RAPAPORT... The Botswana government has refuted a report that the country might scale back its sales partnership with De Beers.The local Sunday Standard claimed Botswana was expected to offer most of its large stones through parastatal Okavango Diamond Company to a partnership between Lucara Diamond Corp. and Belgian manufacturer HB Antwerp.President Mokgweetsi Masisi "publicly and forcefully...Read More
(IDEX Online) - The Kimberley Process is expected to go ahead with discussions on re-defining conflict diamonds for the first time since it was founded almost 20 years ago."We were unable to reach consensus in the previous Review and Reform cycle about how it may be possible to reference violations of human rights in the conflict diamonds definition," the WDC president Edward Asscher said on Tuesd...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 26 at 7:30 AM EDT.Responses in currency markets to the Federal Reserve's decision released yesterday are continuing this morning. The U.S. Dollar Index has strengthened relative to all developed world currencies. The Canadian Dollar is down another 0.27 to US72.54 cents.The Canadian government is scheduled to release...Read More
Just as I predicted, the Fed raised the fed funds target rate (also called the policy rate) today by 0.75%.The new target rate is a range of 3.75-4.00%, the highest since 2008. This is the sixth rate hike this year and the fourth consecutive 0.75% rate hike.That's the steepest, fastest series of Fed rate hikes since the Paul Volcker days in the early 1980s.Today's hike demonstrates that the Fed is...Read More
Canada's number-one gold producer Barrick Gold (TSX: ABX; NYSE: GOLD) has reported a sharp drop in third-quarter earnings as lower production and higher costs weighed on its September-quarter financial results.The Toronto-headquartered major reported headline earnings of US$224 million in the September quarter, compared with $419 million in the previous and corresponding quarters. Adjusted net ear...Read More
Lithium Americas (TSX: LAC; NYSE: LAC) plans to separate its North American and Argentine businesses into two independent public companies by the end of the year, it said on Thursday.The new Lithium Americas company will own the Thacker Pass lithium project in Nevada and investments in Green Technology Metals (ASX: GT1) and Ascend Elements, according to a company statement. Lithium Americas' presi...Read More
AbraSilver Resource (TSXV: ABRA) has updated a September 2021 resource estimate for its Diablillos project in Argentina's Salta province, significantly expanding the high-grade Tesoro zone, which is the highest-grade area in the Oculto deposit.The company says it expects to complete a pre-feasibility study on the project in the first half of 2023.The project, about 160 km southwest of the city of...Read More
Secretariat won the Triple Crown that year, NASA launched Skylab and Watergate intensified.It was 1973, the same year Esso Minerals and Cuvier Mines began developing the Gays River underground zinc and lead project in Nova Scotia, 60 km northeast of Halifax.The Gays River mill began processing 900 tonnes per day in 1979 before underground flooding hampered mining for the joint venture and subseque...Read More
Nevada Copper (TSX: NCU; US-OTC: NEVDF) has provided an update on operational activities at its Pumpkin Hollow underground copper mine located near Yerington in Nevada's Lyon County. The company recently closed a US$123 million financing package to support the mine's restart and ramp-up, which is underway.An optimized life-of-mine plan that focuses on accessing the larger, higher-grade stopes of t...Read More
Astra Exploration (TSXV: ASTR; US-OTC: ATEPF), which owns 80% of the Pampa Paciencia project in northern Chile, has signed an agreement to acquire the remaining 20% of the project from joint-venture partner Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (NYSE: SQM).The 3,840-hectare gold-silver project is less than 15 km from two producing mines - the Sierra Gorda open-pit copper mine owned by South32 (LSE: S...Read More
The federal government has been getting tough with some Chinese companies, forcing some foreign owners of Canadian critical mineral projects to divest their holdings in the name of national security. On a Wednesday list of forced divestitures were Sinomine Rare Metals Resources's holdings in Vancouver-based Power Metals (CVE: PWM); Chengze Lithium International's investment in Calgary-based Lithi...Read More
Canada's top potash producer Nutrien (TSX: NTR) has guided for lower full-year headline profit as September-quarter sales volumes and prices slid lower than expected.The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based crop nutrient producer, distributor and retailer now guides for adjusted earnings per share of US$13.25 to US$14.50, below average analyst forecasts calling for US$14.45, and down from its prior Aug....Read More
Arizona Sonoran Copper's (TSX: ASCU) ongoing 32,000-metre infill drill program at its Parks-Salyer (P/S) porphyry copper deposit has delivered an intercept of 217.7 metres grading 1.01% copper.The robust intersection comes from an additional three drill holes drilled at P/S, following the initial Inferred resource in September of 143.6 million tonnes grading 1% copper for 2.92 million lb. of conta...Read More
The latest assay results from New Found Gold (TSX-V: NFG; NYSE-A: NFGC) show near-surface, high-grade mineralization at its Lotto zone in northeast Newfoundland.The drilling shows that Lotto North is in fact a new, shallow and brittle fault zone north of Lotto proper, which hosts high-grade, epizonal-style gold mineralization in a north-south striking open-ended structure.Highlights from recent dr...Read More
Critical Elements Lithium (TSXV: CRE; US-OTC: CRECF) has received a certificate of authorization (CA) under Quebec's Environment Quality Act for its Rose lithium-tantalum project located in the province's James Bay region. The CA was issued by the Quebec Minister of the Environment, the Fight against Climate Change, Wildlife and Parcs.The CA is an important milestone that would allow Critical Elem...Read More
Maverix Metals (TSX: MMX; NYSE-AM: MMX) says it's on track to meet its revised 2022 guidance of 28,000 to 31,000 attributable gold-equivalent ounces and unveiled a new royalty deal on the Sleeping Giant mine in Quebec's Abitibi region.The company acquired a 2% net smelter return royalty (NSR) on all metallic and non-metallic minerals recovered from the Geant Dormant and Dormex claims of the Sleepi...Read More
The Kimberley Process (KP), an international scheme that certifies rough diamond exports, is expected to decide this week whether Russian diamonds should be declared conflict gems.Members of the KP are meeting in Gaborone, Botswana, until Friday and one of the main topics in the agenda is to discuss whether Russian diamonds are funding the war in Ukraine.The debate would be around whether to broa...Read More
Vale (NYSE: VALE) has signed three memorandums of understanding (MOUs) to jointly study the feasibility of developing industrial complexes or 'mega hubs' in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and the Sultanate of Oman.The hubs will produce hot briquetted iron (HBI) and steel products, Vale says, noting that "the production of HBI using natural gas emits around 60% less CO2 [car...Read More
Canada's B2Gold (TSX: BTO; NYSE-AM: BTG) and South Africa's AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE: AU; ASX: AGG) have decided to put their US$925-million Gramalote gold project in Colombia up for sale before year-end.After completing a comprehensive review of the alternatives for the gold project in the northwestern department of Antioquia, the joint venture (JV) partners determined it would be in the best inte...Read More
Driving through the forested hills of northern Idaho, one could be forgiven for assuming the growing recreational city of Coeur d'Alene brings all the buzz and value to the region.After all, it offers year-round recreational activities in stunning natural landscapes, serves as a commercial hub for the northern part of the state, and its adjacent Lake Coeur d'Alene hosts shoreline homes for a few H...Read More