A $3.6 million Arbor-funded University of Arizona Tailings Center project, led by mining engineer Dr Isabel Barton, is evaluating whether 17.5 billion tons of historic copper tailings in Arizona—growing by ~100 million tonnes per year—can be reprocessed to recover critical minerals and reduce environmental risk. The team is combining statewide and UAV-based remote sensing, industry tailings datasets, drilling and surface sampling, mineralogical characterisation and techno-economic analysis using magnetic separation and basic leaching. Early work has identified unexpected mineral occurrences, including arsenic, zinc and possibly tungsten, which could justify flowsheet changes to keep these elements out of future tailings.

La Mancha Resource Capital has sold a 3.5% stake in Endeavour Mining via a C$71.25-per-share bought deal worth about C$605 million, cutting its holding from roughly 15% to 11% while retaining board representation through Naguib Sawiris. Endeavour, now valued around C$17.5 billion after a 191% share price rise in 12 months, produces in the mid- to high-900,000-oz.-per-year range from West African assets including Houndé (Burkina Faso) and Ity and Agbaou (Côte d’Ivoire). The move comes as Burkina Faso has nationalised Endeavour’s former Boungou and Wahgnion mines, paying about $80 million and asserting full state control.

Gold could spike to $5,050/oz in the first half of 2026 before potentially correcting to as low as $3,950/oz later in the year, according to HSBC’s latest forecast, which assumes elevated geopolitical risk and ongoing US Federal Reserve rate cuts. The bank now projects an average 2026 price of $4,587/oz and an end‑2026 level of $4,450/oz, with “high volatility” driven by central bank buying, a weaker US dollar and flows into gold‑backed ETFs. Longer term, HSBC lifts its average forecasts to $4,625/oz for 2027, $4,700/oz for 2028 and $4,775/oz for 2029.