NioCorp Developments’ Board has approved the Mine Portal Project for the Elk Creek critical minerals project in Nebraska, establishing the main underground mine entrances that will handle all personnel, equipment and materials access. The portal complex will be the primary interface between surface infrastructure and the planned underground operation targeting niobium, scandium and titanium, enabling subsequent development of declines, services and ventilation circuits. Early works on the portal will be critical for scheduling shaft sinking, underground construction and future production ramp-up.

Gold, silver and platinum hit fresh records on Friday, with spot gold touching $4,540/oz, February Comex futures peaking at $4,584/oz and March silver futures jumping over 9% to $78.30/oz, as palladium surged 13% to above $2,000/oz. Gold is heading for a >70% annual gain, driven by robust central bank buying and ETF inflows, including SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) increasing its holdings by more than 20% and physically backed funds taking in $82 billion (749 tonnes) by 22 December. Silver has rallied 160% in 2025 amid an October short squeeze, ongoing supply dislocations between London and New York vaults, and a pending US Commerce Department probe that could impose tariffs or trade restrictions.

Copper prices surged again on Friday, with London Metal Exchange contracts hitting a record $12,282/t before the Christmas break and Shanghai Futures Exchange prices briefly touching 100,000 yuan/t (~$14,270/t), creating a sharp premium over New York. Comex March copper climbed more than 5% to $5.903/lb (~$13,000/t), its highest since July’s short squeeze, as 2025 production was hit by accidents at Grasberg, Kamoa-Kakula and Codelco’s El Teniente. BMO now projects an average $12,500/t by Q2 2026, while Goldman Sachs still sees a 160 kt surplus capping prices at $10,000–$11,000/t.