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September 18, 2025

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Zeus Resources (ASX:ZEU,FSE:ZEU) is a mineral exploration company dedicated to advancing high-grade critical mineral projects in underexplored regions. Its primary focus is the 100-percent-owned Casablanca antimony project in Morocco, while also maintaining exploration interests in uranium, lithium and rare earth elements across Australia.

Targeting Europe’s industrial and defence supply chains, Zeus is leveraging Morocco’s efficient permitting environment to fast-track development. In July 2025, Zeus completed its acquisition of Casablanca and immediately initiated a high-resolution geophysics program. The company aims to progress from reconnaissance to drilling within months, capitalising on record-high antimony prices and tightening Western supply chains. The Casablanca project represents one of the few high-grade antimony exposures outside China.

Zeus also strengthened its Moroccan strategy through a five-year, non-exclusive license agreement with Newmont, covering its Morocco exploration database and regional framework study across the Anti-Atlas and Central Meseta regions. The database integrates geochemical, geophysical and structural datasets, providing Zeus with a competitive advantage in prospectivity analysis and target generation. Key terms include a 1 percent NSR royalty on any properties Zeus acquires in these regions and a 15-year right of first refusal for Newmont on transfers. The agreement streamlines project identification, reduces early-stage risk and positions Zeus to efficiently expand its Moroccan footprint.

Company Highlights

  • Casablanca Antimony Project: Six exploration licenses over 79 sq km in central Morocco. Surface sampling during due diligence returned astonishing results: up to 61.9 percent antimony, with additional samples ranging 7.8 to 46.52 percent antimony along a mapped strike exceeding 4 km
  • Strategic Location for Supply Security: Morocco is a long-standing antimony producer with historic supply to Europe, ranking 19th globally on the Fraser Institute’s mining jurisdiction index- – on par with Western Australia.
  • Rapid Advancement Exploration Model: Geophysics survey underway within weeks of licence acquisition, trenching program planned, and drill commencement targeted for early Q4 2025.
  • Favourable Market Dynamics: Antimony prices have quadrupled since early 2024 to ~US$55,000/t amid tightening global supply and rising demand from defence, electronics and renewable energy sectors.
  • Strategic Advisory Firepower: Former US Ambassador Christopher Dell has joined as US business and strategic development advisor aiming to leverage his extensive diplomatic experience and proven negotiation skills to facilitate Zeus navigate capital-raising, geopolitical positioning and partnerships aligned with Western critical minerals policy
  • Strategic Data Access: Access to Newmont’s Morocco exploration database and framework study strengthens Zeus’s ability to fast-track target generation and expand its Moroccan footprint
  • Lean Valuation, Clear Milestones: Market capitalization sits around AU$9 to AU$13 million, offering early-stage leverage if exploration success continues.

This Zeus Resources profile is part of a paid investor education campaign.*

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The US Federal Reserve held its sixth meeting of 2025 from Tuesday (September 16) to Wednesday (September 17) amid slowing growth in the country’s jobs market.

The central bank met analysts’ expectations by lowering the federal funds rate by 25 basis points to the 4 to 4.25 percent range. It marks the first cut of 2025, after holding at the 4.25 to 4.5 percent range since December 2024.

Despite August consumer price index (CPI) data showing inflation rose to 2.9 percent from 2.7 percent in July, a weakening labor market became the focus of the Fed’s dual mandate of stable prices and maximum employment.

“The case for a persistent inflation outbreak is less, and that’s why we think it’s time for us to acknowledge the risks to the other mandate have grown, and we should move in the direction of neutral,” said Chair Jerome Powell.

The most recent US jobs report indicates that August brought an increase of just 22,000 new workers, while the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.3 percent from 4.2 percent in July. Additionally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which produced the report, announced a downward revision to June’s figures, showing a loss of 13,000 jobs.

Similarly, July’s report, released on August 1, marked a significant weakening in the labor force, bringing the three month average to just 28,000 new jobs after growth of 192,000 in the February to April period.

Following that report, US President Donald Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, suggesting the jobs data was “rigged” to make his administration look bad. Both the slowing American labor market and rising inflation over the past few months have been blamed on the effects of Trump’s tariffs trickling into the economy.

Trump has been critical of the Fed and Powell in particular, saying they haven’t moved quickly enough to lower rates.

While he is unable to remove Powell, in August Trump attempted to fire Fed Governor Lisa Cook over alleged mortgage fraud stemming from mortgage applications where she listed two homes as principal residences. Recent documents have shown those allegations to be false, and that Cook listed one of the homes as a vacation property.

On Monday (September 15), an appeals court blocked Cook’s removal from the Fed’s Board of Governors, allowing her to participate in this week’s meeting. Also this week, the Senate confirmed Stephen Miran to the board in a 48 to 47 decision along party lines. He will be replacing Adriana Kugler, who resigned in August.

Miran is on leave from his position at the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers and increases Trump’s influence over the seven member board. The nomination process for a new board member usually lasts months, but Miran’s appointment took just six weeks, allowing him to participate in this week’s meeting.

The gold price rose to a record high of US$3,707.34 per ounce shortly after the decision, but quickly fell back to the US$3,650 level. Silver spiked as high as US$42.24 per ounce following the meeting, still trading near 14 year highs.

Equities were mixed on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 (INDEXSP:INX) losing 0.31 percent to reach 6,586. Meanwhile, the Nasdaq-100 (INDEXNASDAQ:NDX) shed 1.03 percent to come in at 24,036, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (INDEXDJX:DJI) gained 0.5 percent, coming to 45,084.

Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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Resolution Minerals Ltd (RML or Company) (ASX: RML) is pleased to announce it has received firm commitments for a placement of fully paid ordinary shares in the Company (Shares) to sophisticated investors to raise a total of $25.1 million (before costs) at an issue price of $ 0.05 per Share (Placement).

Highlights

  • Commitments received for a successful placement of $25.1 million at $0.05 per share
  • Placement supported by a range of high net worth and global institutions including John Hancock’s Family Office, Astrotricha Capital SEZC and S3 Consortium (Stocks Digital), as well as director participation of $200,000
  • The placement has institutionalised the Company’s register, including $7.75m cornerstoned by high-calibre, supportive and value-add local and international investor groups
  • RML’s medium term work programs and working capital requirements are now fully funded
  • RML balance sheet strengthened ahead of the proposed NASDAQ listing
  • RML is aiming to become a major player in the US critical minerals space and is aiming to meet the needs of the current White House Administration’s and the Department of War’s critical mineral US national security supply requirements

Of the total $25.1 million placement funds, $18,400,000 (Tranche 1) will be settled on or around 26 September 2025, and the remaining $6,700,000 (Tranche 2) (total of $25.1 million) is anticipated to settle within approximately 60 days, and following the next shareholder meeting.

Subject to receipt of shareholder approval in a general meeting (anticipated mid November 2025), participants in the Placement will also be issued one (1) option for every two (2) Shares issued under the Placement, for no additional consideration. The Options will have an exercise price of $0.10 per Share and expire on 30 November 2029 – key terms included in this announcement (Option). The Options will be listed, subject to ASX listing requirements being met.

The Placement will be conducted via two (2) tranches, as follows:

(a) Tranche 1: 422,000,000 Shares as follows:

(i) 150,000,000 Shares will be issued under the Company’s existing pre-approved placement capacity that was approved by shareholders at the general meeting held on 25 July 2025; and

(ii) 272,000,000 Shares will otherwise be issued under the Company’s Listing Rule 7.1 & 7.1A capacity (146,542,986 Shares under Listing Rule 7.1 and 125,457,014 Shares under Listing Rule 7.1A); and

(b) Tranche 2: subject to shareholder approval under Listing Rule 7.1, via the issue of 80,000,000 Shares and up to 251,000,000 attaching Options (subject to rounding).

Click here for the full ASX Release

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Vanadium is an important metal for both the steel and battery manufacturing industries.

Both of these sectors play key roles in economic growth and a new era in defense and energy security. Supply and demand fundamentals for the metal indicate a strong long-term outlook for the vanadium market.

Many investors believe the vanadium industry is compelling and are interested in getting involved in this evolving market. Read on for a brief overview of the metal, from supply and demand to how to invest in this exciting industrial and battery metal.

In this article

    What is vanadium?

    Named after Vanadis, the Norse god of beauty, vanadium is a silvery-gray transition metal that was discovered in 1801.

    Vanadium occurs in about 65 different minerals, and is mined as a by-product of other metals, usually uranium. It is also found in deposits of phosphate rock, titaniferous magnetite, uraniferous sandstone and siltstone. Aside from that, it is present in bauxite and in carboniferous materials such as crude oil, coal, oil shale and tar sands.

    Vanadium demand trends

    Vanadium applications have grown in recent years, contributing to price growth. The vast majority of vanadium is used as an additive in the steel industry to make a high-strength product that is lighter, stronger and more resistant to shock and corrosion.

    Vanadium content of less than 0.1 percent is needed to double the strength of steel, and although other metals — including manganese, molybdenum, niobium, titanium and tungsten — can be interchanged with vanadium for alloying with steel, there is no substitute for vanadium in aerospace titanium alloys.

    Over the last few years, China has increased its vanadium use, producing steel rebar with high tensile strength for construction. Vanadium compounds are also used in nuclear reactors because they have low neutron-absorbing properties. Vanadium oxide is used as a pigment for ceramics and glass, and can act as a catalyst in the production of superconducting magnets.

    In addition to the steel alloy sector, the metal is often used to make parts for jet engines, as well as crankshafts, axles and gears. What’s more, vanadium redox batteries (VRFB) are currently generating excitement because they are reusable over semi-infinite cycles, and do not degrade for at least 20 years, allowing energy storage systems the ability to bank renewable energy.

    However, these batteries are quite large compared to lithium-ion batteries, and are better suited for industrial or commercial use rather than for use in electric vehicles. That said, there are a number of companies around the world working on developing the technology for residential and smaller-scale use.

    Vanadium supply trends

    The top vanadium producing countries are China, Russia and South Africa, and worldwide vanadium production totaled 100,000 metric tons (MT) in 2024. China was the world’s largest producer of vanadium by far, contributing 70,000 metric tons of vanadium. Russia came in at a distant second with output of 21,000 MT, and South Africa was in third place with 8,000 MT.

    Russian-owned Evraz is a large vanadium producer with assets in Russia and Czechia, and is a major supplier of ferrovanadium to the European steel market. In the first half of 2022, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent trade sanctions have prompted end-users to look for more secure vanadium supplies. By the end of 2024, Russian vanadium pentoxide exports to China had dried up, and supply uncertainties were also reported in South Africa.

    For his part, CRU Group’s Goel believes other nations are also interested in boosting domestic vanadium production. “Governments worldwide have recognized vanadium as a critical mineral, leading to increased support for emerging vanadium projects,” he said. Goel cited as an example the private Australian company Vecco Group, which received an AU$3.8 million grant to advance the feasibility and design of its vanadium project in Brisbane.

    However, vanadium will have to break free from the current low pricing environment if ex-China projects are to move from discovery to production.

    How to invest in vanadium stocks

    Vanadium bullion is available from private individuals, but the metal is not publicly traded, and so most experts do not advise investing in physical vanadium. Instead, vanadium stocks are a common way to gain exposure.

    There are several publicly traded companies currently producing vanadium for investors to consider, as well as many companies exploring or developing vanadium projects, including as a by-product of other minerals. See the list of vanadium stocks you can invest in below for more details on their operations.

    [shortcode-js-qm-watchlist-widget stocks=’AVL:AU,BMN:LN,EFR:CC,LGO,NEXT:CC,QEM:AU,SR:CC,VRB:CC,WUC:CC’

    Australian Vanadium (ASX:AVL)
    Australian Vanadium is building a vanadium pit-to-battery value chain in Western Australia that will incorporate its flagship Australian Vanadium project, considered one of the most advanced vanadium projects being developed globally.

    Bushveld Minerals (LSE:BMN)
    Bushveld Minerals is a primary vanadium mining company with one of the world’s largest high-grade primary vanadium resources. The company’s assets, all in South Africa, include two of the world’s four operating primary vanadium production processing facilities and an under-construction vanadium electrolyte production facility.

    Energy Fuels (TSX:EFR,NYSEAMERICAN:UUUU)
    Energy Fuels is primarily focused on uranium and rare earth metals, but its White Mesa mill in Utah, US, has the ability to process uranium-bearing ore from its mines into vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) as well. While the company is not currently producing vanadium, it has a stockpile of finished V2O5, with production and sales awaiting stronger market prices.

    Largo Resources (TSX:LGO,NASDAQ:LGO)
    Largo Resources owns and operates the Maracas Menchen mine in Brazil, and has annual V2O5 equivalent production guidance of between 9,000 and 11,000 MT. The company supplies vanadium products for multiple applications, and has developed vanadium redox battery systems for advanced renewable energy storage solutions.

    Manuka Resources (ASX:MKR)
    Manuka Resources holds two fully permitted precious metals projects in the Cobar Basin of New South Wales, Australia. Through its wholly owned subsidiary, it is also advancing the Taranaki VTM iron-vanadium-titanium project, which would extract vanadium-rich iron sands from the seabed of the New Zealand exclusive economic zone.

    NextSource Materials (TSX:NEXT,OTCQB:NSRCF)
    NextSource Materials’ advanced-stage Green Giant in-situ vanadium project in Madagascar is one of the world’s largest-known vanadium deposits, with a resource estimate of 60 million MT of V2O5 at an average grade of almost 0.7 percent. Green Giant is adjacent to NextSource’s Molo graphite mine.

    QEM (ASX:QEM)
    QEM is advancing its flagship Julia Creek vanadium and energy project in Queensland’s North West Minerals Province. The project hosts one of the largest vanadium deposits in the world, with a JORC resource of 2.87 billion MT at 0.31 percent V2O5, and a contingent oil resource of up to 654 million barrels.

    Strategic Resources (TSXV:SR)
    Strategic Resources is targeting the green steel market with its flagship BlackRock vanadium-titanium-iron project in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region of Québec, Canada. The project, which will host a mine and concentrator, is fully permitted and construction ready. The company will also have a metallurgical facility located in the Port of Saguenay.

    VanadiumCorp Resource (TSX:VRB)
    VanadiumCorp’s goal is to become a fully integrated producer of high-quality vanadium electrolytes for vanadium flow batteries. It plans to source material from its Lac Doré vanadium- and titanium-bearing magnetite deposit in the Eeyou Istchee James Bay region of Québec.

    Western Uranium and Vanadium (CSE:WUC,OTCQX:WSTRF)
    Western Uranium and Vanadium is developing high-grade uranium and vanadium production at its Sunday Mine Complex in Colorado, US, and licensing and developing the nearby Mustang mineral processing plant. In Q2 2025, it delivered stockpiled and new production from Sunday to Energy Fuels’ White Mesa mill through an ore purchase agreement.

    Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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