Applications have opened for South Australia’s latest Plan for Accelerating Exploration (PACE) Minerals program, offering co‑funding grants for drilling, geophysics and other greenfields exploration across the state. The scheme targets early‑stage work to advance prospects in copper, critical minerals and other commodities, with explorers able to offset direct exploration costs rather than tenure or corporate expenses. The Association of Mining and Exploration Companies (AMEC) has backed the move, signalling stronger state support for high‑risk drilling campaigns and geophysical surveys.

Copper trading around $6.27/lb (just over $13,800/t) is, in Macquarie Strategy’s view, running ahead of fundamentals, with visible stocks up more than 870,000 t since early 2025 and LME inventories at eight-year highs plus an estimated 550,000 t off-exchange in the US. The bank now sees a 262,000 t surplus in 2026 and surpluses above 700,000 t/y in 2027–28, even after allowing for disruptions at Kamoa-Kakula, Grasberg and a delayed Cobre Panama restart to Q2 2027. Macquarie has lifted its 2026 price forecast to $13,165/t but expects a correction towards an $11,000/t floor by Q3 2027.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has secured more than C$1 billion in commercial agreements with Saudi Arabia, including 13 deals and MoUs spanning mining, critical minerals, LNG, hydrogen, renewable energy and carbon capture, plus plans for a foreign investment protection agreement by end-2027 and double-taxation talks. The move positions Canadian miners and energy firms to bid into Saudi Vision 2030 projects while diversifying away from US-centred trade exposure. AI firm Cohere’s strategic computing partnership with HUMAIN and BlackBerry’s work with Aramco Digital signal parallel collaboration on industrial digital infrastructure and secure operational technology.