Spain-focused tungsten miner W Resources has secured a $35 million loan facility to fund its La Parilla development in southwest Spain, it said late last week.The lenders include one or more funds managed by BlackRock Financial Management, the miner said.The loan will have a five-year scheduled term, with a two-year non-call period, it added. W Resources has the right to repay the loan after two y...Read More

The week-long Lunar New Year holiday slowed down European and Chinese tungsten markets last week with little spot activity taking place. Chinese, European markets were subdued during Lunar New Year holidays Week-long holidays expected to tighten tungsten supply further Expectations of price increase after China returns to the market China's tungsten market was quiet last week amid thin...Read More

Non-ferrous metals producer Korea Zinc will increase sales of zinc from its directly owned smelting assets in 2018 by 8%, or 50,000 tonnes, while reducing its lead and silver volumes, it said on February 8.The company plans to cut sales of lead by 10,000 tonnes to a total of 410,000 tonnes, and to reduce silver sales by 10%, or 216 tonnes, to 1,900 tonnes.Zinc sales will increase to an annual tota...Read More

Domestic Chinese trading is preparing for a shake-up after the new International Energy Exchange (INE), a subsidiary of the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE), has announced it will allow non-Chinese companies to trade crude oil futures contracts.Following the release of a one-line statement from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) on February 9 that announced the launch of domestic cr...Read More

Exploring the Mariana lithium project in Argentina. Source: International Lithium Corp.International Lithium said the program, targeting the Fairservice Pegmatite 6 Prospect, consisted of nine core holes for a total of 1,591 metres, and delivered multiple intersections of spodumene-bearing pegmatite.Core has been cut and samples sent for laboratory analysis. Results are expected to be available ne...Read More

Low- and high-grade cobalt prices continued to overlap in the latest price assessment, with a supply squeeze coupled with strong demand for cobalt broken cathodes and briquettes for chemical applications at the core of new higher prices. Metal Bulletin assessed benchmark low-grade cobalt prices at $38-39.30 per lb, in-warehouse on Friday February 16, up by 25 cents on the low end of the range...Read More

Mining operations at the San Martin Mine in Queretaro, Mexico. Source: Starcore International Mining Ltd.During the third quarter of fiscal 2018, ended January 31, 2018, the company said a total of 65,598 tonnes was milled at the San Martin Mine in Queretaro at an average grade of 1.23 g/t gold and 16.46 g/t silver, resulting in production of 2,405 gold equivalent ounces.Mill recoveries averaged 8...Read More

The European antimony market continued to be supported last week by tightening supplies in Rotterdam while activity in the Chinese market slowed down due to the week-long Lunar New Year holidays.Metal Bulletin assessed MMTA standard grade II antimony in-warehouse Rotterdam prices at $8,400-8,700 per tonne on Friday February 16, unchanged from Wednesday when prices had moved up from $8,400-8,6...Read More

Turkish steel producers continued their deep-sea scrap purchases at the end of last week, which resulted in a rise in the daily scrap indices on Monday February 19....Read More

Turkish domestic prices for steel scrap have gone up slightly over the past week, in line with rising imported scrap costs, sources said on Monday February 19.Metal Bulletin's weekly price assessment for domestic auto bundle scrap (DKP grade) was TRY1,260-1,390 ($336-370) per tonne delivered on Monday, widening upward from last week's TRY1,260-1,385 per tonne.The change in the weekly assessment ca...Read More

Import prices for containerized heavy melting scrap (HMS) in Taiwan were stable last week on thin trading due to a major holiday in the territory. Metal Bulletin's assessment of import prices for United States-origin HMS 1&2 (80:20) into Taiwan was $320-325 per tonne cfr for the week ended Friday February 16, the same as a week...Read More

Non-ferrous metals producer Korea Zinc will increase sales of zinc from its directly owned smelting assets in 2018 by 8%, or 50,000 tonnes, while reducing its lead and silver volumes, it said on February 8.The company plans to cut sales of lead by 10,000 tonnes to a total of 410,000 tonnes, and to reduce silver sales by 10%, or 216 tonnes, to 1,900 tonnes.Zinc sales will increase to an annual tota...Read More

I’m not judging, I do the same thing. Being attracted to negative news is ingrained into the psyche.Biologically speaking, it is a trait that makes you aware of danger, and therefore more likely to avoid it. But in the modern world, the negative headlines don’t help us avoid danger.In fact, the depressing news drags us into the biggest danger in the modern world.Listening to the “...Read More

The metals complex on the London Metal Exchange is down an average of 0.1%, with the exceptions of aluminium that is off 0.6% ($2,186 per tonne) and nickel that is up 0.8% ($13,775 per tonne). Copper prices are off 0.1% at $7,177 per tonne. Volumes have been light with 2,354 lots traded as of 07:53 am London time. This follows a mixed performance on Friday when aluminium and tin prices were up 2.1...Read More

Prices in the Commonwealth of Independent States' export markets for hot-rolled coil (HRC) and cold-rolled coil (CRC) have gone up again amid low availability of March-rolled material."Material allocation is very limited and producers are not ready to negotiate," one trader told Metal Bulletin.Metal Bulletin's weekly price assessment for CIS-origin HRC exports was $585-600 per tonne fob Black Sea...Read More

*This speech was delivered at the Vancouver Resource Investment Conference on January 21-22, 2018Peter Schiff is an internationally recognized economist specializing in the foreign equity, currency and gold markets. Mr. Schiff made his name as President and Chief Global Strategist of Euro Pacific Capital. He frequently delivers lectures at major economic and investment conferences, and is quoted o...Read More

Import prices for re-rolling-grade hot-rolled coil sold into Vietnam were unchanged over the past week amid inactivity in the spot market.Metal Bulletin's assessment of HRC import prices in Southeast Asia - which mainly looks at Chinese 2-3mm SAE1006 HRC and equivalent grades sold into Vietnam - was $607-620 per tonne cfr for the week ended Monday February 19, unchanged...Read More

Dear Friend of GATA and Gold:Financial letter writer Clive Maund still can't bear the thought that central banks might be interfering with his technical analysis of the gold market.In his "Gold Market Update" posted at GoldSeek today --http://news.goldseek.com/CliveMaund/1519050780.php-- Maund writes: "There has been much grumbling and muttering within the gold community about how 'The Cartel' a...Read More

By Daniel R. Amerman, CFAFor most retirees age 65 and over, the spending power which they rely on from government retirement programs is their Social Security benefits after their Medicare Part B premiums have been withheld. Because Social Security is in theory supposed to be fully inflation indexed, many people believe their standards of living in retirement will be fully protected from inflati...Read More

By Avi GilburtFor those that follow me regularly, you will know that I have been tracking a set-up for the VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF (NYSEARCA:GDX), which I analyze as a proxy for the metals mining market. I believe that GDX can outperform the general equity market once we confirm a long-term break out has begun, and I still think we can see it in occur in 2018. This week, I will provide an...Read More