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

Hedge fund Och-Ziff has to be cough up $412 million after the US Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission found the New York-based firm violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.Two executives, Daniel Och and CFO Joel Frank, also agreed to a financial settlement with founder Och ordered to pay a fine of nearly $2.2 million to settle SEC case.According to Global Witness, a...Read More

Capital considerations dominate the top three business risks in the mining and metals sector, according to EY's Top 10 business risks facing mining and metals 2016-2017 report."Much like our global counterparts, Canadian mining and metals companies are facing challenges amid prolonged volatility in the sector," says Bruce Sprague, EY's Canadian Mining & Metals Leader. "Companies who proactively m...Read More

Companies had no choice but to cut back on new developments, re-focus on profitable production rather than maximum production and to save costs.2016 marked another challenging year for SA's mining industry in the wake of subdued commodity prices, an increase in short-term volatility, increased pressure on operating models and regulatory uncertainty.These are some of the highlights from PwC's (www....Read More

A massive blackout in South Australia forced the world's largest miner BHP Billiton to suspend production at its Olympic Dam copper mine. The power outage was the product of strong winds and heavy rain caused by what has been called "the most extreme weather system" that has hit the area in decades.Given this situation, BHP decided it was best to stop activities at the country's biggest undergroun...Read More

A new report by BMI Research, a Fitch company, forecasts subdued growth for the mining industry in Africa through 2020.BMI says Sub-Saharan Africa's mining sector growth will remain slow as a muted recovery of mineral prices will continue to put pressure on profit margins of metal producers.The authors of the report "expect some growth bright spots, the region will continue to face both significa...Read More

Blue River Resources' Mazama Copper Project in Washington's Methow Valley is facing yet another challenge. This time, the U.S. Forest Service is taking a central role in supporting the Methow Headwaters campaign, which is run by a coalition of 2,000 residents, 130 local businesses, and other organizations and aims at fighting the possibility of future copper mining in the upper Methow Valley.Testi...Read More

The world's number five diversified mining company, Anglo American announced a "radical portfolio restructuring" at the end of last year. The company with roots going back more than a hundred years to South Africa's gold and diamond fields said it's reducing the number of mines it operates from 55 to as few as 16 to focus on diamonds, copper and platinum because of better long-term potential. Its...Read More

ECB and Italy’s bank rescue fund head clash over bailout rules ... The European Central Bank and the head of Italy’s bank rescue fund clashed on Monday over the European Union’s tough conditions on state aid for troubled banks. Speaking at the same conference in London, one of the ECB’s most senior supervisors said EU states should follow the bloc’s rules when it...Read More

ECB and Italy’s bank rescue fund head clash over bailout rules ... The European Central Bank and the head of Italy’s bank rescue fund clashed on Monday over the European Union’s tough conditions on state aid for troubled banks. Speaking at the same conference in London, one of the ECB’s most senior supervisors said EU states should follow the bloc’s rules when it...Read More

Rising demand for hard-to-find rare earths (REEs) needed for high tech gadgets, green energy and batteries used by hybrid vehicles continues to push mining companies to scour the ocean floors.The latest of them is Ocean Minerals LLC, a deep sea mining firm based in Houston, Texas, which announced Wednesday that it has inked an agreement with the Cook Islands government for exclusive prospecting an...Read More

In May Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (NYSE:FCX) announced the sale of its Tenke Fungurume copper mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to China Molybdenum (CMOC) for up to $2.65 billion, a crucial part of the Phoenix-based company's debt reduction program.But exiting the DRC is proving to be as complicated as operating a mine in the troubled central African country.China Molybdenum would l...Read More

During the first Mining Forum ever held in Kenya, Mining Cabinet Secretary Dan Kazungu said his country will strive to have more organized mining sector.Among the first steps the government will implement to work towards that goal is conducting a year-long airborne survey to map mineral deposits. With an initial funding of approximately $29.64 million, the objective of the study is to attract mini...Read More

Shares in Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (NYSE:FCX) reacted negatively to reports the number one publicly-held copper producer's sale of oil and gas assets could be in trouble.Bloomberg reports Freeport bondholders want greater protection and hold out for more money following the deal with Anadarko Petroleum to buy Freeport's deepwater Gulf of Mexico assets for a total of $2 billion. The p...Read More

Comey on Clinton email probe: ‘Don’t call us weasels’ … The normally-stoic FBI chief grew emotional as he rejected claims that the FBI was in the tank for Clinton. -PoliticoJames Comey appeared today before the House Judiciary Committee to answer questions about the FBI's decision not to recommend prosecution of Hillary Clinton regarding misuse of classified emails - and i...Read More

Comey on Clinton email probe: ‘Don’t call us weasels’ … The normally-stoic FBI chief grew emotional as he rejected claims that the FBI was in the tank for Clinton. -PoliticoJames Comey appeared today before the House Judiciary Committee to answer questions about the FBI's decision not to recommend prosecution of Hillary Clinton regarding misuse of classified emails - and i...Read More

The current lithium frenzy will end badly while gold bugs should look at the riper opportunities available in copper and platinum, according to mining financier Robert Friedland.In a sprawling, exuberant and at times politically incorrect speech at the Mines and Money Americas conference in Toronto, the veteran promoter demonstrated he hasn't lost his sales mojo as he ticked off all the reasons wh...Read More

Scientists from the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-W? 1/4 rttemberg (ZSW), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and imec have fabricated a thin-film solar module stack made up of perovskite and Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) with a conversion efficiency of 17.8%. For the first time, this tandem module surpasses the highest efficiencies of separate perovskite and CIG...Read More

Fed on ropes as Yellen seeks to fend off Trump blows ... Populist attacks from all sides make central bank vulnerable to calls to rein it in, say analysts. - Financial TimesThe Financial Times continues to provide a blow-by-blow description of Trump’s attacks on central banking.Trump is hurting the Fed, and well he should. Things will likely get a lot worse before they get better.Janet Yell...Read More

Fed on ropes as Yellen seeks to fend off Trump blows ... Populist attacks from all sides make central bank vulnerable to calls to rein it in, say analysts. - Financial TimesThe Financial Times continues to provide a blow-by-blow description of Trump’s attacks on central banking.Trump is hurting the Fed, and well he should. Things will likely get a lot worse before they get better.Janet Yell...Read More

Ben Kramer-Miller, the chief analyst at miningWEALTH, discusses ways of investing in resource companies that go beyond the "explore-develop-produce" model.My readers will notice that I often favor resource companies that have unconventional business models:Terraco Gold Corp. (TEN:TSX.V; TCEGF:OTCPK) (gold royalty)Medallion Resources Ltd. (MDL:TSX.V; MRD:FSE; MLLOF:OTCQX) (rare-earth processing fro...Read More