March 15, 2012

East China iron mine accident kills 13

Thirteen people had been confirmed dead after a mining capsule fell out of control into a pit at an iron ore mine in Shandong province Thursday, local authorities said.

March 15, 2012

Sandvik awarded bolter miner contract in China for Shenhua Shendong coal

Sandvik has signed contracts including 21 bolter miners with Shenhua Shendong. The value of the contracts exceeds SEK500 million and delivery of the equipment is scheduled during 2012 and 2013.

March 14, 2012

China consolidates position as World No. 1 gold miner

China's annual gold production continues to grow comfortably maintaining its position as the world's biggest gold miner assuming official statistics tell the full picture - which they may not!

March 14, 2012

Down but not out, iron ore prices float to 5-week high

Hope for the beleaguered iron ore sector has come in the form of higher prices and signs that steel demand is picking up in China, Reuters reports.

March 14, 2012

Uralkali cutting Potash output 40%

OAO Uralkali, the world’s biggest potash producer by output, is cutting first-quarter production by about 40% from a year earlier after China and India postponed purchases and may further reduce…

March 13, 2012

US, Japan and the E.U. dispute China’s decision on rare earths at the WTO

The U.S., Japan and the European Union have filed an official complaint at the World Trade Organization this morning, urging the body to take actions against China’s restrictions on these…

March 13, 2012

China gives miners another scare as $58 billion monthly swing hands it largest trade deficit in 12 years

MarketWatch quotes  Nomura economist Zhiwei Zhang as saying:  "Overall, economic conditions are getting weaker at a fast pace. The slowdown is happening faster than the government expected."

March 9, 2012

Euphoria over Molycorp deal may soon turn to despair. China’s grip is as strong as ever and rare earth prices are still dropping

Molycorp's mould-breaking deal with Neo Material Technologies sent its shares rocketing in New York on Friday and some industry observers say the tie-up creates a vertically integrated company that will…

March 9, 2012

Molycorp to acquire leading rare earth processor Neo Material Technologies in $1.3 billion deal

Molycorp and Neo Material Technologies Thursday announced the signing of a definitive agreement under which Molycorp will acquire Neo Materials for approximately CDN $1.3 billion. This will create one of…

March 9, 2012

Rare earth abundance: China could come close to doubling exports

China, the world’s largest supplier of rare earth, may almost double exports this year, meeting quotas set by the government as lower prices continue to stimulate demand.