Last week, approximately 15 gigawatts of power unexpectedly vanished from Spain’s electrical grid in seconds, causing a blackout right around siesta time. This notable loss, about 60% of the country’s demand, is believed to be connected to Spain’s growing dependence on renewable energy, which tends to be less stable than traditional sources like nuclear, coal, and natural gas.  

So, when it comes to clean versus reliable energy, the solution might lie in a mix of sources.  

In the Weekly Market Digest, as some analysts expected, the US economy contracted in Q1/2025 compared to the previous quarter, but it did not faze the equity markets and lessened the desire for risk-off assets like gold and precious metal equities. Base metals were mixed, as were the equities levered to them. 

Last week, the Exploration Insights portfolio saw a moderate decline, underperforming the base metal equity benchmark but narrowly beating the precious metals one.

In Stock Talk, I review financing transactions, including one by a strategic investor into a prospect generator in Quebec and another that involved a significant quantum of capital for a gold-antimony project in Australia. I also cover drill results from a copper explorer in the Yukon and a precious metal one in northwest Argentina. A pair of royalty generators released their full-year 2024 results. A REE developer initiates a pilot plant in Brazil while a gold developer in the US makes some corporate changes.