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

Obama endorses Hillary Clinton: ‘I am with her. I am fired up.’ ... President Obama dispensed with his long-held pledge of neutrality in the Democratic presidential race Thursday, backing Hillary Clinton as the most qualified candidate to succeed him in the nation's highest office. "I know how hard this job can be. That’s why I know Hillary will be so good at it," he said in a...Read More

Why it’s time to go back to the Moon ... It’s more than a stepping stone to Mars ... Mars is an extremely popular destination right now. Putting people on the Red Planet has been the big goal for NASA since 2010, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has made it very clear that his company is going to try to start a Martian colony as early as 2024. – The VergeWe recently wrote about Elon Musk...Read More

A US court has ruled in favour of Rio Tinto's (LON, ASX:RIO) Kennecott in a lawsuit over alleged pollution at its Bingham Canyon copper mine, located in Utah.The charges were brought forward in Sep. 2013 by a coalition of environmental groups including the Sierra Club, Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, Utah Moms for Clean Air and WildEarth Guardians, which claimed the operation was excee...Read More

Chinese firms Zhongjin Gold Corp., Shandong Gold Mining Co. and Zijin Mining Group Co. are said to be competing for Glencore's (LON:GLEN) gold mine in Kazakhstan, which the miner and commodities giant put up for sale earlier this year.Glencore may be seeking about $2 billion for its Vasilkovskoye mine, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.The sale would bring Glencore closer to its t...Read More

Despite a painful readjustment caused by a recent global collapse in commodity prices, Australia is seen as the world's most attractive region for mining investment, according to the latest annual global survey of mining executives released Thursday by the Fraser Institute.Mining has been the driving force of Australia's economy, helping GDP growth average 3.6% a year for most of this century.Mi...Read More

How Hillary Clinton’s historic win changes the game for girls ... So many girls for so long were told — overtly and subtly — what they could and could not be ... Regardless of party persuasion, Hillary Clinton’s victory is the definition of historic: She became the first female presidential nominee of a major political party. -CNNPortions of the mainstream media are celebra...Read More

Under fire from Republicans, Trump says he’ll stop talking about judge ... Bowing to pressure from fellow Republicans, Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would no longer talk about a Mexican-American judge after U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan denounced the presidential candidate’s criticism of the jurist as textbook racism. -ReutersTrump's recent decision not to pursue his charges of bias a...Read More

Reports: North Korea Recycling Plutonium to Make Nuclear Bombs ... An unnamed U.S. official has confirmed to Reuters that evidence indicates North Korea has begun to once again produce plutonium fuel, a key ingredient in nuclear weapons. North Korea's communist government appears to be reprocessing plutonium that has spent its radioactive energy in use at the Yongbyon nuclear facility. The rehabil...Read More

Antarctica to remain permanently off-limits to mining ... Antarctica will remain completely off limits for mining in the future. That was the unanimous decision reached on Wednesday by all 29 nations party to the Antarctic Treaty, the main international governing mechanism for the continent. The resolution, lauded by NGOs, dispels any doubts or false rumors that the status quo might change after 2...Read More

How Hillary Clinton’s historic win changes the game for girls ... So many girls for so long were told — overtly and subtly — what they could and could not be ... Regardless of party persuasion, Hillary Clinton’s victory is the definition of historic: She became the first female presidential nominee of a major political party. -CNNPortions of the mainstream media are celebra...Read More

Under fire from Republicans, Trump says he’ll stop talking about judge ... Bowing to pressure from fellow Republicans, Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would no longer talk about a Mexican-American judge after U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan denounced the presidential candidate’s criticism of the jurist as textbook racism. -ReutersTrump's recent decision not to pursue his charges of bias a...Read More

Reports: North Korea Recycling Plutonium to Make Nuclear Bombs ... An unnamed U.S. official has confirmed to Reuters that evidence indicates North Korea has begun to once again produce plutonium fuel, a key ingredient in nuclear weapons. North Korea's communist government appears to be reprocessing plutonium that has spent its radioactive energy in use at the Yongbyon nuclear facility. The rehabil...Read More

Antarctica to remain permanently off-limits to mining ... Antarctica will remain completely off limits for mining in the future. That was the unanimous decision reached on Wednesday by all 29 nations party to the Antarctic Treaty, the main international governing mechanism for the continent. The resolution, lauded by NGOs, dispels any doubts or false rumors that the status quo might change after 2...Read More

According to a new study of private capital in the resources sector from industry tracker Preqin investment firms now have $400 billion assets under management after 10 years of uninterrupted growth.Of this $239 billion represent unrealized value with the remaining $161 billion so-called dry-powder capital ready to invest.2015 could be the first year since 2004 in which positive net capital...Read More

In New York trade on Wednesday copper for delivery in July bounced back after customs data from top consumer China showed imports of the red metal remain strong.In midday New York trade July copper, the most active contract, exchanged hands for $2.0605 a pound ($4,588 a tonne) up slightly following yesterday's steep decline that pushed the price into negative territory for the year.China is respon...Read More

The cost of mining gold for the world's top producers dropped more than 7% in the first three months of the year as most companies ignored the metal price's spike and continued efforts to straighten out their books, a new report shows.According to data compiled by SNL Metals & Mining, the top 17 publicly listed gold companies that reported all-in sustaining costs (AISC) produced the metal at a w...Read More

Afghanistan has deployed security forces to ensure that insurgents fighting to overthrow the government do not benefit from illegal mining of lapis lazuli, the semi-precious blue stone once coveted by Egyptian pharaohs.Illegal extraction of lapis lazuli and other minerals is fuelling the rise of the Taliban in a once peaceful corner of the country.The move comes only a few days after anti-corrupt...Read More

Carrapateena in South Australia is shaping up as a major copper-gold project. In a statement last month, the proponent (OZ Minerals) made clear its commitment to the project. The ore-production rate is to be increased over what was previously planned; work on a decline will commence next month (mining will be underground); and final processing will take place at Whyalla, a regional city approxima...Read More

The copper price was hammered down on Tuesday as a rise in warehouse stocks convinced traders that end-demand in China has not materially improved despite Beijing's economic stimulus.In late New York trade July copper, the most active contract, fell 3.4% exchanging hands for $2.0450 a pound ($4,508 a tonne), more than wiping out Friday's rebound and pushing the metal back into the red for 201...Read More

The World Bank is downgrading its 2016 global growth forecast to 2.4% from the already sluggish 2.9% pace projected in January.According to the latest update by the institution, exporting emerging market and developing economies have struggled to adapt to lower prices for oil and other key commodities, and this accounts for half of the downward revision.Growth in these economies is projected to ad...Read More