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

Fresh proof the FBI's Hillary email probe was a joke ... Yet another surprise revelation suggests strongly that the FBI's probe of Hillary Clinton's e-mail mess was anything but a by-the-book investigation. House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) said he learned only Friday that the Justice Department gave immunity deals to Clinton's former chief of staff, Cheryl Mills, and tw...Read More

Vancouver-based Casino Mining Corp., a subsidiary of Western Copper and Gold, and Selwyn Chihong Mining Ltd., have signed a memorandum of understanding with Calgary-based Ferus Natural Gas Fuels Inc. to build a $200 million LNG plant in Fort Nelson, British Columbia.The idea is to power the Casino copper-gold mine in the Yukon using LNG instead of diesel to reduce costs and eliminate 140,000 ton...Read More

After a more than three years slump, 2016 has brought much-needed relief for the mining industry.With a couple of exceptions - notably potash and uranium - the gains in metals and minerals prices have been broad-based and substantial. The rally in coal and iron ore surprised even the most ardent bulls, while crude oil's recovery has helped to underpin prices for most raw materials.In the last bea...Read More

Time to Privatize Immigration ... The West, it's obvious, faces a migration crisis. Across the aging, stagnating economies of the developed world, citizens are revolting against what many perceive as an uncontrolled influx of foreigners. The U.S. apart, most of these economies are also facing a prolonged crisis of growth. Under other circumstances, the solution would be obvious: restore vitality b...Read More

Time to Privatize Immigration ... The West, it's obvious, faces a migration crisis. Across the aging, stagnating economies of the developed world, citizens are revolting against what many perceive as an uncontrolled influx of foreigners. The U.S. apart, most of these economies are also facing a prolonged crisis of growth. Under other circumstances, the solution would be obvious: restore vitality b...Read More

ISIS’ Virtual Puppeteers How They Recruit and Train “Lone Wolves” ... The Islamic State (also known as ISIS) has taken a beating on the battlefield throughout 2016. U.S. officials estimate that the group has lost half of its territory in Iraq and roughly 20 percent in Syria, including key supply routes from Turkey that had been vital to the group's inflow of foreign fighters. A...Read More

Monetarists Are Out of Ideas ... Steve Williamson of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis for the past three years or so has been trying to convince the macroeconomics world to consider a bold new theory — that central bank policy works in reverse, and that low interest rates cause low inflation. This is an idea sometime referred to as Neo-Fisherism. -BloombergThis article examines the theo...Read More

A heavily divided Federal Reserve left short-term interest rates unchanged but said the case for a rate increase "has strengthened", in a strong signal that a move is likely before the end of the year … Three out of 10 of the US central bank's rate-setters voted against the decision, and called for an immediate increase. But the Fed said that for the time being it wanted to keep policy on h...Read More

ISIS’ Virtual Puppeteers How They Recruit and Train “Lone Wolves” ... The Islamic State (also known as ISIS) has taken a beating on the battlefield throughout 2016. U.S. officials estimate that the group has lost half of its territory in Iraq and roughly 20 percent in Syria, including key supply routes from Turkey that had been vital to the group's inflow of foreign fighters. A...Read More

Monetarists Are Out of Ideas ... Steve Williamson of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis for the past three years or so has been trying to convince the macroeconomics world to consider a bold new theory — that central bank policy works in reverse, and that low interest rates cause low inflation. This is an idea sometime referred to as Neo-Fisherism. -BloombergThis article examines the theo...Read More

A heavily divided Federal Reserve left short-term interest rates unchanged but said the case for a rate increase "has strengthened", in a strong signal that a move is likely before the end of the year … Three out of 10 of the US central bank's rate-setters voted against the decision, and called for an immediate increase. But the Fed said that for the time being it wanted to keep policy on h...Read More

In early trade on Wednesday copper for delivery in December slipped from one-month highs with copper futures exchanging hands for $2.1550 per pound ($4,750 a tonne).While other industrial metals and steelmaking raw materials have jumped in value this year, the bellwether metal is trading flat year to date. The metal hit six year lows in January following a 26% decline in 2015.BHP Billiton, the wor...Read More

A new report by the Conference Board of Canada states that the Yukon's economy is facing the bleakest near-term outlook in the country. A slowdown in production at Capstone Mining Corporation's Minto copper mine means that the territory will have no large-scale mining operations by mid-2017. "The slump in mineral and metal prices and difficulty in getting financing have led to mine shutdowns and n...Read More

Latin America's mining sector is finally recovering from an economic downturn brought by almost two years of sustained slump in commodity prices. But growth in the region won't be led by the usual favourites, such as Chile, but by two of the countries that have steadily fallen out of favour with investors as of late - Peru and Brazil.According to the latest analysis by BMI Research, Peru's signifi...Read More

Hillary vs. the Hate Machine: How Clinton Became a Vessel for America’s Fury … Decades of right-wing attacks turned a crusader of women’s rights into a major target of hate “The underlying thing about Clinton and her candidacy is it’s not normal. Normal is a male candidate, a male voice, a male tie." -Rolling StoneThis article in Rolling Stone makes it clear that Hi...Read More

Hillary vs. the Hate Machine: How Clinton Became a Vessel for America’s Fury … Decades of right-wing attacks turned a crusader of women’s rights into a major target of hate “The underlying thing about Clinton and her candidacy is it’s not normal. Normal is a male candidate, a male voice, a male tie." -Rolling StoneThis article in Rolling Stone makes it clear that Hi...Read More

Vancouver-based Tintina Resources (CVE:TAU) has just re-submitted its mine operating permit application for the Black Butte Copper project in Montana, US.The company had presented an initial application to the state's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) in December of 2015, but three months later received a 60-page deficiency notice.The move comes about six months after Montana's environm...Read More

Top publicly-held copper producer Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (NYSE:FCX) in May announced the sale of its largest African copper mine to China Molybdenum (CMOC) for up to $2.65 billion.The Democratic Republic of Congo's state-owned Gecamines controls 20% of the high-grade Tenke Fungurume copper and cobalt mine.Lundin Mining (TSX:LUN) indirectly owns 24% which includes a right of first offer...Read More

Zinc is the best performing base metal so far this year and measured from its six-year low struck mid-January today's $2,280 a tonne zinc prize is up 55%.Zinc's prospects brightened considerably after the shutdown of two major mines last year - Australia's Century and the Lisheen mine in Ireland. The two mines had a combined output of more than 630,000. The shuttering of top zinc producer Glen...Read More

In Super Wednesday’s central bank double-header, the Federal Reserve’s show may be an afterthought to the Bank of Japan’s performance. In a case of unusual timing, both the BOJ and the Fed will announce the outcomes of their monetary policy meetings on Wednesday. While the two major central banks frequently meet in the same week, a same-day announcement was unusual. The BOJ s...Read More