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
Lucara Diamond Corp. has recovered yet another massive diamond in Botswana, at a site previously owned by giant De Beers.The 472-carat light brown stone is the third largest found by Vancouver-based Lucara at the Karowe mine. The site has proven a windfall for the Canadian miner which now produces some of the biggest and best diamonds in the world.“The early sampling work that was done on Ka...Read More
Deep sea mud off the coast of Japan contains enough rare earth metals to supply the world for centuries to come, a new study reveals.The study published this week in Scientific Reports says the deposit, which lies within the Japanese exclusive economic zone, contains 16 million tons of rare-earth oxides, enough to meet the demand for yttrium for 780 years, europium for 620 years, terbium for 420 y...Read More
The Report Card on Alberta's Elementary Schools 2018 reports a variety of relevant, objective indicators of school performance. These indicators are used to calculate an overall rating for each school. On the basis of this rating, the schools are ranked. The Report Card brings all of this information together in one easily accessible public document so that anyone can analyze and compare the perfo...Read More
Classic Minerals (ASX:CLZ)announced this morning that it has kicked off reverse circulation (RC) drillingat its Forrestania Gold Project in Western Australia. CLZ will be drilling withthe view to uncover a new gold system at the recently uncovered Van Uden Westprospect, and to enhance known mineralisation at the Lady Lila and Kat Gapprospects. The targets areas have beenuntouched for some 18 years...Read More
ArgentMinerals Limited (ASX:ARD) has achieved a significant new milestone for theKempfield polymetallic project. ARD reports the successful separation ofprimary material into potentially marketable commercial grade zinc and leadconcentrates that also contain silver and gold.The extraction of zinc and lead into separate concentrates marks asignificant advance towards project development, as the com...Read More
Classic Minerals (ASX:CLZ) today updated the market on its FraserRange nickel-cobalt project in WA. While CLZ is primarily concentrating its attention on goldexploration at its flagship Forrestania Gold Project, it has also completed areview of its Fraser Range dataset. The review identified 'excellent cobaltanomalism' at the project's Rubys Reward prospect, including up to 1399ppmcobalt. The...Read More
Caeneus Minerals (ASX:CAD) this morning provided an explorationupdate regarding its 80% owned Pardoo Project in WA's Pilbara region. CAD reported that it has completed a 10 hole RC programmeat the Pardoo Highway nickel-copper-cobalt deposit that it owns in a joint venturewith Arrow Minerals (ASX:AMD). The Highway deposit has been a focus for past explorersprimarily attempting to identify the sourc...Read More
Just months after Saskatoon-based Cameco Corp. laid off hundreds of workers and shuttered the largest high-grade uranium mine in Canada, the market for the radioactive metal used in nuclear power generation is suddenly in flux, as tensions between the U.S. and Russia flare.Last week, in response to new U.S. sanctions, Russian lawmakers proposed measures that would halt enriched uranium exports to...Read More
Lithium Australia NL (ASX:LIT) has finalised its acquisitionof advanced cathode material production technology, acquiring 99.7% of theequity in Brisbane-based technology company - the Very Small Particle Company (VSPC).Cathode powder producer, VSPC, has spent 14 years andapproximately A$30 million developing some of the world's most advancedmanufacturing techniques for the production of cathode ma...Read More
Colorado-based gold explorer, DatelineResources (ASX:DTR), today revealed its discovery of near-surface visible goldmineralisation at Mineral Hill, which forms part of its Lucky Strike tenements.This newly exposed vein holdssignificant potential - initial exploration activities have unveiled geological similaritiesto the Lucky Strike vein, trending in the same direction.Encouragingly, this recentl...Read More
Meteoric Resources (ASX:MEI) has released an operational update for the three months to 31 March. In the quarter, MEI confirmed high-grade cobalt mineralisation at Mulligan with rock chip samples grading up to 9.71% cobalt and 16.5 g/t gold, and picked up two new primary cobalt projects in Canada - the Gillies Limit Project and the Burt Cobalt Project, as shown below:In addition, assay results fro...Read More
Castillo Copper (ASX:CCZ) todayannounced that an updated desktop review has identified newprimary cobalt targets at the Cangai Cobalt Project(previously Jackaderry North).A key finding is the material exploration upside for cobalt mineralisationacross both Cangai cobalt/copper projects.Exploration for new cobalt targets is set to progress concurrentlywith the Cangai Copper Mine expansion campaign....Read More
Following its announcement yesterday that it had finalised its acquisition of the Very Small Particle Company, Lithium Australia (ASX:LIT) has this morning informed the market it has found abundant lithium micas within the ore found at its Lepidolite Hill project.Test work on ore-sorting products confirms LIT's successful separation of lithium micas using an X-ray transmission ore-sorting method,...Read More
Archer Exploration Limited (ASX:AXE) has today announced the signing of a Collaboration Agreement and a complementary Research Service Agreement with The University of New South Wales (UNSW) to develop and implement AXE's graphite and graphene materials for use in lithium-ion battery energy storage systems. The aim of the research will be to achieve technological advances through AXE's graphite an...Read More
Empire Resources Ltd (ASX:ERL) hasprovided an update on its progress at the Penny's Find Gold Mine.The Penny's Find Joint Venture (PFJV)has now commenced its fourth toll treatment campaign at the Lakewood Milllocated on the outskirts of Kalgoorlie-Boulder in Western Australia. ERL has indicated that the latest tollcampaign will process some 28,000 tonnesof high grade ore from the open pit at Lakew...Read More
The Report Card on British Columbia's Elementary Schools 2018 collects a variety of relevant, objective indicators of school performance into one, easily accessible public document so that anyone can analyze and compare the performance of individual schools. By doing so, the Report Card assists parents when they choose a school for their children and encourages and assists all those seeking to imp...Read More
ArcherExploration Limited (ASX:AXE) has today informed the market of 'outstanding'results from recent metallurgical test work conducted on a composite drillsample sourced from the its 100% owned Jamieson Tank Manganese Project in SouthAustralia. The test work undertakenby an independent laboratory has confirmed that manganese from AXE's JamiesonTank project can make electrolytic manganese dioxide...Read More
LithiumAustralia NL (ASX:LIT) today announced that it has acquired the MoolyellaLithium-Tin-Tantalum Project (EL 45/4766) in the Pilbara region of WA, about1300km north-east of Perth. LITpurchased this tenement from Anova Metals Australia Pty Ltd. Consideration forthe acquisition is $25,000 cash and $25,000 of fully paid shares in LIT valuedat the 20-day VWAP of $0.1509 (equating to 165,653 shares...Read More
In the latest sign of the volatile state of the commodities’ markets, the U.S. Treasury Department on Monday dialled back the scope of its sanctions against Russia, aluminum and palladium prices plunged while Canadian metal companies’ shares also slipped.Last week, palladium hit US$1,040 per ounce - its highest price since February - in what many executives attributed to fears tha...Read More
Katanga Mining Ltd. will soon be the world’s top cobalt miner, churning out thousands of tons of metal and billions of dollars in revenue for Glencore Plc. It’s also turning into a major thorn in the commodity giant’s side.Katanga is controlled by Glencore but trades in Toronto, making it one of few options for equity investors seeking exposure to the coveted battery ingredient....Read More