Iron ore boon
March 9 - 15, 2010
THE iron boom is not only back but it never drew breath, if you can believe the figures amassed by the Australian Bureau of Resource Economics.
It’s not cricket
March 2 - 8, 2010
MARCH 8: AUSTRALIAN manufacturer CQMS Razer and coal giant BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) will this weekend host a McGrath Foundation fund raiser in the heart of Queensland’s Bowen Basin coalfield. The Dig Deep for Charity 2010 event in Mackay aims to raise $A100,000 or more.
Reasons for nickel optimism
March 2 - 8, 2010
‘FROM laggard to leader, where next for the nickel price” is naturally the sort of question everybody in the sector wants to know the answer to. The answer, if it can be believed, will please producers.
OZ just getting buy
February 23 - March 1, 2010
IN THE space of a month Citi has upgraded its assessment of OZ Minerals from “sell” to “hold” to “buy” (at $A1.03/share), with the investment bank currently of the opinion that the stock is at levels that may attract private equity, or even a management buyout/leveraged buyout.
Cigar Lake test looming
February 16 - 22, 2010
THE uranium sector will be waiting with some scepticism and not a little trepidation for Cameco’s financial results briefing next week, at which time an update on progress at the stymied, but major, Cigar Lake project in Canada is to be given.
DMS paves way for Yukon DFS
February 9 - 15, 2010
HUGH Bresser, the managing director of zinc hopeful Overland Resources, is expecting significant market interest in the company he heads once the news flow increases following a $A6 million capital raising.
Rare aired at Indaba
February 9 - 15, 2010
GOLD and rare earths were among the commodities getting the ticks at Indaba while those in the uranium sector may have to bunker down for a couple of years and those with iron ore dreams should enjoy the good times while they last.
88 meetings later ... it's not all bad
February 2 - 8, 2010
WHILE there has clearly been a turn for the worse in sentiment towards metals and mining in the past few weeks – January was the worst month for commodities in the past 12 months – it’s certainly not a unilaterally negative scenario either. Not yet anyway.
All about the infrastructure
February 2 - 8, 2010
INFRASRUCTURE is the only game in town for bulk commodities and in the Mid West of Western Australia a new deal between Sinosteel Midwest and Gindalbie Metals may point the way ahead for other iron ore wannabes.
RBS highlights Kentor upside
January 26 - February 1, 2010
AS THOSE with low grade deposits are always quick to point out, grade is only one part of the equation. Kentor Gold’s Andash project in the Kyrgrz Republic is perhaps a case in point, although admittedly multi-metal deposits can clearly enjoy a big advantage over their single metal peers.
Seafloor copper the next wave
January 26 - February 1, 2010
PERHAPS the biggest game changer in copper supply town took another small step for mankind earlier this month with Nautilus Minerals receiving a final environmental permit for the development of its underwater Solwara 1 project.
Phosphate minnow targets 2011 production
January 26 - February 1, 2010
KRUCIBLE Metals continues to highlight the likelihood of becoming a phosphate producer in Queensland next year, and one broker now covering the stock has pointed to such a venture having the potential to generate annual earnings “in the order of tens of millions of dollars”.
Merry Xmas and a joyous New Decade!
December 21 - 27, 2009
EXPLORERS and miners and their various consultants, suppliers and contractors got an early Christmas present this month that would have had them beaming with the extremely bullish forecasts of investment bank UBS.
Haycock joins HighGrade team
December 21 - 27, 2009
DECEMBER 14: KATE Haycock, editor of respected daily mining news service MiningNews.net for the past two years, has joined HighGrade as its new business and companies editor.
Focus pours gold
December 21 - 27, 2009
JANUARY 14: COOLGARDIE miner Focus Minerals has poured the first gold from the recommissioned Three Mile Hill plant as the company sets its sights on calendar 2010 production of more than 80,000oz of gold at $A500-550/oz cash cost.
Xstract confirms expansion
December 7 - 13, 2009
XSTRACT Mining Consultants has confirmed a January 11 start date for new Perth-based team leader Mark Murphy, who is leaving a role with Rio Tinto to take up the Xstract post.
Platinum prospects good for rising Aquarius
November 23 - 29, 2009
NOVEMBER 30: PLATINUM and platinum group elements could be for an interesting year in 2010 on the pricing front, with obvious ramifications for the more highly leveraged stocks in the sector.
Gold in them thar oceans
November 16 - 22, 2009
AS GLOBAL gold discoveries continue to decline Anglogold Ashanti is reportedly heading offshore to see what it can find under the world’s oceans.
More trucks to make up for lost time
November 16 - 22, 2009
THE key positive from the Equinox Minerals quarterly released this week was the news that Hitachi is to mobilise additional trucks to make up for lost fleet availability at the large-scale Lumwana copper project in Zambia.
Britain's nuclear news won't fire up uranium: Citi
November 9 - 15, 2009
URANIUM contenders and producers are banking on the strong global growth of nuclear power generation in the years ahead to generate strong demand for their commodity of choice. Luckily, the United Kingdom will make up only a relatively small part of the equation.
Potash fundamentals have right flavour
November 9 - 15, 2009
POTASH features most of the fundamental hallmarks of a commodity miners find attractive, including a strong demand outlook and supply issues that suggest the market isn’t in danger of being swamped.
Mincor aims for Tottenham spur
November 2 - 8, 2009
HIGHLY successful nickel miner Mincor Resources is aiming to significantly boost copper resources in the months ahead at the company’s Tottenham copper project in New South Wales.
Barrick-ing for copper
October 12 - 18, 2009
GOLD industry leader Barrick continues to prove its predilection for copper with deals this week in Chile and Papua New Guinea.
Copperbelt eyes big IPO
September 21 - 27, 2009
ANOTHER significant copper project in the Democratic Republic of Congo is set to be unveiled in the months ahead as a company by the name of Copperbelt Minerals eyes a big IPO in the New Year on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Proto promo was premature
August 24 - 30, 2009
WARNINGS* that caution was warranted with the Proto Resources & Investments copper “discovery” at Lindeman’s Bore announced back in June have been borne out, with the official assay results a pale shadow of what was initially promoted.
Reed, Heron investors positive about deals
August 17 - 23, 2009
NEW opportunities being taken up by well credentialed ASX juniors Reed Resources and Heron Resources in starkly different commodities could show the market for new projects may not be quite as moribund as some may have feared. Not that the jury can immediately deliver such a positive verdict just yet.
Ausenco rebuilds work schedule
August 10 - 16, 2009
AUSENCO boss Zimi Meka’s belief in the durability of the engineering firm’s ties to emerging projects put on the backburner in the second half of 2008 is proving prophetic. “Good projects always get developed,” he told HighGrade more than six months ago.
Rigs can’t be sold ‘for love or money’
August 10 - 16, 2009
DRILLING contractor Boart Longyear, a dear friend of banks in its short life as a public company, will continue to receive support from them as it seeks to survive through the current downturn, according to Credit Suisse. However, shareholders should get set to shoulder more of Boart’s debt strain – including onerous new lending terms – via a hefty equity funding call.
Cat sees end to turmoil
July 20 - 26, 2009
AMERICAN earthmoving machinery giant Caterpillar has dropped to a $US32 billion-a-year revenue run rate but is still forecasting 2009 sales of between $US32-36 billion, down from $51.324 billion last year. Terex Corporation’s equipment sales dropped into the same chasm, down a staggering 55% year-on-year.
Zircon producers face bleak choice
July 13 - 19, 2009
ZIRCON is not an investment space to be in with the severity of the global recession resulting in a marked deterioration prospects for consumption in 2009 and beyond, with surpluses seen for at least the next few years.
Robotic trucks haul 5Mt
July 13 - 19, 2009
RIO Tinto says it passed five million tonnes of iron ore production with the “driverless” mine trucks at its West Angeles test pit in the June quarter, when it hit an annualised 200Mt production run-rate in the Pilbara.
Phosphate on the menu
July 6 - 12, 2009
PHOSPHATE companies all over the globe had cause for an ironic laugh last month at the goings on at a glamorous party held annually in Peppermint Grove, one of the most salubrious western suburbs of Western Australia’s capital city of Perth.
More pressure on high cost platinum miners
June 29 - July 5, 2009
THE proposed merger of Sylvania Resources and Finland’s Ruukki Group is not good news for those at the wrong end of the PGM cost curve.
RBC likes rare earths
June 22 - 28, 2009
THE rare earth sector has got another big tick from a market professional, with RBC Capital Markets pointing out a number of supportive factors in a note on Canadian firm Neo Material Technologies.
Silver Swan gets funding boost
June 22 - 28, 2009
NEARLY half the successful applicants for Western Australian Government exploration incentive funds are gold explorers who could spend a total of more than $A5 million drilling new targets over the next 12 months.
Proto hit raises questions
June 15 - 21, 2009
THE dearth of big discoveries in recent years has been disappointing so no doubt there will be many hoping Proto Resources & Investments has come up with the goods at the promising Lindeman’s Bore project in the Northern Territory.
South America beckons for engineer
June 1 - 7, 2009
AUSTIN Engineering and Bradken share a similar focus on mine earthmoving supplies and the smaller company’s long-term growth prospects – with Bradken buying 13.2% of Austin in October last year. They also have expansion in South America near the top of their list of strategic priorities.
Moving target
May 18 - 24, 2009
AGAIN, it seems small miners are damned if they do and if they don’t, with regards taking advantage of opportunities to raise funds in what are still most certainly uncertain times. Well damn the naysayers, says Northern Iron’s Mick McMullen, especially if they don’t do their homework.
WSA eases balance sheet pressure
May 11 - 17, 2009
STRONG demand for Western Areas shares despite balance sheet concerns and a nickel market that continues to look ugly reflects the quality of the emerging miner’s prospects.
Scarce Lizard de-tails
May 11 - 17, 2009
WIDE analyst estimates on what the Kagara – Western Areas deal could actually mean in terms of the dollars and cents beggars the question as to whether a few more details should be forthcoming from those heading publicly listed companies. For if the professionals have little idea of how a deal might translate, then what chance for the foot soldiers of the market?
Quality in PanAust package
May 4 - 10, 2009
UBS has become the latest investment bank to cover emerging Lao copper-gold miner PanAust, with the successful commissioning of Phu Kham operation highlighting four things to like about the $A650 million capitalised company.
Boseto copper base builds
May 4 - 10, 2009
DISCOVERY Metals has added to its copper resource base in Botswana as work continues on completing the Boseto bankable feasibility study by early 2010.
Raiders revive lost art
May 4 - 10, 2009
CARPETBAGGERS from the West have engineered a spill of the Regis Resources board after shareholders voted to install a former gang-of-three from Equigold atop their company. One of the big lessons from the Regis story is probably a message many of the hard nosed technical people in the industry probably won’t want to hear.
Kagara fortunes turning
May 4 - 10, 2009
KAGARA has emphatically returned to the winner's circle in recent week thanks to better metals sentiment generally and the market’s faith in the copper and zinc miner being able to successfully navigate its way through debt issues. Evidently, according to recent buyers of the stock, a big gold IPO shouldn’t be a problem.
Miners now likely to mark time
April 27 - May 3, 2009
PREVIOUSLY nervous mining analyst-types are the sort investors should be wary of if they’ve now changed their tune and begun expressing confidence in their coverage of the resources sector.
QMASTOR adds new link in logistics chain
April 27 - May 3, 2009
MOST mining service and technology companies are waiting and watching on the M&A front but IT minnow QMASTOR has decided now is a good time to pounce on Hunter Valley logistics management company Coal Link Australia. ABN AMRO Morgans agrees.
China balance in copper equation
April 20 - 26, 2009
GOLDMAN Sachs JBWere is one firm that certainly hasn’t given up hope for copper in 2009, increasing its price forecasts for both this year and next. Perhaps significantly, the positive price forecast is its first metal upgrade since June 2008.
Vale threat to contracts
April 13 - 19, 2009
BRAZILIAN major Vale will have iron ore competitors (both big and small) pulling their hair out if anecdotal reports about aggressive selling at spot prices to all and sundry in China prove accurate.
Yellowcake encourages return of China bulls
April 6 - 12, 2009
MARCH 30: SUPPORT for the market prospects of uranium equities continues to return, with RBC Capital Markets the latest to back the sector.
Orica initiates longer term growth
March 30 - April 5, 2009
EXPLOSIVES giant Orica continues to feel the general mining service sector malaise despite good underlying performance, according to Sydney-based Fat Prophets, which nevertheless believes management will need to fire this year to deliver improved profitability.
Spot the real trend
February 23 - March 1, 2009
IMPROVED sentiment towards the iron ore and coking coal sectors in more recent times may be a temporary phenomenon going by recent data out of China and Japan and the consequent tone of recent investment bank analysis. Juniors be warned.
Bradken in uncertain territory
February 9 - 15, 2009
ABN Amro has taken a sharp knife to the prospects for mining supplier Bradken, butchering its target price for the company from $A6.05 per share previously to $2.05/share now. Ouch.
Gold's season to shine
February 2 - 8, 2009
ANOTHER week, another heavy hitter or two flag their belief in gold. RBC Capital Markets believes the yellow metal will begin and end the year with “a bang” – but is cautious of the middle of the year – while UBS has a similar line in terms of historical performance, pointing out that gold prices typically reach higher in the period September through to January. M&A also remains a theme.
Reviews lead to reviews
February 2 - 8, 2009
QUITE what effect the savage downturn in commodity markets will have on the long awaited fiscal and investment regime still to be finalised in Mongolia is unknown, but it would not be beyond the realms of speculation to guess it might have given the legislators pause for thought. As would decisions made recently by other copper countries.
Hits make Andean bigger target
January 26 - February 1, 2009
HOW long Andean Resources remains an independent explorer in the current environment remains to be seen after further strong gold hits at its Cerro Negro project in Argentina sent the company’s stock sharply higher.
Meridian yet to cement deal
January 26 - February 1, 2009
MERIDIAN Minerals directors were this week weighing up whether to proceed with a deal to buy a small producing copper mine in South Australia in the wake of the red metal’s slump, which apparently altered the ground rules of the proposed transaction.
Production losses point to mineral sands gains
January 19 - 25, 2009
ONE of the poor cousins of the commodity sector, mineral sands, is set to possibly enjoy a period of strong pricing, according to Goldman Sachs JBWere (GSJBW).
Uranium near the bottom
December 15 - 21, 2008
DEC 8: URANIUM’S 18-month price decline looks like it might be over, according to the team at Merrill Lynch, despite the poor global economic outlook.
Around zero
December 1 - 7, 2008
PALADIN Energy has smashed uranium resource valuations into the ground with its agreed bid this week for Queensland uranium explorer Fusion Resources.
HudBay board belted
November 24 - 30, 2008
THERE are strikingly different analyst opinions being voiced on the merits of HudBay Minerals’ merger with fellow base metal miner and ambitious project developer, Lundin Mining.
Vital steps ahead
November 17 - 23, 2008
BEING around when “shellshocked investors and brokers” recover their wits is the new aim in life of small companies such as tungsten explorer Vital Metals, though the truism that good projects do succeed but not necessarily in the hands of those who found them is certain to resonate in the years ahead.
Brockman waits for clearer China picture
November 10 - 16, 2008
BROCKMAN Resources’ boss Wayne Richards doesn’t expect the dust to settle and a clear view of China’s 2009-2010 iron ore demand to emerge until the second quarter of next year.
Metals in, or near, the basement
October 13 - 19, 2008
ENOUGH of the bad news, most of the “experts” in London last week believe base metal prices as a group will bottom before the middle of 2009.
Merrill's urges: hold your nerve
October 6 - 12, 2008
OPPORTUNITY not Armageddon is the cry (presumably plaintively) from Merrill Lynch, which, while being one of the many investment banks completely blindsided to the dangers that are now reaping carnage, is maintaining its faith.
Take a seat on the Lounge
September 29 - October 5, 2008
FOR Sale, deep nickel sulphide deposit. Price on application to Kim Robinson at Kagara, Outram St, West Perth. Cash buyers only need apply, and those interested should note that financial crisis or not, the vendor’s slated reserve will be hefty.
Chinese (slowdown) whispers
September 15 - 21, 2008
CHARLIE Aitken is probably the biggest believer going around about the prospects for mining companies from a market perspective. But even he has been getting a tad uneasy about the outlook.
Plain talking
September 15 - 21, 2008
SOME kudos for those who speak in plain English and state the bleeding obvious in the often byzantine world of financial markets. “We believe that this weakness has been overdone and stress that the fundamentals remain intact. The world still needs to eat, and there's no substitute for food.” - ABN Amro comments on Incitec Pivot’s outlook.
Central Asia advances in Kazakhstan
September 8 - 14, 2008
CENTRAL Asia Resources has been surprised by the quick government response to a commercial discovery application for the company’s main gold project in Kazakhstan, which has opened a door for it to begin talks with the owner of a nearby gold plant.
Get ready for the good news
September 8 - 14, 2008
MERRILL Lynch says it has been surprised by the “vehemence” of the equity sell down but maintains that now is not the time to be selling the resources sector. Instead of worrying about demand, console yourself with supply and Merrill’s “vehemently” held positive view on the returns available from quality investments in the mining sector.
Time for strategic thinking
August 25 - 31, 2008
IT’S understandable that one always put forward one’s positives rather than negatives and so it was no surprise to see Kagara happy to describe Admiral Bay as a zinc-lead deposit of world significance and more than happy to suggest the cost of production will be in the lowest quartile of cash costs worldwide.
India resource for Pebble Creek
August 18 - 24, 2008
SRK Consulting has confirmed a better than expected initial indicated and inferred resource for Pebble Creek Mining Ltd’s Askot polymetallic sulphide deposit in Uttarakhand, northern India.
Jaguar on the improve
July 28 - August 3, 2008
JABIRU Metals has stopped bleeding cash at the Jaguar zinc-copper operation in Western Australia, according to Bell Potter Securities, which sees a site visit after Diggers & Dealers in Kalgoorlie next week as a good opportunity to ascertain whether recent operational improvements can be sustained.
Bold Paladin feels the heat
July 21 - 27, 2008
AFTER being a market leader on the contrarian front by getting into uranium years ahead of the recent new wave, John Borshoff’s Paladin Energy is having far more trouble with the nuts and bolts of the mining business with the Langer Heinrich operation in Namibia continuing to disappoint. As a result, analyst assessment is slightly wavering.
What's that, Mr Smith?
July 14 - 20, 2008
ONCE a Rio man, always a Rio man seems the case with Newcrest Mining’s CEO Ian Smith. According to the experts, Newcrest’s UK roadshow presentation contains enough material information to warrant five separate news releases were it in the hands of less conservative companies.
Platmin ready to take off
July 7 - 13, 2008
NEW wave platinum miner Platmin is moving rapidly within touching distance of life as a producer after concluding an offtake agreement with Northam Platinum last week.
Katanga dodges DRC bullets
June 23 - 29, 2008
A CANADIAN company controlled by diamond billionaires is set to become a massive copper cash cow over the next 4-5 years if it can negotiate the travail that is the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Zinc miners should get back to the merger table
June 23 - 29, 2008
CREDIT Suisse cuts to the chase in its assessment of why the much maligned Perilya Mines walked from the merger deal with fellow zinc struggler CBH Resources.
Hot Kyrgyz still a drawcard
June 16 - 22, 2008
EVENTS in the Kyrgyz Republic over the past week haven’t fazed Manas Resources, a $A6 million spin-out from promising Ghana gold explorer Perseus Mining.
Australian firm heads offshore
June 16 - 22, 2008
THE sharp fall in the market value of many ASX-listed mining supply and service companies in January this year was enough to remind all but the sector’s high-flyers of the sometimes capricious nature of equity markets – and it convinced at least one leading privately owned firm to pursue a different expansion course.
Fertiliser growth outlook fuels run
June 9 - 15, 2008
AFTER doing Robert Friedland a big favour back in the 1990s by finding Oyu Tolgoi and then joint venturing it to Ivanhoe Mines following a corporate decision to cut exploration, BHP Billiton has played a role in the incendiary market performance this month of Potash North Resource Corp, Freidland’s latest corporate play.
Early success for Emmerson
May 26 - June 1, 2008
EMMERSON Resources’ very tidy start to its large-scale exploration program at Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory surprised on two fronts, managing director Rob Bills says.
Russian mine to help freeze costs
May 26 - June 1, 2008
EMERGING gold major Kinross Gold Corporation has produced the first gold at 75%-owned Kupol in Far East Russia, the first of three project start-ups for the company this year that are expected to form a base for an assault on 2.5 million ounces production in 2009.
BHPB concentrates on potash
May 19 - 25, 2008
BHP Billiton’s interest in potash looks predicated on the overall quality of the industry, with a concentration of reserves leading to a concentration of suppliers, and an extremely strong price outlook.
Treasure in the scrap yards
May 19 - 25, 2008
A HISTORICALLY plentiful commodity – largely taken for granted – but now seen as “absolutely vital” to the global steel industry. And no longer plentiful, according to Canaccord Adams analyst Eric Glover, who recently described this commodity as “now the prettiest girl at the dance”.
Centamin underground guidance near
April 14 - 20, 2008
CENTAMIN Egypt has recorded its sixth significant resource increase in the last year as work accelerates on a potential underground operation that it is speculated could take total annual production north of 350,000 ounces per annum.
Ranger options under review
April 14 - 20, 2008
THE uranium world eagerly awaits news from Energy Resources Australia as to its mine extension and expansion moves at the Ranger operation in the Northern Territory, with up to $A700 million potentially to be expended on cut back and underground initiatives.
Stability vital, says Xstrata chief
April 7 - 13, 2008
AS BEFITS a chairman, Xstrata Copper chief executive Charlie Sartain was statesmen-like at a copper conference in Santiago, cautioning governments around the mining world that it would be unwise of them to change fiscal regimes and suggesting a period of “super-consolidation” was potentially at hand.
Cortona steps up NSW gold search
April 7 - 13, 2008
CORTONA Resources has topped up its funds pool as a second drill rig arrives at its Majors Creek gold project in south-eastern New South Wales to increase the tempo of exploration at Dargues Reef and Exeter Farm.
Barrick extends PNG print
March 24 - 30, 2008
BARRICK Gold has taken another option over the Papuan New Guinea gold sector with an exploration and equity-investment deal involving new miner Allied Gold.
Beware the bear
March 10 - 16, 2008
BEARS looking for commodity price reversals often point to the influx of speculative funds into the sector as reason to fear a future rout when those same funds decide to exit. That’s nonsense, according to Charlie Aitken at Southern Cross Securities, with longer-term contracted prices for iron ore and coal indicative of strong fundamentals rather than a bubble waiting to be pricked.
More tungsten for sale
March 3 - 9, 2008
QGX Ltd president and CEO Paul Zweng says the company’s Mongolian tungsten-molybdenum project could be producing 11,700 tonnes per annum of 65% tungsten concentrate by 2012 after he received last week an official mining licence certificate for an openpit mine at Undur Tsagaan in the country’s east. The Canadian company, of course, won’t be operating the mine.
Drilling giant records sound full year
March 3 - 9, 2008
BOART Longyear has flagged a similar rate of drill rig fleet expansion in 2008 as last year after posting a maiden, post-ASX-listing full-year profit in line with analysts’ expectations.
Investment bank looks at what if
February 25 - March 2, 2008
MERRILL Lynch is convinced about a bright future for commodities, and urges investors to look beyond the current phase of pronounced volatility for the longer term growth that a “multi-decade Super Cycle event offers”.
Resourceful Mirabela looks at options
February 25 - March 2, 2008
MIRABELA Nickel believes its’ Santa Rita deposit in Brazil will ultimately be shown to contain substantially more than one million tonnes of contained nickel, with a potential underground operation now seen as a possibility.
QGX hardnosed about tungsten
February 25 - March 2, 2008
QGX Ltd likes coal, copper, tungsten and molybdenum – and pretty much anything else foreign companies are not allowed to produce in China, but which can be mined just across the border in Mongolia. The company doesn’t necessarily like them enough to keep them in its portfolio, though.
Terex backlog grows
February 25 - March 2, 2008
US-BASED construction and mining machinery manufacturer Terex Corporation has hit a $US10 billion-a-year sales run rate, en route to its fiscal 2010 target of $US12 billion.
La colossal?
February 4 - 10, 2008
GOLD major AngloGold Ashanti expects to post an inferred resource for the La Colosa porphyry gold prospect, in Tolima Department in central Colombia, by the end of this month.
Chinese crushers ok, says Leyshon
February 4 - 10, 2008
LEYSHON Resources has placed another significant order for locally made equipment for its emerging Zheng Guang gold-zinc project in Heilongjiang, north-east China, contracting the Chinese subsidiary of Metso Minerals to supply a primary jaw crusher and two cone crushers.
Epsilon gets value from drilling
January 28 - February 3, 2008
URANIUM assay results from Epsilon Energy’s Balladonia and Lake Dundas projects are expected either late in February or early in March. Meanwhile, hints of a change in corporate direction are also in the air.
Zambia wait continues
January 28 - February 3, 2008
MINING companies in Zambia are awaiting further direction from the country’s government as to how much extra they might be forced to stump up in the form of taxes and royalties.
Spotlight now on the Quoll
January 28 - February 3, 2008
WESTERN Areas has moved quickly to get a third drill rig working at its new Spotted Quoll find at Forrestania, where new assays have added impetus to the quest for a Flying Fox lookalike.
African power shift
January 21 - 27, 2008
SOUTH Africa’s worsening power crisis is producing panic surges among some mining executives with projects in neighbouring countries, and sharpening creative thought processes elsewhere. At this stage, Bannerman Resources chief Peter Batten probably has a foot in both camps.
New Avoca fan cautions on royalty
January 21 - 27, 2008
CITIGROUP has become the latest top line broker to cover Avoca, with the junior’s “excellent” exploration potential again cited as one of the key reasons for owning the emerging gold stock. An onerous royalty held by JPMorgan is also priced by the broker.
Higginsville royalty growing in importance
January 14 - 20, 2008
BUDDING gold miner Avoca remains in the dark as to Morgan Stanley’s intentions with regards a lucrative gold royalty held over the Higginsville project in Western Australia by the investment bank.
Smoke indicates M&A fire
January 14 - 20, 2008
MINING analyst Keith Goode says he saw plenty of blue sky in Beijing last November – after strong winds blew away smoke generated by burning off of nearby rice fields. And he claims to see clear signs too that hefty premiums will be offered this year for junior Australian metal producers.
Island honeymoon is over
December 17 - 23, 2007
LIHIR Gold’s managing director Arthur Hood is on notice after last week’s reduced production forecasts as a result of unplanned crusher maintenance and a compressor failure.
Apex drills find right targets
December 10 - 16, 2007
DRILLING by Apex Minerals is achieving good success both at Wiluna and at Youanmi in Western Australia, with the first hole at the latter showing the potential for a significant increase in the resource.
Tough year for Monax
December 10 - 16, 2007
WHILE Monax Mining hopes to have attracted a partner with deep pockets to its aptly named Punt Hill IOCG project during the first quarter of 2008, investors have lost faith in the junior judging by the stock’s slide south.
Chirundu on familiar yellowcake road
December 10 - 16, 2007
AFRICAN Energy Resources and partner Albidon Ltd have increased uranium resources by 50% at their Chirundu project, 80km south-east of the Zambian capital of Lusaka, and perhaps more particularly, just up the road from Denison Mines’ Dibwe/Mutanga uranium deposits.
Exco moves on Cloncurry copper
December 10 - 16, 2007
EXCO Resources has appointed GRD Minproc to handle the pre-feasibility study at its Cloncurry copper project in Queensland.
Mixed signs for zinc
November 12 - 18, 2007
THE bears are in ascendancy when it comes to zinc at the moment, but whether they have a strong enough case to set up camp over the longer term is arguable.
New-style cycle
November 12 - 18, 2007
DEMAND destruction is seen as the only reason the copper market will trade the red metal for an average of less than $US3.50 per pound per year for the next four years. The outlook for other base metals is also positive given “transitory” surpluses.
Fine start at Monza
November 12 - 18, 2007
IN AN era relatively quiet on the exploration discovery front, Canadian-listed minnow Goldminco Corp has got off to a roaring start at its Monza copper-gold prospect to the south of Barrick Gold Corp’s Cowal mine in New South Wales’ bountiful Lachlan Fold Belt.
Lion makes a killing
November 5 - 11, 2007
LION Selection now has a significant portion of the cash war chest it might need to secure outright ownership of the Cracow gold project following the sale of shares in Canadian-listed Platmin by the investment fund’s African affiliates.
China's iron will
October 22 - 28, 2007
WHILE China’s voracious appetite for iron ore has Australian and Brazilian miners and investors licking their lips, local Chinese producers are similarly making an absolute motza based on the experience of a certain Mr Lee of Zunhua County, Hebei Province.
Goldstar moves to second front
October 15 - 21, 2007
WITH more than $A10 million in cash following a placement earlier this month and a final feasibility at Eureka in full swing, Goldstar Resources is looking forward to progressing the substantially larger Tubal Cain prospect at its Walhalla gold project in Victoria.
CVRD to prime massive project pipeline
October 15 - 21, 2007
BRAZILIAN mining giant Companhia Vale do Rio Doce plans to double production of iron ore pellets, nickel, copper and alumina, and scale up its iron ore and coal output significantly, by 2012, with 73% of a record 2008 capital expenditure budget of $US11 billion earmarked for projects in Brazil.
Andean holds court
October 15 - 21, 2007
ANDEAN Resources looks set to be clearly picked up on the radar of North American investors in the weeks ahead with analysts out of Canada due to wing their way down to the Cerro Negro project in southern Argentina later this month and early in November.
Canadians raise zinc stakes
October 8 - 14, 2007
AMBITIOUS Canadian-listed miner Lundin Mining Corp has signalled its intention to undertake major expansions at its European zinc and copper operations, while in Canada speculation has been linking base metal producers HudBay Minerals and Breakwater Resources.
Low stocks, more growth
October 8 - 14, 2007
WHILE analysts debate whether the likes of BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto have moved too hard, too fast in recent times, Goldman Sachs JBWere (GSJBW) poses a provocative question: “We’ve seen what scarcity can do to commodity prices – will scarcity drive share prices as well?”
Uranium glow to remain
September 24 - 30, 2007
REST easy uranium buffs, all the preconditions supportive of a price above $US100 per pound for at least the next three years remain intact despite the reduced spot price of recent times.
Kingsgate outlines expansion potential
September 17 - 23, 2007
KINGSGATE Consolidated has given further hints of the significant potential exploration rewards ahead of it in Thailand as the excruciating wait for approval to mine the Chatree North deposit continues.
Investors back Discovery at Maun
September 17 - 23, 2007
AUSTRALIAN copper and nickel explorer Discovery Metals Ltd has raised $A11.4 million via a share placement to fund ongoing pre-feasibility work on its emerging Maun copper project in north-west Botswana.
Escondida brings future forward
September 10 - 16, 2007
IF ESCONDIDA presents a microcosm of the supply outlook for copper, then it’s all good for miners and explorers, while buyers of the red metal will be anxious that project developers get busy.
Overwhelming feeling about supply
September 10 - 16, 2007
ZINC miners need not fret just yet, though the outlook from the second half of 2008 onwards does not look rosy with supply from about that period onwards set to overwhelm the market.
Funds aimed at allaying Rio Blanco opposition
August 27 - September 2, 2007
AIM-LISTED Monterrico Metals plc, controlled by China’s Zijin consortium, has moved to establish two community benefit funds in a bid to foster better relations with local townspeople in the vicinity of the proposed $US1.4 billion Rio Blanco copper project in north Peru.
Primary offer tabled
August 27 - September 2, 2007
CANADIAN tungsten producer Primary Metals Inc has posted a modest $C398,000 net profit for the three months ended June 30, 2007, a period in which the 100%-owned Panasqueira underground tungsten mine in Portugal produced 196,000 tonnes of 0.18% WO3 wolframite.
Knocking on Hellyer's door
August 20 - 26, 2007
DOWN-hole geophysics and follow up drilling is testing a promising prospect found by Bass Metals on the doorstep of the depleted, but world-class Hellyer base metal mine in Tasmania.
Zinc will start to sink
August 13 - 19, 2007
ZINC miners have been put on notice. Operations producing more than 300,000 tonnes per annum of contained zinc have been brought on line more or less on time, supporting those who contend the market will be in surplus in 2008 and 2009.
Silver output to soar
August 13 - 19, 2007
LEADING South American silver producer Pan American Silver has reported record quarterly silver production of 4.2 million ounces, generating sales of $US79.2 million and enabling it to post 20% higher net income of $US18.5 million, compared with the same period in 2006.
Investors climb aboard Apex
July 30 - August 5, 2007
SUPERIOR management continues to resonate with gold equity investors, with a placement this week taking total equity funds raised to over $A65 million in three months for Apex Minerals’ refractory gold strategy in Western Australia.
New zest
July 23 - 29, 2007
RECORD quarterly gold production and the end of its copper hedging in the midst of the buoyant outlook for the base metal have been winning Newcrest Mining plenty of market support of late.
Nickel output under pressure
July 16 - 22, 2007
SWING nickel ore suppliers are coming under pressure from the declining stainless steel outlook, with falling demand for the lower grade laterite nickel from the Philippines used in the production of low grade ferronickel (LGFN).
Striking while the iron's hot
July 16 - 22, 2007
THE potential for significant copper supply disruptions looks to be growing, with tensions rising between the world’s biggest copper producer Codelco and workers in Chile. Indeed even wharfies are reported be angling in on the act.
Hochschild starts mine No.4
July 2 - 8, 2007
AMERICAS focused silver and gold producer Hochschild Mining plc has started its first mine in Argentina on time and budget and says it is on track to achieve annual production of 26 million equivalent silver ounces this year.
Bass in business
July 2 - 8, 2007
A CHANGE in destination for its ore but otherwise it is business as planned for budding Tasmanian base and precious metals miner Bass Metals, which this week started trucking trial parcels of ore to Zinifex’s Rosebery processing plant.
Kylyahti upgrade
June 25 - July 1, 2007
FINLAND-focused base and precious metals explorer Vulcan Resources Ltd will plug a bigger resource number into its definite feasibility study on the former Outokumpu copper-cobalt-nickel property, Kylyahti, results of which are due to be announced in August.
New Perkoa funding
June 25 - July 1, 2007
EMERGING zinc developer AIM Resources is targeting the equity capital markets for up to $A90 million for its Perkoa project in Burkina Faso and exploration initiatives.
Andean boost for Kingsgate
June 25 - July 1, 2007
BITTERSWEET days for Kingsgate Consolidated after drilling success and subsequent strong market performance by Argentina gold explorer Andean Resources significantly increased the value of Kingsgate’s equity stake while sheeting home what might have been.
Nickel heap leaching made easy
June 25 - July 1, 2007
CAPEX and operating costs are favourable but the confluence of resources in suitable geographic and topographic locations is rather rare, meaning nickel heap leaching’s influence on supply is unlikely to ever match the situation with copper.
Chinalco in $C840M buyout
June 11 - 17, 2007
THE Toromocho copper-moly-silver project in Peru is on its way into Chinese hands with Aluminium Corporation of China (Chinalco) and Toromocho’s owner Peru Copper Inc agreeing to a $C840 million buyout deal.
GSJBW likes hot moly
June 11 - 17, 2007
GOLDMAN Sachs JBWere (GSJBW) has joined the molybdenum revolution, with the bank’s commodities team expecting the moly price to remain above $US20 per pound past 2010.
Jinchuan smelter plan
June 4 - 10, 2007
CHINESE nickel group Jinchuan is said to be considering building a smelter in Zambia that would process production from Albidon Ltd’s under-construction Munali mine.
Aditya could do a Minara
June 4 - 10, 2007
ADITYA Birla continues to attract analyst attention as a turnaround proposition, with its planned production, the copper price and current capitalisation such a beguiling mix that it has been labelled a potential copper version of hot stockmarket nickel performer Minara Resources.
EMC suitor aims to be No.1
June 4 - 10, 2007
AMBITIOUS uranium producer sxr Uranium One Inc is again seeking to boost its presence in the US after earlier this year missing out at the eleventh hour on acquiring Rio Tinto’s Sweetwater mill in Wyoming.
Rosebery life support
May 28 - June 3, 2007
ZINIFEX Ltd may contemplate increasing production at its Rosebery operation in Tasmania if exploration success continues after the major zinc miner increased resources by 65% and reserves by nearly 50%.
In the shadows of Pilbara giants
May 21 - 27, 2007
NEW port capacity at Port Hedland in Western Australia’s north is expected to be on line in time to facilitate expansion of several new small-scale iron ore ventures in the region after the state government allocated further funding in its recent budget announcements and moved to expedite works.
Mirabela moves to limit costs
April 9 - 15, 2007
MIRABELA Nickel Ltd has ordered mills from Outokumpu and will be keen to nail down the rest of the plant and infrastructure needed for its Santa Rita project in Brazil after watching indicative capitals costs soar nearly $US100 million over the past 14 months.
Partners step up Four Mile pace
April 2 - 8, 2007
ALLIANCE Resources Ltd and 75% joint venture partner Quasar Resources Pty Ltd expect to begin work on a pre-feasibility study on the Four Mile uranium project in the second half of this year after an eight-week scoping study is completed.
Metallica a hit
March 26 - April 1, 2007
A CHINESE alumina-aluminium producer and a Denver-based private equity fund have both increased their stakes in Queensland bauxite hopeful Cape Alumina and nickel laterite heap leach contender Metallica Minerals Ltd.
Discovery raises funds in Botswana
March 8 - 14, 2007
DISCOVERY Metals NL’s decision last year to list on the Botswana Stock Exchange has given the Australian-based company an early return in the form of local funding support for its Maun copper and Dikoloti nickel drilling programs in the country’s north. Discovery said this week two leading Botswana financial institutions, Investec Asset Management and Fleming Asset Management Botswana, had taken up nearly 8.9 million shares at A23c to enable it to raise $A2.04 million.
Right on Que
February 15 - 21, 2007
BASS Metals NL and its development partner Mancala Mining Pty Ltd expect to receive final approval to proceed with a two-year stage-one mining project at Que River in northern Tasmania by the end of this month. The campaign effectively got underway this week with the commencement of trial mining to extract a 2000t bulk sample of material for processing at the Hellyer concentrator, 4km north of Que River.
Western Areas flying
February 1 - 7, 2007
NEW Australian nickel miner Western Areas NL has displayed a particularly fine sense of timing with the first payment for its nickel production coming in a week that nickel was trading at up around a staggering $US40,000 per tonne.
Collahuasi sagging
November 16 - 22, 2006
CHILE: COPPER supply disruptions continue to be a sign of the times, with significant problems and downtime reported high in the Andes at the major Collahuasi mine majority owned by Xstrata Plc (44%) and Anglo American Plc (44%) the most significant of current and recent outages.
More projects in CVRD pipeline
November 9 - 15, 2006
BRAZIL: COMPANHIA Vale do Rio Doce (CVRD) made a record $US2.2 billion operational profit (EBIT) in the third quarter of 2006, with much of the 60% increase from the previous corresponding period a result of higher metal prices yielding a more than 40% increase in revenue to $US5.1 billion.
Kimberley works 9 to 4 at Ellendale
September 21 - 27, 2006
KIMBERLEY Diamond Company NL says a trial commissioning phase for its new 4.4 million tonnes per annum Ellendale 4 processing plant has been successfully completed ...
Moriarty attacks delays
August 21 - 27, 2006
AUSTRALIA: TERRAMIN Australia Ltd executive director Dr Kevin Moriarty has panned the "friendly state", South Australia, saying the long and "unduly convoluted" approval process for developing a mine must be streamlined.
Nunavut sparkle for Tahera
August 21 - 27, 2006
CANADA: Tahera Diamond Corporation has officially opened Canada’s third diamond mine and the first in the country’s Nunavut province in the eastern part of the Northwest Territories.
NDM secures supply source
August 21 - 27, 2006
USA: Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd (NDM) has expanded the budget for 2006 exploration and development by nearly 50% at its Pebble copper-gold-molybdenum project in south-western Alaska.
Vital drilling restarts
August 10 - 16, 2006
AUSTRALIA: Vital Metals Ltd expects to hit its target of at least 10,000m of resource confirmation drilling at its Watershed tungsten project in Queensland by the end of 2006 after securing a second diamond drill rig.
ConsMin adds gold to basket
August 10 - 16, 2006
AUSTRALIA: Consolidated Minerals Ltd is gearing up to add precious metals to its mining mix — and in a big way.
Mining lifts country rating
August 10 - 16, 2006
BOTSWANA: Moody's Investors Services reaffirmed Botswana’s A2 credit rating, the highest in Africa, and said the country’s economic outlook had improved as commodity prices rose and the Mogae Government continued to talk privatisation, AAP has reported.
Nui Phao underway
August 10 - 16, 2006
VIETNAM: Tiberon Minerals Ltd chief Mario Caron last month told a Canadian business television program the company remained on track to bring the world’s “only new tungsten project outside China” into production in 2008.
Mining output to fall
August 10 - 16, 2006
ZIMBABWE: Power cuts and ballooning production costs are expected to put a 10.8% dent in the value of Zimbabwe’s 2006 mining output, Reuters has reported.
Iberian says project on track
July 24 - 30, 2006
ARMENIA: Iberian Resources Ltd remains confident it can get its Lichkvaz gold project in southern Armenia into production by the end of 2006 after some early equipment transport delays and technical problems.
Forrest faith shown again
July 24 - 30, 2006
AUSTRALIA: Once feted for raising $A700 million from US investors at a precarious point in the often uncertain development of Anaconda Nickel’s (now Minara Resources) Murrin Murrin project in Western Australia, Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest has again pulled a rabbit out of the hat in the form of $US400 million of backing from Leucadia National for his “new force in iron ore”, Fortescue Metals Group Ltd (FMG).
Bass intent on mining alliance
July 24 - 30, 2006
AUSTRALIA: Bass Metals Ltd says “significant enhancements” are expected to flow from optimisation work on its Que River mine scoping study being carried out by specialised mining contractor Mancala Pty Ltd.
Prominent move
July 24 - 30, 2006
AUSTRALIA: Emerging copper, gold and zinc powerhouse Oxiana Ltd is wasting no time getting stuck into development of the eight-million-tonnes-per-annum Prominent Hill copper-gold mine in South Australia even though its board is not expected to give the final project go-ahead until the end of August.
Strength at a time of weakness
July 24 - 30, 2006
CANADA: Zinc major Teck Cominco Ltd has posted record net earnings of $C613 million for the June quarter and $C1.1 billion for the first half on the back of robust zinc, lead, copper, gold and silver prices. The six-month result was more than double the $C430 million net earnings achieved in the first half of 2005.
Mining on the rebound
July 24 - 30, 2006
TURKEY: Gold production in many parts of Europe is on the slide but not so in Turkey, which is seeing some significant results from a 2004 overhaul of its mining code, royalty regime and foreign investment environment.
Munali study due
July 24 - 30, 2006
ZAMBIA: Albidon Ltd is pressing ahead with a bankable feasibility study on its Munali nickel project, 60km south of Zambia’s capital Lusaka in the country’s south, and expects to have the study completed this month.
Oued Amizour drilling starts
July 10 - 16, 2006
ALGERIA: Terramin Australia Ltd expects to complete a JORC-standard inferred resource estimate for the Oued Amizour zinc project in north-eastern Algeria in September after receipt of a mining permit cleared the way for infill diamond drilling of the site’s main deposit, Tala Hamza.
Iron island set for new life
July 10 - 16, 2006
AUSTRALIA: The Ian Burston-chaired Aztec Resources Ltd believes its $A125 million redevelopment of the Koolan Island iron ore mine off Western Australia’s northern Kimberley coast can create a cornerstone for its emergence as a serious player in the iron ore business.
Lumwana costs up
July 10 - 16, 2006
ZAMBIA: Australian and Canadian listed Equinox Minerals Ltd has announced the capital cost of developing its Lumwana copper project in Zambia may exceed by 60% the estimate posted last October.
Varvarinskoye on track: EMC
June 26 - July 2, 2006
KAZAKHSTAN: Construction of a significant new gold-copper mine in Kazakhstan is "on schedule and within budget", according to the developer, which earlier this year terminated an engineering and project management contract and appointed a new contractor.
Primary results encouraging
June 26 - July 2, 2006
PORTUGAL: Canadian-listed tungsten producer Primary Metals Inc expects to know more about the limits and extent of new high-grade wolframite zones at its Panasqueira mine in Portugal after completing its latest drilling program.
Phuoc Son drilling promise
June 26 - July 2, 2006
VIETNAM: Gold producer Olympus Pacific Minerals Inc says it is encouraged by latest drilling results from its Phuoc Son gold project in Vietnam, where it has in place an approved mining licence and development plan for small-scale underground mining.
Amizour a handy pick-up
June 12 - 18, 2006
ALGERIA: Drilling is set to commence this month to firm up the resource outlined at the Oued Amizour zinc project in Algeria.
Alliance formed at Maldon
May 29 - June 4, 2006
AUSTRALIA: Alliance Resources Ltd has decided to up the ante in its 30-month quest to rejuvenate another of Victoria’s famous old goldfields, choosing contractor Deckoss Mining to develop a $A7 million exploration decline and drives on the Maldon reef systems 3km north-east of the town of the same name.
$A6M to speed Laos project
May 15 - 21, 2006
LAOS: Rox Resources Ltd hopes to beat the big Laos wet with an accelerated drilling program at the Pha Luang lead-zinc project, which recently produced a fresh series of promising wide lead-zinc drill intersections at shallow depths.