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 miner has cut its 2018 production guidance to 505,000-515,000 ounces of gold, a 12% drop from the previous forecast's midpoint, and upped the expected all-in sustaining cost per ounce for the year by 15% to US$875-$890. Read More

Some 101 diamonds (18.57 cts), the largest of which was 1.38 ct, were recovered last month from the treatment of the first evaluation samples taken from the BK16 kimberlite pipe, which forms part of the Orapa kimberlite field, in Botswana. Diamond explorer Tsodilo Resources’ (Tsodilo) sampling programme involves large diameter drilling (LDD); the processing and concentrating of the LDD sampl...Read More

Nexus says it expects to raise a further C$1.5 million through a "follow-on" placement of six million 25c units due to surplus demand for the initial share allotment.The company's share price finished up 4.76% Thursday at 33c, capitalising Nexus at C$4.82 million. The stock was trading at C$2.15 September 5, 2017.The 20 million new 15c shares, and 25c-priced follow-on units, have attached warrants...Read More

Lucara Diamond Corporation is pleased with the progress and developments it has made during the year to date, with the company doing significant work in Botswana and remaining consistent in quality- diamond production. “We are on track to produce the 2018 production estimate, which is 270 000 ct to 290 000 ct a year,” says Lucara CEO and director Eira Thomas. Following the recovery of...Read More

Speaking at ResourceStocks Sydney 2018, CSA Global's Mark Allen said there had been a fairly consistent deficit in zinc since the 400,000 tonne per annum Century mine in Queensland closed in 2015.Read More

Mining and engineering company Pan African Minerals says it attended the 2018 Mining Investment Botswana Conference, which was held in Gaborone from April 10 to 11, to create partnerships, networks and take advantage of the business matching prospects.The company’s attendance has already yielded some significant opportunities, says Pan African Minerals CEO Nkululeko Mhlaba. “As a resul...Read More

SHANGHAI, May 25 (SMM) – Nonferrous metals, except for SHFE tin, rose across the board on Friday May 25. SHFE nickel led the increases with a gain of 1.8%. SHFE zinc and aluminium gained over 1%, lead and copper inched up,Most ferrous metals closed higher. Hot-rolled coil rose close to 1%, rebar and coke nudged up. Coking coal and iron ore dipped.Copper: The SHFE 1807 contract rebounded from...Read More

SHANGHAI, May 25 (SMM) – Nonferrous metals, except for SHFE tin, rose across the board on Friday May 25. SHFE nickel led the increases with a gain of 1.8%. SHFE zinc and aluminium gained over 1%, lead and copper inched up,Most ferrous metals closed higher. Hot-rolled coil rose close to 1%, rebar and coke nudged up. Coking coal and iron ore dipped.Copper: The SHFE 1807 contract rebounded from...Read More

SHANGHAI, May 25 (SMM) – Nonferrous metals, except for SHFE tin, rose across the board on Friday May 25. SHFE nickel led the increases with a gain of 1.8%. SHFE zinc and aluminium gained over 1%, lead and copper inched up,Most ferrous metals closed higher. Hot-rolled coil rose close to 1%, rebar and coke nudged up. Coking coal and iron ore dipped.Copper: The SHFE 1807 contract rebounded from...Read More

SHANGHAI, May 25 (SMM) – To improve air quality and regulate pollution for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Qingdao, Shandong province, environmental protection authorities in Shandong and Jiangsu will undertake inspections from May 30-June 11. All of Shandong province will subjected to the probes while just Xuzhou and Lianyungang in Jiangsu will be affected. The ef...Read More

SHANGHAI, May 25 (SMM) – Nickel ore inventories across all Chinese ports increased 170,000 wmt from last Friday to 8.12 million wmt as of Friday May 25, SMM data showed.The increase translated to 67,000 mt in metal content, up 2,000 mt from last week. Nickel ore stocks across seven major Chinese ports grew 120,000 wmt from the previous week and registered 5.45 million wmt.  Fo...Read More

NANNING, May 25 (SMM) – Stricter environmental policies in China are likely to weigh on the zinc die-casting industry, said Ren Lixing, an analyst at Leekee Group in Hong Kong.The industry faces pressure from policies such as production cuts, regulations around dust and explosions and environmental taxes, Ren told delegates at the SMM Lead Zinc Summit on Friday May 25 in Nanning, G...Read More

Only one-third of the 15 - BHP, Zijin Mining, KAZ Minerals, Norilsk Nickel and Anglo American - reported positive production growth for the first three months of 2018.As a result, the top 15 companies' quarter-over-quarter production fell by 136,548 tonnes, or 4.8%.However, on year-on-year basis, production rose by 14.8%, or 345,725t, over the period, though the result was skewed by the interrupti...Read More

SHANGHAI, May 25 (SMM) – To improve air quality and regulate pollution for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Qingdao, Shandong province, environmental protection authorities in Shandong and Jiangsu will undertake inspections from May 30-June 11. All of Shandong province will subjected to the probes while just Xuzhou and Lianyungang in Jiangsu will be affected. The ef...Read More

SHANGHAI, May 25 (SMM) – Copper: Copper prices gained last night as the US dollar index weakened. Struggling between several moving averages, LME copper is expected to move above them and trade at $6,860-6,920/mt today with support from longs. The SHFE 1807 contract hovered between the five- and 60-day moving averages last night with support from the 20-day moving average. It is likely...Read More

NANNING, May 25 (SMM) – China's growth into the world's largest consumer of auto tyres since 2016 is of great significance to the domestic zinc oxide industry, said Wang Yanlong, chairman of Orlon Zinc Corporation in Weifang of Shandong province. He believes that the tyre industry will be dominated by current, leading companies as well as new, larger firms th...Read More

NANNING, May 25 (SMM) – Development of 5G networks in China is likely to bolster the demand for galvanised steel in next two to three years, said Zhang Qifu, president of the Asia Pacific General Galvanizers Association and director of the hot-dipping department at the Chinese Society of Corrosion and Protection.In China, galvanised steel is mostly used in building infrastructure such a...Read More

SHANGHAI, May 25 (SMM) – Copper: Copper prices gained last night as the US dollar index weakened. Struggling between several moving averages, LME copper is expected to move above them and trade at $6,860-6,920/mt today with support from longs. The SHFE 1807 contract hovered between the five- and 60-day moving averages last night with support from the 20-day moving average. It is likely...Read More

SHANGHAI, May 25 (SMM) – This is a roundup of global macroeconomic news last night and what is expected today.Last nightThe US dollar lost momentum and fell to a low of 93.6 last night as US President Donald Trump pulled out of the meeting with North Korea. It closed 0.2% lower at 93.78. Base metals rose for the most part with LME nickel leading the gains with a nearly 2% rise...Read More

NANNING, May 25 (SMM) – The tightness of global zinc and lead concentrate is likely to ease from this year onwards with new capacities and recovered capacities, according to Lian Chuanshuang, general manager of Tibet Huayu Mining.About 664,000 mt of zinc concentrate output are estimated to be added in the international market in 2018 and 683,000 mt in 2019, according to data that Lian shared...Read More