Nickel Mining News and Commentary

First Nickel closes a US$10 million loan facility with the Bank of Nova Scotia

Marketwire - Mining and Metals | May 19, 2012

First Nickel Inc. ("First Nickel", "FNI" or the "Company") (TSX:FNI) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a US$10 million revolving credit facility with The Bank of Nova Scotia ("BNS facility") with an initial 2 year term.

Junior resource investment in a financial meltdown – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Mineweb | May 19, 2012

Rick Rule's presentation at the New York Hard Assets Conference earlier this week sees some light for the informed junior resource investor despite current patterns which have mostly been Bad or Ugly!
Planetary Resources doesn’t want more people onboard its asteroids-mining ship

Cecilia Jamasmie | May 18, 2012

Less than a month after officially launching its asteroid-mining plans, Google’s billionaire co-founders and filmmaker James Cameron’s owned company Planetary Resources, has already decided not to accept any more job applications.
Expat execs in Africa: Without 'danger pay' how does the money stack up now?

Frik Els | May 17, 2012

Africa's economic indicators are all pointing up, but executive pay packages and living arrangements for expatriates are changing too.
Russian billionaire Prokhorov files for copper-nickel Toronto IPO

Mining Weekly | May 17, 2012

Move over Mark Zuckerberg. Russia’s Mikhail Prokhorov, who Forbes ranks as the 58th richest person globally, has filed a prospectus to list his Intergeo MMC in Toronto, announcing it the day before Facebook goes public.
CaNickel to suspend blasting and mill operations

Marketwire - Mining and Metals | May 16, 2012

CaNickel Mining Ltd. ("CaNickel" or the "Company") (TSX:CML) reports that the Company has received a stop work order from Manitoba's Workplace Safety and Health Division to cease blasting operations at the Company's Bucko Lake nickel mine.
Falling off the supercycle: BHP puts the brakes on capex, stock hits 3-year low

Frik Els | May 16, 2012

“Where the industry previously lacked investment opportunities and choice, it now has more projects than cash flows. All of us in the industry are having to make choices.”
Liberty Mines continues to expand nickel mineralization at its Hart Deposit

CNW Group | May 15, 2012

Liberty Mines Inc. today announced results from a deep drill program on its Hart Nickel Deposit that suggests increased mineralization at depth.
Indonesian Ni Ore export tax levied 20pct

Steel Guru | May 13, 2012

The Indonesian government enforced an export tax system effective May 6th 2012 in which 20% export tax is levied on 14 mineral products of Indonesian origin including nickel ore. As a result Japan and China, two major importers of the nickel ore from…
Vale invokes force majeure at nickel project

Reuters | May 11, 2012

Vale, the world's second-biggest nickel producer, said on Thursday it would suspend sales and purchase agreements at its Goro project on the French Pacific island of New Caledonia after an accident at the mine's sulfuric acid plant.
Nickel price alarm bells ring for Mirabela

Sydney Morning Herald | May 10, 2012

Perth-based Mirabela Nickel's share price has continued to slide today after dropping 30 per cent yesterday, which prompted a "please explain" by the Australian Securities Exchange and a one-day trading halt.
The commodity megatrend

Stephan Bogner, Rockstone Research Ltd | May 10, 2012

Commodities have experienced a renaissance after the bursting of the internet bubble at the end of the 20thcentury. The new and long-term upward trend began with most commodities in late 1990s and already lasts nearly 15 years. During this time, most commodity prices manifold strongly.
Qatar plonks $4 billion on Xstrata and hands Glasenberg another victory

Frik Els | May 10, 2012

The oil and natural gas rich nation's stake in the coal giant is now 8% with a target of over 10%, providing crucial back for Glencore CEO Ivan Glasenberg to push through the $90 billion merger with Xstrata.
BHP merging embattled aluminum and nickel divisions

Cecilia Jamasmie | May 10, 2012

BHP Billiton (NYSE:BHP) added to market rumors that its nickel business is not relevant for the miner anymore by announcing yesterday it had merged the stainless steel materials unit with another struggling division: aluminum.
New legal challenge filed against UP nickel mine

Associated Press | May 8, 2012

A private club in Michigan's Upper Peninsula has filed a federal lawsuit to halt construction of a nickel and copper mine, saying Kennecott Eagle Minerals Co. did not obtain necessary federal permits.
Commodities up after early drubbing on Europe; nickel jumps

Reuters Africa | May 7, 2012

Commodities rebounded on Monday after the huge selloff of the previous session, with nickel staging a big rally and bargain hunting lifting oil prices from their lows after investors shrugged off earlier fears about election outcomes in Europe.
Flood of nickel sparks price warning

Andrew Topf | May 7, 2012

More nickel coming onto the market from new or restarted mines is likely to depress the price of the metal used mainly in steelmaking, says Intierra:
South Africa mine casualty figures at record low

MINING.com News | May 6, 2012

Miningmx.com reports April has seen the lowest number of mining fatalities ever in South Africa, according to figures released by mines minister Susan Shabangu.
Goliath vs David and Goliath battle brewing over world-first 'stainless steel' deposit

Frik Els | May 5, 2012

Vancouver's First Point Minerals served notice of arbitration on Cliffs on Saturday because the iron and coal giant refuses to hand over crucial information about the tiny explorer's Decar project, set to become the world's first commercial nickel-iron alloy mine, effectively naturally-occurring 'stainless steel'. BlackRock, an asset manager with more than $3 trillion in assets picked up a stake in First Point two months ago.
Apple is a want – global resources are needs

Frank Holmes - U.S. Global Investors | May 4, 2012

Here’s a different way of showing how energy stocks have lagged.
Brazil's Government wins latest round in Vale tax match

Cecilia Jamasmie | May 4, 2012

Brazilian mining giant Vale (NYSE:VALE) announced the country's Superior Court of Justice ruled in favour of the federal tax authority in its appeal against an injunction granted in March suspending payment of taxes on overseas profits by the company.
First Nickel nearly doubles production in Q1

Andrew Topf | May 3, 2012

Toronto-based First Nickel (TSX:FNI) had a good quarter, raising its production at the Lockerby mine 87% from Q4 2011.
Strike and lower copper price hurt First Quantum production

Andrew Topf | May 2, 2012

A lower copper price and a strike at its Kansanshi mine in Zambia has bit into the bottom line at Africa-focused base metals producer First Quantum Minerals.
US metal and industrial metal mine salaries for 2011

Jack Caldwell | May 2, 2012

There is no such thing as an average miner. There is no such thing as an average salary. Yet we can get some idea of how well mining people are paid by looking at the average salaries for 2011 on US metal mines recently published CostMine.
2011 wages for US metal and industrial mineral mines

Jack Caldwell | May 1, 2012

There are conventionally 2,080 work hours in a year. Thus somebody earning a wage of $20 an hour gets the equivalent of a salary of about $42,000. Considering the mine manager makes about $100,000 to $150,000 a year, it is interesting to take a look at actual wages paid to miners in the United States in 2011.
Mining blamed for Canadian economy unexpected dip in February

Cecilia Jamasmie | May 1, 2012

Canada's gross domestic product surprisingly dropped 0.2% in February, with all fingers pointing at the manufacturing and mining sectors, particularly potash and nickel producers, as the main responsible, says the latest Statistics Canada report.