Mineral Resources

Gold prices fell Friday as the dollar strengthened on fears of further Federal Reserve rate reductions, but bullion is still on course for its third consecutive monthly gain. As of 0459 GMT, spot gold was down 0.4%, at $4,005.54 an ounce. Bullion is up 3.9% this month. U.S. Gold Futures for December Delivery remained at $4,018.10 an ounce. Tim Waterer, Chief Market Analyst at KCM Trade, said that the Fed Chairman's hawkish stance this week did not do gold any favors. The prospect of a December rate cut is now much less certain than previously believed, which has helped boost...

Hastings Technology Metals, an Australian company, announced on Friday that its Yangibana joint-venture project in Western Australia had agreed to negotiate a possible offtake agreement with Ucore Rare Metals Inc. of North America. The Yangibana project for rare-earths, niobium, and other metals is a joint-venture with Wyloo Metals of Andrew Forrest, who holds 60%, and Hastings Rare-Earths, which has the remaining 40% via its subsidiary Yangibana Jubilee. Hastings CEO Vince Catania said, "The joint assessment of a downstream Hydromet facility in the U.S. shows the efforts made by Wyloo Ucore and Hastings for accessing the financing and commercial opportunity arising...

Gold prices increased by nearly 2% Thursday. This was due to a Federal Reserve rate cut and lingering uncertainties over the outcome a trade agreement between China and the U.S. As of 9:43 a.m., spot gold was up by 1% to $3,970.36 an ounce. ET (1343 GMT) after a nearly 2% rise earlier in the day. U.S. Gold Futures GCcv1 were unchanged at $3.992.40 an ounce for December delivery. U.S. president Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he would lower tariffs against China from 57% to 47% if Beijing resumed U.S. purchases of soybeans and rare earths and cracked down...

The Federal Reserve's cautious comments on U.S. rate cuts and concerns about Chinese demand led to a decline in copper prices on Thursday, compared with the record highs of the previous day. The price of three-month copper at the London Metal Exchange fell 1.8% in open-outcry official trading to $10,978 a metric ton, after reaching a record high on Wednesday, $11,200, due to supply concerns. Robert Montefusco, a broker at Sucden Financial, said: "Copper prices are down today due to the lackluster physical demand and the Fed's dovish sentiment on a rate cut in December. Fed Chair Jerome Powell shocked...

Vulcan Materials, the U.S. construction materials giant, reported quarterly profits and revenues above Wall Street expectations on Thursday. This was fueled by a resilient demand for concrete, asphalt, and other building aggregates. The company said that favorable weather conditions in most of its markets and strong public construction activities helped it boost aggregate shipments 12% during the third quarter. As we look ahead to 2026 ,...we anticipate continued strength in the public construction sector and an improved private non-residential outlook. This combination should also benefit a healthy pricing environment, said CEO Tom Hill. LSEG data shows that the company expects...

Gold prices rose 2% on Friday, due to a weaker dollar after the Federal Reserve cut rates and investors' uncertainty about the outcome of the trade agreement between China and the United States. As of 1109 GMT, spot gold rose 1.3% to $3980.00 per ounce. U.S. Gold Futures for December Delivery fell 0.2% to $3.991.50 per ounce. Lukman Otunuga is a senior research analyst with FXTM. He said, "Gold seems to be pushing up as investors digested the outcome of Trump-Xi's meeting and the Fed’s decision to reduce interest rates for a second time this calendar year." The U.S. Central...

Sojitz, a Japanese company, has started importing rare earths heavy from Australia's Lynas. This is the first import of this kind produced using Australian ore that was separated and refined in Malaysia. This move is intended to ensure that Japan can obtain key materials for electric vehicles and renewable energies from other sources than China, the dominant market. Japan, the United States and their allies are working to create supply chains outside China as Beijing tightens its export controls on key minerals. Kosuke uemura, CEO of Sojitz, told reporters that the company would continue to promote diversification in the rare...

Gold prices rose Thursday on the back of dollar weakness and the Federal Reserve's rate cut. Investors, however, remained cautious regarding the outcome of an agreement between the U.S. president and the Chinese president. As of 0642 GMT, spot gold was up 0.9% at $3,964.09 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures for December Delivery fell 0.6% to $3977.10 an ounce. Dollar index dropped 0.2% on Thursday after reaching a two-week peak against its rivals. This makes gold more affordable to holders of other currencies. "There is no catalyst other than a little technical bounce. This week, gold has been under pressure....

Goldman Sachs stated on Thursday that current copper market fundamentals warrant a price consolidate towards the upper end of their forecast range between $10,000 and $11,000 per metric tonne, but added that any break higher will not be sustained. Copper Smashed On Wednesday, the price of gold surpassed its previous record of $11,104.50 to reach $11,200. This was due to concerns about supply and hope for a U.S. China trade agreement. Analysts questioned, however, how far the rally could go without a sustained increase in demand. The copper price fell on Thursday as the stronger dollar put pressure on this...

Iron ore futures fell on Thursday as profit-taking impacted the market after the leaders of the two largest economies met. U.S. president Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping had agreed to reduce tariffs against China in exchange for Beijing crackingdown on the illicit fentanyl market, resuming U.S. soya bean purchases, as well as keeping rare earths imports flowing. After hitting a session high of more than 810.5 Yuan, the most-traded contract for January iron ore on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange closed daytime trading 0.38% higher. As of 0700 GMT the benchmark December iron ore...

Japan's Sojitz said that it has started importing rare earths heavy from Australia's Lynas. This is the first import of this kind produced using Australian ore, which was separated and refined in Malaysia. This move is intended to ensure that Japan can obtain key materials used in electric vehicles and solar panel production from other sources than China. Japan, the United States and their allies are working to create supply chains outside China as Beijing tightens its export controls on key minerals. In a statement issued on Wednesday, Sojitz stated that "we will continue to promote diversification of rare earth...

Lynas Rare Earths, based in Australia, missed the market's expectations on revenue for Thursday. The company reported a 66.1% increase for its first quarter. It also noted that market conditions remain challenging, as strategic metal prices continue to fluctuate. As China tightened export restrictions, governments outside the dominant producer have scrambled to find alternative supply routes for their industries. This includes automotive and defence. The largest rare earths producer outside China reported sales revenue of A$200.2 (130.09) million for the quarter ending September 30. This is up from A$120.5 a year ago, but below the Visible Alpha consensus forecast of...

BHP, world's largest miner, and South Korean Steelmaker POSCO announced on Thursday they had signed an agreement for the advancement of the production "near-zero emissions" iron. This is a major step towards manufacturing green steel. Iron will be produced in a demonstration facility at POSCO’s steelworks, located on the port side of South Korea’s city of Pohang. The process is based on hydrogen and uses an electric smelting oven. Construction will begin shortly, with the commissioning scheduled for 2028. The plant is expected to be able to produce 300,000 tons of molten metal per year. According to the International Energy...

The iron ore futures price rose on Wednesday, for the third consecutive session. It reached its highest level in two weeks. This was boosted by optimism about a possible trade agreement between two of the world's largest economies. U.S. president Donald Trump, who is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday for a high-level meeting, has said that he anticipates reducing U.S. duties on Chinese products as a result of Beijing's promise to limit exports fentanyl precursor chemicals. Analysts at brokerage Xinhu Futures stated in a report that the general risk sentiment has improved...

Sources said that China's leading copper smelters have decided not to set fee guidance for copper concentrate processing in the fourth quarter of 2025. This is the third time in a row they have taken this decision, which highlights a long-term feedstock shortage. Two sources familiar with the matter confirmed that the decision on Wednesday was taken at a quarterly gathering of members of the China Smelters Purchase Team. The CSPT is a group of sixteen leading smelters who are expected to follow the guidelines in dealings for spot copper concentrate. Treatment charges and refining costs (TC/RC), a major source...

Tuesday, gold fell to its lowest level in three weeks as investors' attention shifted to the Federal Reserve interest rate announcement this week. As of 12:15 pm EDT (1615 GMT), spot gold was down by 0.4% to $3,963.50 an ounce after reaching its lowest level since the 6th of October. U.S. Gold Futures fell 1% to $3978.30 an ounce. Gold, traditionally a hedge in times of uncertainty, and an asset that does not yield, has gained over 51% this past year. This is due to ongoing geopolitical tensions and trade conflicts, as well the expected U.S. rate cuts. "The U.S....

Gold fell to its lowest level in three weeks on Tuesday, as investors focused their attention on the Federal Reserve's rate-setting decision this week. As of 10.45 am EDT (1445 GMT), spot gold had fallen 0.9%, to $3.944.29 an ounce. Its lowest level since 6 October. U.S. Gold Futures fell 1.5% to $3.959.60 an ounce. Gold, traditionally a hedge in times of uncertainty, and an asset that does not yield, has gained 50 percent this year. This is due to ongoing geopolitical tensions and trade conflicts, as well the expected U.S. rate cuts. "The U.S. - China trade tensions have...

The price of copper fell on Tuesday, as investors held on to their gains following Monday's rally that led to a record-high. Investors are now focused on the Federal Reserve rate announcement and a meeting between U.S. president Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. At 1015 GMT, the benchmark three-month copper price on London Metal Exchange fell 1.1% to $10.910.50 a metric ton. The metal reached $11,094 Monday, only a few cents short of its record high of $11,104.50. This was driven by the hope that Trump and Xi would reach a deal on Thursday to ease U.S....

A factsheet released by the U.S. and Japan on Tuesday showed that around 20 companies have expressed an interest in projects which could contribute to Tokyo’s commitment to invest $500 billion in the United States under a trade deal. In a July deal, U.S. president Donald Trump agreed to lower tariffs on Japanese auto imports and other goods. The agreement also included a Japanese commitment to invest $550 billion in U.S. project. According to a list of possible projects, SoftBank Group, Mitsubishi Electric, and Hitachi are among the companies interested in participating. The list includes energy, AI infrastructure, and critical...

Sany Heavy Industry's shares rose up to 4.7% on their Hong Kong debut Tuesday, after the Chinese construction equipment maker raised HK$12.36bn ($1.59bn) in one the biggest listings in the city this year. According to the prospectus, this company was founded in 1994 and is part of the Sany Group. It is now China's leading construction machinery manufacturer, and ranks among the top three worldwide. Sany, which manufactures excavators and concrete machinery as well as road construction equipment and cranes, operates 16 production bases in different countries and sells its products to more than 150. The stock price opened at...

The copper price edged up on Tuesday as the market was buoyed by the prospect of a U.S. China trade agreement. A meeting between the two Presidents is just around the corner, which also helped boost the market's sentiment. As of 0250 GMT, the most active copper contract at the Shanghai Futures Exchange rose 0.18% to 88,100 Yuan ($12,368.38), per metric tonne. The benchmark copper price for the three-month period on the London Metal Exchange remained flat at $11,030.50 per ton. The Shanghai and London contracts both extended their gains from the previous day and hovered around 17-month highs. Over...

The Chinese-led expansion in Indonesia of aluminium production is expected to lead the global market in excess next year. This will result in lower prices for the metal used widely in the transportation industry. Three new smelters backed by China are close to completion, including Xinfa-Tsingshan Juwan in Weda Bay, Taijing at the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park and the Adaro-Lygend Kaltara Project in North Kalimantan. Indonesia exported 325.293 metric tonnes of aluminium from January to August of this year. This is up 67% compared to the same period last year. Ross Strachan is an analyst with consultancy CRU. He said,...

Before Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet this week, the United States and China seem to have hammered the framework for a trade agreement. This removes the threat of a collapse in trade between two of the largest economies in the world. The world markets welcomed the news but it is not a game changer. Recall this: Trump posted on Truth Social, on the 11th of June: "Our Deal with China is Done. Final approval will be given by President XI and me." He added that "the Relationship is Excellent!" The deal wasn't done and the relationship wasn't excellent. Beijing,...

Shares of U.S. listed rare earth miners dropped as much as 8% on Monday before the bell, after Washington and Beijing agreed on a framework of a trade agreement that could pause U.S. planned tariffs and Chinese controls on exports of critical minerals. This would ease fears of supply disruptions which had boosted this sector in the past year. The rare earths ceasefire marks a pause on one of the most important fronts in U.S.-China tensions over trade. China processes over 90% of rare earths in the world. It has recently increased export restrictions, adding new elements to their control...