Video News/Precious Metals Summit Beaver Creek 2026

Willem Middelkoop, Founder & CEO of Commodity Discovery Fund, says stronger financing and higher metals prices are bringing confidence back to the junior mining sector, but the quality of new discoveries has not kept pace. Speaking with Kitco Mining’s Paul Harris at the 2026 Precious Metals Summit in Beaver Creek, Middelkoop said the industry is seeing “the start of a new bull market,” even as Tier 1 and Tier 2 discoveries remain difficult to find. Middelkoop said major producers are increasingly taking strategic positions in juniors to gain early exposure to new projects, but he remains doubtful that this will lead to a major M&A wave. He also said his fund has become more selective, with greater emphasis on larger discoveries, producers and cash. Looking ahead, Middelkoop expects gold to move toward $5,000 and silver to at least $100 per ounce, while warning that rising interest rates could trigger a larger market correction.