The Times: President Trump has unveiled new tariffs on exports from dozens of trading partners including Brazil, Canada, India and Taiwan in the latest escalation of his global trade war. Late last night Trump used a presidential executive order to set rates including a 50 per cent duty for Brazil, 35 per cent duty on many goods from Canada, 25 per cent for India, 20 per cent for Taiwan and 39 per cent for Switzerland.
Comment: It is interesting that for such a right wing leading President, being on the case as far as tariffs is something that one would have expected from an interventionist CCP. We hold our breathe to see how it affects stock markets, most of which are at record highs.
Vaultz Capital (V3TC) announced the successful completion of a Placing at 7.75 pence per share, raising a total of £2 million in gross proceeds. The Placing was significantly oversubscribed and scaled back. The Company has raised, in aggregate, gross proceeds of approximately £6,275,000. Furthermore, the Company announced changes to the composition of the Board and the establishment of a newly formed Bitcoin Advisory Board to support the Board of Directors in executing its core digital asset operating strategy and advancing the Company’s Bitcoin Treasury initiative.
Comment: The message from the leading Bitcoin Treasury Strategy is that they are going to “raise, raise, raise”. V3TC finesses this with moves to beef up its board and the credibility of its strategy.
Blencowe Resources (BRES) announced the signing of an additional Non-binding Agreement for offtake of natural fine flake concentrate from its Orom-Cross Graphite Project with Perpetuus Advanced Materials Limited. PAM is a UK based advanced materials innovator with more than a decade of expertise in plasma-treated graphene production. The Agreement covers 19,000 tonnes of +97% TGC fine flake graphite over an initial five-year term, representing a significant portion of Orom-Cross’s planned Phase 1 output of 10,000tpa, with volumes likely to rise further as PAM leads the way globally in manufacturing plasma-treated, surface engineered graphenes and sub-micron particles for commercial uses.
Comment: A massive offtake agreement from BRES, something which underlines the prospects for Orom-Cross, as well as how the market continues to undervalue and under-rate the investment proposition here.
Guardian Metal Resources (GMET), a strategic mineral exploration and development company focused in Nevada, USA, announced rock chip assay results and geological observations from the Company’s ongoing porphyry copper exploration campaign at its 100% owned Pilot Mountain Project located in Nevada, USA. GMET said “These new results provide a further layer of evidence that Pilot Mountain hosts a much larger mineral system than previously understood. While our main work continues to be centred on advancing the tungsten-copper-silver-zinc skarns, the results thus far from this porphyry- focused study increasingly point to a porphyry environment worth investigating further. The data not only expands the interpreted footprint of Porphyry South but also strengthens the case for a complex multi-metal system at depth.”
Comment: We have known from the start of GMET’s meteoric rise that Pilot Mountain was the flagship project and the one that could and would be a company maker. The past year and more has underlined the value here, and the scope for further upside.
Cel AI (CLAI), the AI agent deployment platform with a strategic Bitcoin treasury focus, announced its intention to seek the admission of its Ordinary Shares to trading on the Aquis Stock Exchange Growth Market. Admission to the AQSE Growth Market is expected to occur on 1 September 2025 and the Company will make a further announcement in due course. CLAI said “Our proposed move to the Aquis Stock Exchange Growth Market marks a pivotal step for Cel AI. By shifting our listing, we unlock the flexibility needed to execute our Bitcoin treasury strategy aggressively -an essential component of our long-term vision. This transition ensures we can fully pursue our strategic goals without the constraints of the current listing framework.”
Comment: Even as recently as this time last year most companies attitude to Aquis is that they would rather live in Slough than have a listing on this challenger market. However, now it has transformed into the UK’s NASDAQ, we see even the most promising companies actually choosing to go there. Aspects such as the LSE’s cost, red tape, and overall snootiness also help this transformation.
Predator Oil & Gas Holdings Plc (PRD), the Jersey-based Oil and Gas Company with near-term hydrocarbon operations and production focussed on Morocco and Trinidad announced a preliminary update for the rigless testing operations at the MOU-3 well at Guercif in Morocco. “Whilst the perforating has been successful, thus far it has not been able to completely overcome the formation damage to allow the well to flow. Pressure build up in the well is being monitored to see if with time the damage can be overcome. The new well, MOU-6, is being designed to mitigate for formation damage and is crucial for evaluating potential well productivity and reservoir performance at several levels.”
Comment: It will be interesting to see how the market regards PRD effectively shifting along hopes to MOU-6, when MOU-3 was in play as the big deal for the company. Luckily, the company’s touchy, feely CEO is on hand to manage expectations.
Valereum (AQSE: VLRM) said it is seeking to raise approximately £0.5 million to accelerate the Company’s growth strategy at 3.1 pence per share. Chairman, James Bannon, and CEO, Gary Cottle have each indicated an intention to subscribe for £200,000. VLRM said “We’re working intensively with our partners, DigiShares, Fideum, and Blubird, to build a scalable global ecosystem for compliant digital asset infrastructure. Proceeds from this sale will accelerate our expansion, platform rollout, and market entry. As we finalise our latest plans and partnerships, the focus is firmly on delivering a high-impact second half of 2025. A Bitcoin treasury reserve is about financially aligning with our vision bringing our balance sheet up to speed with the innovation we’re driving. We want to be able to execute globally, with agility, and build significant long-term growth.”
Comment: VLRM has not exactly had a party in the recent past, something which can be divined by the share price trajectory if nothing else. Therefore the reboot, bringing in the flavour of the month (June), seems a logical move, alongside other digital world appropriate services.
ECR Minerals (ECR), the gold exploration and development company focused on Australia, announced that Mike Whitlow has stepped down as Managing Director, effective immediately, to focus on his other business commitments. While Mr Whitlow will no longer serve on the board of directors of ECR, he will continue to support ECR as a consultant, ensuring a seamless transition and providing ongoing strategic guidance.
Comment: In a move that will send shockwaves across the small cap space, we learn that Mike Whitlow a.k.a Doc Holiday, stepping down as Managing Director. There will be some who see analogies with Peter Gabriel leaving Genesis, Roger Waters waving goodbye to Pink Floyd, and even Gerry Halliwell’s exit from the Spice Girls.
Disclaimer & Declaration of Interest:
The information, investment views, and recommendations in this Zaks Traders Cafe interview are provided for general information purposes only. Nothing in this interview should be construed as a promotion or solicitation to buy or sell any financial product relating to any companies under discussion or referred to or to engage in or refrain from doing so or engage in any other transaction. Any opinions or comments are made to the best of the knowledge and belief of the commentator but no responsibility is accepted for actions based on such opinions or comments. The commentators may or may not hold investments in the companies under discussion.
