The AOCE and WB have moderate overall forecasts for the metals in 2025 inline with IMF forecasts for a decline in economic growth and inflation, although we see the probability of a stagflationary scenario as still reasonably high.Read More

The past year was a difficult one overall for the metals, with the main standouts to the upside being a geopolitical risk-driven gain in gold, a China-driven rise in iron ore and a surge in uranium on broadening global support for nuclear power (Figure 1). A jump in global interest rates to near two-decade highs saw recession fears persist all year, and while one still did not actually eru...Read More

This year the post-global health crisis boom was brought to an end by a surge in inflation to forty-year highs, a major rise in global interest rates in an attempt to curb the rising prices and surging geopolitical risk after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While precious metals held up reasonably well as markets turned to them as a risk hedge, by Q2/22 the higher interest rates put an end t...Read More

Chile is the world leader in copper production, at 28.5% of the total in 2020, and this looks set to continue, with the country having the largest global reserves, at 23.0% of total. It is also the global leader for molybdenum, which is often found along with copper, and is a major lithium player, holding 51.1% of global reserves. Read More

Newfoundland has become a gold exploration hotspot over the past few years, with the sector seeing some of its strongest activity ever. While the province remains a small contributor to Canadian gold production, it has a substantial mineral industry well supported by the government, focused on iron ore, copper and nickel, and the surge in exploration suggests that gold output from the...Read More

Nevada is the core of the U.S. gold output, accounting for by far the majority, at 75.4% on average for the past year. The state looks set to remain a dominant player in U.S. gold, as it accounts for 49% of total U.S. reserves, with Alaska slightly ahead with 51% of reserves, but just 8.6% of current production. The U.S. accounts for 6.1% of global gold output, making Nevada one of the largest gol...Read More

The Golden Triangle in northwestern British Columbia has historically been a major site of Canadian gold production, beginning as early as the mid 1800s. There was a wave of production in the 1990s which cooled as the gold price declined, but larger scale production resumed in 2017, and the area has seen surging exploration interest over the past year, given that the region has some of the largest...Read More

In this report we outline the Quebec gold mining industry, including its major producers, and a survey of many of the junior miners focused on the province. Quebec accounts for 34% of Canadian gold production (second to Ontario, with 44%) and remains a major focus for both producers and junior miners.Read More

Red Lake has been one of the most prolific gold mining districts in Canada and the world, with exploration having started in the 1920s, and production, which began in the 1930s, continuing to the present day. The district is known for the high grade of its gold, its infrastructure, and strong institutional support, given the long history of mining in the area.Read More

The introduction of new, tougher standards together with recent case law, point to a harsher, less forgiving approach to enforcement and larger fines for regulatory non-compliance and failings in relation to environmental and social governance.European law firm Fieldfisher has observed a notable uptick in enquiries from mining clients on how to comply with increasingly strict standards on environm...Read More

The introduction of new, tougher standards together with recent case law, point to a harsher, less forgiving approach to enforcement and larger fines for regulatory non-compliance and failings in relation to environmental and social governance.European law firm Fieldfisher has observed a notable uptick in enquiries from mining clients on how to comply with increasingly strict standards on environm...Read More

South Africa's Petra Diamonds (LON:PDL) has sold its 425-carat "Legacy of the Cullinan Diamond Mine" diamond to Belgium-based Stargems Group for $15 million.The exceptional D colour Type IIa gem was recovered in March from the company's iconic Cullinan mine, the same that yielded the Cullinan diamond - at 3,106 carats the largest rough diamond ever found and which today is part of the British C...Read More

South Africa's Petra Diamonds (LON:PDL) has sold its 425-carat "Legacy of the Cullinan Diamond Mine" diamond to Belgium-based Stargems Group for $15 million.The exceptional D colour Type IIa gem was recovered in March from the company's iconic Cullinan mine, the same that yielded the Cullinan diamond - at 3,106 carats the largest rough diamond ever found and which today is part of the British C...Read More

Commodity prices hurt this mining company's top line, but that alone doesn't suggest the company failed to shine brightly last quarter.Read full newsRead More

Australia's corporate regulator is asking the Federal Court for approval to wind up Merlin Diamonds (ASX:MED), whose shares have been suspended from trading since October, after the watchdog kicked off a probe into a A$13 million-loan from the miner to a private company associated to the diamond producer's owner.The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is also looking into whet...Read More

Australia's corporate regulator is asking the Federal Court for approval to wind up Merlin Diamonds (ASX:MED), whose shares have been suspended from trading since October, after the watchdog kicked off a probe into a A$13 million-loan from the miner to a private company associated to the diamond producer's owner.The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is also looking into whet...Read More

China yesterday announced plans to raise tariffs on about US$60 billion worth of US imports in retaliation to America's move last week to increase duties on about $200 billion worth of Chinese imports.The US then released a further list of about $300 billion worth of Chinese goods that could be hit with a 25% tariff, Bloomberg reported earlier.The tariff tit-for-tat has escalated after the pair fa...Read More

Why Does Steve Eisman Plan to Short the North?"We're going to make the big banks hurt," Mark Baum, The Big ShortIf you've seen the movie, The Big Short, you know the sort of shenanigans that helped lead to the big financial crisis of 2008. Millions lost their homes, their jobs, their savings in the giant tornado of financial devastation spurred on by the Wall Street scions who hugely profited of...Read More

The leading daily The Namibian reported that Namibia's Central Procurement Board (CPB) has awarded a N$300 million [US$21 million] contract to Gem Diamonds Namibia to valuate Namdeb's diamonds over the next five years. While it is the country's Ministry of Mining's task to hire an independent diamond valuator to ensure that diamonds sold by Namdeb, which is jointly owned by the...Read More

Pearls, coral and innovative new materials and approaches to metals will be the top global jewelry design trends on show at the 64th edition of the Bangkok Gems and Jewelry Fair, which runs from September 10-14, 2019. Since the Sotheby's sale of a pearl and diamond pendant - once owned by France's Queen Marie-Antoinette - for a world record price paid - $36 million! - for a pearl in...Read More

London-listed Petra Diamonds has sold the 424.89 ct Legacy of the Cullinan Diamond Mine diamond to Stargems Group/Choron for just under $15-million.The exceptional D-colour Type IIa diamond was mined from the Cullinan C-Cut and adds to the most famous diamonds to have originated from the historic mine.Advertisement"This is a significant sale for Petra and an endorsement of the quality not onl...Read More

A surge in investment buying and higher automotive consumption will underpin a nine percent gain in gross platinum demand in 2019, offsetting weakness in the Chinese platinum jewelry market, where platinum faces increased competition from [high-]karat gold jewelry, the latest Johnson Matthey PGM Market Report says.Automotive demand for platinum will rise by three percent this year, due to greater...Read More

Alrosa's sales of rough and polished diamonds reached $318.7 million in April. Rough diamond sales amounted to $315.8 million, while those for polished diamonds stood at $2.9 million. In the months January-April 2019, total sales came to $1,322.9 million (rough - $1,303 million; polished - $19.2 million). Evgeny Agureev, Director of Alrosa's United Sales Organization, went out of his way...Read More

Canadian miner Stornoway Diamond Corporation has initiated a series of actions to preserve its liquidity, including targeted cost reductions of C$18-million to C$20-million this year.The miner, which operates the Renard mine in Quebec, said on Monday that the continued downward pressure on the rough diamond market was inhibiting its ability to generate positive free cash flow.AdvertisementIn addit...Read More

Altech ticks boxes on path to production SPONSOREDaltech chemicalsSierra said EBITDA of US$12 million in Q1 2019 compared with $27.4 million in 2018, and operating cash flow shrunk from $27.4 million in the first three months of 2018 to $11.8 million. Revenue from copper, zinc, lead, gold and silver output was down from $61.7 million to $49.2 million year-on-year as lower metal prices compounded p...Read More

Altech ticks boxes on path to production SPONSOREDaltech chemicalsOZ recently reached a 70% stake in the Eloise joint venture ground by spending A$10 million and has now agreed to loan-carry minority partner Minotaur to commercial production for an additional 10% ofRead More

Estate sales can be gold mines if you're looking to buy classic, high-quality goods for a fair price. I've found everything from furniture and light fixtures to clothing and jewelry at estate sales. The items aren't typically the trendiest, but they're almost always good quality pieces that have stood the test of time and still have lots of life left in them.If you've never been to an estate sale...Read More

Iamgold (TSX: IMG; NYSE: IAG) has announced that it plans to begin production at its Saramacca open-pit gold deposit in the second half of 2019. The mine is located 18 km from the company's Rosebel mine in Suriname.Ore is expected to arrive at the Rosebel mill later in the year. The project's Environmental and Social Impact Study was approved in January, allowing for infrastructure construction to...Read More

Toronto-based junior miner Orvana Minerals (TSX: ORV) posted a relatively strong fiscal second quarter ended March 31, 2019, with good performance from its two operating mines: the Don Mario gold mine in Bolivia and the El Valle gold-copper mine in Spain.Orvana recorded net income of $3.3 million on $36 million in revenue during the past quarter, compared with a net loss of $3.5 million on $37 mil...Read More