Mining

Australian shares suffered their worst losses in over two months Monday as precious metals and base metals miners were weighed down. Investors became cautious before the expected rate increase by the central banks this week. The S&P/ASX 200 Index closed 1% lower, at 8,778.60 point, its lowest level since January 12. The benchmark index gained 1.8% in the last month. This is its highest level since August 2025. Gold miners fell as much as 8,9% on Monday. It was their worst day for more than three months. Heavyweights Northern Star Resources, and Evolution Mining, both lost 8%, and 5% respectively....

Copper prices continued to fall on Monday, for the second consecutive session. Investors were in a risk-off mood after Kevin Warsh was?nominated as the new Fed Chair. Demand also remained low?as China prepared to celebrate the Lunar New Year. As of 0330 GMT, the?most active copper contract at the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell 7.60%, to 100,110 Yuan ($14401.00) per metric ton. The benchmark copper for three months on the London Metal Exchange fell 2.73% to $12,798 per ton. After hitting record highs in both Shanghai and London on Thursday, copper is now taking a hit. This was due to speculative...

Capstone Copper Corp. resumed its operations at the Mantoverde Copper and Gold Mine in northern Chile despite a strike by a union that represents nearly 22%. In a filing to the Australian stock exchange dated 1 February, the company reiterated that it expected to continue operating at a level of 50% to 75% normal production throughout this strike. The shares of Capstone Australia listed depositary receipts fell as much as 4.5 percent to A$15.810 per day, their lowest levels since January 23. The decision to resume operations was made following a Chilean Court ruling that authorized the removal of striking...

The Chilean Court authorized the use of force on Friday to remove striking workers from a desalination facility serving Capstone Copper’s Mantoverde Copper and Gold Mine. This escalating labor dispute came hours after workers voted to reject?the latest contract offer by the company. The employees at Mantoverde have rejected the revised proposal that was presented by the company. It included final payments of about $17.400 per member, and a wage adjustment of 1%. This means their strike, which began at the start this month, will continue. According to the union, despite only?14% eligible employees voting against the offer, the majority...

Citi said 'on Friday that the gold investment allocations were being influenced by a wide range of geopolitical and economic risks. However, around half of these risks may disappear later in the year. Citi said that some of the key risks driving gold demand, such as U.S. China tensions, China Taiwan risks, concerns about U.S. Government debt, and uncertainty surrounding artificial intelligence, were likely to keep prices high by "historical standards". The bank believes that approximately half of the risks embedded in the gold price will either not be realized?in 2026, or they won't persist beyond that year. The bank...

Fear of missing out on something triggers large moves Two-way markets: a reminder to speculators The Chinese Lunar New Year could bring in more sales By Pratima Deai and Polina devt LONDON, JANUARY 30 - After hitting record highs this week, gold, silver, and copper prices fell on Friday as investors rushed to lock in their profits, hoping that the aggressive U.S. rate cuts would fade. The dollar also stabilized. On Friday, President Donald Trump announced that he had appointed Kevin Warsh as the new head of the U.S. Federal Reserve. Dollar index, which measures the U.S. dollar against other...

Australia said on Friday that it would continue to support its vital mineral supply chains, after the U.S. withdrew from plans to guarantee a price minimum for such projects. Shares in?Australian rare earth miner companies fell sharply Thursday after a report by? Reports on the Trump Administration's retreat impacted shares of?Australia's rare earth miners sharply on Thursday. On Friday, the sector was still in red. Lynas, the largest producer of rare Earths outside China was down more than 4%. Trump administration officials communicated the backdown to U.S. mining executive and indicated that there was no funding from Congress for price...

Caterpillar’s fourth-quarter performance reflected the global economy. Sales were boosted by a surge in artificial intelligence spending, even though the equipment giant warned investors that they would be hit with tariffs of up to $2 billion over the next year. The largest construction equipment company in the world reported that quarterly sales of its power and energy division, which manufactures generators, increased by more than 20%. Caterpillar, along with other industrial giants, has relied on AI in order to boost investor sentiment. Its shares have gained 60% in the past year, which is roughly four times as much as the...

Multiple sources have confirmed that the Trump administration has backed away from its plans to guarantee a price floor for U.S. Critical Minerals Projects, as a tacit acknowledgement of a lack in congressional funding and complexity of setting market prices, according to?. This shift comes at a time when a U.S. Senate Committee is reviewing a price ceiling extended to MP Materials in the past year. It marks a reversal of commitments made to the industry. Washington could also be set apart from other G7 countries discussing joint price support measures or similar measures to boost production of critical minerals...

Gold and silver have been making headlines for their massive rise in recent months, but industrial metals are also performing well. The fundamentals of copper, aluminium, and nickel have been a strong factor in the recent gains. These metals are at record highs or multiple-year highs, even though they do not appear to be sufficient for these rallies. Base metals are showing strength for a number of reasons, the majority of which relate to Chinese import demand and easing exports. Metals may also be benefiting from the same speculative dynamics that drive gold and silver. This is a desire for...

Multiple sources have reported that the Trump administration has backed away from its plans to guarantee a price minimum for U.S. vital minerals projects. This is a tacit acknowledgement of the lack of funding by Congress and complexity in setting market prices, they said. This shift comes at a time when a U.S. Senate Committee is reviewing a price floor granted to MP Materials in the past year. It represents a change from previous commitments to industry, and it could separate Washington from other G7 partners who are discussing some form of joint pricing support or similar measures to boost...

Multiple sources have confirmed that the Trump administration has backed away from its plans to guarantee a price minimum for U.S. vital minerals projects. This is a tacit acknowledgement of a lack in congressional funding as well as the difficulty of setting market prices. This shift comes at a time when a U.S. Senate Committee is reviewing a price floor granted to MP Materials in the past year. It represents a change from what was promised to industry. Washington could be at odds with G7 partners who are discussing joint price support measures or other related measures that would boost...

Tungsten prices in January reached record levels, due to tightening inventories, Chinese export controls, and industrial demand. This has left consumers scrambling in an already constrained market. According to traders, the price of ammonium paratungstate (used to make tungsten) was 'trading' at $1,125-1,150 per metric tonne unit (mtu). This is a new record. Rotterdam prices reached a record high of $1,100. The prices are expected to rise further in the next few weeks. Tungsten, a crucial industrial metal with the highest melting temperature of all metals, is prized for its high hardness. Tungsten carbide is used in cutting tools, wear...

Iron ore futures rose Thursday, after two consecutive sessions of falls. This was due to expectations that?China?s hot metal production would increase as more steel mills resumed production following maintenance. By 0308 GMT, the most traded May iron ore contract at China's Dalian Commodity Exchange rose 0.96% to $792 yuan (US$113.99) per metric ton. The benchmark March Iron Ore?on the Singapore Exchange rose by 0.89% to $104 per ton. The Shanghai Metals Market said in a report that China's hot metal production dropped 7,000 tons from week to week as a result of blast furnaces having maintenance done. This delayed...

Hang Seng Gold ETF soared by more than 9% in its Hong Kong debut on Thursday, as spot gold rose to a new record of just under $5,600 per ounce. Investors were seeking safety due to geopolitical, economic and political uncertainties. The LBMA (the international gold trade association based out of London) announces the morning gold fixing price per troy ounce. Gold has risen more than 10% this week and is now above $5,000, thanks to safe-haven flows and central bank purchases, as well as a weaker US dollar. Zeng Wenkai is the chief investment officer of Shengqi Asset Management....

ASML is the most valuable company in Europe thanks to its dominance of lithography systems. These are huge "chip-printing" machines, which cost $250 million per machine and are essential to companies driving the AI boom. Take a look at how the Dutch company has grown. What is driving the demand for ASML's printers? ASML has a monopoly over the machines that use extreme ultraviolet light (EUV), which are used to manufacture the most advanced semiconductors. However, rivals from China and the U.S. have been working on alternatives. ASML is ASML because of the rapid advances in AI, and the global...

Zinc did not perform according to script in 2018 and the galvanising material continues to surprise 2026. The London Metal Exchange (LME) is trading at its highest levels in three years this week. A market that was expected to move to an oversupply by 2025, was instead rocked in October by a fierce squeeze. The global mine production is increasing at a rapid pace, but the flow through to the refined metal segment is taking longer than expected. This is because the'surplus' is all stuck in China. LME zinc inventories have increased from the depleted levels of October thanks to...

Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department data released on Tuesday showed that China's net imports of gold via Hong Kong fell by 24% in December compared to November. Why is it important? China's gold purchasing can have a significant impact on global gold markets. Hong Kong's data might not be a complete view of Chinese gold purchases as it is also imported through Shanghai and Beijing. By the Numbers The net imports from Hong Kong to China in December were 12.205 metric tons, down from 16.16 tons for November. China's total imports of gold via Hong Kong fell 7.3% to...

The Mines Ministry announced?on Tuesday that Zambia's copper output last year increased?8% due to higher output from?major mining operations. Africa's second largest copper producer, Africa's Copper, produced 890,346 tons of copper in 2025. This is up from the 825,513 tones that were produced last year, but still falls short of its target 1 million tons. The country plans to increase its copper production to 3 million tonnes by 2031 to meet the growing demand for copper used in electric cars and renewable energy infrastructure. Vedanta’s Konkola?Copper Mines was primarily responsible for the?rise in production last?year, with a fourfold increase, to...

Dalian iron ore prices dropped for a second day in a row on Tuesday. This was due to lingering concern about demand for this 'key ingredient for steelmaking' in the top consumer, China. By 0223 GMT, the most-traded contract for?iron ore on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange fell 0.44% to 788.5 yuan (113.34 dollars) per metric ton. As of 0213 GMT, the benchmark January iron ore price on the Singapore Exchange had not changed much from $103.6 per ton. Analysts at Zhengxin Futures stated in a note that more steel mills are starting?equipment repairs in preparation for the Lunar New Year...

According to two sources familiar with the situation, negotiations with Emirates Global Aluminium are slowing down, but that does not mean that the potential sale of Brazilian aluminium manufacturer Companhia Brazileira de 'Aluminio has stopped. One source said that the process is still competitive. One person and another source involved in the negotiations said that China's Aluminum Corporation?of China, and a potential third bidder were actively pursuing the deal. One?of the sources stated that an announcement could be made within days or even weeks. Negotiations could still fail, however. CBA's shares were up 5% in Brazil at mid-morning trading on...

The companies announced that Zijin Gold would buy Canada's Allied Gold at a price of?about C$5.5billion ($4.02billion) in cash. This is as the Chinese miner accelerated its global expansion amid record-high yellow metal prices. Gold prices have risen, boosting margins and cash flow for miners. This has led to consolidation as large producers look to boost production through acquisitions instead of developing new mines. Canada and China have also agreed to a deal to improve their relationship after reaching a preliminary agreement this month to reduce tariffs on canola and electric vehicles, while vowing to lower trade barriers and enhance...

Two people with knowledge of the situation say that negotiations?with 'Emirates Global Aluminium' have slowed down. One source said that the process is still competitive. One of the people involved in the negotiations said that China's Aluminum Corporation of China and a third bidder were actively pursuing this deal. One of the sources stated that an announcement could be made within days or even weeks. Negotiations?could, however, still fail. CBA and Grupo Votorantim (which controls CBA) declined to comment. EGA and Chinalco didn't immediately respond to requests for comments. CBA is a Brazilian aluminium producer in seven Brazilian states. Votorantim...

BHP Group shipped iron ore to Malaysia and Vietnam that was barred from sale in China. The company is seeking other buyers for its Jimblebar stocks, which are piling up at Chinese port amid a long-running contract dispute with Beijing. China Mineral Resources Group, set up in the year 2022 with the aim of centralising iron ore purchases and gaining better terms from miner, banned Chinese steel mills from purchasing BHP's Jimblebar Blend Fines, a medium-grade ore. This was done last September, during ongoing talks about a new contract. While talks continue, Lowlands Blue docked on Malaysia's shores on January...