Sponsored by McLaren Resources

Mercado Expands Copalito With New Silver Hits

Mercado Minerals (CSE: MERC) has released a fresh round of assay results from its Copalito silver project, and the numbers give the company something to build on as its first drill campaign presses forward.

The latest results center on the El Pilar vein, where drilling returned the strongest intercepts of the batch. Hole COP-26-019 cut 3.40 metres grading 403 g/t silver equivalent, wrapped around a higher-grade core that pushed well above that mark.

You can read more on the matter here.

What’s going on?

• Dimon Vs. JPMorgan: Who To Believe In Stocks? (theDeepDive)

• LeBlanc heading to Washington this week for more trade talks (Globe)

• Why Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke Wants Wealthier Taxpayers To Have More Political Votes (theDeepDive)

• FCC Clears Starlink Routers Despite Foreign Manufacturing Ban (theDeepDive)

• U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve faces stress as emergency releases strain old infrastructure (CNBC)

• Deadly Japan Earthquake Collapses Mall, Evacuates Chip Plants (theDeepDive)

• Fifa plans $20bn commercial vehicle to lure external investors (FT)

• Canadians Have Stopped Going Back to the US, and the Data Shows No Sign of a Turnaround (theDeepDive)

• McConnell’s Doctors Say He’s Still Not Cleared to Return to the Senate (theDeepDive)

• Regime change? Inside Reza Pahlavi’s faltering bid to lead Iran (Reuters)

• Judge Confirms Trump Must Formally Hand Over Financial Records to the BBC (theDeepDive)

What’s the latest?

• Tech: Bell Canada is rolling out an AI-powered spoofed call detection feature that automatically flags calls where scammers fake caller IDs to impersonate trusted contacts or organizations. The enhancement builds on Bell’s existing AI spam detection system, which has already analyzed over 4.4 billion calls and blocked or labeled more than 540 million suspicious or fraudulent calls, and will be available automatically across Bell and its affiliated mobile brands.

• Markets: U.S. markets were mixed, with the Dow up 643 points (+1.2%), the S&P 500 up 0.3%, and the Nasdaq down 0.2% as investors rotated out of AI chipmakers despite strong corporate earnings. Micron (-8.9%), AMD (-7.0%), and Applied Materials (-8.2%) led a global chip selloff, while Brent crude fell to US$81.38/barrel, reducing expectations of a Fed rate hike this week to 28.3% from over 36% as easing oil prices and weaker consumer confidence lowered inflation concerns.

• Politics: President Trump said he would “rather be independent” than renew CUSMA, claiming the U.S. “doesn’t need” Canada or Mexico and downplaying the importance of the trade pact, even as his administration prepares to impose 50% tariffs on many Canadian goods in August. Meanwhile, Canada’s Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc is traveling to Washington for negotiations, while a new poll shows 62% of Canadians support counter-tariffs and 75% doubt Trump would honor a future trade agreement.

• Economy: Canada’s labour market stabilized in Q2 2026, with the working-age employment rate reaching its highest level since mid-2024, helped by slower population growth rather than stronger hiring. Indeed expects job growth to remain modest through the rest of 2026 as immigration slows and retirements increase, while long-term unemployment remains elevated and job postings are generally flat, with health care and education showing signs that labour shortages are easing.

• Mining: The potential sale of Yukon’s Eagle Gold Mine has been extended by another 90 days, giving Boroo Pte Ltd. more time to complete due diligence and negotiate agreements with the Yukon government and the First Nation of Na-cho Nyak Dun. A successful sale could help the territorial government recover its C$220 million receivership loan following the 2024 tailings disaster, when roughly 2 million tonnes of cyanide-contaminated ore spilled into the surrounding environment.

This Gold Project Works Without Record Gold

The stock market and stuff

• PetroChina Weighs Selling LNG Canada Stake Before Expansion, Bloomberg Reports (theDeepDive)

• Chip stocks tumble as AI sell-off deepens (FT)

• Investors Dump Samsung and SK Hynix as Kospi Crashes (theDeepDive)

In the juniors

• Cambria Gold Hits 24.36 g/t Over 6.3 Metres as Prew Zone Infill Drilling Begins to Pay Off (theDeepDive)

• Crossroads Gold Widens Pambula Hunt to More Than 1,000 Soil Samples After High Grade Hits (theDeepDive)

• Benton to Spin Out Great Burnt Copper-Gold Project in $15 Million Deal (theDeepDive)

• Santacruz Silver Posts 11% Jump in Q2 Silver Production (theDeepDive)

FULL DISCLOSURE: McLaren Resources is a client of Canacom Group, the parent company of The Deep Dive. Canacom Group is currently long the equity of McLaren Resources. The author has been compensated to cover McLaren Resources on The Deep Dive, with The Deep Dive having full editorial control. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security.