
Crude oil prices may surge to USD 80 per barrel amid fresh US-Russia tensions: Experts
Oil prices may face upward pressure as geopolitical risks increase.
NS Ramaswamy, Head of Commodities & CRM at Ventura, said, 'Brent Oil (Oct'25) from USD 72.07 has a short-term target of USD 76. Year end 2025 could reach USD 80-82. Downside support and cap at USD 69. U.S. President Donald Trump has given Russia a deadline of 10-12 days to end the war in Ukraine, failing which it runs a risk of additional sanctions and secondary tariffs of 100 per cent on countries trading with Russia, which would push the oil prices higher.'
This move by US President Trump could further increase oil prices, as countries dependent on Russian crude would face a difficult choice between buying cheaper oil and facing heavy export tariffs to the US.
For WTI Crude Oil (Sep'25), experts expect a short-term target of USD 73 from the current level of USD 69.65. The price could rise to USD 76-79 by the end of 2025, while the downside support is at USD 65.
Experts said such developments could disrupt the global oil market. A supply shock may result from reduced spare production capacity, which would likely push oil prices higher through 2026.
The dilemma remains that President Trump wants lower oil prices, but a quick increase in US oil production is not possible, as it involves infrastructure, labour, and investment.
Energy expert Narendra Taneja told ANI, 'Russia exports 5 million barrels of oil into the global (oil) supply system every day. Crude oil prices would rise significantly - USD 100 to 120 per barrel, if not more - if the Russian oil is forced out of the global supply chains'.
He also added, 'If Russian oil stops flowing into Indian refineries, prices would rise globally for sure. There would be no shortage of oil in India because our refiners import from 40 different countries, but balancing the price for consumers would be a challenge.'
Even if Saudi Arabia and select OPEC countries step in to fill the supply gap, it will take time, adding to short-term price pressure. The oil market could shift into a deficit situation even if OPEC+ does not announce further production cuts.
Meanwhile, the recent US-EU trade deal has provided some support to the market, but geopolitical tensions persist and continue to add upside risks. The market is also closely watching US inventory levels and the upcoming interest rate decision, with a stronger US dollar keeping some pressure on oil prices.
The extended US-China trade truce has also supported market sentiment, but risks remain elevated in the oil sector. (ANI)
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Following recent acquisitions, Canadian explorer Desert Gold (TSXV:DAU) has reached the next milestone in its SMSZ project in Mali. With a fresh Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA), the Company is now set to construct a small processing plant. With production of approximately 5,500 ounces per year, annual gross cash flows in excess of USD 5 million are expected from 2026. At the same time, the Company has recently expanded its portfolio significantly with an option in West Africa. With the Tiegba project, Desert Gold is now also active in Côte d'Ivoire, alongside major mining companies such as Barrick, Allied, Endeavour, and B2Gold. The vision is clear: to extract easily accessible ounces at low cost and use the generated surplus for exploration of the high-grade properties in Côte d'Ivoire. The setup should excite investors and make the current valuation history! This article is disseminated in partnership with Apaton Finance GmbH. It is intended to inform investors and should not be taken as a recommendation or financial advice. Desert Gold Ventures ((TSXV:DAU) WKN: A14X09 | ISIN: CA25039N4084 | Ticker symbol: QXR2 | TSX-V: DAU) has released the results of its first Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for the Barani and Gourbassi deposits in western Mali. The analysis envisages a low-cost open pit operation with a production rate of around 220,000 tonnes per annum (18,500 tonnes per month) and a mine life of over 17 years. A total of 113,500 ounces of gold are contained, of which approximately 97,600 ounces can be recovered using a simple process (gravity and CIL) with an average recovery rate of 86%. Assuming a gold price of USD 2,500 per ounce, the net present value of these actions after taxes is USD 24 million, the internal rate of return (IRR) is 34% and the payback period is a low 3.25 years. 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Cumulative cash flow of USD 71 million after taxes over 17 years based on base assumptions. Total recoverable gold production of 97,600 ounces. Average strip ratio for the entire operation is estimated at 2.47:1. Management sees even more potential CEO Jared Scharf comments on the analysis: '*We are very pleased to present such a strong mine plan. With less than 10% of the SMSZ project's gold resources included in this study, there is tremendous potential to improve the project's economics and significantly expand operations over time. We have deliberately designed a mining solution that is both modular and flexible from a processing standpoint, providing us with maximum operational flexibility going forward. The focus will remain on exploration of the SMSZ project, particularly gold zones and prospect areas near the initial mining sites at Barani and Gourbassi. In addition, the Barani East small-scale mine license allows for ore processing of up to 36 kilotons per month. This means that we can double production from the current PEA plan of 18 kilotons per month. * Given the numerous brownfield exploration targets in close proximity to the initial Barani open pit, management believes that this operation has a high probability of being significantly expanded over time. '** Strong leverage to the gold price The SMSZ project has strong leverage to the gold price, as demonstrated by the sensitivity analysis in the table below. In the base case scenario of $2,500 per ounce, the project has an after-tax NPV (10%) of $24 million and an after-tax IRR of 34%. At a higher gold price of $3,000 per ounce, the after-tax NPV increases to $41 million with an IRR of 51%. If prices above the USD 3,300 mark per ounce of gold are actually realized on sale, an NPV of USD 54 million could even be achieved. The positive and negative leverage effects are illustrated in the following table. These sensitivities are for illustrative purposes only and assume that all other parameters remain constant. The current Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for Desert Gold's SMSZ project focuses exclusively on oxide and transition mineralization within optimized open pit pits at the Barani East, Barani Gap, Gourbassi West, and Gourbassi West North deposits. These four zones collectively contribute approximately 113,500 ounces of gold to the mine plan (after deducting mining modification factors), at an average grade of 0.95 g/t Au and a projected gold recovery rate of 86% through conventional CIL processing, representing approximately 97,600 ounces of recoverable gold. Notably, the study does not include some of the smaller pits identified during the PEA that may offer additional potential in future technical work. In addition, the current cut-off grade for reporting the Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) is 0.2 g/t Au. Total measured and indicated (M&I) resources now total 11.12 million tonnes grading 0.94 g/t Au for 336,800 ounces, while inferred resources total 27.16 million tonnes grading 1.01 g/t Au for 879,900 ounces. Key exploration targets such as Mogoyafara South, Linnguekoto West, and the Keniegoulou area were not included in the current PEA. However, they collectively host significant inferred resources and represent clear upside potential for future expansion. Recently announced: Option to acquire the Tiegba Gold Project The news for Canadian gold explorer Desert Gold (WKN: A14X09 | ISIN: CA25039N4084 | Ticker: QXR2 | TSX-V: DAU) could hardly be more positive. With the recent signing of an option agreement to acquire 90% of the Tiegba Gold project in Côte d'Ivoire, the Company is taking an important step towards expanding its portfolio and diversifying its regional presence in West Africa. Tiegba covers an area of 297 square kilometers in one of the most investor-friendly and politically stable regions of West Africa – an area with excellent infrastructure and a rapidly growing mining environment. The project is located in the Birimian greenstone belt, one of Africa's most prolific gold-bearing regions, with historical soil data from Newcrest Mining indicating a 4.2-kilometer gold-in-soil anomaly. Values of over 900 ppb gold have been measured in some areas, which is well above the regional average. This strategic expansion opens up new growth potential in one of Africa's most exciting gold markets, which is attracting attention due to increasing political stability, favourable tax conditions, and low operating costs. GBC analysts to reassess Mali and Ivory Coast Assets The Company is in advanced discussions with potential partners to secure financing for the start of construction in Barani East as soon as possible. With the current mineral resource estimate, figures for the SMSZ area in Mali are becoming increasingly concrete, and initial production is now within reach. Given this, GBC Research analysts are set to conduct a reassessment. It is anticipated that the current market valuation of approximately CAD 20 million, including all present values from future production and the new properties in Côte d'Ivoire, will be significantly upgraded. All studies agree that there is still considerable valuation potential due to the strong momentum of gold prices. CONCLUSION: The sleeping giant in the West African gold boom Central banks worldwide have purchased over 1,000 tons of gold reserves in 2024 alone, a clear signal of the growing loss of confidence in fiat currencies. While large gold producers are already benefiting from this development and increasing their market capitalization, exploration companies and juniors like Desert Gold are still lagging far behind in terms of revaluation. 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This update follows our initial report 11/21. Conflict of interest Pursuant to §85 of the German Securities Trading Act (WpHG), we point out that Apaton Finance GmbH as well as partners, authors or employees of Apaton Finance GmbH (hereinafter referred to as 'Relevant Persons') currently hold or hold shares or other financial instruments of the aforementioned companies and speculate on their price developments. In this respect, they intend to sell or acquire shares or other financial instruments of the companies (hereinafter each referred to as a 'Transaction'). Transactions may thereby influence the respective price of the shares or other financial instruments of the Company. In this respect, there is a concrete conflict of interest in the reporting on the companies. In addition, Apaton Finance GmbH is active in the context of the preparation and publication of the reporting in paid contractual this reason, there is also a concrete conflict of interest. The above information on existing conflicts of interest applies to all types and forms of publication used by Apaton Finance GmbH for publications on companies. Risk notice Apaton Finance GmbH offers editors, agencies and companies the opportunity to publish commentaries, interviews, summaries, news and the like on These contents are exclusively for the information of the readers and do not represent any call to action or recommendations, neither explicitly nor implicitly they are to be understood as an assurance of possible price developments. The contents do not replace individual expert investment advice and do not constitute an offer to sell the discussed share(s) or other financial instruments, nor an invitation to buy or sell such. The content is expressly not a financial analysis, but a journalistic or advertising text. Readers or users who make investment decisions or carry out transactions on the basis of the information provided here do so entirely at their own risk. No contractual relationship is established between Apaton Finance GmbH and its readers or the users of its offers, as our information only refers to the company and not to the investment decision of the reader or user. The acquisition of financial instruments involves high risks, which can lead to the total loss of the invested capital. The information published by Apaton Finance GmbH and its authors is based on careful research. Nevertheless, no liability is assumed for financial losses or a content-related guarantee for the topicality, correctness, appropriateness and completeness of the content provided here. Please also note our Terms of use. Keyfacts ISIN: CA25039N4084 WKN A14X09 Last Price 0.075 CAD / 0,05 EUR Number of shares 258.11 mln Marketcap. 19.4 mln CAD Sector Gold, Exploration & Development Geogr. focus Westafrica Flagship project SMSZ (Mali) Catalysts PEA study in progress, takeover speculation Founding year 2003 CEO Jared Scharf Homepage Source: Desert Gold, TSX Venture Media comments Author André Will-Laudien Born in Munich, he first studied economics and graduated in business administration at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in 1995. As he was involved with the stock market at a very early stage, he now has more than 30 years of experience in the capital about the author Further analyses Stockhouse does not provide investment advice or recommendations. All investment decisions should be made based on your own research and consultation with a registered investment professional. The issuer is solely responsible for the accuracy of the information contained herein. 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