CHF WEEKLY ROUND-UP: March 9 - 13, 2026

The Fire Horse is running wild, and Global Markets are all in the red as the war on Iran continues with no clear end in sight. Oil prices surged back to USD$100 per barrel yesterday, even after the IEA announced a record 400-million-barrel release from strategic reserves. Iran’s ruling regime continues to launch missiles and drones at Israel, other Gulf nations and petroleum-carrying vessels. Iran's rulers remain in control, and conditions for the hoped-for internal uprising are not yet in place. Cash continues to flee anything saleable and move to the security of U.S. Treasuries, driving the 10-year yield to a five-week high near 4.25%. The U.S. dollar has now risen by 4.35% in the last 6 weeks. Buying opportunities are there for those ready to step in.

The TSX had hit another all-time high on March 2, 2026, but has lost 4.5% since then. The Venture exchange is off 5.8% at the same time, as investors flee risk. Oil price increases have been positive for the Canadian petroleum issuers mitigating the declines in the indices.

The S&P 500 is now down 4.4% from its record high on January 27. The Nasdaq is down 6.4% from its record high on October 28. Analysts are expecting a 10%-15% overall correction in both. The U.S. stock market has a history of bouncing back relatively quickly from military conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere, as long as oil prices don’t stay too high for too long. February's U.S. CPI came in at 2.4% year-over-year, with a 0.2% monthly increase, matching analysts’ expectations, but markets have largely dismissed any data that predates the Iran conflict's impact on energy costs, and the energy cost-driven inflation fears mount. Rising interest rates, to deal with conflict-driven inflation, are being forecast by some analysts. Trump is still demanding rate cuts and may yet get them.

Gold opens at USD$5,089.70/oz today but has been volatile, weighed down by gains in the U.S. dollar index and fears that global inflation will rise, weakening global economies and diminishing demand for the metal. Rising U.S. Treasury yields are also a bearish factor for the gold and silver markets. Price resistance remains at USD$5,200/oz, and support is still seen near USD$5,100/oz. Silver is creeping upward this morning at USD$83.23/oz. There is a growing belief that precious metals are falling in price due to the expectation of higher interest rates. A major and tradable low may be about to occur; market bulls continue to step in to buy at weaker levels. The main safe-haven reasons to own gold remain and the primary buyers at Central Banks are still active. USD$6,000/oz - USD$10,000/oz is still in play.

Base and industrial metals, other than aluminum, whose production in the Middle East is being restricted, have been under pressure in the last week. The fundamental demand for these metals will not be reduced by this war.  Stay invested for the long term. Modern warfare consumes large volumes of metals used in drones, missiles and other advanced weapons systems, potentially boosting demand for materials such as tungsten, rare earth elements, and antimony.

Rising energy security concerns may accelerate global efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels while boosting strategic stockpiling of key industrial metals. Lithium, cobalt, and uranium prices have been holding steady over the last two months. Beyond battery metals, analysts are looking for increased demand for critical minerals tied to defence supply chains and nuclear power. There is a lot of room to play in the volatility.

We are pleased to present our round-up of client news released between March 9 and 13, 2026.

Mining PearTree Securities had issued mining Investors an Urgent Petition Request ahead of PDAC 2026: On Codifying and Increasing Tax Incentives in Support of Mineral Exploration. The Problem: In 2024, the capital gains inclusion rate was increased to 66.67%, and then walked back to 50% as part of the pre-election Liberal platform. The Alternative Minimum Tax rules (AMT), designed to ensure that taxpayers pay a minimum amount of tax, were amended to mirror the increased inclusion rate. Unfortunately, the AMT changes were not rolled back pre-election or in the November 4, 2025, Federal Budget. This could discourage investment into quality mineral exploration companies.The petition calls on the Government of Canada to include two previously announced tax policies in the upcoming Federal Spring Economic Statement that are expected to generate over $1 billion in accretive public investment in Canadian resource exploration.Sign Here 

Prior to PDAC, Resource Talks had featured Libra Energy Materials Inc. (CSE: LIBR) (FSE: W0R0) CEO Koby Kushner appeared in a video interview suggesting that “Lithium Might Not Be the Bull Market You Think It Is.” View Here 

On March 13, 2026, Athena Gold Corporation (CSE: ATHA) (OTCQB: AHNRF) announced that, it has completed the acquisition of the Forester Gold Project through the acquisition of Last Bounty Gold Corp. a private British Columbia company that holds a 100% interest in the Project, pursuant to a share purchase agreement dated February 25, 2026. 

Koby Kushner, CEO of Athena, said, "We are thrilled to close the Forester acquisition, a pivotal step in refocusing Athena as a disciplined explorer of high-potential, historically overlooked ground near multimillion-ounce gold producers. Positioned along trend from Orla's Musselwhite Mine, Forester's favourable geology suggests strong potential for a near-surface, bulk-tonnage, orogenic gold system - the kind of deposit that was largely dismissed until modern economics proved otherwise, as seen at Detour and Malartic. Similarly, our flagship Laird Lake project in Red Lake sits along trend from West Red Lake's Madsen Mine, where the prospective Balmer-Confederation contact has only recently been recognized on our ground. With drill permits now in hand at Laird Lake, we expect to mobilize rigs in the coming weeks to test our highest-priority targets.” 

The Company acquired all issued and outstanding common shares of Last Bounty in exchange for 42,000,000 common shares in the capital of Athena, at a deemed price of CAD$0.08 per share, representing, at closing, approximately 12% of the Company on a non-diluted basis. The shares issued are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day from the date of issuance.  

On March 13, 2026, Pirate Gold Corp. (TSXV: YARR) (OTCQB: SICNF) announced that they have launched a brand-new website and investor deck, charting the full Treasure Island story from the district-scale land position to the latest exploration work unfolding along Newfoundland’s gold-rich Valentine Lake Fault.Drop anchor at the new site and you’ll find:

• ⚓ Treasure Island Project overview along the Valentine Lake Fault

• 🗺 Updated maps, geology, and exploration strategy

• 📊 The latest investor presentation

• 📺 News, videos, and project updates from the field

⚓ Explore the new site and download the deck from:  https://www.pirategold.ca

On March 6, 2026, Tenet Fintech Group Inc. (CSE: PKK) (OTC Pink: PKKFF) announced that the class action lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York on October 25, 2023, against the Company, its CEO and CFO alleging four counts of violations of the securities laws of the United States, was voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiffs without prejudice pursuant to the parties' stipulation of voluntarily dismissal. The Court has administratively closed the litigation. The Company did not pay any compensation to the plaintiffs, nor does it have any obligations, financial or otherwise, owed to the plaintiffs in connection with the Lawsuit.

"We are very grateful for today's announced resolution to the Lawsuit and can now focus our attention on the Company's continued development," commented Johnson Joseph, President and CEO of Tenet.