Dateline Resources (ASX: DTR, OTC: DTREF) is my darling for a reason. It continues to deliver and deliver and deliver. And there are many lessons to be learnt here.
I first got involved with DTR because all my reasearch indicated that they had excellent prospects and I thought that this would be a good way to increase my stock market capital. I introduced a couple of colleagues to DTR and they also got involved. In April 2025 I predicted that the share price would double in 3 months. So they got involved as that is a great return in a short time.
Well, I was wrong. In a good way.
I had expected growth and I had faith in the science that had pointed towards even more opportunity and bigger assets than the company had confirmed or known about. I just felt that Dateline, like many tiny exporers, needed to go a long way before any meaningful growth happened. They had a measured 1.1 million ounces of gold and were right next door to Mountain Pass, America's only rare erths mine and processing facility. 2 of the foremost rare eath goelogisits in the world had walked DTR ground and indicated that DTR might even have better ground than it's neighbour (Mountain Pass is only 6 miles away).
So I was still very happy with my investment, even though all the share price had done was to go backwards and to lose money. I remained patient and talked occasionally to the CEO.
Management kept working hard on site and offsite, including keeping in touch with the appropriate American Congressmen to keep them up to date with the mine. The CEO talked with the heads of Mountain Pass and (Australia's) Lynas. They were making sure that every block was lining up (slowly and carefully) with every other block.
One of the things that kept me convinced was just how much of the company management actually owned, they (clearly) had enormous faith in their company. So, from an investor point ot view, the blocks were lining up there as well. And I was convinced that I still wouldn't see any meaningful growth for a couple of years.
Management reacted when they learnt of a new international airport to be built and talked with the construction suppliers abouot selling DTR's tailings as aggregate for the airport project (millions of tone will be needed).
DTR bought an 80% stake in the Argos Strontium mine (America's only Sr mine, thus making it a rare commodity in the USA). DTR now owns 100% of Argus.
Then Donald Trump, as President of the Unitdes States of America, described DTR as America's second rare earths mine, even though it wasn't mining anything yet. Just before this, DTR listed on the OTC markets in America.
And the world changed.
This has led me to caution the guys who got on the investment bandwagon, and the ones they influenced as well, that what is happening is NOT normal. DTR started to look like what is knon=wn as a black swan. Apparently these are rare (not in Australia). But as the days and weeks passed, the monicker was changed to "unicorn", even rarer than a black swan.
There are plenty of investors who hammer that DTR isn't doing as well as other micro miners and explorers. And there are plenty of people jumping ship. And yet, every available DTR share gets bought, generally by investors in the USA.
Lesson 1: If you have done the research and nothing in the research has changed to the negative, you should probably hang on to your investment.
Lesson 2: There is a lot of noise out there, and you have no idea what is motivating those who make that noise. Do your research before you invest or change your investment.
Lesson 3: Do your research. Do lots of it. It's your money, don't just throw it away because of a random comment you heard or read.
Lesson 4: Stay interested. Know what the company is actually doing and progresing towards. This will help block out the noise, which is often uneducated.
Lesson 5: Share trading is often emotional. Doing your research will help calm your emotions and help you make better decisions going forward
Lesson 6: The share market is driven by the emotions of fear and greed. Right now, DTR is being driven by greed. But if you have done your research then those emotions fall away and you know what to expect and when. But don't ignore those emotions as they are powerful drivers of share prices.
Lesson 7: Don't constantly look at what others are doing or how much they are gaining. Be happy with your investments. There is ALWAYS someone who has more, makes more, etc. Your investments should make you happy, not jealous. If you really must compare against something, compare against the best term deposit loan interest rate offered by the banks. And remember to compare apples with apples: don't compare the growth of a $1000 share portfolio with the growth in value of a house. Did you beat the banks? Great. Did you beat the average market performance? Great.
Lesson 8: Celebrate your wins. Absolutely enjoy them.
Lesson 9: If you do get friends and colleagues involved, it comes with baggage. Should the share price drop you will get those people coming back to you ssaking what happened. This occurs even if they are still in profit on their investment. So be prepared for that pressure. Don't ladle extra pressure on yourself. Any time you recommend a share make sure you remind people that every investment is a risk and they COULD lose their money. Although, here's why that probably won't happen.
Lesson 10: Bad news is what sells newspapers. Bad news races around the world ten times before good news has even ties its shoelaces. Understand the effect of bad news and always rebalance your thoughts on your investment. Stay nimble.
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