Western Copper President/CEO Singh to step down; Chairman Smith becomes interim CEO (WRN:NYSE)

Western Copper and Gold (WRN) announced CEO Sandeep Singh's departure, with Mark E. Smith taking interim leadership. The company is advancing its Casino copper-gold project, valued at $3.62B, through environmental assessments. Shares rose 2.5% to $2.46. Smith brings extensive Yukon mining experience. The project has a projected 27-year lifespan and significant metal production.

National Bank Financial analysts revised precious-metals and copper forecasts ahead of Q2 earnings, citing realized gold at $4,508/oz and silver at $73/oz, and copper at $5.82/lb. They cut 2026 gold and silver assumptions and adjusted target prices for multiple miners, generally lower. TD Cowen upgraded First Quantum Minerals on a likely Cobre Panama restart by year-end.

The US DOE approved a $5.1bn loan to Alliant Energy for power projects in Wisconsin and Iowa, including natural gas plants and energy storage. The loan will create jobs and add 2.6GW of capacity, potentially powering 1.8 million homes. Alliant Energy serves nearly 1 million electricity customers and 430,000 gas customers in the region.

Jefferies upgraded Chemed (CHE) to Buy with a $620 price target, citing growth in its hospice business and margin gains. The firm expects earnings stability and valuation expansion. Chemed's Q2 earnings beat estimates, with adjusted EPS of $6.06 and revenue of $673.25M. UBS also initiated coverage with a Buy rating and $650 target, projecting strong EPS growth.

JPMorgan placed ArcelorMittal (MT) on Positive Catalyst Watch, maintaining an Overweight rating and €70 price target. The bank expects a 35% increase in 2027 operating income. ArcelorMittal is expanding its Tokadeh iron-ore plant in Liberia, investing $1.8B to boost shipments to 20M tons by 2026, including rail, power plants, and port upgrades.

KB Asset Management's RISE ETF, listed July 14, allocates 25% each to SpaceX and Tesla, with the rest in short-term U.S. Treasuries. SpaceX reported Q3 revenue of $14.6B, net income of $4.4B, its first quarterly profit. Elon Musk mentioned potential merger talks between Tesla and SpaceX. The ETF, with $25.8M in assets, offers retirement investors exposure to growth stocks and bonds.