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Will Rhind: Gold, Silver at Record Highs, Mania Phase Still to Come

Will Rhind, CEO of GraniteShares, outlines his thoughts on gold and silver heading into 2026, noting that historical precedents point to higher prices.

‘Clearly when you look back on some of those other periods for gold — and silver particularly — where they went to all-time highs, then we could be talking about a lot higher prices,’ he said.

Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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Solar Panel Makers Look to Sub Copper for Silver as Price Hits Record Levels

The solar industry is turning to base metals and innovation to bypass the soaring silver price.

Silver’s exceptional electrical and thermal conductivity make it a critical material in the production of photovoltaics (PV). However, record-high prices are forcing key solar industry players to find more cost-effective alternatives.

In a September 2025 report, BNEF analysts note that silver represents about 14 percent of the total cost of production for solar panels, up from 5 percent in 2023. At the time, silver was trading in the US$42 to US$46 per ounce range.

Since then, the white metal’s price has exploded, hitting an all-time high of US$93.77 on Wednesday (January 14). That’s double the level it was in September, and a nearly 200 percent increase from the year before.

In an industry already fraught with intense competition, such a large leap in the price for a major component is unsustainable. In response, top manufacturers in China such as LONGi Green Energy Technology (SHA:601012) are turning to base metals and technological innovations to help manage solar panel input costs.

Solar panel makers bypassing silver

China dominates the global solar PV industry, representing more than 80 percent of worldwide manufacturing capacity across the supply chain, including polysilicon, wafers, cells and modules.

In early January, Bloomberg reported that starting in Q2, LONGi Green Energy is planning to start mass producing solar cells using base metals instead of silver in an effort to reduce costs.

Di Giacomo believes that because LONGi Green Energy is one of the solar industry’s technological leaders, its move away from silver marks a significant turning point for the sector.

Bloomberg notes that the company has joined the ranks of other Chinese solar manufacturers looking to sidestep silver’s price volatility. In December, JinkoSolar Holding (NYSE:JKS), which is headquartered in China, but listed in the US, said it was looking to roll out large-scale production of solar panels using base metals. Additionally, smaller firm Shanghai Aiko Solar Energy (SHA:600732) is producing 6.5 gigawatt solar cells without silver.

“Other major manufacturers, such as JinkoSolar and AIKO Solar, are also exploring silver-free technologies or solutions that minimize the use of this metal,” said Di Giacomo. “The convergence of efforts among leading players suggests this is not an isolated trend, but rather a structural shift in how solar panels are designed and manufactured.”

Is copper a viable alternative to silver?

Copper is the prized favorite among the base metals for swapping out silver.

While both metals have seen unprecedented price rallies on the back rising industrial demand from clean technologies and artificial intelligence, silver maintains an enormous premium over copper. Currency, the price of a troy ounce of silver is trading at about 22,000 percent higher than a troy ounce of copper.

“Although its conductivity is slightly lower, copper is far more abundant, cheaper and supported by a more diversified supply chain,” stated Di Giacomo. “These characteristics make it an attractive option for an industry seeking to scale production without exposure to bottlenecks in critical raw materials.”

The red metal may be a great electrical conductor, but it doesn’t match silver’s capabilities. There’s also the tendency for copper to oxidize and degrade, testing the long-term viability and reliability of copper-based solar components. For those reasons, subbing in copper presents technical challenges for PV makers.

One area of concern for replacing silver with copper is the high temperatures needed in the fabricating process for tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) cells, the technology currently dominating the solar panel industry.

This might not be as big an issue for LONGi Green Energy, which manufactures back-contact (BC) cells. The technical processes for adapting copper to this new type of solar cell architecture is much simpler compared to TOPCon cells.

“New generations of copper-metallized cells are achieving efficiency levels increasingly close to those of traditional silver-based models,” said Di Giacomo. “In some cases, improvements are even being observed in mechanical strength and module durability, key factors for long-term solar installations and operation under demanding environmental conditions.”

BC cells have also been shown to generate more power from the same amount of sunlight compared to TOPCon cells. A white paper from renewable energy advisory company Rinnovabili states that field data indicates that BC modules are capable of producing up to 11 percent more energy over their lifetime compared to TOPCon technology.

How will substitution impact silver?

In a November 2025 report, the Silver Institute reported that industrial silver demand is projected to drop by 2 percent in 2025 to 665 million ounces. One of the contributing factors in the decline is an approximate 5 percent decrease in silver demand from the solar industry, even though the number of global PV installations set a new record high for the year. This is “due to a sharp drop in the amount of silver used in each module,” according to the firm.

“A sustained reduction in solar sector silver demand could alter market dynamics,” warned Di Giacomo.

However, at this point it’s too early to tell. For one, TOPCon technology is expected to account for 70 percent of the market in 2026. The cost of manufacturing BC cells is not expected to reach parity with TOPCon cells until the end of the decade, said Molly Morgan, senior research analyst at CRU Group, as reported by pv magazine.

“That’s why we believe we might see a coexistence of the two technologies in the 2028 to 2030 timeframe,” she said.

Securities Disclosure: I, Melissa Pistilli, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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Saks files for bankruptcy as luxury market struggles

The company that owns the iconic luxury retailer Saks Fifth Avenue filed for bankruptcy late Tuesday.

The move comes after Saks Global struggled with debt it took on to buy rival Neiman Marcus, lagging department store sales and a rising online market.

It’s one of the largest retail collapses since the Covid pandemic, and casts further doubt over the future of luxury fashion.

The retailer, which also owns Bergdorf Goodman, said early Wednesday its stores would remain open for now after it finalized a $1.75 billion financing package and appointed a new CEO.

The court process is meant to give the luxury retailer room to negotiate a debt restructuring with creditors or sell itself to a new owner to stave off liquidation. Failing that, the company may be forced to shutter.

Former Neiman Marcus CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck will replace Richard Baker, who was the architect of the acquisition strategy that left Saks Global saddled with debt.

The company also appointed former Neiman Marcus executives Darcy Penick and Lana Todorovich as chief commercial officer and chief of global brand partnerships at Saks Global, respectively.

Saks Fifth Avenue, the retail arm of Saks Global, listed $1 billion to $10 billion in assets and liabilities, according to court documents filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Houston.

A retailer long loved by the rich and famous, from Gary Cooper to Grace Kelly, Saks fell on hard times after the pandemic, as competition from online outlets rose, and brands started more frequently selling items through their own stores.

The original Saks Fifth Avenue store, known for displaying the likes of Chanel, Cucinelli and Burberry, was opened by retail pioneer Andrew Saks in 1867.

The new financing deal would provide an immediate cash infusion of $1 billion through ‌a loan from an investor group, Saks Global said.

A host of luxury brands were among the unsecured creditors, led by Chanel and Gucci owner Kering at about $136 million and $60 million respectively, the court filing said. The world’s biggest luxury conglomerate, LVMH, was listed as an unsecured creditor at $26 million. In total, Saks Global estimated there were between 10,001 and 25,000 creditors.

In 2024, Baker had masterminded the takeover of Neiman Marcus by Canada’s Hudson’s Bay Co, which had owned Saks since 2013, and later spun off the U.S. luxury assets to create Saks Global, bringing together three names that have defined American high fashion for more than a century.

The deal was designed to create a luxury powerhouse, but it saddled Saks Global with debt at a time when global luxury sales were slowing, complicating an already difficult turnaround for CEO and veteran executive Marc Metrick.

Saks Global struggled last year to pay vendors, who began withholding inventory, disrupting the company’s supply chain and leaving it with insufficient stock.

The thinly stocked shelves may have driven shoppers away to rivals like Bloomingdale’s, which posted strong sales in 2025, compounding pressure on Saks Global.

“Rich people are still buying,” Morningstar analyst David Swartz said last month, “just not so much at Saks.”

Running out of cash, Saks Global last month sold the real estate of the Neiman Marcus Beverly Hills flagship store for an undisclosed amount. It had also been looking to sell a minority stake in exclusive department store Bergdorf Goodman to help cut debt.

On Dec. 30, it failed to make an interest payment of more than $100 million to bondholders.

This post appeared first on NBC NEWS

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Cooper Flagg knocked from game due to ankle injury

Dallas Mavericks rookie star Cooper Flagg looked to be in considerable pain as he limped to the locker room after appearing to roll his ankle during the first half of Wednesday’s home game against the Denver Nuggets.

Flagg was defending Denver’s Peyton Watson, moving laterally to his left when he rolled his ankle. He shuffled back to the locker room and it appeared that Flagg’s evening might be done.

But the top pick of the 2025 NBA Draft reemerged and was back on the court before the first half was even over.

When the second half started, though, Flagg was not on the court and the Mavericks announced that he would not return due to a left ankle sprain.

Flagg finished with six points on 3-for-9 shooting and added a rebound and assist. He played 15 minutes.

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said the team ‘decided to hold (Flagg out) for the second half,’ according to DLLS Sports’ Ron Harrod Jr. Kidd noted that Flagg also had twisted his ankle in the Mavericks’ last game on Monday.

Kidd did not know if Flagg would play on Thursday when the Mavericks take on the Utah Jazz.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

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What does Dante Moore’s return to Oregon football mean for Dylan Raiola?

One of the projected top picks in the 2026 NFL Draft is staying in school.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore announced on Wednesday, Jan. 14 that he’s remaining with the Ducks for the 2026 season rather than heading to the NFL, where he was widely viewed as a top-five selection in a thin class at the position.

Moore’s decision has significant ramifications not only for the NFL, where quarterback-needy teams like the New York Jets may have to look elsewhere for their future signal-caller, but college football.

In his first season as a starter for Oregon, Moore was one of the best quarterbacks in the sport, accounting for 3,721 total yards and 32 touchdowns while helping lead the Ducks to a 12-2 record and a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals. With his return, Oregon will be one of a handful of national championship favorites heading into the 2026 season.

He’ll be returning to a quarterback room that’s just a little more crowded than it was a few days ago.

While Moore was weighing his draft decision, the Ducks landed a commitment on Jan. 12 from Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola, a former five-star recruit who was the Cornhuskers’ starter each of the past two seasons.

What could Moore’s return to Oregon mean for Raiola?

What does Dante Moore’s return mean for Dylan Raiola?

Moore’s return to college football gives Raiola several options.

The first, and perhaps more likely, scenario would involve Raiola sticking with his commitment to the Ducks and backing up Moore for a year. Oregon continued to recruit Raiola out of the transfer portal with the understanding that Moore could still be with the program for the 2026 season, indicating that they knew he might be a backup for a season.

It wouldn’t be unheard of for that program, either. Just look at Moore, a former five-star recruit himself who played one season at UCLA before transferring to Oregon. Once in Eugene, he backed up Dillon Gabriel for a season before assuming the starting role for the 2025 season.

Moore spoke about that possibility when asked about Raiola on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” on Wednesday, shortly after announcing his choice to stay at Oregon.

“He’s a great dude,” Moore said. “Of course, we haven’t talked much, but just seeing him and how he just competes, I know when he comes here, he’s going to be a great guy for the quarterback room. I want to make sure I give him my ideas and thoughts, like Dillon Gabriel did for me, and make sure I give him the resources to make sure he’s better on his game. I know when he comes here, he’s not going to fall and not push me. I know he’s going to push me, compete and have fun.”

Being a backup for a year could be helpful not only for Raiola’s development, but his health. He suffered a season-ending broken fibula in a Nov. 1 loss to USC and underwent surgery on it days later. Without the looming pressure of being the Ducks’ starter, Raiola could get additional time to recover from his surgery and get back to full strength.

If he transferred to Oregon on the assumption that Moore was off to the NFL and is looking to go elsewhere, he’ll have some options if he wants to jump back into the portal. Several major programs are still in search of a starting quarterback for next season, namely Miami and Tennessee. 

Dylan Raiola age

Raiola is 20 years old.

Dylan Raiola eligibility

Raiola played in 13 games as a freshman in 2024 and nine games as a sophomore in 2025, giving him two seasons of eligibility remaining.

FBS coaches voted unanimously on Tuesday, Jan. 13 to adjust the sport’s redshirt rule so that players can play in up to nine games without burning a year of eligibility, though it’s unclear whether that change, if passed, could be applied retroactively.

Dylan Raiola 247

Coming out of Buford High School in Georgia, Raiola was rated as a five-star recruit and the No. 21 overall prospect in the 2024 class, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings.

As a transfer, he was rated by 247 as the No. 15 overall available transfer and the No. 5 quarterback.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

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FIFA reveals 5 most coveted tickets for 2026 World Cup

FIFA said on Wednesday, Jan. 14 that it has received more than 500 million ticket requests for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted jointly by Canada, Mexico and the United States this summer.

Per FIFA, an average of 15 million ticket requests were made each day from when the 33-day World Cup ticket application window opened on Dec. 11 until its closure on Jan. 13. FIFA boasts that the ticket demand sets ‘a new benchmark for demand in the history of world sport.’

‘Half a billion ticket requests in just over a month is more than demand – it’s a global statement. On behalf of FIFA, I would like to thank and congratulate football fans everywhere for this extraordinary response,’ FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement released by the organization.

Aside from the three host nations, the highest number of World Cup ticket applications came from residents in Germany, England, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Colombia.

The ticketing update also included fascinating data for which games are the most requested. These are the top five most-coveted 2026 World Cup matches, according to FIFA:

  1. Colombia vs. Portugal in Miami, Saturday, June 27
  2. Mexico vs. South Korea in Guadalajara, Mexico, Thursday, June 18
  3. Tournament final in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, July 19
  4. Mexico vs. South Africa, the tournament opener in Mexico City, Thursday, June 11
  5. Round of 32 match in Toronto, Thursday, July 2

The full 104-match schedule for the 2026 World Cup — which will feature 48 teams for the first time — was set during the draw on Dec. 5, with 16 cities in three countries hosting matches.

The ticket process for the upcoming World Cup has had its detractors. Soccer fans around the globe have lodged their complaints about the high prices for tickets. Even U.S. national teamer Tim Weah voiced his concern about the high costs to get into games.

‘It is too expensive,’ Weah said. ‘Football should still be enjoyed by everyone. It is the most popular sport. This World Cup will be good, but it will be more of a show.

‘I am just a bit disappointed by the ticket prices. Lots of real fans will miss matches.’

In an effort to make some reasonably priced options available, FIFA provided a selected number of tickets — ‘supporter entry tier’ tickets — to national federations of the participating countries for them to distribute to loyal fans who have previously attended their nations’ matches.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

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Jalen Brunson leaves Knicks’ game after rolling ankle

SACRAMENTO, CA — New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson left Wednesday’s game against the Sacramento Kings after tweaking his ankle.

Brunson rolled his ankle on a non-contact play during the first quarter against the Kings.

He was sizing up Kings rookie Maxime Raynaud and as Brunson got into his dribble package − a hesitation, between the legs dribble − and looked to make his move, he rolled his ankle and fell on the ball before passing it to a teammate.

Brunson limped to the locker room after exiting the game. He did not return, the Knicks ruling him out with a right ankle injury.

Game recap

Sacramento jumped out to a double-digit lead early in the game and maintained it through the first quarter behind 10 points each from Precious Achiuwa, Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan.

The Kings led 32-17 after the first period.

Sacramento maintained its lead going into the second half. The Kings led 56-42 at halftime after a LaVine 3-pointer with three seconds left. Knicks guard Josh Hart made a layup as the buzzer sounded.

Sacramento continued to pour it on in the third quarter. Achiuwa continued to dominate with his effort and energy. He had nine rebounds and two steals and two blocks. He added 17 points for the Kings as he helped to build a 20-point lead.

Sacramento won 112-101.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

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NCAA adds women’s flag football to ’emerging sports’ ahead of Olympics

An NCAA Tournament for women’s flag football is closer to becoming a reality.

In Washington, D.C., on Wednesday at the annual NCAA Convention, the Division I cabinet approved the addition of flag football to the Emerging Sports for Women program. This comes as several schools across the NCAA landscape have added flag football as a women’s varsity sport in recent years. The sport will make its Olympic debut in 2028.

The NCAA recommended adding flag football to its Emerging Sports for Women program last February. The program, which started in 1994, has had success in converting sports like rowing, ice hockey, water polo, bowling and beach volleyball into varsity women’s sports across the NCAA. Most recently, women’s wrestling was granted widespread varsity status and will hold the sport’s first sanctioned NCAA championship this year in Coralville, Iowa.

The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) announced it will launch a women’s flag football league with a $1 million investment from the Jets through the Betty Wold Johnson Foundation. The league will begin play in next month. 

A handful of Division I schools have launched or announced plans to start a varsity women’s flag football team. That group includes Alabama State, Long Island, Mercyhurst, Mount St. Mary’s, UT Arlington and Cal Poly. Many others in the Division II and III ranks also have varsity teams.

Last year, the Division III Atlantic East Conference held a full varsity season of women’s flag football capped by a conference championship, becoming the first NCAA league to do so. Jacqie McWilliams-Parker — commissioner of the CIAA, a Division II HBCU conference — said last year that she hopes to have flag football as a varsity sport in the league during the 2026-27 academic year. Division I commissioners like Sherika Montgomery of the Big South and Jim Phillips of the ACC have said on the record that they’re paying attention to the rise of women’s flag football.

While women’s flag football now has status in the Emerging Sports for Women program, there are still milestones the sport needs to meet before reaching championship status and an NCAA Tournament.

According to data published by the NCAA last year, about 65 schools had flag football teams at the varsity or club level. But to be considered for championship status at least 40 NCAA programs will need to sponsor women’s flag football as a varsity sport within 10 years. Those 40 teams would also have to meet minimums in games played and player participation.

The NFL has estimated about 20 million people across 100 countries are playing flag football or some variation of it. In the U.S., the National Sporting Goods Association said from 2022 to 2023, girls participating in flag football increased by 55% to 1.6 million.

Heading toward the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, the NFL is signaling it is heavily invested in seeing the sport grow. It ran commercials promoting flag football during the 2025 Super Bowl and has had an active hand in helping colleges start teams. The NFL has also pivoted to flag football at the Pro Bowl, with 4.7 million people tuning in to last year’s game, a figure that was in the same ballpark as the NBA All-Star Game.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

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Golconda Gold Announces Appointment of New General Manager for the Summit Mine

Golconda Gold Ltd. (‘Golconda Gold’ or the ‘Company’) (TSX-V: GG; OTCQB: GGGOF) is pleased to announce that Alan Linden has been appointed as the General Manager of the Corporation’s Summit mine, located in New Mexico, United States.

Alan Linden has over 35 years’ experience as a Mining Engineer and Project Manager with a focus on underground mining and mine restart and expansion projects. Most recently working for a large multi-national mining contractor, Alan has spent the majority of his career working in the United States and Canada and will be based at the Summit mine. Alan is a Professional Engineer and has a Mining Engineering degree from Queens University in Ontario, Canada.

‘I am very pleased to welcome Alan as the General Manager of our Summit mine, which we are targeting a re-start of in the second quarter of 2026. Alan’s extensive experience in underground mining and project restarts and expansions will be invaluable to the Company as we start up operations at Summit. We are excited about the commencement of production at Summit, bringing a second operating asset in a tier 1 jurisdiction into the Company and adding significant exposure to silver going forward’ commented Ravi Sood, Chief Executive Officer of Golconda Gold.

About Golconda Gold

Golconda Gold is an un-hedged gold producer and explorer with mining operations and exploration tenements in South Africa and New Mexico. Golconda Gold is a public company and its shares are quoted on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol ‘GG’ and the OTCQB under the symbol ‘GGGOF’. Golconda Gold’s management team is comprised of senior mining professionals with extensive experience in managing mining and processing operations and large-scale exploration programmes. Golconda Gold is committed to operating at the highest standards, focused on the safety of its employees, respecting the environment, and contributing to the communities in which it operates.

Cautionary Notes

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute ‘forward-looking statements’. All statements other than statements of historical fact contained in this press release, including, without limitation, those statements regarding the Company’s intention to restart the Summit mine in the second quarter of 2026, the Company’s expected exposure to silver, and the Company’s future financial position and results of operations, strategy, proposed acquisitions, plans, objectives, goals and targets, and any statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words ‘believe’, ‘expect’, ‘aim’, ‘intend’, ‘plan’, ‘continue’, ‘will’, ‘may’, ‘would’, ‘anticipate’, ‘estimate’, ‘forecast’, ‘predict’, ‘project’, ‘seek’, ‘should’ or similar expressions or the negative thereof, are forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts but instead represent only the Company’s expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual results may differ materially from what is expressed, implied or forecasted in such forward-looking statements.

Additional factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially include, but are not limited to the risk factors discussed in the Company’s management’s discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2024. Management provides forward-looking statements because it believes they provide useful information to investors when considering their investment objectives and cautions investors not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Consequently, all of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and other cautionary statements or factors contained herein, and there can be no assurance that the actual results or developments will be realized or, even if substantially realized, that they will have the expected consequences to, or effects on, the Company. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect subsequent information, events or circumstances or otherwise, except as required by law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For further information please contact:
Ravi Sood
CEO, Golconda Gold Ltd.
+1 (647) 987-7663
ravi@golcondagold.com
www.golcondagold.com

News Provided by GlobeNewswire via QuoteMedia

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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Mario Innecco: Gold, Silver Breakout — What Record Prices Really Mean

Mario Innecco, who runs the maneco64 YouTube channel, shares his thoughts on the record runs in gold and silver, outlining what these high prices say about the world.

‘This is I think the end of this fiat currency regime,’ he said.

Securities Disclosure: I, Charlotte McLeod, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

This post appeared first on investingnews.com

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