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

Malinee Wanduragala, a British volunteer worker, wants to see rugby spread to schools across the country Laura Pitel Conjure up an image of an Afghan woman and it is unlikely that the vision will involve her tackling, scrummaging or rucking. Even though the Taliban was forced from power more than a decade ago, many women must still fight for the most basic rights and freedoms. With the help of a B...Read More

US Treasury to track cash buyers of prime real estate … The US Treasury has launched a test programme to track all-cash buyers of high-end real estate in New York and Miami, amid fears that the US property market has become a favoured destination for foreigners looking to launder ill-gotten assets. – Financial TimesDominant Social Theme: To stay on top of criminality demands savvy dete...Read More

Malinee Wanduragala, a British volunteer worker, wants to see rugby spread to schools across the country Laura Pitel Conjure up an image of an Afghan woman and it is unlikely that the vision will involve her tackling, scrummaging or rucking. Even though the Taliban was forced from power more than a decade ago, many women must still fight for the most basic rights and freedoms. With the help of a B...Read More

Mining and commodity trading giant Glencore (LON:GLEN) kicked off the process to sell its Australian copper mine in Cobar, New South Wales, and its Lomas Bayas copper mine in the Atacama desert in Chile in October.Glencore said at the time it had received a number of unsolicited expressions of interest for the mines and that potential buyers can bid to purchase "either one or both of the mines and...Read More

Anglo American mines the majority of its niobium ore from the Boa Vista open pit, in Brazil. (Image courtesy of Anglo American via Flickr)Mining scene newcomer and BHP spin-off South32 (ASX, LON, JSE:S32) may make an offer for Anglo American's $1 billion niobium and phosphate business in Brazil, Bloomberg reports.Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg says the company is seeking to hire...Read More

E-waste, which comprises precious metals like gold and silver, can produce more gold than what is obtained through mining, a senior academician said today.Fifty pounds of gold and 20,000 pounds of copper could be extracted from one million discarded cell phones, if processed properly, Pranabesh Ray, Dean (Academics), XLRI - Xavier School of Management told a two-day national conference on e-waste...Read More

Senate rejects Rand Paul's 'Audit the Fed' legislation … The Senate on Tuesday blocked legislation calling for tougher audits of the Federal Reserve, rebuffing an attempt by Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul to give lawmakers greater oversight of the central bank's moves on interest rates. The 53-44 vote fell short of the threshold to overcome a Democratic filibuste...Read More

The United States have managed to solve the question of the succession of King Abdallah, but today, they are attempting to lead Saudi Arabia into error. Their objective is now to divide the country into five states. Wahhabism is the state religion, but the power of the Saud family, both interior and exterior, depends exclusively on Sunni tribes, while it subjects all other populations to apartheid...Read More

Senate rejects Rand Paul's 'Audit the Fed' legislation … The Senate on Tuesday blocked legislation calling for tougher audits of the Federal Reserve, rebuffing an attempt by Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul to give lawmakers greater oversight of the central bank's moves on interest rates. The 53-44 vote fell short of the threshold to overcome a Democratic filibuste...Read More

The United States have managed to solve the question of the succession of King Abdallah, but today, they are attempting to lead Saudi Arabia into error. Their objective is now to divide the country into five states. Wahhabism is the state religion, but the power of the Saud family, both interior and exterior, depends exclusively on Sunni tribes, while it subjects all other populations to apartheid...Read More

A meagre 0.6% of private capital raised in 2015 for natural resource investment is destined for mining projects. Just two funds closed on $400 million in private investments for metals and mining last year according to data by industry tracker Preqin.Investors aren't necessarily staying away from mining assets because of a weak outlook. Of the $63 billion raised for natural resources more than 90...Read More

It's only 12 January and the copper price is down 8% year to date.March futures in New York dropped to $1.9525 a pound (just over $4,300 a tonne) early on Tuesday and by the close on the Comex continued to languish at levels last seen March 2009.For a sustained period below $2 you have to go back a decade at the early days of the China-induced supercycle.China is responsible for nearly half of glo...Read More

Codelco chairman, chairman Oscar Landerretche. (Image courtesy of University of Chile)Codelco, Chile's state-owned copper miner and the world's largest producer of the metal, should soon review its investment plans in light of historic low prices, chairman Oscar Landerretche has said.In an interview with local news site El D?-namo (in Spanish) last week, the economist said the first step should b...Read More

Image by docstockmedia | Shutterstock.com.New climate change regulations, fraud in e-payment systems, "poison pills", privacy class actions and cybersex in the workplace are among the top 10 legal risks companies operating in Canada will face this year, according to Canadian law firm Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG).In its annual report on the issue, the group outlines those and other key trends, a...Read More

Anglo American's overhaul reflects the dire straits the global mining industry is in these days. (Image: Screenshot from Anglo American video via YouTube)Anglo American (LON:AAL) announced Tuesday it has finally completed its exit from the Middle East by selling its Tarmac business to Colas Moyen Orient, a subsidiary of French engineering and construction company Bouygues Group.The full sale follo...Read More

Greece has delayed construction at Eldorado's Skouries mine and processing plant for over three years. The company is halting most work at the project in response.Canadian miner Eldorado Gold (TSX:ELD) (NYSE:EGO) is suspending work at its mine in northern Greece and laying off 600 workers following protests by local residents and a fresh spat with the country's left-wing government.The Vancouver-b...Read More

State child welfare system failing to protect youth … Until I had to deal with the Florida Department of Children and Families, I thought some of the criticism of it was unwarranted. Now I remember someone said, "It takes a village to bring up a child." I say that because when I called I was told three times only the person receiving funds from the agency could make a complaint. Do...Read More

FBI Has Enough Evidence to Prosecute Hillary Clinton for Public Corruption … An investigation into possible mishandling of classified information on Hillary Clinton's private email server has expanded to consider whether Clinton's work as Secretary overlapped with her work for the Clinton Foundation run by her family. Fox News' Catherine Herridge published the report, citing unna...Read More

State child welfare system failing to protect youth … Until I had to deal with the Florida Department of Children and Families, I thought some of the criticism of it was unwarranted. Now I remember someone said, "It takes a village to bring up a child." I say that because when I called I was told three times only the person receiving funds from the agency could make a complaint. Do...Read More

FBI Has Enough Evidence to Prosecute Hillary Clinton for Public Corruption … An investigation into possible mishandling of classified information on Hillary Clinton's private email server has expanded to consider whether Clinton's work as Secretary overlapped with her work for the Clinton Foundation run by her family. Fox News' Catherine Herridge published the report, citing unna...Read More