After a tumultuous two-week period, markets shot back to life yesterday, erasing some but not all of the losses recently sustained. Despite that positive move, market volatility remains high, and most investors are likely pondering the same questions: What will happen next, and how can I protect my hard-earned portfolio?While defensive investments remain the go-to answer to many of those uncertain...Read More

The coronavirus outbreak has triggered considerable fears that a global recession is imminent, with some analysts predicting that global economic growth could be cut in half. Indeed, gross domestic product is predicted to expand by a modest 1.5% during 2020, creating an environment of fear that sees many investors fleeing stocks for the ultimate safe haven asset, gold.This has seen the yellow meta...Read More

Up 34% over the last 12 months, gold mega-miner Newmont (TSX:NGT)(NYSE:NEM) was one of only a handful of stocks that remained positive south of the border as the S&P 500 Index tanked. By the end of the week, its performance on the similarly battered TSX showed a 10% loss — a move that would have alarmed even the most steadfast of investors in any other week.Seeing a classic defensive pla...Read More

Aerial view of Tapajos River (Credit: Shutterstock) Brazilian Ministry of Mines, at the annual convention of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) released a catalog with prospective maps to attract new investments in mineral research in the country. The catalog identifies areas in Caraj??s (copper and gold), Juma (gold), Nova Brasil??ndia (zinc, lead and copper) and Martino...Read More

Last month, Congressional Budget Office Director Phillip Swagel appeared before the House Budget Committee and issued a dire warning.Swagel is an economist who attended Princeton and then Harvard. He's worked for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, the International Monetary Fund, and the White House under George W. Bush.So he's a guy who's worth listening to. Especially when he's ringing alar...Read More

It's expected that there will be strong demand for the kind of oil that Teck's Frontier oilsands mine would have supplied, but questions remain over whether the project would have been economically competitive. Image from RachenStocker, Shutterstock. Even if Teck Resources (TSX:TECK.B) had not fallen on its sword, and even if the federal government had greenlighted the Frontier oilsands project i...Read More

Image: Limited Edition Hot Wheels Cybertruck The value of metals used in batteries for the nascent electric vehicle industry measured for the first timeIt is worth remembering that the first all-electric vehicle to use a lithium-ion battery - the Tesla roadster - only rolled off assembly lines in 2008. The inaugural MINING.COM EV Metals Index shows an industry in better shape than what tanki...Read More

Drill rig at the Marathon Deposit, Valentine Lake Gold Camp - Image courtesy of Marathon Gold Drilling between the Marathon and Leprechaun deposits at Marathon Gold's (TSE: MOZ) Valentine Lake project in Canada's Newfoundland province has confirmed a new area of mineralization: The Berry zone.Drill highlights include 55 metres of 2.24 g/t gold, 8 metres of 3.92 g/t gold and 8 metres of 3.02 g/t...Read More

Norcat, a provider of skilled labour training for the mining industry, has announced a partnership with Vale (NYSE: Vale) to develop and deploy an experiential learning program.As part of this partnership, Norcat is creating interactive and experiential training tools which include virtual reality (VR) pre-operational circle check training and exercises for mine equipment. As part of this part...Read More

Mar 03, 2020 Guest(s): Jeffrey Christian The Federal Reserve surprised the markets with an emergency 50 basis-point cut on Tuesday. Gold surged but the Dow Jones Industrial Average still sold off. CPM Group's managing partner Jeffrey Christian talks gold's reaction to the move and what it could mean for prices going forward. "The Fed lived up to the expectations of the market because partly it...Read More

Since late summer of 2019, the price of palladium has rallied from the $1,500 area to almost $2,800. That's close to an 80% rally in about 6 months time. A few of the reasons for this price explosion is that most of the palladium in the world comes from Russia and South Africa. With trade sanctions on Russia imposed, industry ends up buying from South Africa but that country is seeing droughts and...Read More

Weekly Reports |Mar 03 2020Aggressive selling in the uranium market kept a lid on spot prices during February despite increased utility demand.-U3O8 spot price range-bound-February volumes drop from January-Japanese reactor restarts still a slow processBy Greg PeelActivity in the spot uranium market was relatively consistent through the month of February, industry consultant TradeTech reports. Onl...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday March 3 that are worth another look.Chinese steel company Hebei Jingye Group will complete the acquisition of British Steel on Monday March 9, the UK steel trade union Community said on March 3.Copper concentrate treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) rose at the end of February, having stalled in the previous week.Brazil's iron o...Read More

The US Midwest aluminium premium fell in the week ended Tuesday March 3 to its lowest since February 2018, but other global premiums remained well supported by the contango in nearby spreads on the London Metal Exchange.Canadian rail situation resolvedEyes on April-May spreads in RotterdamMJP second-quarter negotiations begin.US Midwest premium at 2-year lowIn the United States, the Midwest alumin...Read More

A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday March 3.Click on...Read More

Stewart Thomsonemail: stewart@gracelandupdates.comemail: stewart@gracelandjuniors.comemail:admin@guswinger.comMarch 3, 2020“He will lose the election, that’s for sure...Ford lost to Carter after the 1973 oil shock, Carter lost to Reagan due to the second oil crisis in 1979, and Bush lost to Clinton after the Kuwait invasion. The Democratic field is poor, but Trump is dead.” - Leg...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday March 3 that are worth another look.Chinese steel company Hebei Jingye Group will complete the acquisition of British Steel on Monday March 9, the UK steel trade union Community said on March 3.Copper concentrate treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) rose at the end of February, having stalled in the previous week.Brazil's iron o...Read More

The S&P 500 closed up 4.6% and China's Shanghai Composite Index gained 3.15%.Futures were also pointing to a positive day on most markets.Bank of Japan governor Haruhiko Kuroda said on Monday that Japan's central bank would take necessary steps to stabilise financial markets, following a similar move by US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell on Friday, Reuters reported.Australia's Reserve Bank...Read More

Vancouver, BC - good natured Products Inc. (TSX-V:GDNP) (the "Company" or "good naturedTM") today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement with the shareholders of Shepherd Thermoforming & Packaging Inc., ("Shepherd") a leading thermoformer with over 35 years' experience, to acquire 100% of Shepherd and all its real estate assets for CAD$9.5 million in cash (the "Share Purchase")...Read More

A buildup of manganese ore at Chinese ports is set to escalate in the coming weeks when a jump in fresh imports adds to a spillover of material into minor ports, manganese market sources predict. Manganese ore stocks in main Chinese ports stand at 4.64-4.85 million tonnes according to Fastmarkets' latest assessment on Monday March 2, compared with 4.52-4.64 million tonnes at the end of 2019....Read More