining Inc.

        Questcorp Mining is engaged in the business of the acquisition and exploration of mineral properties in North America, with the objective of locating and developing economic precious and base metals properties of merit. The company holds an option to acquire an undivided 100-per-cent interest in and to mineral claims totalling 1,168.09 hectares comprising the North Island copper property, on Vancouver Island, B.C., subject to a royalty obligation. The company also holds an option to acquire an undivided 100-per-cent interest in and to mineral claims totalling 2,520.2 hectares comprising the La Union project located in Sonora, Mexico, subject to a royalty obligation.

        ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS,

        Saf Dhillon
        President & CEO

        Questcorp Mining Inc.
        saf@questcorpmining.ca
        Tel. (604-484-3031)

        Suite 550, 800 West Pender Street
        Vancouver, British Columbia
        V6C 2V6.

        Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or developments to differ materially from those contained in the statements. No assurance can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. Except as required by the securities disclosure laws and regulations applicable to the Company, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management’s beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

        To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/267524

        News Provided by Newsfile via QuoteMedia

        This post appeared first on investingnews.com

        Keep Reading