The payroll compensation, including deferred payments, for the baseball players on the field, in the dugouts, and warming in the bullpens during this year’s Fall Classic, is estimated at US$760 million. With an average of 30 million viewers per game tuning in from the US, Canada, and Japan to watch what many are calling the most exciting seven-game World Series ever played, it seems like money well spent. 

Even a few Canadians following along from a hotel room in Colombia during a site visit would probably agree.

In the Weekly Market Digest, with the US benchmark interest rate cut already priced in, and the risk that the next one may be deferred increased, precious metals pulled back. Interestingly, precious metal equities held up better than bullion, signaling that some optimism remains in the sector. Industrial metals were mixed while base metal equities followed the downward drift, reflecting softer sentiment.

The Exploration Insights portfolio was essentially flat last week but still outperformed both the precious and base metal equity ETFs. The gains were led by a Top Pick copper cathode developer in Arizona, a grassroots copper explorer in Peru, and a gold developer in southern Idaho. 

Financing activity continues to pick up across the sector, helping drive exploration and technical work for several companies in the portfolio. I’ll circle back next week with drill results from a pair of gold explorers/developers once I’ve reviewed all the data.

In Stock Talk, a copper explorer in SE Asia hits an SLTO risk, a Ni-Cu-PGE developer in the US extends its earn-in, and a REE developer commits to a plant in the SE US. I cover drill results from exploration projects in Argentina, Chile, Quebec, and the Yukon. Finally, a prospect generator in Australia looks to test a new land package.