We’re closing the books on the year and ripping through what actually mattered. Mat’s in the flesh (no floating head this time), the vibes are strong, and we’re doing a full end-of-year rundown on markets, metals, and deal flow.

We talk what worked, what didn’t, and why junior mining finally feels alive again — real money moving, real deals getting done, and no shortage of chaos along the way. Gold, silver, market structure, and how we’re thinking about positioning as we roll into the next leg of this cycle.

0:00 – End-of-Year Kickoff: Mat in studio, market vibes, why this feels different

6:10 – From pain to momentum: how 2025 actually played out

12:45 – Junior mining wakes up: deal flow, financings & real money returning

20:05 – Gold vs silver: leverage, psychology, and where we’re positioned

28:30 – Lessons learned: mistakes, discipline & surviving dead markets

36:40 – What matters now: signals we’re watching heading into 2025

45:15 – Strategy talk: how to play the next leg without blowing yourself up

53:00 – Final thoughts: conviction, patience & staying in the game

Companies Mentioned:

Pirate Gold Corp. – $YARR

Hycroft Mining Holding Corporation – $HYMC

AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. – $AMC

Sterling Metals Corp. – $SAG

Canadian Metals Inc. – $CME

Kirkland Lake Discoveries Corp. – $KLDC

Empire Metals Limited – $EEE.L

Amex Exploration Inc. – $AMX

Green Shift Commodities Ltd. – $GCOM

NOA Lithium Brines Inc. – $NOAL

Mega Uranium Ltd. – $MGA

Hannan Metals Ltd. – $HAN

New Found Gold Corp. – $NFG

Lithium South Development Corporation – $LIS

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This podcast does not provide any investment, financial, economic, legal, accounting, or tax related advice or recommendations. The content in this podcast is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely. You must obtain more specific or professional advice before taking, or refraining from, any action or inaction on the basis of the contents of this podcast. The information contained in this podcast does not constitute an offer to buy or sell securities or any other product and should not be relied upon to evaluate any potential transaction. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of EarthLabs Inc. ("EarthLabs") and its respective directors, employees, officers, agents, shareholders, or affiliates. EarthLabs is not providing any investment, financial, economic, legal, accounting, or tax related advice or recommendations in this podcast. EarthLabs makes no representations, warranties, or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content in this podcast is accurate, complete, or up to date. Any and all liability is expressly disclaimed, and EarthLabs has no responsibility or liability whatsoever for the use of this podcast.   This podcast may include content provided by third parties. All statements and/or opinions expressed by third parties are solely the opinions and the responsibility of the person or entity providing those materials. Such materials do not necessarily reflect the opinion of EarthLabs. This podcast should not be copied, distributed, published, or reproduced, in whole or in part without the express written consent of EarthLabs.EarthLabs, its affiliates and/or their respective directors, officers, employees and agents may, from time to time, buy and sell or otherwise effect transactions involving the securities of issuers which are featured or referenced in this podcast. Accordingly, EarthLabs, its affiliates and/or their respective directors, officers, employees and agents may realize significant gains or losses as a result of any variation in the price of the securities of any such issuers. EarthLabs does not endorse or accept any liability for any investment in any issuer referenced in this podcast and expressly advises listeners to rely solely on their own counsel, accountants, and other similar expert advisors for legal, accounting, tax, investment and other similar advice.

This week on Digging for Dollars.We kick it off with Make or Break, chopping up the real drivers behind mining right now — Canada’s broken energy strategy, crypto vs gold, collapsing takeout premiums, and why billion-dollar deals barely move the needle anymore.Then Allen Sabet steps in, his team is actively drilling in the Vicuña District — the most exciting playground in copper right now. This is the same neighborhood that just printed multi-billion-dollar deals with Filo del Sol and Josemaria . Allen breaks down how his team locked up ground right on trend, why they pulled in $22.2M, and how modern geophysics now separates winners from tourists.0:00 – Make or Break: pipelines, crypto vs gold & the reset in billion-dollar mining deals11:13 – Why $1B takeouts don’t move markets anymore22:00 – Allen Sabet joins as drilling goes live23:22 – Inside the Vicuña District: ground next to $4.5B discoveries30:00 – $22.2M raise, drill strategy & weaponized geophysics36:37 – Dig This Deal: Nevada gold vault, Saudi VMS & ASX silver monsterCompanies Mentioned: SOUTHERN CROSS GOLD CONSOLIDATED LTD - $SXGCNew Found Gold Corp. - $NFGK2 Gold Corporation - $KTOGreenLight Metals Inc. - $GRLTALON METALS CORP. - $TLOBorealis Mining Company Limited - $BOGOHemlo Mining Corp. - $HMMCDISCOVERY SILVER CORP. - $DSVORLA MINING LTD. - $OLAFuerte Metals Corporation - $FMTBARRICK MINING CORPORATION - $ABXPirate Gold Corp. - $YARREarthLabs Inc. - $SPOTMogotes Metals Inc. - $MOG--------------------------------------This podcast does not provide any investment, financial, economic, legal, accounting, or tax related advice or recommendations. The content in this podcast is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely. You must obtain more specific or professional advice before taking, or refraining from, any action or inaction on the basis of the contents of this podcast. The information contained in this podcast does not constitute an offer to buy or sell securities or any other product and should not be relied upon to evaluate any potential transaction. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of EarthLabs Inc. ("EarthLabs") and its respective directors, employees, officers, agents, shareholders, or affiliates. EarthLabs is not providing any investment, financial, economic, legal, accounting, or tax related advice or recommendations in this podcast. EarthLabs makes no representations, warranties, or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content in this podcast is accurate, complete, or up to date. Any and all liability is expressly disclaimed, and EarthLabs has no responsibility or liability whatsoever for the use of this podcast.   This podcast may include content provided by third parties. All statements and/or opinions expressed by third parties are solely the opinions and the responsibility of the person or entity providing those materials. Such materials do not necessarily reflect the opinion of EarthLabs. This podcast should not be copied, distributed, published, or reproduced, in whole or in part without the express written consent of EarthLabs.EarthLabs, its affiliates and/or their respective directors, officers, employees and agents may, from time to time, buy and sell or otherwise effect transactions involving the securities of issuers which are featured or referenced in this podcast. Accordingly, EarthLabs, its affiliates and/or their respective directors, officers, employees and agents may realize significant gains or losses as a result of any variation in the price of the securities of any such issuers. EarthLabs does not endorse or accept any liability for any investment in any issuer referenced in this podcast and expressly advises listeners to rely solely on their own counsel, accountants, and other similar expert advisors for legal, accounting, tax, investment and other similar advice.

This week on Digging for Dollars, Cejay Kim goes solo with Frederick Bell, CEO of Elemental Altus Royalties, right after announcing a billion-dollar merger with EMX Royalty Corp and the surprise arrival of Tether Investments as a cornerstone shareholder.They unpack how a stablecoin giant ended up backing a gold-royalty company, why the merger creates one of the world’s top-five mid-tier royalty players, and how Frederick built the business from a private startup to a global cash-flowing platform.From early uranium lessons to today’s precious-metals focus, Bell explains what it takes to grow in cycles, attract capital, and scale without dilution. They finish on the sector’s biggest question — can crypto money revive mining? — and how Elemental Altus plans to lead that next phase.0:00 – Frederick Bell joins: EMX Royalty merger & Tether as cornerstone investor 5:25 – From history degree to mining CEO: lessons from uranium & gold 10:45 – Building Elemental Altus: royalties, capital access & risk control 12:30 – Inside Tether’s move into gold & why royalties appeal to crypto capital 19:40 – Growth, leverage & how a $1 B platform scales with deep pockets 26:00 – Gold at record highs & new investors entering mining Companies Mentioned: Elemental Altus - $ELETRIPLE FLAG PRECIOUS METALS CORP. - $TFPMOR ROYALTIES INC - $ORWest Point Gold Corp. - $WPGPasofino Gold Limited - $VEIN#investing #Stocks #ResourceInvesting #Mining #Gold #Silver #CriticalMinerals --------------------------------------This podcast does not provide any investment, financial, economic, legal, accounting, or tax related advice or recommendations. The content in this podcast is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely. You must obtain more specific or professional advice before taking, or refraining from, any action or inaction on the basis of the contents of this podcast. The information contained in this podcast does not constitute an offer to buy or sell securities or any other product and should not be relied upon to evaluate any potential transaction. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of EarthLabs Inc. ("EarthLabs") and its respective directors, employees, officers, agents, shareholders, or affiliates. EarthLabs is not providing any investment, financial, economic, legal, accounting, or tax related advice or recommendations in this podcast. EarthLabs makes no representations, warranties, or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content in this podcast is accurate, complete, or up to date. Any and all liability is expressly disclaimed, and EarthLabs has no responsibility or liability whatsoever for the use of this podcast.   This podcast may include content provided by third parties. All statements and/or opinions expressed by third parties are solely the opinions and the responsibility of the person or entity providing those materials. Such materials do not necessarily reflect the opinion of EarthLabs. This podcast should not be copied, distributed, published, or reproduced, in whole or in part without the express written consent of EarthLabs.EarthLabs, its affiliates and/or their respective directors, officers, employees and agents may, from time to time, buy and sell or otherwise effect transactions involving the securities of issuers which are featured or referenced in this podcast. Accordingly, EarthLabs, its affiliates and/or their respective directors, officers, employees and agents may realize significant gains or losses as a result of any variation in the price of the securities of any such issuers. EarthLabs does not endorse or accept any liability for any investment in any issuer referenced in this podcast and expressly advises listeners to rely solely on their own counsel, accountants, and other similar expert advisors for legal, accounting, tax, investment and other similar advice.