A prospective rare earths mine that could become a longterm supplier of neodymium and praseodymium has been green-lighted by the state Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).Arafura Resources (ASX:ARU) on Friday received approval from the Northern Territory Environment Protection Authority (EPA), after an assessment process lasting more than two years. The EPA found that the risks from mining...Read More

A tanker carrying Iranian oil and run by the country's top oil shipping firm was ablaze and spewing cargo into the East China Sea on Sunday after colliding with a Chinese freight ship, leaving the tanker's 32 crew members missing, the Chinese government said.Read full newsRead More

SYDNEY, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Australia on Monday said it expects iron ore prices to average $51.50 a tonne this year, down 20 percent from 2017, because of rising global supply and moderating demand from top importer China as its steel sector shrinks.The world's top three mining companies, BHP and Vale rely heavily on iron ore sales for the bulk of their revenue despite efforts to diversify more int...Read More

Jan 8 (Reuters) - Australian shares are poised to extend gains to a fourth straight session on Monday after touching 10-year highs last week, following a strong leads from Wall Street.The S&P 500 and Nasdaq notched their best weekly gains in more than a year on Friday as technology stocks helped lift major indexes to records. The local share price index futures rose 0.3 percent or 18 points to...Read More

Jan 8 (Reuters) - Stock MarketsNet ChngStock MarketsNet ChngS&P/ASX 200** 6,122.345.2NZX 50**8,455.55 12.05DJIA**25,295.87220.74NIKKEI**23,714.53208.20Nasdaq**7,136.55858.643FTSE**7,724.22 28.34S&P 500** 2,743.15 19.16 Hang Seng** 30,814.6478.16SPI 200 Fut 6,092.018.0STI** 3,489.45 -11.71SSEC**3,391.750106.0399KOSPI** 2,497.52 31.06----------------------------------------------------------...Read More

In a move that will certainly not end well for investors, the New York Stock Exchange has asked the SEC to approve five ETFs including 2x leveraged and inverse flavors, linked to Bitcoin futures.Read full newsRead More

For months now, deteriorating economic conditions, a worsening humanitarian crisis, and social unrest in Venezuela have threatened the ability of the Maduro regime to govern.. Lack of revenues has put the nation on the brink of default on several occasions and Venezuela's oil production and export volumes have markedly declined. The political crisis has been magnified by President Nicolas Maduro's...Read More

The U.S. is on track to overtake Russia and Saudi Arabia as the world's leading oil producer for the first time since 1975, according to a forecast from Rystad Energy.Read full newsRead More

Jan 8 (Reuters) - Stock MarketsNet ChngStock MarketsNet ChngS&P/ASX 200** 6,122.30 45.20 NZX 50**8,455.55 12.05DJIA25,295.87220.74NIKKEI**23,714.53208.20Nasdaq7,136.55858.64 FTSE**7,724.22 28.34S&P 500 2,743.15 19.16 Hang Seng** 30,814.6478.16SPI 200 Fut 6,092.018STI** 3,489.45 -11.71SSEC**3,392.36 6.65KOSPI** 2,497.52 31.06------------------------------------------------------------------...Read More

(Repeats story first published Friday with no changes to text)By David RandallNEW YORK, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Value stocks are getting a once-over from some U.S. growth fund managers in early 2018 as they prowl for overlooked shares they think have more upside in a market that gained nearly 20 percent last year. Value stocks, so labeled because they typically sport lower price-to-earnings valuations,...Read More

An Iranian oil tanker sailing to South Korea collided with a cargo ship off China's coast and caught fire, leaving at least 32 people missing on Sunday.Read full newsRead More

Cheating and shale will be overcome by compliance.Read full newsRead More

Crew of 32 missing after tanker collides with freighter roughly 300km off the coast of Shanghai.Read full newsRead More

The Panama-registered tanker was sailing from Iran to South Korea, carrying 136,000 tonnes of condensate, an ultra light crude. That is equivalent to just under 1 million barrels, worth about $60 million, based on global crude oil prices.Read full newsRead More

The big story for investors in 2017 was the broad-based rally in stocks. Simply by owning equities of any shape or size, you likely made out very nicely. Domestic large-cap stocks were up about 20% as measured by the S&P 500 SPX, +0.13% Other markets did even better, with broad global funds like the Vanguard Total International ETF VXUS, +0.09% up about 25% and the popular iShares FTSE/Xinhua...Read More

BARCELONA, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank should set a date to end its asset-buying programme, the head of Germany's Bundesbank, Jens Weidmann, told Spanish newspaper El Mundo.Tipped as a potential candidate to succeed ECB President Mario Draghi when his term expires at the end of October 2019, Weidmann is a vocal critic of the bank's quantitative easing programme."The prospects...Read More

BEIJING, Jan 7 (Reuters) - The China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) may issue its first U.S. dollar-denominated bond by the end of June this year, according to a state media report on Sunday citing the bank's treasurer Soren Elbech.The earliest issuance window will be "toward the end of the first half of 2018," to allow time for certain procedures, including the board...Read More

DUBAI, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's stock market rose in early trade on Sunday after King Salman announced a package of handouts for Saudi citizens to compensate them for the rising cost of living, while several blue chips boosted Qatar's market.The Saudi index gained 0.5 percent in the first hour as real estate developer Dar Al Arkan , the most heavily traded stock, added 2.4 percent. Among t...Read More

* China's FX reserves climb by $20 bln in December* Economists polled by Reuters expected reserves to rise by $6 bln* Eleventh month of gains, longest stretch since June 2014* Reserves rise $129.5 bln in 2017, first annual gain since 2014 (Updating to add forex regulator's comment in 7th para)BEIJING, Jan 7 (Reuters) - China's foreign exchange reserves rose to their highest in more than a year in...Read More

Several big mining companies are bringing new projects online, while others will see production decline in the year ahead.Read full newsRead More