Barton Gold shares closed yesterday trading for $1.130. In early morning trade on Tuesday, shares are swapping hands for $1.125 apiece, down 0.4%.

For some context, the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) is up 1.1% at this same time.

But today's underperformance is not par for the course for the Aussie gold miner.

Taking a step back, the Barton Gold share price has gained 301.8% over 12 months, smashing the 6.2% one-year returns delivered by the All Ords.

As you'd expect, the ASX All Ords gold stock has enjoyed steady tailwinds from the surging gold price. Gold is currently trading for US$4,661 per ounce. While that's down 14% from the near record US$5,417 that same ounce of gold was worth on 28 January, the gold price is still up a blistering 66% since this time last year.

And Barton Gold has been catching plenty of investor interest with its ongoing exploration programs.

ASX All Ords gold stock on the hunt for water

The Barton Gold share price has yet to get a boost after the miner announced that it has kicked off water bore drilling at its Tunkillia Gold Project, located in South Australia.

In May, the company's Optimised Scoping Study (OSS) estimated annual production potential at Tunkillia of 120,000 ounces of gold and 250,000 ounces of silver.

With both gold and silver prices now exceeding the forecasts used in the OSS, the ASX All Ords gold stock said that it is expediting Tunkillia toward Mining Lease (ML) application.

In light of this, Barton Gold has engaged Underdale Drillers to complete some 900 metres of drilling for preliminary water testing near the OSS open pits. If the miner can locate additional nearby water sources, it could help both de-risk and improve the project economics.

Looking ahead, the company plans to commence a 28,000-metre second phase reverse circulation (RC) resource upgrade drilling campaign in March. Concurrently, it will run a 3,000-metre geotechnical & metallurgical diamond drilling (DD) program.

What did management say?

Commenting on the upcoming drilling programs that could help boost the ASX All Ords gold stock, Barton managing director Alexander Scanlon said:

The Tunkillia OSS demonstrated the financial and capital leverage available to large-scale bulk processing operations, with the major advantage of a higher-grade 'Starter Pit' that can pay back development costs 2x over in the first year.

With recent Resource upgrade drilling results further de-risking this profile, we are advancing our other development drilling programs in support of planned JORC Ore Reserves, a PFS, and a Mining Lease application by the end of 2026…

Our objective is to bring Tunkillia online as soon as possible to realise our gold production target of 150,000 ounces annually.

The post Up 302% in a year, why is this ASX All Ords gold stock now drilling for water? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Robert Hawkesford and Daniel Broeren, who run Blackwattle's Small Cap Quality Fund, said strongly rising share prices for junior gold explorers pushed the small-cap index higher at 2.5x the pace of the S&P/ASX All Ords Index (ASX: XAO) in 2025.

Small-caps are typically young, growing companies with market capitalisations of between a few hundred million dollars and $2 billion.

Let's take a look at some examples of ASX small-cap gold shares booking incredible 12-month growth rates.

ASX small-cap gold shares ripping up the charts

Barton Gold Holdings Ltd (ASX: BGD)

The Barton Gold share price has soared 385% over 12 months.

Barton Gold is a mineral explorer in South Australia.

Its projects include Tarcoola, a brownfield open-pit mine, and Tunkillia, which has a 1.5Moz Au JORC Mineral Resource Estimate.

Kingsgate Consolidated Ltd (ASX: KCN)

The Kingsgate share price is up 408% over 12 months.

The Australian gold and silver producer owns the Chatree Gold Mine in Thailand and the Nueva Esperanza Gold-Silver Project in Chile.

Golden Horse Minerals Ltd CDI (ASX: GHM)

The Golden Horse share price has ascended 250% over 12 months.

Golden Horse is working on multiple gold prospects in Western Australia. Its flagship project is Hopes Hill.

Black Cat Syndicate Ltd (ASX: BC8)

Black Cat shares are up 111% over 12 months.

This Western Australian miner has a portfolio of high-grade projects in prime gold regions.

They include the Paulsens Gold Operation in the Pilbara and the Kal East Gold Project east of Kalgoorlie.

What's next in 2026?

All of these ASX small-cap gold shares benefited from a 65% rally in the gold price last year.

That was gold's greatest annual rise in more than four decades and came on top of a 27% lift in 2024.

Strong central bank purchasing, lower interest rates, geopolitical tensions, US tariffs, and other elements have fuelled gold's growth.

Professional investors are expecting the gold price to rise further in 2026.

A Goldman Sachs poll conducted in November found one in three institutional investors expect gold to go above US$5,000 per ounce this year.

Today, the gold price is US$4,672 per ounce, down 0.1% at the time of writing.

Warwick Grigor, an analyst at mining investment company Far East Capital, says gold has continuing tailwinds in the new year.

In an article, Grigor commented:

There is not much doubt that the gold price will continue to rise during 2026.

Sure, there will be volatility and some people are already saying that gold is a sell, but you would have to be very brave to exit gold just now.

As Hawkesford and Broeren point out, "smaller cap companies offer the greatest range of opportunities" for investors.

By nature, these young companies have more room for growth than larger, established companies.

This makes ASX small-cap shares exciting, but also risky, for investors.

If you're considering buying ASX small-cap gold shares, Grigor has some advice on how to choose among them.

How to choose ASX small-cap gold shares

Far East Capital expects another strong year for the gold sector in 2026, but Grigor warns that "not every company will be a winner".

The first step to selecting a good ASX small-cap gold share for investment is assessing its quality.

Grigor said:

Take the time to think about the quality of the investment being presented to you.

An existing producer can be more easily assessed by looking at its track record but there are many new companies coming through the pipeline.

They will be highly aspirational and have grand plans, but you need to take the time to consider how realistic they are.

The second step is considering the quality of the management team.

If you're happy with the people running the business, then step three is assessing its technical merits.

Grigor said:

Many of these companies will be going to raise money while the ducks are quacking, but often their plans will be incomplete and uncertain — yet they can be made to look good on paper.

Most of these should be treated as trading opportunities in the near term, and they might be great stocks to own in the resource definition and expansion stage but never forget about the subsequent development and commissioning risk.

The post Considering ASX small-cap gold shares? Expert advice on how to decide appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

At the time of writing, the gold price is US$4,148 per ounce, up 0.8% today and up 57% in the year to date.

Trading Economics analysts said the gold price hit a three-week high on expectations of another interest rate cut in the US.

The analysts said growing economic uncertainty in the US had increased the likelihood of a rate cut.

The US Government has been shut down for 40 days now.

Meantime, new data shows job losses in the US economy last month, particularly in government and retail sectors.

On top of that, US consumer sentiment has fallen to a three-and-a-half-year low.

The analysts commented:

Traders are pricing in about a 64% chance of a 25-basis-point Fed cut in December, with Fed Governor Stephen Miran advocating a larger half-point reduction amid falling inflation and rising unemployment.

Meantime, America's biggest bank, JPMorgan, now projects the gold price could surpass US$5,000 per ounce next year.

JPMorgan isn't alone in its optimistic predictions.

French bank Societe Generale SA also says the gold price will reach US$5,000 per ounce by the end of next year.

Goldman Sachs is tipping US$4,900 per ounce by the end of 2026.

ASX gold shares surge on Tuesday

The S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) is up 2.63% today, while the S&P/ASX All Ords Index (ASX: XAO) is down 0.09%.

The market's biggest ASX gold share, Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST), is trading 3.45% higher at $26.06.

The Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) share price is up 1.9% to $11.29.

Newmont Corporation CDI (ASX: NEM) shares are 4.29% higher at $136.47.

The Genesis Minerals Ltd (ASX: GMD) share price is $6.24, up 3.48% today.

Perseus Mining Ltd (ASX: PRU) shares are $5.18, rising 3.1%.

Westgold Resources Ltd (ASX: WGX) shares are up 0.87% to $5.77.

Perth Mint Gold (ASX: PMGOLD) shares are up 2.27% to $63.15.

Among the ASX small-cap gold shares, Barton Gold Holdings Ltd (ASX: BGD) shares are up 7.14% to $1.20.

New Murchison Gold Ltd (ASX: NMG) shares are 6.1% higher at 3.5 cents apiece.

The Kingsgate Consolidated Ltd (ASX: KCN) share price is up 3.1% to $4.65.

The Golden Horse Minerals Ltd CDI (ASX: GHM) share price is up 4.9% to 75 cents.

Black Cat Syndicate Ltd (ASX: BC8) shares are up 5.39% to $1.08.

The Dateline Resources Ltd (ASX: DTR) share price is up 0.69% to 29 cents.

What about ASX gold ETFs?

Among the gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs), Betashares Global Gold Miners Currency Hedged ETF (ASX: MNRS) is up 4.1% to $13.59 per unit.

MNRS seeks to mirror the performance of the Nasdaq Global ex-Australia Gold Miners Hedged AUD Index and invests in 56 stocks.

The VanEck Gold Miners AUD ETF (ASX: GDX) is up 3.7% to $117.85 per unit.

The GDX ETF tracks the NYSE Arca Gold Miners Index (AUD) and invests in 63 stocks.

Global X Physical Gold ETF (ASX: GOLD) is up 2.35% to $58.26 per unit.

The GOLD ETF seeks to mirror the growth in the Australian dollar gold price.

The post Why are ASX gold shares and ETFs soaring today? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Just one year ago, this ASX small-cap stock was trading at 27.5 cents per share.

Had you put just $3,000 into Barton Gold shares back then, they would be worth $11,781 today.

Let's find out more about why this ASX gold share has ripped over the past year.

Why have Barton Gold shares soared 293% in a year?

Barton Gold is a South Australian mineral explorer with about 5,000 square km of tenements in the central Gawler Craton.

The company aspires to be South Australia's largest pure play gold producer.

The explorer owns four key projects and the Gawler Craton region's only gold mill.

The Tunkillia Gold Project has a JORC Mineral Resource Estimate of 1.6Moz Au (gold) and 3.1Moz Ag (silver).

In May, Barton Gold published its Optimised Scoping Study (OSS) for Tunkillia.

The study showed total payable metal of 942koz gold and 2,000koz silver, with annual production estimates of 120koz gold and 250koz of silver at an average all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of A$2,222 per ounce over the life of the mine.

Its fully permitted Tarcoola Gold Project has an estimated 20koz of gold as well as high-grade silver deposits.

Barton acquired the Wudinna Gold Project, which is estimated to host 279koz of gold, in July. The acquisition boosted the explorer's total South Australian JORC Gold Mineral Resources to 2.14Moz Au (78.9Mt @ 0.85 g/Au).

The Challenger Project, which includes a mine and the Central Gawler Mill, has been in care and maintenance. However, in September, Barton Gold began a definitive feasibility study (DFS) to recommence production at Challenger.

It hopes to complete the study by March next year and commission the mill by the end of 2026.

Barton Gold estimates that Challenger hosts 313koz of gold.

Aside from these exciting developments, Barton Gold shares have also benefitted from the soaring gold price in 2025.

The gold price hit a new record high above US$4,300 per ounce last month.

Goldman Sachs expects the gold price to go to US$4,900 per ounce by the end of 2026, while Societe Generale tips US$5,000 per ounce.

What's the latest news from Barton Gold?

Upon releasing the latest quarterly report, Barton Gold managing director, Alexander Scanlon said:

The September 2025 quarter marks a key inflection point for Barton as we pivot from 'explorer' to 'developer', shifting our focus to 'Stage 1' production studies, planning, and financing, and regional enhancement strategies.

In October, Barton Gold announced a $17.5 million capital raise to fund the first stage of production at Challenger.

The raise comprised a $15 million placement, with the lion's share going to Franklin Templeton, one of the world's largest precious metals funds, plus a $2.5 million share purchase plan (SPP) for ordinary investors at $1.25 per share.

Barton Gold Managing Director Alexander Scanlon said:

With gold prices at all-time highs and over 300,000 ounces of gold JORC Resources adjacent to the Central Gawler Mill, the opportunity to leverage our existing infrastructure to operations and cash flow has never been more attractive.

We are wasting no time pursuing this opportunity, targeting a low-cost and low-risk transition to operations by the end of 2026, the re-rating of Barton's equity to a 'producer' profile, and operating free cash flows to fund our planned regional growth at Tunkillia.

Barton Gold entered the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) in the September quarter rebalance.

The post $3,000 in this ASX share a year ago would be worth $11,781 today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The gold price reached a fresh high above US$4,360 (A$6,733) per ounce on Friday, just a week after breaching the US$4,000 mark for the first time.

Master craftsman, Nick Ireland, a leading East Coast jeweller with more than 30 years' experience, said the prolonged bull run for the gold price is inspiring Australians to cash in their gold jewellery.

Non-investors take advantage of gold rush

At his studios in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, Ireland has seen an increased number of customers wanting to sell or have their gold jewellery revalued this year.

Ireland said:

Customers are pleasantly surprised at what their old jewellery that was sitting in a drawer, unworn, is worth today.  

Ireland said customers are selling gold chains and bracelets, often broken, as well as wedding and eternity rings from previous marriages and engagement rings from old relationships.

Other clients are asking Ireland to refashion their old gold jewellery into more modern, wearable designs, now that gold is trendy again.

What is your gold jewellery worth?

Ireland provided two examples of his gold jewellery purchases this month.

A fortnight ago, Ireland paid a customer $1,440 for an 18-carat gold wedding ring.

He said that two years ago, the same ring would have been worth $692.

Last week, Ireland bought a simple 9-carat gold chain from a client.

We paid $700. Two years ago, we would have paid $310.

Is it a good time to sell your gold jewellery?

Ireland thinks it's a great time to sell, commenting:

Gold has never in its history been so high, so yes, now is a great time to sell.

Considering the rise has been dramatic and easy to make a gain on the original cost, holding on to it has its risks.

However, current trends still have gold tracking higher in value. It's a gamble!

Having said that, Ireland thinks the gold price will go further, saying:

Major global banks are still buying larger quantities of gold, which I think is an indicator of where the price is going. 

ASX gold shares rip in second year of commodity boom

The gold price began its rapid rise in early 2024. The commodity rose by 27% in 2024, which was its strongest run since 2010.

That impressive run has been obliterated in 2025, with the gold price up by an astounding 66% since January.

Investors have enjoyed strong returns from their ASX gold shares since January 2024.

The S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD), which tracks a basket of ASX gold shares, is up 140% since then.

The market's largest gold miners have skyrocketed.

The biggest ASX gold share, Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST), has almost doubled in value, up 91%.

Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) shares have ripped 195%, while Newmont Corporation CDI (ASX: NEM) shares have soared 149%.

As we've reported, the most spectacular gains have been seen among the ASX small-cap gold shares.

Dateline Resources Ltd (ASX: DTR) shares have skyrocketed 4,070% higher since January 2024, Black Cat Syndicate Ltd (ASX: BC8) shares are up 448%, and the Barton Gold Holdings Ltd (ASX: BGD) share price has ripped 372%.

Now, as the gold price streaks further into the stratosphere with more tailwinds behind it, everyday Aussies who are not investors are paying attention.

Not only are they raiding their jewellery boxes, they're lining up to buy gold bars and bullion from city dealers in their lunch breaks.

Why is the gold price at a record high?

In a recent analysis, Goldman Sachs outlined the reasons why the gold price has skyrocketed.

Analyst, Lina Thomas, said there is a structural change afoot in the way central banks manage their reserves.

Central banks — particularly in emerging markets — have increased their gold purchases by about 5x since 2022, Thomas said.

The catalyst was Russia's foreign-currency reserves being frozen following its invasion of Ukraine.

Thomas wrote in an article:

We view this as a structural shift in reserve management behavior, and we do not expect a near-term reversal.

Thomas said central banks, especially in emerging markets, are expected to continue buying gold for three more years.

Where to next for the gold price?

Last week, Goldman Sachs raised its short-term forecast for the gold price to US$4,900 per ounce by December 2026.

The post Gold price rips to record US$4,360 per ounce. Should you sell your gold jewellery? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

At the time of writing, the gold price is US$4,011 per ounce, representing an astonishing 53% gain in the year to date.

The S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Gold Index (ASX: XGD) is up 98% in 2025 and smashed a new record of 16,969.9 points earlier today.

By comparison, the S&P/ASX All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) has lifted just 9.5% over the same period.

Goldman Sachs says the gold price is receiving much support from central bank purchases, particularly in emerging markets.

A recent World Gold Council survey found 95% of central banks expect global gold holdings to continue increasing over the next year.

Of course, the strong commodity price is great news for the big ASX 200 gold shares.

The Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST) share price is up 60% in 2025, while Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) is up 133%.

Newmont Corporation CDI (ASX: NEM) shares have lifted 120% in the year to date.

While that's impressive, the most spectacular gains are being seen among the ASX small-cap gold shares.

Here are some examples.

7 superstar ASX small-cap gold shares

Dateline Resources Ltd (ASX: DTR)

This ASX small-cap gold share has streaked into the stratosphere in 2025.

Dateline Resources shares have skyrocketed 9,600% in 2025 to trade at 48.5 cents apiece on Thursday.

Dateline Resources is an Australian-based company focused on gold mining and exploration targets in the United States.

The company owns 100% of the Colosseum Gold-REE Project in the Walker Lane Trend in East San Bernardino County, California.

This ASX small-cap gold share has a market capitalisation of $2.2 billion.

Dateline Resources lodged its response to an ASX price query today.

Barton Gold Holdings Ltd (ASX: BGD)

The Barton Gold share price has soared 412% higher in the year to date, trading at $1.28 on Thursday.

Barton Gold is a mineral exploration company in South Australia.

Its projects include Tarcoola, a brownfield open-pit mine, and Tunkillia, which has a 1.5Moz Au JORC Mineral Resource Estimate.

Barton Gold shares have a market capitalisation of $289 million.

New Murchison Gold Ltd (ASX: NMG)

New Murchison Gold shares have more than tripled in value in 2025.

The New Murchison Gold share price has soared 240% in the year to date to trade at 3.4 cents today.

New Murchison Gold is a mineral exploration company that owns substantial tenements in the Murchison goldfield in Western Australia.

This ASX small-cap gold share has a market capitalisation of $404 million.

Kingsgate Consolidated Ltd (ASX: KCN)

The Kingsgate share price has ripped 209% in the year to date, trading at $3.98 today.

Kingsgate is an Australian gold and silver producer and the owner and operator of the Chatree Gold Mine in central Thailand.

It also owns and operates the Nueva Esperanza Gold-Silver Project in the renowned Maricunga Belt in northern Chile.

Kingsgate Consolidated shares have a market capitalisation of $1.03 billion.

Yesterday, Kingsgate announced the highest quarterly production at Chatree since the restart.

A total of 23,922 ounces of gold and 205,841 ounces of silver were produced, representing an 18% quarterly increase in gold production.

Golden Horse Minerals Ltd CDI (ASX: GHM)

The Golden Horse share price has leapt 204% in the year to date, trading at 73 cents today.

Golden Horse is undertaking a regional strategy to define JORC resources and fast-track production across multiple gold prospects in Western Australia.

Golden Horse holds one of the largest land parcels in the renowned Southern Cross Greenstone Belt. Its flagship project is Hopes Hill.

This ASX small-cap share has a market capitalisation of $117 million.

Black Cat Syndicate Ltd (ASX: BC8)

Black Cat shares are up 144% in the year to date, trading at $1.39 today.

This Western Australian gold producer has a substantial and growing portfolio of high-grade projects in prime gold regions.

Its projects include the Paulsens Gold Operation in the Pilbara, the Kal East Gold Project east of Kalgoorlie, and the Coyote Gold Operation in the Western Tanami.

Black Cat achieved first gold at the Myhree open pit at Kal East in the second half of 2024, followed by first gold at Paulsens in December.

This ASX small-cap gold share has a market capitalisation of $989 million.

Black Cat gave investors an update on its progress at Kal East yesterday.

Meeka Metals Ltd (ASX: MEK)

The Meeka Metals share price is up 159% in the year to date, trading at 21 cents on Thursday.

Meeka Metals has a portfolio of high-quality fully-owned projects in Western Australia.

Its flagship mine is the Murchison Gold Project, which has a high-grade 1.2Moz at 3g/t Au Mineral Resource on granted mining leases.

Meeka Metals has a 10-year production plan in place for the Murchison Gold Project. The miner reported first gold in July.

The miner hopes to produce up to 76koz per annum (averaging 65koz per annum for the first seven years).

This ASX small-cap gold share has a market capitalisation of $605 million.

The post 7 ASX small-cap gold shares skyrocketing in 2025 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The $290 million company is working on three gold projects in South Australia, including at the former Tunkillia and Challenger gold mines.

The company said on Monday it had started a definitive feasibility study (DFS) targeting "stage 1" production at the Challenger Gold Project, using its fully-permitted Central Gawler gold processing plant.

The company said it had recently upgraded the mineral resource estimate at Challenger to 313,000 ounces of gold.

Barton Gold is aiming to finish the DFS in March 2026 and commission the processing plant by the end of that year.

Consultants working on the DFS would start site visits this week, the company said.

Time is right to come into production

Barton Gold Managing Director Alexander Scanlon said it was a good time to be looking to come into production.

With gold prices at all-time highs and over 300,000 ounces of gold JORC Resources adjacent to the Central Gawler Mill, the opportunity to leverage our existing infrastructure to operations and cash flow has never been more attractive. We are wasting no time pursuing this opportunity, targeting a low-cost and low-risk transition to operations by the end of 2026, the re-rating of Barton's equity to a 'producer' profile, and operating free cash flows to fund our planned regional growth at Tunkillia. We look forward to sharing regular updates during an exciting 18 months ahead.

The company has a mineral resource estimate of 1.5 million ounces of gold at the Tunkillia project, and says the area "holds significant potential for large-scale extensions and discovery of new mineralisation''.

Shares looking solid

Barton Gold shares hit a 12-month high of $1.39 on the news on Monday, before settling back to be 1.1% higher at $1.32.

The stock has increased from just 22 cents over the past year, delivering better than 500% gains for shareholders.

Both the Challenger project and Tunkillia have previously been mined by other companies.

The company said on Monday that both the Challenger mine and the processing plant were fully permitted "with normal operations last occurring during mid-2018 before the site and Central Gawler Mill were placed on care and maintenance''.

All Challenger mineralisation is adjacent to the Central Gawler Mill with additional lower-grade stockpiles and higher-grade mill residuals located on the run of mine pad.

The post All Ords gold stock hits record high up more than 500% for the year on new project news appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The surging miner in question is Barton Gold Holdings Ltd (ASX: BGD). Barton Gold only officially joined the All Ords Index on Monday, following the S&P Dow Jones Indices September quarterly rebalance of the S&P/ASX Indices.

Barton Gold shares closed yesterday trading for $1.11. In morning trade on Wednesday, shares are changing hands for $1.23 apiece, up 10.8%. 

This sees the Barton Gold share price up an eye-popping 409% since this time last year.

Here's what's driving investor interest today.

ASX All Ords gold stock jumps on exploration results

The Barton Gold share price is charging higher after the company announced promising new gold and silver exploration results.

The assay results stem from ultrafine soil sampling programs completed at Barton's Tolmer and Black Oak Tank prospects at its Tarcoola Gold Project, located in South Australia.

The ASX All Ords gold stock said it collected the samples in July over a 1.9 square kilometre area surrounding the prior Tolmer gold and silver discoveries, along with a 23 square kilometre area covering the LLSZ (Lake Labyrinth Shear Zone).

And the Barton Gold share price is lifting off with the miner reporting that the new soil assays indicate potential northwest-southeast orientation of mineralisation and confirm broad surface gold, silver, and lead anomalism across Tolmer.

The miner added that it sees potential for "material extensions" of gold, silver, and lead mineralisation in the so-called 'western silver zone'.

What did management say?

Commenting on the promising assays sending the ASX All Ords gold stock flying higher today, Barton Gold CEO Alexander Scanlon said, "These assays provide the first hints as to orientation at Tolmer, indicating a potential overall northwest-southeast trend to the western silver zone and the potential for material extensions of its high-grade silver-gold footprint."

Scanlon added:

We have also identified potential new opportunities located between the 'western silver' and 'eastern gold' zones, where coincident Au-Ag-Pb anomalies present secondary targets analogous to the more prominent footprint of the 'western silver zone'.

We expect that pending assays from our recent diamond drilling program in the 'eastern gold zone' will materially assist our interpretation of local structural controls, and guide follow up drilling targeting.

The ASX All Ords gold stock expects assays for 595.3 metres of oriented Tolmer diamond drilling in early November. The miner said those results will help inform structural interpretation and follow up targeting across the gold and silver prospect.

The post Up 409% in a year, guess which ASX All Ords gold stock is rocketing again today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The fast-rising company in question is Aussie gold explorer Barton Gold Holdings Ltd (ASX: BGD).

Barton Gold shares closed on Thursday trading for 67.5 cents before entering a trading halt on Friday. In late morning trade today, shares are changing hands for 75 cents apiece, up 11.1%.

That sees the share price up a blistering 200% in 2025.

Or enough to have turned a $8,000 investment at market open on 2 January into $24,000 today.

Boom!

Here's what's catching ASX investor interest today.

ASX gold stock soars on capital raise

The Barton Gold share price is taking off after the ASX gold stock announced that it has received firm commitments to raise $3 million via a share placement. No brokerage, costs, or fees were incurred in the capital raising.

At 70 cents per share, the placement price is 3.7% above the closing price last Thursday, prior to the trading halt. Following settlement, the miner will have an estimated $9 million cash balance.

The ASX gold stock will use the new funding to accelerate its JORC Resources upgrade drilling at its Tunkillia project, located in South Australia.

Barton Gold said the upgrade drilling of its Stages 1 and 2 'Starter Pits' will support future conversion to JORC Ore Reserves.

According to the release, during the first 27 months of production, the two Starter Pits are modelled to produce a combined 365,000 ounces of gold and 923,000 ounces of silver. That's expected to generate some $956 million. Management noted this will pay back Tunkillia's estimated initial $399 million capital cost two to three times over.

What did management say?

Commenting on the new funding boosting the ASX gold stock today, Barton Gold managing director Alexander Scanlon said, "We are honoured to have received such strong interest in this placement."

Scanlon added:

Over the past four years, since our June 2021 IPO, Barton has issued less than $10 million in new equity, with minimal shareholder dilution. We are pleased to welcome several new high-quality investors, with support from some of our largest long-term holders…

With $9 million cash on hand after this placement, and a $12 million track record of continuing asset monetisation initiatives, Barton is very well capitalised to deliver key high-value project milestones during the coming year.

The ASX gold stock expects to start drilling in September.

The post Up 200% in 2025, guess which ASX gold stock is surging 11% again today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The outperforming gold miners in question are Turaco Gold Ltd (ASX: TCG) and Barton Gold Holdings Ltd (ASX:BGD).

Here's what's grabbing ASX investor interest.

ASX gold stock soars on upgraded resource estimate

Kicking off with Turaco Gold, shares in the ASX gold stock are up 4.8% in late morning trade on Monday, changing hands for 44 cents apiece. That sees the Turaco Gold share price up 131.6% since this time last year.

Investors are bidding up the gold miner's shares again today after Turaco announced an updated independent JORC Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE) of 3.55 million ounces at its Afema Project, located in Cote d'Ivoire.

The updated MRE is more than 40% above the maiden MRE Turaco Gold announced in August 2024, with all deposits remaining open. And it's at a higher gold grade.

The company also highlighted that the new MRE does not include "substantial gold mineralisation" that it recently drilled at several nearby prospects.

Commenting on the upgraded MRE sending the ASX gold stock soaring today, Turaco Gold managing director Justin Tremain said, "This 3.55Moz gold resource estimate positions the Afema Project as one of the largest undeveloped gold projects in West Africa and comes just over one year since Turaco's acquisition."

Tremain added:

We have confidence in delivering further resource growth in the short term and will continue with our multi-rig drilling program. In addition, we will now commence a PFS to demonstrate what we believe will be compelling development economics for Afema.

Which brings us to…

Barton Gold share price leaps on scoping study

The Barton Gold share price is up 7.5% at the time of writing, with shares trading for 50 cents apiece. That sees this ASX gold stock up 100% in 2025.

Investor interest looks to have been piqued today by the release of the miner's Optimised Scoping Study (OSS) results for its South Australian Tunkillia Gold Project.

The OSS identified "material efficiencies" to extend Tunkillia to a roughly 10-year project life (including construction time). That's up from around eight years estimated in Barton Gold's July 2024 Initial Scoping Study.

Up front capital expenditure for the project is forecast to come down by $35 million, with the OSS also identifying an approximate 13% increase in payable gold.

Commenting on the OSS results sending the ASX gold stock surging today, Barton managing director Alex Scanlon said, "The OSS has delivered material gains as anticipated, following review of the Tunkillia ISS's conservative assumptions."

Scanlon added:

The energy savings from three stage crushing and lower work indices, combined with higher oxide recoveries and gold prices, demonstrate the financial and capital leverage available to large-scale processing of bulk open pit materials.

The higher-grade 'Starter Pit' alone could pay back over two times the up-front capital costs within the first 13 months.

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