Precious Metals Gleam Through Market Chaos
Contributed Opinion

1. As of the date of this article, officers and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Barrick Gold Corp.
2. Robert Sinn: I, or members of my immediate household or family, own securities of: IAMGOLD Corp. I determined which companies would be included in this article based on my research and understanding of the sector.
3. Statements and opinions expressed are the opinions of the author and not of Streetwise Reports, Street Smart, or their officers. The author is wholly responsible for the accuracy of the statements. Streetwise Reports was not paid by the author to publish or syndicate this article. Streetwise Reports requires contributing authors to disclose any shareholdings in, or economic relationships with, companies that they write about. Any disclosures from the author can be found  below. Streetwise Reports relies upon the authors to accurately provide this information and Streetwise Reports has no means of verifying its accuracy. 
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Robert Sinn Disclosures

The article is for informational purposes only and is neither a solicitation for the purchase of securities nor an offer of securities. Readers of the article are expressly cautioned to seek the advice of a registered investment advisor and other professional advisors, as applicable, regarding the appropriateness of investing in any securities or any investment strategies, including those discussed above. West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd. is a high-risk venture stock and not suitable for most investors. Consult West Red Lake Gold Mines Ltd’s SEDAR profiles for important risk disclosures.

This article contains certain forward-looking information and forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively “forward-looking statements”). Certain information contained herein constitutes “forward-looking information” under Canadian securities legislation. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “expects”, “believes”, “aims to”, “plans to” or “intends to” or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results “will” occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed by such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, standard transaction risks; impact of the transaction on the parties; and risks relating to financings; regulatory approvals; foreign country operations and volatile share prices. Although management of the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and forward looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements or forward-looking information that are incorporated by reference herein, except as required by applicable securities laws. Always thoroughly do your own due diligence and talk to a licensed investment adviser prior to making any investment decisions. Junior resource companies can easily lose 100% of their value so read company profiles on www.sedarplus.ca for important risk disclosures. It’s your money and your responsibility.

Markets have experienced tremendous turbulence in recent weeks. For equities, this journey has predominantly trended downward, nearly resembling a precipitous collapse for stocks such as COIN and TSLA.

This morning, I had the chance to converse with Trevor Hall from Mining Stock Daily regarding the market upheaval. Our discussion covered various subjects, including waning consumer sentiment, the pushback of the financial markets against Trump 2.0's trade policies, and economic rhetoric.

I also highlighted that the fashionable investments at the year's outset, specifically COIN, MSTR, and TSLA, have delivered disappointing results year-to-date. Conversely, gold mining companies — arguably the most unpopular equity sector on January 1 — have generated gains exceeding 20% thus far in 2025.

Notably, Barrick Gold Corp. (ABX:TSX; GOLD:NYSE) faced intense investor antipathy entering 2025. A history of underwhelming performance that failed to keep pace with gold's price appreciation disillusioned investors in the second-largest gold producer. Furthermore, territorial challenges with Barrick's Mali operations drove investor confidence to unprecedented lows.

This overwhelming pessimism has created what might be a once-in-a-generation investment opportunity in Barrick shares; the company maintains a robust financial position with potentially the most promising production expansion pipeline among major gold producers. Barrick is additionally making significant copper investments through its Reko Diq Project in Pakistan, the Zaldivar Mine in Chile, and an extensive exploratory staking initiative in Idaho, which Barrick has labeled The Idaho Porphyry Belt.

Despite generating substantial free cash flow in recent quarters, gold mining enterprises remain significantly underinvested and undervalued by mainstream investors. With extraordinary strength in gold prices throughout Q1 2025, the sector appears positioned to deliver another round of exceptional results when mining companies begin announcing Q1 earnings in early May.

With Westwood transitioning to positive free cash flow, Essakane continuing as a revenue powerhouse, and Cote Gold scheduled to reach full operational capacity later this year, IAMGOLD Corp. (IMG:TSX; IAG:NYSE) is positioned for a robust 2025 with total attributable production approaching ~800,000 gold ounces.

CIBC maintains an outperform rating for IAG with a price target of US$7.60 per share.