VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- USANewsGroup.com Commentary — The world's biggest gold miners have a problem: they're running out of gold faster than they can find more. Major producers are already forecasting production declines for 2026 as existing reserves drain faster than exploration can replace them[1]. At the same time, central banks bought a net 27 tonnes in February alone, with China now on a 16-month buying streak and the Czech Republic extending its run to 36 consecutive months[2]. That collision between shrinking supply and relentless sovereign demand is forcing capital toward the companies proving up the next wave of discoveries: Golden Goose Resources (CSE: GGR) (OTCQB: GGRFF), Amex Exploration (TSXV: AMX) (OTCQX: AMXEF), Dakota Gold (NYSE-A: DC), Freegold Ventures (TSX: FVL) (OTCQX: FGOVF), and New Found Gold (NYSE-A: NFGC) (TSXV: NFG).
The money is already moving. Gold exploration budgets jumped 11% to $6.15 billion in 2025, capturing half of all global exploration spending according to S&P Global's World Exploration Trends 2026 report[3]. The World Gold Council expects central banks to purchase roughly 850 tonnes this year, locking in structural demand while grassroots discovery budgets fell to just 21% of global allocations, the lowest on record[4]. Translation: institutional buyers need ounces in the ground, and fewer companies are finding them.
Golden Goose Resources (CSE: GGR) (OTCQB: GGRFF) is already on the ground at its Gran Esperanza gold-silver project in Argentina's Río Negro Province. The company recently kicked off the first phase of field work, with geological crews now running systematic mapping and channel sampling across the 44,400-hectare property.
The target is an epithermal vein system, the type of geological structure responsible for many of the world's highest-grade gold deposits. Teams are sampling exposed quartz veins at roughly 50-metre intervals, working to pin down where gold and silver grades run strongest and most consistent. The goal is to build the technical case for diamond drilling, which is the step that moves an exploration property from "promising" to something that can carry a formal resource estimate.
The historical results tell you why the effort is worth it. Channel samples from Gran Esperanza have returned 2.0 metres at 24.0 g/t gold, 5.0 metres at 13.1 g/t gold, and 1.3 metres at 11.5 g/t gold, with rock chips grading up to 24.4 g/t gold. A site visit in December pulled a rock chip at 14.34 g/t gold. Previous work on the property totalled 30 trenches across 2,937 metres of exposed veins, 690 channel samples, and over 10 kilometres of mapped epithermal vein trend.
The neighbourhood helps. Gran Esperanza sits adjacent to a gold project currently being drilled by Southern Copper and near the Calcatreu Project, which is already in active development. That kind of company confirms the broader district has attracted serious capital and serious operators.
"We are pleased to initiate this important phase of exploration at Gran Esperanza," said Dustin Nanos, CEO of Golden Goose. "This systematic program is designed to generate critical geological and geochemical data that will enhance our understanding of the scale and continuity of mineralization on the Property. Our objective is to methodically advance the Project and establish a strong technical foundation for additional programs including diamond drilling."
The property is accessible year-round and sits two kilometres from a highway, keeping logistics simple and costs predictable as the program scales. Beyond Gran Esperanza, GGR holds the Goldfire Property in Quebec near Gold Fields' Windfall Project, and a controlling interest in the El Quemado Project in Salta Province, Argentina.
CONTINUED… Read this and more news for Golden Goose Resources at:
In other industry developments:
Amex Exploration (TSXV: AMX) (OTCQX: AMXEF) has secured key permits for its 40,000-tonne underground bulk sampling program at the Perron gold project in Quebec, including ministerial authorization from the MELCCFP and an Authorization for Impact Work from the MRNF. The company has also completed the financial guarantee required under Quebec's Mining Act, clearing the final regulatory hurdle and transitioning the project fully into execution phase, with field preparatory work set to begin in April and portal construction targeted for early summer 2026.
"Securing these authorizations is a decisive milestone that propels the Perron project into its next phase of execution," said Victor Cantore, President and CEO of Amex Exploration. "Our proactive preparation—through early procurement and tenders—positions us to move efficiently toward bulk sampling, confirming the project's potential and enhancing long-term value for shareholders and communities alike."
Grade control drilling has returned highlights of 76.51 g/t Au over 6.40 m and 110.05 g/t Au over 2.15 m, supporting the resource block model and reducing execution risk ahead of sampling. Amex Exploration expects to release its Phase 1 Feasibility Study, contemplating a toll milling scenario, in the coming weeks.
Dakota Gold (NYSE-A: DC) reported expansion drilling results at its Richmond Hill Oxide Heap Leach Gold Project in South Dakota, highlighted by drill hole RH25C-359 intersecting 3.14 g/t gold and 10.57 g/t silver over 13.4 meters, a 260-meter north step-out from the current resource boundary. Richmond Hill hosts 3.65 million ounces of measured and indicated gold, and the northeast expansion area remains open in all directions.
"The final drill results from the 2025 drill campaign at Richmond Hill continue to illustrate the potential for expansion and higher-grade gold and silver opportunities for the Project, particularly in the north where we expect to begin the initial years of mining," said Jack Henris, President and COO of Dakota Gold. "We look forward to announcing the results as they are received throughout the year."
The 2026 drill campaign is underway with 7,565 meters completed across 48 infill holes, targeting resource conversion from inferred to indicated ahead of a Pre-Feasibility Study expected in the second half of 2026. Using a base case gold price of $2,350 per ounce and a processing rate of 30,000 tons per day, the company's Initial Assessment projects average annual gold production of 150,000 ounces with an IRR of 59%, with production targeted for 2029.
Freegold Ventures (TSX: FVL) (OTCQX: FGOVF) recently reported new Golden Summit drill results in Alaska, highlighted by hole GS2546 returning 11.54 g/t gold over 29.5 metres and 2.99 g/t Au over 31.1 metres within a 216.4-metre interval at 2.44 g/t gold.
"Golden Summit is delivering the kind of higher-grade growth we've been targeting," said Kristina Walcott, President and CEO of Freegold Ventures. "Cleary continues to return strong higher-grade intervals, Tamarack is rapidly emerging as a meaningful eastern extension, and with up to six rigs operating soon and assays pending, we expect sustained catalysts as we advance toward the PFS."
The 2026 drill program has five rigs currently active, with a sixth being mobilized, targeting improved continuity of higher-grade mineralization across the Dolphin-Cleary corridor and the newly identified Tamarack area. The Tamarack discovery may extend Golden Summit's mineralized footprint by an additional 500 metres to the east, with mineralization consistent in style and orientation with the main deposit. Sixteen drill holes have assays pending. The program supports an upcoming pre-feasibility study.
New Found Gold (NYSE-A: NFGC) (TSXV: NFG) reported final results from its 2025 grade control drill program at the Queensway Gold Project in Newfoundland, with headline intercepts of 71.8 g/t gold over 31.95 m and 76.6 g/t gold over 16.00 m at the Iceberg zone, alongside 51.3 g/t gold over 3.40 m at the Keats zone. The program, covering 72 diamond drill holes across both excavations, confirmed strong continuity of high-grade, near-surface gold mineralization targeted for early open pit mining under the company's 2025 PEA Phase 1 mine plan.
"These final results from our highly successful 2025 grade control drill program at the Keats and Iceberg excavations continue to deliver consistently high gold grades over broad widths, returning some of the best intercepts we have drilled to date at Queensway," said Melissa Render, President of New Found Gold. "We continue to systematically de-risk Queensway, as demonstrated by the continuity of high-grade gold mineralization in these at-surface zones targeted for early open pit mining in our 2025 PEA Phase 1 mine plan."
With four drill rigs currently active on the 2026 program, New Found Gold is advancing PEA Phase 2 open pit resource conversion and plans to file an updated Technical Report, including a mineral resource estimate update, in Q3/26.
Further Reading: https://usanewsgroup.com/2026/01/28/two-gold-projects-two-major-neighbors-what-does-this-junior-know-that-the-market-doesnt/
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SOURCES:
- https://www.gold.org/goldhub/gold-focus/2026/03/you-asked-we-answered-are-we-running-out-gold
- https://www.gold.org/goldhub/gold-focus/2026/04/central-bank-gold-statistics-central-banks-stay-course-gold-february
- https://www.businessday.co.za/economy/2026-04-09-gold-drives-mining-exploration-as-global-budgets-fall-for-third-year/
- https://www.mining.com/central-banks-gold-buying-momentum-carries-into-2026/
