First impressions are that we are off to a bullish start to the week, with the base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange up by an average of 0.6% this morning, Monday February 26.Nickel and lead prices lead the way with gains of 0.9%, followed by zinc and copper prices that are up by 0.6%, with the latter at $7,155 per tonne, while tin and aluminium prices are up 0.4% and 0.3% respectively....Read More

Summary of China's minor metals exports and imports in January 2018.Unwrought bismuth metal exports Month total: 344 tonnes On month: +48.28% On year: +212.74%* Wrought bismuth metal exports...Read More

China's stainless flat steel exports rose sharply in January amid lower prices. China exported 285,300 tonnes of stainless flat steel products, up 64,903 tonnes - or 29% - from 220,397 tonnes a year earlier, according to Chinese customs data released last Saturday February 24. Last month's volume is also up 33,453 tonnes...Read More

China's ferrous futures surged in the early hours of morning trading on Monday February 26 on news of more steel production cuts in Tangshan, though the contracts - especially those for iron ore and coking coal - corrected before the end of the session.Futures closing prices - morning session Shanghai Futures Exchange May rebar: 4,013 yuan ($633) per tonne, up 1 yuan per tonne May hot-rolled coil:...Read More

Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Apple Inc. was in direct talks with an undisclosed mining company to secure long-term cobalt supplies to support the mounting demands of the company’s power hungry device lineup.Cobalt, a hard, silver-grey metal once used for jewellery and paints, is the primary component for today’s lithium-ion batteries. Valued at over US$37 per lb. - an in...Read More

Brazilian researchers linked to the University of S??o Paulo (USP) have developed a model based on conditions found at Mponeng gold mine near Johannesburg, South Africa, at a depth of 2.8 km, to evaluate how habitable Jupiter's icy moon Europa may be.Based on the theory that Europa may host life in an ocean of liquid water hidden under its 10 km-deep ice crust, the team located a similar environ...Read More

Shares in Condor Gold (LON:CNR) (TSX:COG) jumped more than 5% in London on Monday after the Nicaragua-focused miner submitted an amended Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) for a processing plant at its India gold project, which eliminates the need to resettle about 1,100 people.The new evaluation, part of the company's application for an environmental permit, includes a redesigne...Read More

Norsk Hydro has offered Rio Tinto (ASX, LON:RIO) $345 million for the mining giant's aluminum plant in Iceland, as part of the Norwegian firm's efforts to ensure its output is as green as possible and also to strengthen its position in Europe.The proposed acquisition also includes an offer for Rio's 53% stake in the Aluchemie anode plant in the Netherlands and its 50% share in the Alufluor aluminu...Read More

Canada's Lucara Diamond (TSX:LUC), the company that hit the jackpot in 2015 after finding the world's second-largest diamond, has taken a page of De Beers' books by investing in technology to track diamonds as they move through the supply chain.To that end, the Vancouver-based miner has acquired Clara Diamond Solutions, a digital platform aimed at transforming how rough precious rocks are sold...Read More

https://www.bloomberg.com/Some platinum stocks are looking attractive again as oversupply that depressed prices for years subsides, said Allan Gray, the South African money manager that oversees the equivalent of about $45 billion.Companies that Allan Gray has invested in include world number-two producer Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. and Royal Bafokeng Platinum Ltd., the best-performing stock in...Read More

Feb 27, 2018 Guest(s): Ron Hochstein CEO, Lundin Gold The gold mining space is seeing lackluster investor sentiment but it's only a matter of time before sentiment shifts and investor activity picks up, said Lundin Gold CEO, Ron Hochstein."I think it's sort of in a relaxing space right now," Hochstein told Kitco News on the sidelines of the BMO Global Metals & Mining Conference. "People are...Read More

Feb 27, 2018 Guest(s): Michael Allen President, CEO & Director, Northern Empire A junior miner has to have solid management and a viable project with lots of potential to attract much needed investors capital, according to one junior miner CEO.While other companies are struggling to find capital, Northern Empire, has been able to fund its continued operations as it develops its Nevada-based proj...Read More

Feb 27, 2018 Guest(s): John Doody John Doody, Founder of the Gold Stock Analyst, has a disciplined approach to picking gold stocks, sticking with a top 10 list. "I love Kirkland Lake. They have two potential 400 thousand ounce a year mines, one in Canada, one in Australia. Very high grades. I think it's the next Agnico Eagle," Doody told Kitco News on the sidelines of the Gold Stock Analyst Con...Read More

Lithium Power International Limited (ASX: LPI) is fast-tracking to production its high-grade Maricunga Lithium Project in Chile, the highest grade, undeveloped lithium brine salar in the world - second only to the Salar de Atacama project operated by industry heavy weights SQM and Albemarle. We learned from Martin Holland, the CEO of LPI, who is headquartered in Sydney, Australia, that Maricunga h...Read More

Danielle DiMartino Booth spent nine years as an advisor to Richard W. Fisher at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Danielle left the Fed in 2015 to found Money Strong, LLC, an economic consulting firm and launched a weekly economic newsletter She is the author of Fed Up: An Insider's Take on Why the Federal Reserve is Bad for America. DiMartino Booth began her career in New York at Donaldson, Luf...Read More

By Ira EpsteinGold gains a bit but still stuck in no man's land.https://www.iraepstein.com/ Read More

The Dems shut down government because of the ongoing immigration impasse.Only for a couple of days, sure.But it's THAT big of an issue across the political spectrum right now.Trump wants a wall.Continue...Read More

Justin's note: As regular Dispatch readers know, part of my job at Casey Research is to pass along valuable ideas that come across my desk. When I read today's Continue...Read More

China's imports of iron ore rebounded to the second highest ever in January while those for coking coal fell to a seven-month low. Exports of scrap surged on the year, while those for coke, which include semi coke, contracted.[Editor's note: This table has been amended...Read More

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) - The first consignment of 43 drums of concentrate from the BK16 kimberlite project, in Botswana, have been securely moved to TSX-listed Tsodilo Resources' final recovery area in its security complex in Maun.This followed the January 18 commissioning of a dense media separation (DMS) plant at BK16, using the mine's historic tailing material to test the plant...Read More