Video News/Digging Deep

Neil Adshead, Consulting Geologist at the Commodity Discovery Fund, says U.S. government support for critical minerals can help bring attention and talent back to mining, but he questions whether taxpayer money should be used to pick company winners. Speaking with Kitco Mining’s Digging Deep on August 11, Adshead said broader tax incentives and stronger mining schools would do more to rebuild long-term capacity. “I’d rather see the free market determine where the capital goes,” he said. Adshead also weighed Newmont’s US$1.95 billion payment to Barrick under the Nevada Gold Mines agreement, the valuation debate around Fourmile, and Barrick’s planned IPO of its North American gold assets. He said the deal could prove a long-term win-win, while also discussing whether major gold producers sold assets too soon, why buybacks are dominating capital returns, Hercules Metals’ new leadership team in Idaho, and Mariana Minerals’ US$310 million raise as a software-first critical minerals company.