April 9, 2012

$8.4 billion rare earth deposit discovered in Brazil

Brazilian miner World Mineral Resources (WMR) has found a large reserve of neodymium, one of the 17 rare earth elements, in the western Bahia state, which could bring US$8.4 billion…

April 9, 2012

Ready, set, go: China’s long-awaited rare earth industry group is already here

In a move to curb the rampant domestic illegal mining of rare earth, as well as to regulate its rare earths players, China launched on Sunday its industry association for…

April 8, 2012

Chinese woman gets death sentence for gold and futures trading fraud

A female trader has been sentenced to death in China's Zhejiang province for defrauding investors out of around US$15 million after losing their money through speculation in gold and futures.

April 7, 2012

China’s gold demand will not be dented even by its hard landing

Having just returned from another visit to China, where I had the opportunity to talk with a number of “insiders” in the Chinese gold community, I am more convinced than…

April 6, 2012

Top 10 gold producers: Indonesia leaves 31 tonnes underground

The price of gold averaged $1,571 an ounce in 2011 meaning the South East Asian country missed out on $1,7 billion in potential revenue.

April 6, 2012

Watchdog finds aluminum in local pastries

Chinese crullers and donuts from famous eateries have been found to contain aluminum, which is a health risk causing problems to the kidney and brain, a consumer watchdog said yesterday.

April 6, 2012

Molycorp, Inc. and Rare Element Resources Ltd. rise as China hoards rare earth metals

The increasingly high prices and supply constraints have forced the US, along with Europe and Japan, to file a complaint against China with the World Trade Organization. China holds approximately…

April 5, 2012

Potash prices steady as contracts continue

Recent potash contract placements by some of the world’s largest buyers have raised hopes of a resurgence in the fortunes of potash companies and their investors.

April 5, 2012

Too much of a good thing?

A recent study published by Canberra-based think tank The Australia Institute calls for a slowdown in mining investment.

April 4, 2012

Valemax No. 8 has not even loaded its first ore and it’s already worth 36% less than it cost

According to website VesselsValue.com the latest Valemax is worth 36% less than the $107 million the Brazilian iron ore titan paid for it last year because of a "slump in…