(Kitco News) - Gold’s pullback below $4,500 an ounce has put U.S. interest rates back at the center of the market debate, but Rick Rule believes the more important shift for mining investors is the pressure building on producers to replace ounces through acquisitions.Speaking with Kitco Mining’s Digging Deep on May 27, the President and CEO of Rule Investment Media said the move lower in gold, which had taken prices below $4,500/oz for the first time since late March, had not changed his long-term view.

(Kitco News) Copper’s move toward $6.25/lb is improving margins for miners, but Neil Adshead said the industry’s core supply problem remains unchanged: getting new tonnes into the market is still slow, expensive, and difficult.

(Kitco News) - Gold producers are reporting record free cash flow, profits, cash balances, and shareholder returns as higher prices expand margins across the sector, but production growth remains constrained, increasing the appeal of acquisitions over new mine builds.

(Kitco News) - Weakness in gold and mining equities since early March is exposing a gap between rising producer cash flow and lagging share prices, a divergence that could support consolidation as miners look to replace reserves and add growth, according to John Feneck, founder and CEO of The Feneck Commodities Report.

(Kitco News) Oil and liquefied natural gas markets are moving on expectations of disruption rather than actual shortages as tensions in the Persian Gulf escalate, a dynamic that could lead to sharper price moves if supply is materially constrained, according to Rule, President and CEO of Rule Investment Media.

(Kitco News) A series of asset sales and policy disputes is highlighting a persistent challenge for global miners: once projects become large enough, political leverage can shift toward host governments.

(Kitco News) AbraSilver Resource Corp. (TSX: ABRA; OTCQX: ABBRF) is moving its Diablillos silver-gold project in Argentina toward a final investment decision in 2026, as Chief Executive Officer John Miniotis was named Kitco Mining’s Exploration CEO of the Year during the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto in March 2026.

(Kitco News) Mining equities weakened during the Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto, even as bullion proved more resilient, reviving what some investors informally call the “PDAC curse.” The divergence followed a sharp run that left parts of the sector technically extended heading into the annual gathering.

(Kitco News) A crowded convention floor can signal optimism. Whether it signals durable outperformance is another question, according to Nicole Adshead-Bell, Director of Cupel Advisory. Speaking with Kitco Mining’s Digging Deep at PDAC 2026 in Toronto, Adshead-Bell said the distinction between company-specific performance and broad sector momentum can become blurred in strong markets. “We always mistake alpha for beta,” she said, cautioning that rising prices can make it harder to judge execution.

(Kitco News) Escalating geopolitical tension is intersecting with record profitability in the gold sector and a renewed surge in multi-billion-dollar mining transactions, according to Neil Adshead, Consultant Analyst at the Commodity Discovery Fund.

(Kitco News) A widening capital shortfall in copper is reshaping how large-scale projects are financed, with royalty and streaming companies emerging as pivotal sources of funding, according to veteran metals investor Rick Rule.

(Kitco News) Rising metal prices are not resolving the mining sector’s constraints. Instead, they are exposing the capital intensity of new copper supply and reinforcing the limits of price strength in gold development, according to Joe Mazumdar, editor of Exploration Insights.

(Kitco News) Governments are moving to secure critical minerals, but the mining sector remains constrained by development timelines that are difficult to compress. Neil Adshead, a consultant analyst at the Commodity Discovery Fund, said the growing push to “secure supply” continues to collide with structural limits across the industry.

(Kitco News) Mining companies are entering a new phase of the metals cycle marked by expanding margins, stronger balance sheets, and a growing gap between market prices and the assumptions still guiding corporate decisions, according to Nicole Adshead-Bell, director of Cupel Advisory.

(Kitco News) Extreme volatility in gold and silver does not signal a breakdown in the precious metals bull market, but rather reflects a structural shift in how prices are adjusting after years of suppressed demand and underinvestment, according to John Feneck, Founder and CEO of The Feneck Commodities Report.

(Kitco News) Greg Orrell, portfolio manager at OCM Gold Fund, says the precious metals market entered 2026 under conditions he described as rarely seen in modern market history, following a year of persistent gains that reshaped investor expectations for gold, silver, and mining equities. Orrell said the move out of 2025 reflects a structural shift in demand and market behavior rather than a late-cycle surge driven by short-term speculation.

(Kitco News) Gold’s strength reflects a long-term erosion in purchasing power rather than a short-term market cycle, according to veteran investor Rick Rule, President and CEO of Rule Investment Media.

(Kitco News) Gold, silver, and copper entered 2026 with momentum that reflects deeper structural pressures rather than a short-lived rally, according to David Erfle, founder of JuniorMinerJunky.com. He believes rising geopolitical risk, expanding sovereign debt, and growing uncertainty around U.S. monetary policy are reinforcing demand for metals as the new year begins.

(Kitco News) David Garofalo, CEO and Chairman of Gold Royalty (NYSE American: GROY), says gold’s strength reflects deep structural pressures in the global financial system rather than short-term speculation, as rising debt levels, currency debasement, and negative real interest rates continue to reshape capital flows.