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

A few cheering thoughts on terrorism … Terrorism by Moslems in America and Europe cannot be stopped. If attacks do not occur, it will be because nobody tried very hard. Stopping them would require excluding Moslems, deporting them, or controlling them by totalitarian methods. Or, improbably, minding our own business in the Middle East. What you think of the foregoing approaches doesn't m...Read More

The deposit was first discovered in the 1930s and Freeport McMoRan has been mining copper, silver and gold at Grasberg in remote Indonesia since the 1970s. In terms of reserves, Grasberg is still the richest deposit on the planetShares in copper and gold giant Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) were trending lower on Thursday after reports that Indonesia is likely to delay a decision on extending the lic...Read More

Gold ends near 6-year low as Yellen comments point to rate hike … Janet Yellen all but says interest rates are rising. Gold futures on Wednesday marked their lowest settlement in nearly six years, as a rise in November U.S. private-sector employment and comments from the Federal Reserve's chairwoman supported the likelihood that the central bank will agree to raise interest rates when it...Read More

Fourteen people were confirmed killed and 17 more wounded in a mass shooting at a San Bernardino community social services building. "We do have some preliminary numbers of upwards of 14 people that are dead and upwards of 14 people that are injured," said Chief Jarrod Burguan of San Bernardino Police. The number of injured was later upped to 17. – CBSLocalDominant Social Theme: Te...Read More

Gold ends near 6-year low as Yellen comments point to rate hike … Janet Yellen all but says interest rates are rising. Gold futures on Wednesday marked their lowest settlement in nearly six years, as a rise in November U.S. private-sector employment and comments from the Federal Reserve's chairwoman supported the likelihood that the central bank will agree to raise interest rates when it...Read More

Fourteen people were confirmed killed and 17 more wounded in a mass shooting at a San Bernardino community social services building. "We do have some preliminary numbers of upwards of 14 people that are dead and upwards of 14 people that are injured," said Chief Jarrod Burguan of San Bernardino Police. The number of injured was later upped to 17. – CBSLocalDominant Social Theme: Te...Read More

Data from 2016 Hays Compensation, Benefits, Recruitment and Retention GuideGeneral managers are the top paid engineers at mines according to a year end study, 2016 Hays Compensation, Benefits, Recruitment and Retention Guide.The salaries of engineers largely stayed the same as last year.While there is a downturn with more layoffs planned in 2016, miners still worry about a skills shortage. Three-...Read More

Some experts are calling it the next "Cold War" (likely that pun is intended.)Russia, Canada, Norway, Denmark and the United States are posturing for Arctic supremacy. At stake? Oil, natural gas, minerals, shipping passages, and much more.Note: see full-sized infographic for more legibility.Courtesy of: Visual CapitalistIn the year 1776, James Cook was dispatched from Great Britain on an important...Read More

Argentina last week voted in a new pro-business President, Mauricio Macri. This major change in government signifies an end to the leftist populism and starts the engines for a new economic focus designed to restore Argentina to the economic powerhouse it once was.This is the first government party change in 12 years and is considered extremely positive for the future of Argentina and in particula...Read More

Federal Reserve official: Economy on track for 'normalization' phase … "I believe the national economy is on a reasonably solid trajectory," said Dennis Lockhart, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Speaking Nov. 19 at a DeKalb Chamber of Commerce general business meeting at the Georgia Aquarium, Lockhart added. – The Champion...Read More

Obama pushes for gun control after Planned Parenthood shooting … After a gunman opened fire at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood on Friday, killing three people and injuring several others, President Obama urged the nation to increase controls over "the easy accessibility of weapons of war." – CBS NewsDominant Social Themes: Guns kill people.Free-Market Analysis: Do guns...Read More

Federal Reserve official: Economy on track for 'normalization' phase … "I believe the national economy is on a reasonably solid trajectory," said Dennis Lockhart, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Speaking Nov. 19 at a DeKalb Chamber of Commerce general business meeting at the Georgia Aquarium, Lockhart added. – The Champion...Read More

Obama pushes for gun control after Planned Parenthood shooting … After a gunman opened fire at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood on Friday, killing three people and injuring several others, President Obama urged the nation to increase controls over "the easy accessibility of weapons of war." – CBS NewsDominant Social Themes: Guns kill people.Free-Market Analysis: Do guns...Read More

Data from The 2016 Hays Compensation, Benefits, Recruitment and Retention GuideSalaries for the top jobs at mining companies have stayed the same from a year ago, according an end of year salary survey by Hays.The recruiting company released its wage tally today.It said wage trends in the mining industry matched trends in the broader economy as a whole, and any wage increases next year will be...Read More

More than half (55%) of mining employers cut staff in 2015 and an additional 40% expect to cut in 2016, according to an industry survey by the recruiting firm Hays.Under-staffed businesses are resulting in burnout and low morale, and current employees are "feeling pressure more than ever", says Hays.While companies cut, employers in the resource and mining industry have expressed concern over gr...Read More

Zald?-var copper mine is located about 1,400 km north of Chile's capital Santiago. (Image courtesy of Barrick Gold)Top gold miner Barrick Gold (TSX, NYSE:ABX) announced Tuesday it has completed the sale of a 50% stake in its Zald?-var copper mine in Northern Chile to London-listed Antofagasta Plc (LON:ANTO) for a shade over $1 billion in cash."The sale of 50 percent of Zald?-var has strengthened o...Read More

A tailings pond for the Mount Polley mine burst in August 2014 and spilled millions of cubic metres of waste water into Polley Lake - BIV ArchivesThe provincial government has granted Imperial Metals' (TSX:III) Mount Polley mine a short-term permit to release treated water from a tailings dam.The volume of water behind the dam has been rising and concerns had been raised in recent weeks about what...Read More

BHP and Rio Tinto's Escondida copper mine in Chile's Atacama Desert is the world's largest copper-producing mine.BHP Billiton (ASX:BHP), the world's largest mining company, is making a bold bet on copper by deciding to ramp up output while slashing production costs.The company's copper boss, Daniel Malchuk, said Tuesday that BHP expects to lower production costs to $1.08 per pound during the 2017...Read More

Lightship today announced that KGHM International, which is working towards the development of the Ajax Copper-Gold project near the city of Kamloops, B.C., will be using the Lightship application to manage and protect field employees working on mine development. The application, also called Lightship, provides site managers with a real time, bird's-eye view of an entire worksite. It tracks and re...Read More

IMF approves China's yuan as reserve currency … Inclusion in elite list alongside US dollar and euro described as a milestone for world's second largest economy. With the decision, the yuan, also known as the renminbi, will join the US dollar, euro, Japanese yen and British pound next year in the list of currencies the IMF uses as an international reserve asset. – Al JazeeraDom...Read More