Company Interviews

Recording date: 8th October 2026
September exposed a widening gap between commodity prices and resource equities. Most commodities rose over the month, yet every major resource-linked equity index fell. In this Compass episode, Samuel Pelaez and Derek Macpherson of Olive Resource Capital (TSXV:OC) argue that this dislocation stems from macro forces rather than deteriorating fundamentals, and that it is creating entry points in high-quality, liquid producers.
The macro pressures are significant. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh signalled a renewed focus on inflation at Jackson Hole, and the September rate hike was followed by markets pricing in a high probability of several more. Long-term bond yields are rising in both the US and Europe, with France prominent. Elections are approaching in the US, Spain and France. Energy prices remain high, which Macpherson attributes mainly to limited Western refining capacity. Equity market gains are concentrated in semiconductors and AI-related technology, while investors seeking commodity exposure increasingly use futures, leaving mining equities behind even as copper trades near record levels.
Operational results have not been the problem. Pelaez noted strong Q3 production updates from several producers, with little share price response. K92 Mining reported another strong quarter on the day of recording, and Macpherson said the company has now passed one million gold-equivalent ounces produced.
Olive is responding with patience. The fund holds about 10% cash and is adding gradually, mainly to names it knows well. It expects better prices before US Thanksgiving, possibly helped by selective tax-loss selling, and aims to be almost fully deployed for the January rally it has captured in most of its five years.
The fund's current priority is its liquid book. In copper, it holds Ivanhoe Mines, which it views as owning one of the world's best copper mines and one of its best PGM mines, and Ero Copper, whose Furnas project Pelaez believes the market is not valuing. In PGMs, it holds Valterra Platinum, the largest primary PGM producer. It uses Albemarle for lithium exposure and K92 Mining for gold. A recently built energy sleeve includes Freehold Royalties, Woodside Energy and GeoPark, covering royalties, LNG and upstream growth respectively.
The core argument is about how to express a commodity view. Macpherson contends that investors do not need to buy small, illiquid explorers to gain PGM, lithium or precious metals exposure. Large producers offer revenue protection, liquidity and the ability to change course quickly. Smaller names tend to gain more later in a cycle, once leadership broadens, and Olive holds some for company-specific catalysts.
Macpherson and Pelaez see producers becoming more active earlier in the capital structure. Kinross Gold and Alpayana closed a C$47.1 million financing in Aquitaine Metals, an Olive holding, leaving the French gold explorer with about C$92 million in cash. Kinross has also backed Sun Valley Minerals in Uruguay. These serve as validation that helps juniors in jurisdictions less familiar with mining.
For investors, the key watch-items are the path of Fed policy and long-term yields, any narrowing of the gap between commodity prices and equities, and whether seasonal weakness provides the entry points Olive expects before year end.
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Interview with Bart Jaworski, CEO of Group Eleven Resources
Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/group-eleven-resources-tsxvzng-ballywire-germanium-grades-jump-on-new-assays-11918
Recording date: 13th October 2026
Group Eleven Resources has added 270 metres to the 1,600-metre high-grade strike at its Ballywire discovery in Ireland, a 17% increase. The step-out hole, the first on a new drill fence, returned nearly 6.5 metres of 7.9% zinc-lead and 14 g/t silver. That included close to 3 metres of 11% zinc-lead and a 1-metre core grading 22% with nearly an ounce of silver. Copper-silver mineralisation also appeared beneath the zinc horizon. Ballywire sits about 20 kilometres from Glencore’s Pallas Green deposit.
About 420 metres away, a second step-out into undrilled ground intersected 30 metres of nearly 4% zinc-lead. That interval included 7 metres of 10% zinc-lead with more than an ounce of silver. The drill rods became stuck at 421 metres, so the hole only touched the start of the underlying copper-silver zone. Elsewhere, hole 61 extended copper-silver mineralisation 120 metres down dip, with 7.7 metres of about an ounce of silver and 0.8% copper.
Taken together, CEO Bart Jaworski says the results significantly de-risk the southwest trend the company first identified in March.
The broader thesis rests on scale. So far, the discovery covers only one of four gravity anomalies along a 6-kilometre trend. Possible northern and southern parallel trends add further upside, as does copper consistently showing up beneath the zinc. Jaworski describes the deposit as a hybrid of classic Irish zinc and the copper-silver style of the past-producing Gortdrum mine. He argues this setup reduces metallurgical risk, because the metal zones are naturally separated and there are no oxides.
Funding is in place. A C$12 million bought deal in April underwrites a fully funded 70,000-metre, four-rig programme over two years, with about 51,000 metres at Ballywire. Sixteen holes are currently in progress. Management expects to decide on timing for a maiden resource estimate within 12 to 18 months. Metallurgical work and germanium economics are additional catalysts still ahead.
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Interview with Sapan Ghai, CCO of Sovereign Metals Ltd.
Recording date: 8th October 2026
Sovereign Metals Limited is developing the Kasiya project in Malawi, which the company describes as the world’s largest rutile deposit. Kasiya also contains a large graphite co-product and a heavy rare earth concentrate identified during recent test work. Chief Commercial Officer Sapan Ghai outlined how the project’s commercial and funding strategy has changed over the past year.
The most significant change is the role of the US government. Ghai said the US State Department and other agencies approached Sovereign roughly nine months ago. Their focus was on how Kasiya’s minerals could be processed in Malawi into products suitable for US aerospace, defence and industrial end uses. Ghai has since briefed policy makers, including the White House Council of Economic Advisers. He described the Washington engagement as covering offtakes, funding and knowledge sharing. His position is that if the US wants Kasiya’s minerals, it should help finance the build.
The second change is Rio Tinto’s step back. Rio Tinto invested roughly A$60 million and built its stake to just under 20%, but has declined to take on operatorship. Ghai attributes this entirely to Rio Tinto’s new strategy, which concentrates on copper, aluminium, iron ore and lithium. He stressed that no technical red flags were raised. The DFS was completed with Rio Tinto’s input, and Ghai expects outcomes within plus or minus 5% to 10% of its estimates. Former Rio Tinto staff have joined Sovereign, and the company’s build team has constructed around a dozen mines in Africa.
On offtakes, most rutile is expected to go to Japan for titanium metal production. That route connects Kasiya to an established supply chain serving US aerospace and defence primes. Ghai said a leading Japanese titanium producer has confirmed the rutile can be used for all end purposes. Around 70% of Kasiya’s graphite is refractory grade, used in electric arc furnaces. Sovereign holds a non-binding marketing arrangement with Traxys North America for US sales. Traxys participates in Project Vault, the US critical minerals stockpile initiative. Rare earth offtake discussions are at an early stage.
The funding plan is the central investment question. Ghai’s working assumption is peak funding of about $750 million. Around $450 million would come from DFIs such as the IFC, DFC and AFC, and about $300 million from equity and offtake-linked finance. The company wants equity to be the final piece, after permitting, binding offtakes and a FEED study are complete. Ghai targets that position by the end of Q1 or in Q2 2027, with a financing solution tabled within six to nine months.
The heavy rare earth stream adds optionality. Scoping-level work suggests a roughly $30 million add-on could generate around $80 million a year in profit over 23 years. Ghai estimates Kasiya could meet about 35% of US yttrium requirements.
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Interview with Rupert Verco, CEO & Managing Director of Cobra Resources PLC
Our previous interview: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/posts/cobra-resources-lsecobr-deeper-drilling-points-to-bigger-copper-system-11059
Recording date: 8th October 2026
Cobra Resources plc (LSE:COBR) is a South Australian explorer advancing two projects: the Manna Hill Copper Project in the Nackara Arc and the Wudinna rare earth project, which targets in situ recovery. This summary covers Manna Hill, where the company reported a material drilling update on October 2026.
The update concerns a slim-line RC programme designed as a fast, low-cost test of lateral extent. After 23 holes and around 2,000m of drilling, Cobra has extended copper anomalism at the Blue Rose prospect a further 600m west, lifting the known corridor from 1.6km to beyond 2.2km of strike. At Blue Rose West, hole MHRC0029 intersected anomalous copper over 32m from 52m, with coarse chalcopyrite logged in chips.
The programme also found copper in two skarn units not previously drilled. Shadow Rose, about 300m south of Blue Rose, returned up to 60m of continuous copper anomalism in each of two holes, with oxide copper from around 10m depth. Neptune Rose, about 500m north, intersected copper sulphides at two depths in hole MHRC0024. All three zones remain open, and up to 35 holes remain to be drilled.
The important caveat is that no grades have been reported. The observations are visual and pXRF-based, and the company explicitly warns they are not a substitute for assays. First results from ALS are expected within four to six weeks. Investors should treat the update as evidence of geological footprint, not of economic grade. Reported intervals are also downhole lengths, and true widths are expected to be narrower.
The grade benchmark comes from earlier work. Historic hole RABR822 returned 47m at 2.2% Cu and 0.76 g/t Au from 11m, and Cobra's January 2026 drilling returned 74m at 1.02% Cu and 0.25 g/t Au from 70m. CEO and Managing Director Rupert Verco said he hopes current results will be similar to those reported in March.
Management has stated ambitious scale goals. Verco said the board believes the skarn system could deliver more than 1 million tonnes of contained copper and that a porphyry at depth could take the total above 5 million tonnes. No resource has been estimated, and these figures should be read as aspirations.
Cobra's strategy is to build a shallow skarn inventory first, then fund deeper porphyry exploration from a higher valuation to reduce dilution. Diamond drilling earlier in 2026 logged hydrothermal breccia, anhydrite veining and potassic-associated copper, which the company interprets as evidence of a porphyry source. The current campaign also tests the Anabama Hill and Netley Hill porphyry targets.
On the corporate side, Cobra has a £47.7 million market capitalisation at 4.2p as of 18 August 2026. It will hold 6.45 million Barton Gold shares at final settlement and is due A$9.5 million in further payments.
Key watch-items are first assays, eastern Shadow Rose drilling more than 2km from current holes, results from Anabama Hill and Netley Hill, and follow-up diamond drilling at Blue Rose.
Learn more: https://www.cruxinvestor.com/companies/cobra-resources
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