The copper price moved significantly during the first quarter with momentum that carried it to an all time high on the COMEX of US$5.26 per pound on March 26. The rally in prices was driven by uncertainty in global financial markets due to the threat of tariffs from the United States and President Donald Trump. This resulted in increased tightness and panic in copper inventories as more shipments were diverted into US warehouses to preempt any potential price hikes. However, prices eased at the beginning of April as concerns about a global recession began to outweigh fears of commodity shortages, causing the price of copper to drop below US$4.50 per pound.

How has this affected small-cap copper mining companies on the TSX Venture Exchange? Read on to learn about the the five best-performing junior copper stocks since the start of 2025. Data for this article was gathered on April 7, 2025, using TradingView’s stock screener, and copper companies with market caps of over C$10 million at that time were considered.

1. Camino Minerals (TSXV:COR) Year-to-date gain: 477.78 percent
Market cap: C$10.47 million
Share price: C$0.26 Camino Minerals is a copper exploration company focused on advancing assets located in Peru. Its flagship Los Chapitos project, located near the coastal town of Chala, covers approximately 22,000 hectares and hosts near-surface mineralization. The company has been advancing exploration work on the property since 2016. Shares in Camino gained significantly after announcing the start of a discovery exploration program at the project on January 22. The company stated 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 has not provided further updates from Los Chapitos. Another significant update since the start of the year was announced on March 17, when it filed a pre-feasibility study for the Puquois copper project. The project was originally acquired as part of an October 2024 definitive agreement to create a 50/50 joint venture between Camino and Nittetsu Mining (TSE:1515) for the construction-ready project. 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 per pound. It also suggested all-in sustaining costs for the 14.2-year life of the mine were US$2 per pound. In addition to the economic details, the included mineral resource estimate shows measured and indicated amounts of 149,000 metric tons of copper with a grade of 0.46 percent from 32.16 million metric tons of ore. Shares in Camino reached a year-to-date high of C$0.31 on January 29.

2. King Copper Discovery (TSXV:KCP) Year-to-date gain: 240 percent
Market cap: C$36.64 million
Share price: C$0.17 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 to acquire a 100 percent ownership stake in the property. 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 have gone untested. Highlighted drill samples from the property have demonstrated 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 news released on February 12, the company said it was intensifying its focus on the project and would be relogging historic cores. Additionally, King Copper hired Insideo, a Lima-based environmental consulting firm, to help advance baseline studies and the drill permit process. The release also indicated that the company was in the process of rebranding from Turmalina Metals to King Copper. As part of the restructuring, company 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. Shares in King Copper Discovery reached a year-to-date high of C$0.225 on March 25.

3. BCM Resources (TSXV:B) Year-to-date gain: 211.11 percent
Market cap: C$25.05 million
Share price: C$0.14 BCM Resources is an exploration company working to advance its flagship Thompson Knolls project in Utah, United States. The greenfield copper, molybdenum, gold and silver project in Utah’s Great Basin consists of 225 federal unpatented lode mining claims and two state section leases covering an area of 2,242 hectares. Exploration of the project area began in the 1970s, when a US Geological Survey aerial survey identified a prominent magnetic anomaly. In the 1990s, follow-up work was conducted at the target. BCM carried out its last drill program at the property in 2023. At the time, the company announced that one drill hole encountered a significant mineral intercept of 0.66 percent copper, 0.12 grams per metric ton (g/t) gold and 7.4 g/t silver over 155.4 meters starting at a depth of 621.8 meters. The sample also contained eight intervals with greater than 1 percent copper over 24.3 meters. The company received approval from the Bureau of Land Management for a plan of operation to continue drilling at the project. In a July 2024 update, the company released data from an analysis of the project’s porphyry-skarn system by the Colorado School of Mines, which it plans to use to prepare for the drilling at the site. Shares in BCM Resources reached a year-to-date high of C$0.15 on April 9.

4. DLP Resources (TSXV:DLP) Year-to-date gain: 152.94 percent
Market cap: C$55.99 million
Share price: C$0.43 DLP Resources is an explorer focused on advancing its flagship Aurora copper-molybdenum project in Peru. The 8,500 hectare site is located in the Central Andes. Exploration work has been performed at the site since the early 2000s, with DLP conducting drill programs in 2023 and 2024. Shares in DLP have been rising since the release of a technical report for Aurora on February 27, which included a maiden resource estimate with significant copper and molybdenum spread over two zones. The inferred resource totals 1.05 billion metric tons of ore containing 4.65 billion pounds of copper, 1.1 billion pounds of molybdenum and 80 million ounces of silver. The resource has average grades of 0.2 percent copper, 0.05 percent molybdenum and 2.4 grams per metric ton silver. The company said it is pleased with the size and results of the report and will continue drilling the site to upgrade the resource ahead of a preliminary economic assessment. DLP shares also got a boost on April 1 after it released its management’s discussion and analysis for the nine months ending on January 31. The release covers the firm’s activities for the period, highlighting its recent resource estimate, as well as the completion of a non-brokered private placement in January for proceeds of C$1.36 million. Shares in DLP reached a year-to-date high of C$0.48 on April 3.

5. C3 Metals (TSXV:CCCM) Year-to-date gain: 150 percent
Market cap: C$52.28 million
Share price: C$0.60 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 in C3 experienced significant gains after it announced on February 11 that it had signed an earn-in agreement with a Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) 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 mineral resource estimate reported 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 contained average concentrations of 950 parts per million copper and 650 ppm of copper. The company stated that 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. Shares in C3 Metals reached a year-to-date high of C$0.69 on April 1.

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

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