Mining Co. Finds Significant Copper Idaho Resource Expansion Opportunity

1. As of the date of this article, officers, contractors, shareholders, and/or employees of Streetwise Reports LLC (including members of their household) own securities of Barrick Mining Corp.
2. Cori Fisher wrote this article for Streetwise Reports LLC and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an employee. 
3.  This article does not constitute investment advice and is not a solicitation for any investment. Streetwise Reports does not render general or specific investment advice and the information on Streetwise Reports should not be considered a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her personal financial adviser and perform their own comprehensive investment research. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports' terms of use and full legal disclaimer. Streetwise Reports does not endorse or recommend the business, products, services or securities of any company.

For additional disclosures, please click here.

1. Ownership and Share Structure Information

The information listed above was updated on the date this article was published and was compiled from information from the company and various other data providers.

Hercules Metals Corp. (BADEF:OTCMKTS; BIG:TSXV) announced its 2026 drill campaign in a March 17 press release.

Hercules Metals has resumed drilling in Western Idaho for the 2026 exploration. Project site HER-25-25 is currently active, testing further porphyry system opportunities the Southern Flats Zone. A second drill should arrive next week to resume drilling HER-25-18 after exploration was paused after observing signs of potassic alteration and copper mineralization that could indicate the presence of further minerals along the Footwall. A 12,500 m phase has already commenced in order for company officials to plan next steps and determine additional targets, according to a press release from the company. Next, Hercules will turn its sights to HER-25-21, which was pre-collared in 2025, expecting to complete it shortly after HER-25-18.

As for new targets, Robert Sinn of Goldfinger Capital reports that, "Hercules completed a reconnaissance IP program over the Pegasus MT anomaly, initially running two lines and then adding two more after reviewing preliminary results, while work at the Hook target was delayed by snow and pushed into Q2." The company has applied for and received permits to drill the anomaly this year.

Hercules Metals Positioning

Hercules Metals Corp. explores potential copper and other rare earth deposits in the U.S., as part of an effort to develop copper porphyries in Idaho.

The Hercules Project can be found northwest of Cambridge and is 100% owned. It is home to the Leviathan porphyry copper system, a significant discovery for the U.S. that is continuing to expand. The company is supported by strategic investment from Barrick Mining Corp. (ABX:TSX; B:NYSE) and is expected to grow due to the increasing demand for copper. The goal of the company is to eventually provide shareholders value through proven discovery.

Potential for Tariffs Causing a Mismatch in the Market

Copper has experienced some volatility this year. While a bull market for traders, physical products are trending toward a bear market due to potential tariffs. Last year, the looming potential of President Donald Trump's tariffs surged copper prices in the U.S. as American investors stockpiled the metal.

This hype created an overstocking of copper, widening the gap between futures and physical worth. "Collectively, inventories at the world's main exchanges have risen by more than 500,000 tons since the start of the year," states a March 6 article by Bloomberg News. The imagined certainty of inaccessible copper due to tariffs evaporated, however, when premiums for U.S. copper futures disappeared, and the tariffs did not materialize. Trump may choose to impose tariffs next year, but analysts and investors are skeptical since his administration chose to forego them in January 2026.

This hoarding of metals that have grown overstocked has resulted in a mismatch between physical and future pricing; however, according to Factset on March 9, 2026, copper recovered from earlier weakness, following nickel higher amid the Middle East turmoil and related shipping concerns.

On March 6, 2026, the chief executive of Concord Resources Ltd said, "As much as copper is a critically important industry and there is well-documented underinvestment in new supply, we are in thin air right now."

Demand for copper is expected to rise due to continued use in electronics, especially with the widespread construction of new data centers and defense needs America is experiencing.

President Trump's administration is taking steps to ensure that America's rare earth needs can be met domestically or with allies. According to a Mining.com article, The U.S. and Japan entered into an agreement to develop mining and refining measures for rare earth, such as copper, this week. The projects mark the latest efforts to secure supply chains of critical minerals.

Catalysts 

Hercules Metals has upgraded equipment for on-site sample processing and improved the lab location. These moves are expected to reduce assay turnaround in 2026. In the next few weeks, the company expects to report results from the remaining 2025 drill holes.

CEO and Director of Hercules Metals, Chris Paul, said, "We're pleased to begin drilling in early March, supported by the relatively low elevation and minimal topographic relief at our target areas. We also welcome back Dorado Drilling, following their strong performance last season. By focusing on our best-performing contractor, who have since upgraded their rigs, we expect a potentially stronger season this year and look forward to delivering results to market quicker, and testing new high-priority targets for the first time."

New discoveries are being made by Hercules Metals, such as a reconnaissance IP survey of the Pegasus and Hook MT anomalies. The goal is to improve targeting prior to drill testing, and four 2D induced polarization lines at Pegasus identified promising early results. The one-line placed at Hook returned a significant chargeability response. Final results will be released during Q2 once the weather permits higher-elevation testing.

Robert Sinn claims excitement over the company's 2026 prospects, saying, "After those holes are wrapped up, I would expect Hercules to finalize the broader 2026 drill plan, including target prioritization and an outline of the next five to six holes." 

He continued, "I couldn't be more excited about Hercules' 2026 drill campaign, and I was especially encouraged by my first conversation with Hercules Chairman Matthieu Bos last week."

Analyst Peter Krauth of The Gold Advisor weighed in on the company's future on February 11, saying, "These deeper results are absolutely outstanding, and I think the market is missing the implications of scale for this deposit. Management emphasized that drilling to date has tested less than 20% of the total target area, underscoring the scale, upside, and long-term potential of the Hercules property. I think this story deserves patience and will keep delivering. The market's lack of recognition is an opportunity in my view."

Ownership & Share Structure¹

Insiders & Management own 5% of Hercules Metals Corp., Strategic Investors own 13%. Institutions own 9%, and Retail owns 73%. The company has 289.41 million shares outstanding and a market cap of CA$189.56 million. Its 52-week range is CA$0.49-0.96