Brent Cook, founder and senior advisor to Exploration Insights™, recently attended the 5th Future Minerals Forum in Saudi Arabia, where the participation extended well beyond the Middle East, with representatives from Australia, Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom, reflecting the growing international interest in its US$925 million Public Investment Fund, the 6th largest in the world.

In the Weekly Market Digest, market volatility rose sharply last week, and US equities pulled back modestly amid escalating geopolitical tensions tied to the US administration's pursuit of acquiring Greenland, a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, a NATO ally. Most commodities had positive weeks, as did their levered equity ETF benchmarks. 

The Exploration Insights Portfolio was up last week, driven by a REE developer in South America, which recently attended a conference in the Middle East. A Top Pick cash-flowing royalty generator creates new royalties in Serbia. A nickel-copper producer/developer in the northern US closes its transformation transaction, and a gold-antimony developer in Australia may be in line for government funding. 

In Stock Talk, a pair of Top Picks, including a precious metal developer in NW Argentina and a copper developer in SW US, outlined their fully funded plans. A PGE-nickel developer in Brazil raises a significant quantum of capital supported by a new strategic investor. I will defer discussions on a pair of grassroots copper explorers in the Yukon and Kazakhstan until next week.