CHF WEEKLY ROUND-UP: December 31, 2024 - January 10, 2025

The first full trading week of 2025 is now complete, and volatility continues to rule. Wide ranging statements from the President-elect are confusing people and the hopes for “January effect” of market gains for small-cap stocks is not yet apparent.

Following a trend for world leaders to fall, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has resigned, but didn’t go away, staying in power while he shut down Parliament to give his party time to choose a successor. The initial optimism seems to be fading, but the TSX has still gained 1% to start the year. Canadian unemployment rates rose to 6.8% in November, and GDP grew by less than 1% in 2024, and only a confused response has been offered to threatened tariffs by Mr. Trump. Yet there is still an opportunity for Canadian markets to outperform this year, but confidence needs to be restored.

The U.S. dollar (USD) is up 0.54% so far this year and continues to show strength, thereby causing other global currencies to weaken. Currencies of the commodity-exporting countries have been weak as lack of demand has commodity prices falling because the economies of China and Europe are underperforming. The large tech stocks have shown some weakness, but their earnings are still expected to continue to power the markets. Further Fed interest rate cuts are off the table right now but there is room for up to three rate cuts of 0.25% later this year. Until Inauguration Day, when direction may become clearer, uncertainty, and volatility remain in force. Ongoing strength in the services sector of the U.S. economy and rising job openings are a signal that demand for labor remains strong.

The primary precious metals market drivers from 2024 - ongoing central bank accumulation, a Fed still following an easing cycle, and greater geopolitical tension - are intact. Trump's second term and the potential for greater impact on trade flows, inflation and the global economy, favour gold to protect wealth and hedge against potential shocks. Gold has seen a high degree of price volatility as spot gold, at USD$2,677/oz this morning, is in uptrend so far this year spiking as high as USD$2,680/oz, keeping USD$3,000 the near-term target. Silver has been building support in the USD$30/oz range and opened at USD$30.30/oz today.

Base metals have shown some strength so far this year with copper near USD$4.06/lb. today, and nickel at USD$6.95/lb. Other metals may be showing signs of a reversal in recent trends. Success in efforts to boost the Chinese economy will first be seen in commodity demand: iron ore, coal and oil first, followed by the industrial metals. If these price signs are correct the commodities are the place to be. In 2025 many industry executives and market analysts expect gold and copper M&A to accelerate, with juniors holding prospects in traditional high-grade districts favoured. This trend could be favourable for CHF clients Athena Gold Corp (CSE: ATHA) (OTCQB: AHNR)  and Sokoman Minerals Corp. (TSXV: SIC) (OTCQB: SICNF) with projects located in great jurisdictions.

The possibility of Trump tariffs and a lingering global manufacturing slowdown continues to impact battery and critical material markets. Lithium, at USD$10.30/kg, and cobalt at USD$ 11.00/lb. are not moving, and even the Chinese EV manufacturers are reconsidering investments in output expansion, as are American car makers, with EV mandates in the U.S. targeted by Trump. The future remains electric, with AI and data centres providing major demand, but expanded generation capacity and improvements to the transmission grid are needed first. Once power supplies and delivery are stable the EV’s will follow. Look to western supply-chain players for growth opportunities.

We are pleased to present to you a round-up of our client’s news released between December 31, 2024 - January 10, 2025.

Mining

On December 31, 2024, Sokoman Minerals Corp. (TSXV:SIC) (OTCQB: SICNF) announced that it has closed the flow-through portion of its non-brokered flow-through financing  for aggregate gross proceeds of CAD$1,456,500.

The Company has issued 36,412,500 CAD$0.04 flow-through shares, with each flow-through common share of the Company entitling the holder to receive the tax benefits applicable to flow-through shares in accordance with the provisions of the Income Tax Act (Canada).

The Company closed the second tranche of its non-flow-through financing and has issued an additional 700,000 non-flow-through common shares for an aggregate total of 850,000 non-flow-through common shares or CAD$29,750.

On January 2, 2025, Nuinsco Resources Limited (CSE: NWI) announced the closing of a non-brokered private placement issuing 8,100,000 flow-through common shares at a subscription price of $0.005 per Share for aggregate proceeds of $40,500. Proceeds from the Private Placement will be used to advance the Company’s Prairie Lake critical metals project located near Terrace Bay, ON.

On January 6, 2025, Falcon Gold Corp. (TSXV: FG) (FRA: 3FA) announced that it has closed the third tranche of its previously announced non-brokered private placement by issuing 6,666,660 Quebec flow-through (QFT) units  at $0.045 per unit for gross proceeds of $299,999.70 and 2,286,442 non-flow-through units at $0.035 per unit for gross proceeds of $80,025.50 for aggregate gross proceeds of $380,025.20. In the three Tranches, the Company has raised a total of $975,025.17 and issued 14,000,000 FT Units, 6,666,660 QFT Units, and 3,286,442 NFT Units.

Fintech

On January 8, 2025, Tenet Fintech Group Inc. (CSE: PKK) (OTCQB: PKKFF) announced that a recent single-day influx of data from almost 400 small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) on its Business Hub platform has now made the commercialization of the Company's first macroeconomic indicator indexes viable. Tenet had initially targeted the launch of its first ie-Pulse macroeconomic indicator indexes by the end of 2024. However, the lack of sufficient SME data shared through the Business Hub at that time made the launch unfeasible.

Tenet worked closely with its bookkeeping service partners in late 2024 to speed up SME registrations on the Business Hub in preparation for the ie-Pulse launch. The Company updated the platform to allow its bookkeeping service partners, with their clients' consent, to register multiple SMEs on the platform at a time. Previously, the platform was designed to connect only with individual SMEs' accounting software systems. This adjustment introduced technical complexities that required additional time to address, which contributed to the delayed launch of the ie-Pulse offering. With the enhancements now complete, Tenet will be looking to release the initial version of the ie-Pulse indexes following a short two-to-three-week internal testing period.

SAVE THE DATE

Don’t miss AME's 2025 Annual Roundup—the premier event for the mineral exploration and development industry! Join Sokoman Minerals Corp. at AME Roundup 2025! Stop by Booth #102 on Wednesday, January 22, and Thursday, January 23, to connect with the team and learn more about their exciting projects. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover what sets Sokoman apart!