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

My father Irwin A. Schiff was born Feb. 23rd 1928, the 8th child and only son of Jewish immigrants, who had crossed the Atlantic twenty years earlier in search of freedom. As a result of their hope and courage my father was fortunate to have been born into the freest nation in the history of the world. But when he passed away on Oct. 16th, 2015 at the age of 87, a political prisoner of that same n...Read More

The Liberal Party steamrolled to a stunning political comeback Monday night, forming a new, majority government and creating Canada's first family dynasty at the highest level of national politics as an historic campaign ended with a dramatic bang. The Liberals had collapsed to just 34 seats and third place in the House of Commons in the 2011 election. But they were leading or elected in almos...Read More

My father Irwin A. Schiff was born Feb. 23rd 1928, the 8th child and only son of Jewish immigrants, who had crossed the Atlantic twenty years earlier in search of freedom. As a result of their hope and courage my father was fortunate to have been born into the freest nation in the history of the world. But when he passed away on Oct. 16th, 2015 at the age of 87, a political prisoner of that same n...Read More

The Boston Consulting Group, in conjunction with the World Economic Forum, released the Mining & Metals in a Sustainable World 2050 report last month.The report contained a table that neatly summarized the mining and metals value chain which totals nearly $2 trillion a year. For reasons not stated, the table contained in the report omitted silver.Using data from the Silver Institute for 2014 and a...Read More

Barrick Gold (TSE:ABX) announced on Monday that it's shutting down production at the Porgera mine in Papua New Guinea due to drought in the region brought about by the El-Nino weather effect.Output at the mine which was expected to produce between 400,000 - 500,000ounces of gold this year, had been halted due to low levels of water in the main reservoir. Barrick, the world's top producer of the pr...Read More

The miner will finish the expansion of Caraj??s, the world's largest iron-ore complex, next year. (2009 NASA satellite photo via Wikimedia Commons)Brazil's Vale (NYSE:VALE), the world's biggest iron ore producer, posted Monday a new record-high in seaborne production, with 88.2 million metric tons mined in the third quarter, which beat analyst estimates.But the Rio de Janeiro-based miner also sai...Read More

BHP's Olympic Dam copper, uranium and gold mine in South Australia, state which holds more than 80% of the country's total uranium resources. (Image courtesy of BHP Billiton)Australia's mining industry could enjoy a job and export growth boom given the right -policy settings in the uranium sector, according to a new report.The study, commissioned by the Minerals Council of Australia, found that...Read More

Paul Harris, editor and publisher of Colombia Gold Letter, knows Colombia well and realizes that the country requires more investor patience than many are willing to give. Harris says that the next 12-24 months will largely determine Colombia's long-term perception as a mining jurisdiction, but is quick to add that some current stories are already panning out. In this interview with The Gold Repor...Read More

New Democrat Leader Thomas Mulcair said he would move toward the full legalization of marijuana, but he is focusing on decriminalization first because it can happen immediately … "I am going to start by immediately doing something that I know I can and will do overnight, which is to make sure that nobody ever has to face a charge for personal use or possession of marijuana and of course...Read More

Smoking gun emails reveal Blair's 'deal in blood' with George Bush over Iraq war was forged a YEAR before the invasion had even started. Leaked White House memo shows former Prime Minister's support for war at summit with U.S. President in 2002. Bombshell document shows Blair preparing to act as spin doctor for Bush, who was told 'the UK will follow our lead.' Publicly, Bla...Read More

New Democrat Leader Thomas Mulcair said he would move toward the full legalization of marijuana, but he is focusing on decriminalization first because it can happen immediately … "I am going to start by immediately doing something that I know I can and will do overnight, which is to make sure that nobody ever has to face a charge for personal use or possession of marijuana and of course...Read More

Smoking gun emails reveal Blair's 'deal in blood' with George Bush over Iraq war was forged a YEAR before the invasion had even started. Leaked White House memo shows former Prime Minister's support for war at summit with U.S. President in 2002. Bombshell document shows Blair preparing to act as spin doctor for Bush, who was told 'the UK will follow our lead.' Publicly, Bla...Read More

Investors in a relatively small Australian copper miner were rewarded on Friday when the stock added close to a third more value on a takeover offer.Aditya Birla Minerals (ASX:ABY), headquartered in India, closed up 30.56% Friday on close to triple average volumes, after an $86 million takeout attempt by Australia's Metals X Limited (ASX:MLX). Metals X is offering one of its shares for every five...Read More

When you're bullish, does it make more sense to buy a call or sell a put?Call buying and put selling are both considered "bullish" strategies, since they're based on the belief that the underlying stock will remain strong through expiration. However, these approaches are far from interchangeable. Here's a quick primer on when you should use each options strategy.Let's start with buying a call. Th...Read More

With the ongoing spending cuts global miners may be paving the way for a major supply shortage, says Wood Mackenzie.While miners are holding off on new projects and looking to slow the completion of ones in the works as they face the worst commodity price collapse since 2008, research house Wood Mackenzie warns the industry could be paving the way for a major supply shortage.In a presentation pr...Read More

Fed policymakers downplay divisions on U.S. rate hike … Federal Reserve policymakers are not as divided as it may appear and are generally operating under the same framework for determining when to raise interest rates, one Fed official said on Thursday, while another said the differences of opinion reflect the countervailing economic data. Many Fed watchers are exasperated by the mixed mess...Read More

Illinois Will Delay Pension Payment Because of Cash Shortage … Illinois will delay payments to its pension fund as a prolonged budget impasse causes a cash shortage, Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger said. The spending standoff between Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and Democratic legislative leaders has extended into its fourth month with no signs of ending. Munger said her office will p...Read More

Fed policymakers downplay divisions on U.S. rate hike … Federal Reserve policymakers are not as divided as it may appear and are generally operating under the same framework for determining when to raise interest rates, one Fed official said on Thursday, while another said the differences of opinion reflect the countervailing economic data. Many Fed watchers are exasperated by the mixed mess...Read More

Illinois Will Delay Pension Payment Because of Cash Shortage … Illinois will delay payments to its pension fund as a prolonged budget impasse causes a cash shortage, Comptroller Leslie Geissler Munger said. The spending standoff between Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and Democratic legislative leaders has extended into its fourth month with no signs of ending. Munger said her office will p...Read More

Although investment bank permabears haven't stopped issuing dire warnings on the outlook for the sector, the mining industry's big players are themselves slowly beginning to change tack.After 18 months of careful consideration Mick Davis appears to be close to pulling the trigger on a maiden investment for his $5.6 billion X2 fund.And that it's in probably the most depressed corner of the com...Read More