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

What Would You Ask Ben Bernanke If You Had the Chance? … So here's the picture: You're sitting in the psychiatrist's chair, legs crossed and notebook ready. Across from you is Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Federal Reserve and probably the most influential person in the world when it comes to financial markets and the economy. Your mission is to find out what makes him tick, t...Read More

China Money Rates Retreat After PBOC Said to Inject Cash … China's benchmark money-market rates retreated from records after the central bank was said to have made funds available to lenders amid a cash squeeze. The one-day repurchase rate dropped 384 basis points, or 3.84 percentage points, to 7.90 percent as of 9:33 a.m. in Shanghai, according to a weighted average compiled by the Nati...Read More

Trusting in our new security state … Big data? No. Vast data, enormous data, unimaginably colossal data ties our world together. Some have said it also ties us down, since departments like the National Security Agency are combing through a part of our huge reservoir for intelligence on foreigners who might threaten the U.S. Yet this behavior is now the status quo, one that will not go away,...Read More

Twice As Many Turn Out at DC Tea Party Rally Than See Obama in Berlin … The Tea Party Patriots held their Audit The IRS Rally today on the West Lawn of the US Capitol. Speakers included: Sen. Rand Paul, Sen. Ted Cruz, Glenn Beck, Rep. Michele Bachmann, Jenny Beth Martin, Rep. Steve King, Rep. Dave Camp, Rep. Louie Gohmert, Rep. Jim Jordan, Rep. Tim Huelskamp, Dana Loesch, Jim Hoft, Niger Inn...Read More

No Taper Tipoff: Fed Keeps the Easing … The Federal Reserve will keep its version of the monetary printing press running a while longer, though Chairman Ben Bernanke provided hints Wednesday that the days of extreme easing are coming to a close. At a news conference, the central bank chief said if the economy continues to improve the asset-purchasing program could start winding down towards...Read More

No Taper Tipoff: Fed Keeps the Easing … The Federal Reserve will keep its version of the monetary printing press running a while longer, though Chairman Ben Bernanke provided hints Wednesday that the days of extreme easing are coming to a close. At a news conference, the central bank chief said if the economy continues to improve the asset-purchasing program could start winding down towards...Read More

When it comes to commodity stocks, there is perhaps no name more prolific than BHP Billiton Ltd (BHP). The Australian-based natural resource giant has operations across the world and has its hands in everything from iron ore and natural gas to aluminum and diamond mining. And while the company's over 150-year history is certainly a testament to its success, BHP Billiton has recently fallen out of...Read More

While the global economic slowdown has impacted nearly every corner of the investable universe, one commodity group that has been hit particularly hard has been energy. Oil, gas, coal, and even nuclear power have all fallen victim to sluggish economic growth and dwindling global demand. And in its annual energy report, BP takes a closer look at how exactly the global recession has impacted the sup...Read More

It used to be that coal dominated energy consumption around the world, as this fossil fuel was both abundant and relatively cheap to use. But as big oil stepped in, the past few decades have seen dependence on coal cool off. In more recent years, coal has taken an even bigger hit as developed countries have attacked the fuel source for its negative environmental impact. As fracking continues to pi...Read More

India's Golden Problem … The legendary Indian obsession with purchasing gold has been passed down for generations. Families purchase gold on auspicious religious occasions and, in larger quantities, for weddings. It forms a significant part of savings, particularly in rural areas, and is often passed down as inheritance. Today, however, it is also being credited as one of the main reason...Read More

India's Golden Problem … The legendary Indian obsession with purchasing gold has been passed down for generations. Families purchase gold on auspicious religious occasions and, in larger quantities, for weddings. It forms a significant part of savings, particularly in rural areas, and is often passed down as inheritance. Today, however, it is also being credited as one of the main reason...Read More

The Kimberley Process, an international watchdog set up to stop the trade of so called "conflict diamonds," has suspended Central African Republic from the global body after a rebel coalition seized power in the nation last March.Reuters reports the resolution was passed by current Kimberley Process chair, South Africa, and sent to its 80 member states Monday.The ban, which comes weeks after rebel...Read More

Don't be fooled: Gold is no currency … An investment in search of a believable story …Gold is an investment in search of a story — or at least one that's true more often than not. That's not to say there aren't lots of tales told around gold … Gold bugs spun that yarn on the notion that paper currencies — especially the dollar — were having their...Read More

Goldman: Four Reasons Why the Market is Going Much Higher … Last night's much-buzzed about research report from Goldman Sachs, in which the firm lays out its new S&P targets, contains an interesting rationale for higher stock prices. Rather than making the bull case based on earnings growth, Goldman believes that the 2% dividend yield on the S&P 500 will serve as a rising floor...Read More

Don't be fooled: Gold is no currency … An investment in search of a believable story …Gold is an investment in search of a story — or at least one that's true more often than not. That's not to say there aren't lots of tales told around gold … Gold bugs spun that yarn on the notion that paper currencies — especially the dollar — were having their...Read More

Goldman: Four Reasons Why the Market is Going Much Higher … Last night's much-buzzed about research report from Goldman Sachs, in which the firm lays out its new S&P targets, contains an interesting rationale for higher stock prices. Rather than making the bull case based on earnings growth, Goldman believes that the 2% dividend yield on the S&P 500 will serve as a rising floor...Read More

Credit Suisse: 'Gold Is Going To Get Crushed' … Bearish sentiment toward gold has prices for the yellow metal tumbling again. On Wednesday, George Soros revealed through a regulatory filing that he cut his gold exposure during the first quarter. In a new note to clients, Credit Suisse's Ric Deverall forecasted that gold would plunge to $1,100 this year and eventually to $1,000 wi...Read More

Credit Suisse: 'Gold Is Going To Get Crushed' … Bearish sentiment toward gold has prices for the yellow metal tumbling again. On Wednesday, George Soros revealed through a regulatory filing that he cut his gold exposure during the first quarter. In a new note to clients, Credit Suisse's Ric Deverall forecasted that gold would plunge to $1,100 this year and eventually to $1,000 wi...Read More

Why Has $1 Billion in Gold been Shipped from New York to South Africa? … In what may be the strangest story I have seen in a while related to the gold market, it appears $982 million worth of gold has left JFK international airport in New York to some undisclosed location in South Africa. While it remains unclear what purpose this gold serves, it seems the most likely explanation is to fulfi...Read More

Why Has $1 Billion in Gold been Shipped from New York to South Africa? … In what may be the strangest story I have seen in a while related to the gold market, it appears $982 million worth of gold has left JFK international airport in New York to some undisclosed location in South Africa. While it remains unclear what purpose this gold serves, it seems the most likely explanation is to fulfi...Read More