Greetings Speculator Contrarian,

This is The Next Big Rush, your daily drop of mining/energy investing news. Where we come together and buy more 💩 cos.

Here are the best of the rest:

😉 Gold Found in Santa's Yard

😉 Lithium Producer Drowning in Gains

😉 EU Bureaucrats Spoil Everything Again

 🎅 Gold Found in Lapland

FireFox Gold Corp (what a cool name) has just come out with lots of small intercepts at real delicious grades from very shallow depth, just like a line of tequila shots on a counter top. The project is located in Lapland, Finland, so now we know how Santa affords all the toys.

Highlights:

• 22MJ024:

  • 13.05m at 15.04 g/t Au from 29.6m depth**, including

    • 1.2m at 35.23 g/t Au from 30.6m, and

    • 1.8m at 53.66 g/t Au from 34.6m, including 0.8m at 100.43 g/t Au, and

    • 1.05m at 39.17 g/t Au from 40.0m;

  • 3.4m at 50.91 g/t Au from 91.8m depth, including

    • 1.0m at 170.67 g/t Au from 94.2m;

• 22MJ025:

  • 12.55m at 14.34 g/t Au from 14.3m depth, including

    • 1.0m at 64.67 g/t Au from 14.3m, and

    • 2.0m at 49.78 g/t Au from 22.8m;

  • 1.0m at 14.53 g/t Au from 73.8m depth;

  • 1.2m at 8.75 g/t Au from 251.0m depth;

 These holes were drilled along two different sections separated by 25m. 

💪🏼 Albemarle Kills It

Albemarle Corp, a company that is surprisingly difficult to pronounce out loud, and the world's largest lithium producer for the EV industry, has reported a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by a fivefold surge in battery metal sales. Not even a more-than-300% hike in Albemarle's lithium prices could bring down its soaring sales, reflecting automakers' aggressive hunt for fresh lithium supplies in the face of surging demand for all-electric vehicles.

Despite its success, Albemarle intends to raise lithium prices this year by at least an eye-watering 55%, as part of a broader strategy to encourage new lithium mine development and ensure sustained high prices indefinitely. (Yes, we too are confused).

The company is also exploring other markets for its lithium, including lubricants, glass, tires, and consumer products. It expects a 30% increase in lithium sales from 2022 levels in the current year.

For the year, Albemarle posted a net income of $1.13 billion, or $9.60 per share, compared with a loss of $3.8 million, or 3 cents per share, in the previous year. Excluding one-time items, Albemarle earned $8.62 per share, surpassing analysts' expectations of $8.28 per share, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Albemarle's lithium processing facility in North Carolina received a $149.7 million grant from the U.S. Government last fall, a move intended to help the company maintain its industry dominance as the US builds out its own EV supply chain.

See a trend here?

   😤 Nuclear Sanctions, NOT Coming To a Country Near You

Predictable cowards Representatives at the European Parliament have abandoned plans to include uranium on the next sanction list against Russia, so we made this beautiful poem to express our disappointment and explain the reason why, according to Politico.eu :

EU bureaucrats have stolen today's meme of the day.

The Editor

DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.