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

What is memetic warfare and how it threats democratic values? ... One of the contributors of Defense Strategic Communications journal issued by NATO Stratcom COE, Jeff Giesea defines memetic warfare as "competition over narrative, ideas, and social control in a social-media battlefield. One might think of it as a subset of 'information operations' tailored to social media. Information operat...Read More

Washington to Moscow: Stop Targeting al-Qaeda in Syria – You’ll Kill Our Moderates! ... The Associated Press is reporting this afternoon that the Obama Administration has requested that the Russians cease and desist from bombing al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front in Syria because Washington’s “moderate” rebels are fighting together with al-Qaeda in Syria and any attack on a...Read More

U.S. Set to Approve Moon Mission ... Commercial Space Venture Startup proposes to land payload of scientific gear on lunar surface some time next year. -Wall Street JournalSo now private trips to the moon are to take place.And yet, there is plenty of controversy regarding moon trips.A few years ago, various Chinese officials demanded a formal investigation into claims that the US even went to the...Read More

The copper price rebounded on Friday, moving back into positive territory for 2016 after a disappointing economic number in the US sent the dollar reeling.In morning New York trade July copper, the most active contract, jumped more than 3.2% exchanging hands for $2.1355 a pound ($4,705 a tonne) following US non-farm payrolls data showed the weakest job gain in the world's largest economy i...Read More

Free Speech Isn’t Facebook’s Job ... My instinct as a First Amendment teacher is to be outraged at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Microsoft for knuckling under to European Commission pressure to ban hate speech on their platforms. But after sleeping on it, I think it’s fine. Here’s why: These social media giants are private actors, not the state. -BloombergWe disag...Read More

Musk: We intend to launch people to Mars in 2024 ... Elon Musk will send a mission to Mars without people on it - on the Flying Dragon version 2 rocket - starting in 2018 and launch a rocket headed there every 26 months. – CNBCElon Musk and Jeff Bezos believe that the final frontier of space will soon be penetrated.Musk (see excerpt above) intends to send people to Mars in eight years'...Read More

Free Speech Isn’t Facebook’s Job ... My instinct as a First Amendment teacher is to be outraged at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Microsoft for knuckling under to European Commission pressure to ban hate speech on their platforms. But after sleeping on it, I think it’s fine. Here’s why: These social media giants are private actors, not the state. -BloombergWe disag...Read More

Musk: We intend to launch people to Mars in 2024 ... Elon Musk will send a mission to Mars without people on it - on the Flying Dragon version 2 rocket - starting in 2018 and launch a rocket headed there every 26 months. – CNBCElon Musk and Jeff Bezos believe that the final frontier of space will soon be penetrated.Musk (see excerpt above) intends to send people to Mars in eight years'...Read More

Amid a down day on metals markets Nevsun Resources (TSE:NSU NYSEMKT:NSU) stock jumped 4% on Thursday after releasing new assay results from further drilling at Asheli, part of its $11 million ongoing regional exploration program at its Bisha mine in Eritrea.By the close in New York the Nevsun shares changed hands at $3.34 affording the counter a market capitalization of $658 million. Nevsun is up...Read More

Mineralized boulders at Aston Bay's Storm project on Somerset Island, Nunavut.The mineralized boulders at surface, stained with rich turquoise hues, are impressive.But it's what could be sitting beneath the surface at Aston Bay Holdings' Storm copper project on Somerset Island, Nunavut that intrigues economic geologist Tom Ullrich."Nobody's had the opportunity to do any proper work in looking for...Read More

Iran is stepping up talks with potential foreign investors with an eye to developing its mining and metals industries according to Mehdi Karbasian, president of Imidro a state-owned group pushing for mine development in the country, Platts News reported on Wednesday.The annual value of Iran's mining and metals imports and exports only amount to $11.5 billion at the moment, but following the lift...Read More

The copper price fell again on Wednesday and is now down more than 10% over the past month as the economic news out of number one consumer China continues to rattle investors.In morning New York trade July copper, the most active contract, fell more than 2% exchanging hands for $2.0515 a pound ($4,522 a tonne) following a reading of Chinese manufacturing activity that Beijing's economic stim...Read More

Brazil's mining sector is expected to recover its long-lost appeal to investors and see a fresh wave of mergers and acquisitions, as mineral prices begin to settle and major producers look to sell core assets to reduce debt loads, a new report shows.According to BMI Research, mining deals are already picking in South America's largest nation. As of May 23, investment and M&As in the resources sect...Read More

Shady accounting underpins Trump's wealth ... The GOP nominee is rich. But how rich depends on odd accounting and subjective criteria ... Donald Trump claims he is worth $10 billion - but financial experts dispute that. -Politico Is Donald Trump less wealthy than claimed?And if so, as the above Politico article excerpt suggests, then perhaps this complicates his political motivations. Perhaps,...Read More

Hillary and Trump Leave Americans with Angst, Malaise and Little Confidence ... A new poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that the choice of Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump for president leaves Americans feeling frustrated, angry, helpless - suffering from angst and malaise, with little confidence with our political system. -Red State We covered this AP-N...Read More

UK voters shift towards ‘Out’ as EU referendum nears ... British voters have moved towards voting to leave the European Union in next month’s referendum according to two surveys by polling firm ICM, surprising investors and sending sterling sharply lower. -ReutersIs Brexit going to win? Is Britain going to vote to leave the EU?We didn’t think it was possible at first, b...Read More

Moon Landing Hoax | “Moon Buggy” LRV is a Willys Jeep - Lift the VeilThe "moon buggy" that NASA astronauts drove around on the lunar surface seems to be, in actuality, a stripped down jeep.This sounds hard to believe considering development of the “lunar rover” is said to have taken years and cost tens of millions.We would encourage readers to go HERE and watch a short vid...Read More

Shady accounting underpins Trump's wealth ... The GOP nominee is rich. But how rich depends on odd accounting and subjective criteria ... Donald Trump claims he is worth $10 billion - but financial experts dispute that. -Politico Is Donald Trump less wealthy than claimed?And if so, as the above Politico article excerpt suggests, then perhaps this complicates his political motivations. Perhaps,...Read More

Hillary and Trump Leave Americans with Angst, Malaise and Little Confidence ... A new poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that the choice of Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump for president leaves Americans feeling frustrated, angry, helpless - suffering from angst and malaise, with little confidence with our political system. -Red State We covered this AP-N...Read More

UK voters shift towards ‘Out’ as EU referendum nears ... British voters have moved towards voting to leave the European Union in next month’s referendum according to two surveys by polling firm ICM, surprising investors and sending sterling sharply lower. -ReutersIs Brexit going to win? Is Britain going to vote to leave the EU?We didn’t think it was possible at first, b...Read More