Copper $ 5.462 / lb 1.89%

Brent Crude Oil $ 63.75 / bbl 0.71%

Palladium $ 1502.2 / ozt 1.36%

Crude Oil $ 60.08 / bbl 0.64%

Natural Gas $ 5.289 / Btu 4.18%

Silver Futures $ 59.053 / ozt 2.59%

Aluminum Futures $ 2861 / ton 0.00%

Micro Gold Futures $ 4273.8 / ozt 0.14%

Micro Silver Futures $ 59.053 / ozt 2.66%

Platinum $ 1660.5 / ozt -0.17%

Gold Futures $ 4243 / ozt 0.08%

Go to MDC Markets

Frik Els , Editor

Frik has 20 years’ experience as a business journalist across a range of industries including automotive, technology and entertainment markets. Frik has an entry in Global Mining Observer’s Who’s Who of Mining 2018, and contributions to publications and conferences including Business Insider, Investing.com, Mines & Money London and New York, Vancouver Resources Investment, Progressive Mine Forum in Toronto and Canadian Mining Symposium in London, UK. He’s been interviewed on CBC Radio and Korea State TV and quoted in the Financial Post.

Posts by Frik Els:

China's radical reforms may prompt massive safe haven buying of gold

World’s largest coal company muscling in on world’s largest metallurgical deposit

"Shenhua is the most competitive bidder for the project given its technology, transport infrastructure, access to the Chinese market and the backing of the Chinese government," Shenhua CEO Ling Wen told reporters.

Frik Els | March 26, 2012 | 10:58 pm

Nickel mining in Philippines: provincial governor to be charged with murder of anti-mining activist

In January last year local radio broadcaster Gerry Ortega, who fought hard for a ban on mining on Palawan was slain and now the Philippines' Department of Justice asked for murder charges to be filed against former Palawan Governor Joel Reyes and four others in connection with his death.

Frik Els | March 26, 2012 | 8:59 pm

Win some lose some: Gold Fields delving deeper into Philippines, suspends drilling in Mali

Nick Holland of CEO Gold Fields said on Monday the company has plonked $63 million on a second gold-copper project in the Philippines. The globe's fourth-largest gold miner also announced it is suspending drilling in Mali, Africa's third largest gold producer following a military coup.

Frik Els | March 26, 2012 | 5:31 pm

Breakdown: All the gold price indicators now point down

“Sentiment towards gold is as low as it has been for many years, possibly since the rally started. ... For virtually the first time this cycle, buying gold is a contrarian trade.”

Frik Els | March 23, 2012 | 12:48 am

Chinese style capitalism leads to capital punishment for 31-year old tycoon

"Wu's death penalty is a setback for the cause of reform in China. Judging from this case, how far are we from the market economy? At least 300 years."

Frik Els | March 23, 2012 | 12:30 am

Glencore-Xstrata merger won’t happen this year

EU regulators are stepping up scrutiny of the mooted $90 billion merger of the commodities trader and coal giant and the whole vetting process could take until early 2013. That is if the deal goes ahead at all.

Frik Els | March 22, 2012 | 8:48 pm

Investors give miners another kicking after China manufacturing shrinks

None of mining's top companies escaped the carnage on Thursday after a survey of manufacturing in China showed activity slowed for a fifth straight month.

Frik Els | March 22, 2012 | 7:20 pm

Big guns all on board for Beijing’s new spot iron ore trading platform

Beijing launched the new spot price platform in January in a bid to shift the balance of power in price negotiations away from the big three.

Frik Els | March 22, 2012 | 5:21 pm

Oyu Tolgoi named one of ’10 Beautiful Places We Could Destroy With Human Drilling’

The widely read Huffington Post in one of its characteristically breathless pieces on the environment on Tuesday calls out Ivanhoe Mines’ Mongolian project.

Frik Els | March 20, 2012 | 8:34 pm

Billions hacked off mining majors after BHP’s China comments

"The big infrastructure build clearly will come to some end," Ian Ashby, BHP's chief of iron ore said on Tuesday.

Frik Els | March 20, 2012 | 4:54 pm

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Featured Post

Value of EV battery nickel second highest on record, cobalt at 30-month high

Low LFP-penetration markets, Europe is off to the races in 2025 and US buyers pull forward purchases before subsidies end.

Frik Els | November 24, 2025 | 3:01 pm