The copper price climbed to a record high of US$5.64 per pound on the COMEX during the second quarter of 2025.
The price rise comes on the back of escalating trade tensions and economic chaos from the United States’ new tariff policy.
While copper was initially spared from tariffs at the start of the year, US President Donald Trump announced the US would be imposing a 50 percent tariff on all copper products entering the US. The announcement sparked speculative buying by US metals traders, who sought to position themselves ahead of the yet-to-be-announced tariff deadline.
How has this affected small-cap copper-focused companies on the TSX Venture Exchange? Read on to learn about the five best-performing junior copper stocks since the start of 2025.
Data for this article was gathered on July 17, 2025, using TradingView's stock screener, and copper companies with market caps of over C$10 million at that time were considered.
Year-to-date gain: 655.56 percent
Market cap: C$13.5 million
Share price: C$0.34
Camino Minerals is a copper exploration and development company with a portfolio of projects in South America.
Among its primary focuses since the start of the year is the construction-ready Puquois copper project in Chile, a 50/50 joint venture with Nittetsu Mining (TSE:1515). The partners jointly acquired Cuprum Resources, the project's owner, through a October 2024 definitive agreement that was completed on April 17, and are now focused on project financing.
Prior to the closing of the acquisition, the partners completed a prefeasibility study for the project in Chile on March 17.
The study results demonstrate a post-tax net present value of US$118 million, with an internal rate of return of 23.4 percent and a payback period of 3.1 years at a fixed copper price of US$4.28. It also outlines all-in sustaining costs of US$2.00 per pound for the 14.2 year mine life.
In addition to the economic details, the included mineral resource estimate shows a measured and indicated resource of 149,000 metric tons of copper from 32.16 million metric tons of ore grading 0.46 percent copper.
Camino also owns the Los Chapitos project, located near the coastal town of Chala, Peru, which covers approximately 22,000 hectares and hosts near-surface mineralization. Nittetsu Mining has an earn-in agreement for the project through which it can earn a 35 percent interest in the project for a total investment of C$10 million over three years.
Camino announced on January 22 that it had initiated a discovery exploration program at Los Chapitos, with work funded by Nittetsu. The company said the program would consist of 11 holes and 1,200 meters of drilling along the La Estancia fault, focusing on newly identified copper breccias and mantos to determine their extension at depth.
Camino released results from the program on May 6, reporting continuity of mineralization at depth at the Pampero prospect, with a 0.5 meter interval found 157.6 meters downhole grading an average of 0.5 percent copper and 3.15 grams per metric ton (g/t) silver. The company also reported that rock chip samples at the prospect graded up to 3.8 percent copper and 4 g/t silver.
The company has continued its exploration efforts at Los Chapitos, with another fully funded campaign running from June 1 to November 30. On July 16, it reported trench results from the newly identified Mirador zone, including 1.07 percent copper over 90 meters, with a 4 meter section grading 3.05 percent copper.
Shares of Camino reached a year-to-date high of C$0.34 on July 16.
Year-to-date gain: 425 percent
Market cap: C$15.84 million
Share price: C$0.105
Finlay Minerals is an exploration company with a portfolio of five projects in British Columbia, Canada.
In 2025, the company has largely focused on its ATTY and PIL projects, which cover 3,875 hectares and 13,374 hectares respectively in BC’s Toodoggone mining district. The region is known for copper-molybdenum-gold porphyry deposits and gold-silver epithermal deposits.
Finlay’s shares rose sharply early in the year after Amarc Resources announced the significant AuRORA discovery at its JOY property, located just south of the PIL project in the same porphyry corridor as PIL and ATTY. On January 20, shortly after the discovery, Finlay announced it would be renewing its focus on its PIL project’s PIL South target, which lies approximately 750 meters from AuRORA.
One month later, Finlay reported it had outlined numerous copper targets at both the PIL and ATTY properties after reviewing geological data, and was planning its 2025 exploration program at PIL to delineate drill targets.
Shares surged in Q2 after Finlay announced on April 17 that it had entered into an earn-in agreement with Freeport McMoRan for PIL and ATTY. Under the terms of the agreement, Freeport can earn an 80 percent stake in the properties through a total of C$35 million in exploration expenditures and C$4.1 million in cash payments over the next six years.
In an update on June 18, Finlay reported that it had begun its exploration programs at both properties, fully funded by Freeport. At both properties, exploration will include property-wide airborne magnetic surveys, and induced polarization geophysical surveys. It will also include detailed geological and alteration mapping, along with rock and soil sampling, on up to eight targets at PIL and three targets at ATTY.
The most recent news came on July 17, when Finlay announced it had increased the exploration program budget for PIL to C$2.6 million from C$750,000 and the budget for ATTY to C$1 million from C$500,000. The company stated that the additional funding will be utilized to identify and prioritize as many targets as possible for drilling in 2026.
3. King Copper Discovery (TSXV:KCP)
Year-to-date gain: 420 percent
Market cap: C$52.92 million
Share price: C$0.26
King Copper Discovery is a copper, silver and gold explorer that is developing a portfolio of projects in South America. The company changed its name from Turmalina Metals in March.
Its primary focus is the Colquemayo project in Moquegua, Peru. In July 2024, King Copper entered into an option agreement with Compania de Minas Buenaventura (NYSE:BVM) to wholly acquire the property.
The company has been relogging the historic drill core from the site. The 6,600 hectare site has seen more than 20,000 meters of historic core drilling and hosts multiple porphyry targets that have been identified but had gone untested. Highlighted drill samples show results of 2.4 percent copper and 10 grams per metric ton (g/t) silver over 237.3 meters, including 14.8 percent copper and 47 g/t silver over 31.3 meters.
In a broad corporate update on February 12, the company said it was intensifying its focus on the project and rebranding from Turmalina to reflect that. Additionally, it hired Insideo, a Lima-based environmental consulting firm, to help advance baseline studies and the drill permit process. Additionally, CEO Roger James stepped down, maintaining a seat on the board, and was replaced by Jonathan Richards as interim CEO.
On March 11, the company began trading under its new name and ticker.
The company has not provided any updates from its projects in the second quarter of the year, but shares have traded higher alongside a rising copper price. On July 15, it released an updated corporate presentation with plans for a 15,000 meter drill program in Q4 testing porphyry systems at the site with holes over 1,000 meters deep.
Shares of King Copper reached a year-to-date high of C$0.26 on July 16.
Year-to-date gain: 251.22 percent
Market cap: C$166 million
Share price: C$0.72
Amarc Resources is a copper exploration company primarily focused on advancing its JOY district in Northern British Columbia.
The 495 square kilometer property lies within the Toodoggone region and hosts the AuRORA prospect.
Shares in Amarc surged early in the year after it announced the discovery of AuRORA on January 17. In the release, it outlined the high-grade potential of the deposit, highlighting an assay of 0.63 percent copper over 162 meters, including an 81 meter intersection grading 0.92 percent copper, from near surface depths.
The exploration program was funded as part of a May 2021 earn-in agreement with Freeport McMoran that could see Freeport earn a 70 percent stake in the project once funding milestones are met.
Amarc provided more drill assays from its 2024 program on February 28. One assay graded 0.63 percent copper over 132 meters, including 0.81 percent over a 90 meter segment.
On February 11, Amarc agreed to acquire the Brenda property, which lies directly to the east of the AuRORA discovery, from Canasil Resources. Under the terms of the deal, Amarc has the option to acquire a 100 percent interest in Brenda over five years. Canasil will retain a 2 percent net smelter return.
The most recent news from JOY came on July 16, when the company announced it commenced drilling at targets including the AuRORA and PINE deposits and the Twins and Canyon discoveries. The announcement also reported the expansion of the JOY district through Freeport’s options on Finlay’s PIL property.
In addition to exploration at JOY, Amarc also released assay results from its 2024 exploration at its IKE copper-gold project in Southern British Columbia on May 14. The company reported copper grades of 0.29 percent copper over 181 meters, including an intersection with 0.56 percent copper over 60 meters.
Shares in Armac reached a year-to-date high of C$0.77 on July 4.
Year-to-date gain: 233.33 percent
Market cap: C$74.91 million
Share price: C$0.80
C3 Metals is an exploration company working to advance its assets in Jamaica and Peru.
C3's primary Jamaican asset is the Bellas Gate project, a 13,020 hectare site featuring 14 porphyry and over 30 epithermal prospects along an 18 kilometer strike. To date, drilling at the site has concentrated on a 4 kilometer zone encompassing the Provost, Geo Hill, Camel Hill and Connors prospects.
Shares of C3 experienced significant gains after it announced on February 11 that it had signed an earn-in agreement with a Freeport-McMoRan subsidiary, which can gain up to a 75 percent interest in the project. Under the agreement, Freeport must contribute US$25 million in exploration and project expenditures over five years to earn the initial 51 percent interest, and an additional US$50 million over the following four years for the remaining 24 percent.
In Peru, C3 has focused on advancing its Jasperoide copper-gold project. The site in Southern Peru spans 30,000 hectares and hosts two porphyry and more than 15 skarn prospects across two 28 kilometer belts.
According to a July 2023 technical report, a resource estimate outlines a measured and indicated resource of 51.94 million metric tons of ore with an average grade of 0.5 percent copper and 0.2 g/t gold for contained metal totaling 569.1 million pounds of copper and 326,800 ounces of gold.
C3 released an exploration update from its Khaleesi copper-gold project area in Jasperoide on February 19, reporting that a soil sampling campaign defined a copper-molybdenum anomaly extending 1,900 meters by up 650 meters. Two zones contain average concentrations of 950 parts per million copper and 650 ppm of copper.
The company said it is working to complete geophysical surveys by the end of March and will use the data to implement a maiden diamond drill program at the target. It closed a US$11.5 million bought-deal private placement on March 19 that will be used in part for exploration and development at the Khaleesi target.
The company has not provided further updates on the project.
Shares of C3 reached a year-to-date high of C$0.80 on July 17.
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Securities Disclosure: I, Dean Belder, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: Finlay Minerals is a client of the Investing News Network. This article is not paid-for content.
