Mining

The U.S. government signed a $725 million conditional loan commitment with Energy?Fuels on Thursday to boost domestic?processing of 'rare -earth elements as part of its efforts to reduce reliance on China. The?U.S. Energy Fuels will expand operations in rare earth separation and metalization. This is a crucial step for permanent magnet production. The Office of Strategic Capital of the Department of War (OSC) released a press release. Donald Trump has renamed the U.S. Department of Defense to "Department of War". In the past?year several countries have increased their investments in rare-earth mining and processing after China decided to restrict exports...

Gold rose more than 1% on Thursday, recovering losses from the previous session, as oil prices dropped following an interim agreement between the U.S. and Iran, which dampened inflation expectations. As of 0242 GMT spot gold rose 1.4% to $4,316.42 an ounce after falling 1.7% on Tuesday. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery fell 1% to $4336.70. The reason for this short unwinding was also the 'positive news' coming out of the Middle East which caused oil prices fall, said Kelvin Wong, senior market analyst at OANDA. On Wednesday, the United States and Iran published their interim agreement. The?U.S. Donald...

The gold price?reversed its course and dropped more than 1%?on Wednesday, after the U.S. Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest rates steady but warned of a rise in borrowing costs this year. This sent the dollar higher. By 2:40 pm EDT (1840 GMT), spot gold had fallen 0.7% to $4,299.89 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures closed 0.6% higher at 4,381.40. Nine out of 19 policymakers at the U.S. Central Bank believe that they will have to increase the policy rate for this year. This is according to the projections made on Wednesday, after the Fed announced their decision to keep...

The gold price?advanced? higher on Wednesday, as investors waited for the first policy decision by the U.S. Central Bank under the new Chairman Kevin Warsh. They also hoped to get more details about the U.S. Iran peace agreement. By 11:09 am EDT (1509 GMT), spot gold had risen 0.3% to $4,344.47 an ounce. U.S. Gold Futures rose by 0.2% to $4,364.70. Tai Wong, a metals trader, said that gold buyers could be betting on the dovish Warsh to come later today. This would explain why prices are rising despite indifferent stocks, higher yields, and a stronger dollar. Federal Reserve rate...

On Wednesday, gold prices remained largely unchanged near a week-high as investors awaited the Federal Reserve's first meeting and details of a U.S. Iran agreement. As of 0747 GMT the spot gold price was unchanged at $4,328.67 an ounce after hitting a high of $4.370.82 per ounce on Monday. U.S. Gold futures for August delivery fell 0.1% to $4,348.40. Donald Trump claimed that the agreement with Iran will prevent?Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. A U.S. official stated that Iran will be allowed to export oil. Prices of oil hovered around a three-month high on the expectation of Iranian supplies, which...

Lumina Metals shares rose by nearly?55% in their Warsaw 'Stock Exchange debut, making them a'second copper - and?silver - focused company listed on the Polish bourse along with state miner KGHM. The Warsaw debut comes after Lumina's initial listing at the Toronto Stock Exchange in April, when it raised C$406 (290 million) through an IPO that was priced at C$12.50 a share. IPO proceeds will be used to advance the 'company's flagship Nowa Sol project. CEO Jordan Pandoff said that the company intends to invest approximately 1 billion zlotys (approximately $272 mln) in Poland in five years. * Lumina Metals...

Newmont announced Monday a series of 'executive appointments', including the appointment of Brian Tabolt to its finance chief. The gold miner is reshaping its top management, under a new CEO. Tabolt was Newmont's group head of finances and chief accounting officer before joining the company. He joined Molson Coors Beverage in 2021. Tabolt replaces Peter Wexler who served as the interim CFO of the company. His appointment takes effect on July 1. The company also announced the appointments of David Thornton, chief technical officer and Mark Rodgers, chief operating officer. Newmont is undergoing a boardroom shake-up after Natascha Vijoen was...

Gold prices rose on Monday for the third consecutive session, reaching a record high of over one week after Iran and the U.S. announced that they had agreed to terms to end their conflict. This move eased expectations about higher interest rates. By 1:30 pm EDT (1730 GMT), spot gold had risen 2.6% to $4,327.82 an ounce after reaching its highest level since June 5, earlier in the day. U.S. Gold Futures closed 2.7% higher at 4,351.6. The dollar index fell by 0.2%, making metals priced in greenbacks more affordable for holders of other currencies. The dollar index fell by...

On Monday, gold prices reached a near-week-high as a tentative peace deal between the?U.S. Oil prices fell as a result of the Iran deal, which also eased concerns about a rate hike by the U.S. Federal Reserve. As of 0857 GMT spot gold was up 2.7% at $4,334.48 an ounce. This is its highest price since June 9. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery climbed 2.8%, to $4355.30. U.S. officials and Iranian officials announced that they had reached an agreement to end the war and reopen Strait of Hormuz. This preliminary pact sent oil prices down but left the fate...

The Wall Street Journal, citing an individual familiar with the situation, reported that Australia's richest person, mining baron Gina Rinehart has invested a total of more than $1 billion into the $75 billion SpaceX record-breaking IPO. Hancock Prospecting, Rinehart's company, did not confirm the size of their'stake' in Elon Musk SpaceX. She said, however, in a press release: "This investment is significant for Hancock and we are happy to have received a allocation in an IPO that has been extremely popular and well oversubscribed." She praised Musk because he built two of the top 10 companies in the world. "We...

Gold prices rose by more than 1% on Monday after U.S. officials and Iranian officials announced they had reached an agreement to end their conflict. This lowered oil prices and eased concerns about inflation and rising interest rates. As of 0010 GMT spot gold rose 1.8% to $4,297.42 an ounce. This is its highest level since the 9th of June. U.S. Gold Futures for August Delivery rose 1.9% to $4,318.10. U.S. officials and Iranian officials announced on Sunday that they had reached an agreement?on the framework of a peace deal to end their conflict, stop?the U.S. Blockade of Iran, and...

Climate specialists say that while El Nino conditions can 'hurt harvests around the world, it is more likely to boost agricultural production in Argentina during the second half of the year. The Climate Prediction Center of the United States said on Thursday that El Nino conditions would intensify in the second half 2026. El Nino is a phenomenon that causes ocean water to warm in the equatorial Pacific, causing lower rainfall across Asia and Australia. It also raises concerns about global food shortages and increased prices because of droughts. Climate specialists say that in Argentinia, an exporter of corn, soybeans...

Metals such as lithium, copper and rare earth elements, which are associated with the energy transition, have been the most consistently bullish commodities in recent years. Iron ore miners want to add their product?to the list. Steel demand in South and Southeast Asia is expected to remain robust and will more than offset the decline in production in China and Western Europe. This was the consensus opinion at this week's industry meeting in Singapore. The optimism of iron ore miners was not shared by those who advocated decarbonising the steel industry. They realised that green steel would be extremely expensive...

China's aluminium production rose by 1.7% in May compared to a year ago, marking the ninth consecutive month of gains. This was aided by higher overseas prices. Prices have since eased and may even fall further now that Washington and Tehran have signed a ceasefire. The National Bureau of Statistics reported on Tuesday that China's aluminum output reached 3.89 million tons in May. The first five months of this year saw a 3.5% increase in output to 19.22 millions metric tons. There was still a lot of uncertainty in May about a U.S. - Iran peace deal. The Strait of...

Iron ore miner's in Australia stressed on Tuesday that a?growing demand for steel in India and Southeast Asia?would offset the stagnating markets in China and other top customers. India, already the second-largest steel producer in the world, plans to double its current output from 168 million to 400 million ton by 2035-2036. The new targets, while still only a fraction of China’s production of almost 1 billion tons, will require huge additional quantities of metallurgical coal and iron ore, both of which India imports in large amounts. Michiel Hovers, BHP's group sales and marketing officer, said at a conference on...

Mongolia hopes to increase trade with China by more than 10% this year, as it is the largest destination for its coal and mineral exports. This will help further strengthen its economic dependence on China. The two-way trade is expected to reach $20 billion this year, Ukhnaa Khuraelsukh, the President of Mongolia, told Wang Yi, Chinese Foreign Minister, during his first visit to Ulaanbaatar over the weekend. This is a rise of over 10% from 2025 despite the Iran War limiting the economic outlook of?the second largest economy in the world at a time when domestic demand has been stagnant....

The demand for gold in India increased slightly this week, as jewellery buyers were attracted by lower prices, despite caution. In China however, premiums eased. The price of gold in India fell to its lowest level since April 2, at 146.444 rupees for 10 grams, on Thursday. It is down 1.5% this week. Chanda Venkatesh said that the demand for gold increased after the recent price correction, especially jewellery buyers. Dealers quoted discounts Discounts of up to $35 per ounce, including 15% import duties and 3% sales taxes, compared to last week's discount of up to $87.5. Although jewellers are...

The U.S. and Israel war against?Iran has not affected the price of iron ore, but this relative calm hides a shift in the dynamics of the steel raw material. China purchases about three quarters of the global seaborne iron ore and uses it to feed mills that produce just over half of the world's total steel. Iron ore for the United States is largely sourced by Australia and Brazil. Other producers such as South Africa and Guinea contribute a small amount. This trade bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow waterway that connects Iran to Oman has been closed off...

The copper price fell to its lowest level in three weeks as the U.S. and Iran continued their attacks. Funds liquidated positions on concerns about rising interest rates, weaker economic growth worldwide, and softer metals demands. The benchmark three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange fell 0.8% to $13,407 per metric tonne by 0925 GMT. It had earlier reached $13,378, which was its lowest since May 20. On Thursday, the U.S. traded air strikes with Iran for a second day in a row, undermining an already fragile ceasefire. Copper's decline is driven more by macro-headwinds than fundamentals. "Escalating tensions...

A senior South Korean adviser to the president said that the European Union would give maximum consideration to South Korea’s request for favorable?treatment of their?steelmakers, under the new import regime. The request was made by the South Korean president Lee Jae Myung during a Wednesday meeting in Brussels with Antonio Costa, President of the European Council and Ursula von der Leyen, President of European Commission. Kim Yong Beom, a presidential policy advisor, told a press briefing that Lee had asked the EU to "consider" South Korea's status as a strategic?partner and a?partner in a free trade agreement. Kim said that...

Copper prices fell Thursday as oil prices rose and concerns about the global economy grew. By 0700 GMT, the benchmark three-month 'copper price on London Metal Exchange had fallen 0.6% to $13,435 per metric ton. It had hit a new low of $13,378 per ton earlier in the day. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract fell 1.26%, to 103 160 yuan (15,222.75 dollars) per ton. SHFE prices touched?102.640 yuan per ton earlier that day, their lowest level since May 8th. Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice and the US Central Command...

The U.S. and Israel war against Iran has not affected the price of iron ore, but this relative calm hides a shift in the?dynamics? for the steel raw material. China purchases about three quarters of the world's seaborne iron ore. It uses it to feed mills that make just over half the steel produced worldwide. Iron ore is mostly sourced from Australia and Brazil. Other producers such as South Africa and Guinea also contribute a small amount. This trade bypasses the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow waterway that connects Iran to Oman has been closed off since February 28, when...

Copper prices fell on Thursday as the Middle East conflict escalated, pushing oil prices up and raising concerns about global growth. By 0300 GMT, the benchmark three-month copper price?on London Metal Exchange?had fallen 0.75% to a metric ton of $13,414.5. It had hit a new low of $13,378 per ton earlier in the day. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract fell 1.5%, to 102 910 yuan (15,187.43 dollars) per ton. SHFE prices touched?102.640 yuan per ton in the early morning hours, their lowest level since the 8th of May. Iran announced that the Strait of Hormuz will be...

Copper prices fell on Wednesday as the volatility of the Middle East conflict and macroeconomic worries overshadowed any price support that could be provided by potential U.S. Tariffs. Benchmark three-month Copper on the London Metal Exchange declined 0.32% as of 0700 GMT to $13,572 per metric tonne. The Shanghai Futures Exchange's most traded copper contract fell 0.29%, to 104110 yuan (15,366.79) per ton. Oil reversed gains and fell 0.1% even after U.S.-Iran exchanged some of their biggest "strikes" since they agreed on a ceasefire agreement in April. The war has pushed up energy prices and stressed manufacturing, which is a...