Central Nevada Gold has completed a US$20 million acquisition of Newmont’s past‑producing Mule Canyon mine in Nevada, targeting a prefeasibility study and key permits in H2 2027 ahead of a potential 2028 construction decision. Mule Canyon previously produced about 500,000 oz gold at an average head grade of 3.8 g/t with ~94% metallurgical recovery, and comes with a database of 2,149 drill holes totalling over 335,000 metres across six mineralised zones over 2.5 km. The company plans an IPO as early as 2027 after a 20‑hole metallurgical and infill drilling programme to upgrade inferred resources and de‑risk the project.

Silver surged about 20% in August to touch $70/oz on 21 August, driven by the US Treasury’s move to double long-bond buybacks, pushing prices above several banks’ 2026 baseline forecasts but still below the most bullish $110–$160/oz year-end and Q4 targets. Equity leverage has been stark: Hecla Mining gained 47%, Wheaton Precious Metals 44%, and Coeur, First Majestic and Fortuna each 42%, while the Global X Silver Miners ETF rose 35% and junior-focused SILJ 32%. Forecasts now span roughly $67–$118/oz for peaks, with tail-risk scenarios from Bank of America and BMO stretching above $135/oz if the gold–silver ratio compresses.

Mining executives now rank labour, not capital, as the main constraint, with a 2024 MiHR survey showing 70% of 15–30-year-olds would not consider mining careers and Canadian mining-related enrolments falling from 1,400 in 2014 to 800 in 2020, declining 10% annually from 2016–2020. Rob McEwen, chairman of McEwen Inc., warns of an “acute shortage” as over half of the US mining workforce is expected to retire within three years and 46% of Gen-Z mining and energy workers plan to quit, even as demand for critical minerals and battery metals accelerates project pipelines.