This TSX Gold Producer Tipped as Top M&A Target in Scorching Metals Market
A TD Cowen survey of 58 institutional investors and mining executives identified Toronto‑listed Iamgold Corp. as the leading M&A candidate for 2026, with 20 % of respondents flagging the company. The poll also showed near‑universal expectations of heightened gold and silver deal activity and a strong uptick in copper mergers. Gold prices remain elevated, hovering around US$5,600 per ounce, prompting investors to overweight the metal and anticipate price ranges of $5,500‑$6,000 in 2026. Capital allocation preferences are shifting toward shareholder returns, with 44 % favoring cash distributions.
European Investment Bank Launching Financing Platform for Energy Efficiency
The European Investment Bank is injecting €60 million into Solas Capital’s Sustainable Energy Fund II to launch a new financing platform that will support energy‑efficiency projects for SMEs across the EU. The platform is designed to mobilize nearly €400 million of total capital,...
What Does Malaysia’s Complete Ban on E-Waste Imports Mean for Battery, Aluminium, Copper Recyclers?
Malaysia upgraded its e‑waste import prohibition from a conditional to an absolute ban, ending all shipments of end‑of‑life batteries and related waste. The move creates immediate supply uncertainty for battery recyclers that rely on imported black mass, likely driving up...
Govt Urges Refiners to Prioritise US, Venezuelan Crude Amid Evolving Trade Ties: Report
India has urged its state‑owned refiners to give priority to crude from the United States and Venezuela as part of a broader effort to diversify supplies and reduce reliance on Russian oil. The government’s suggestion applies to spot‑market tenders for...
Nickel Price Jumps as Indonesia’s Top Mine Cuts Output
Indonesia ordered the world’s largest nickel mine, PT Weda Bay, to cut its ore quota from 42 million tonnes to 12 million tonnes for 2024, aiming to tighten global supply. The LME nickel price rose 2 percent to $17,835 a tonne, extending a rally of...
What's Driving Northern Ireland's Falling Fuel Prices?
Petrol prices in Northern Ireland have fallen to 124.2 pence per litre, the lowest level in five years, while diesel holds steady at 131.9 pence. The decline follows a global oil oversupply and easing geopolitical tensions after the 2022 price spike triggered...
TotalEnergies Cuts Buybacks as Low Oil, Gas Prices Weigh on Profits
TotalEnergies announced a 62% reduction in its Q1 share buyback, lowering the program to $750 million after a fourth‑quarter adjusted net income of $3.8 billion fell 13% year‑on‑year. The cut reflects weaker oil and gas prices that offset a 215% surge in...
An FTA No One Is Talking About Can Give India a Strategic Edge
The India‑Chile free trade negotiations are moving toward a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that explicitly includes critical minerals such as lithium, copper, and cobalt. Chile’s abundant reserves could supply India’s “Make in India” and clean‑energy ambitions, while recent moves by...
India’s Solar Boom Hits Module Glut, Upstream Gaps Persist: Report
India's solar module capacity has surged to about 144 GW and is projected to reach 180 GW by FY30. However, upstream segments lag, with cell capacity stuck near 23.4 GW, creating a supply‑demand mismatch as installations are expected at only 45‑50 GW annually. The...
HMM Stays in the Black in Q4
South Korean carrier HMM posted a Q4 2025 net profit of KRW 364 billion, a 59.9% plunge from the prior period, while revenues fell 14.2% to KRW 2.71 trillion. The full‑year results showed a 50.3% profit drop to KRW 1.88 trillion as container freight rates slumped 49%...
China State Gold Miner Zijin Eyes Global Top 3 as Geopolitical Risks Grow
China's state‑owned Zijin Mining Group announced an aggressive push to rank among the world’s top three gold and copper producers, primarily through overseas acquisitions. The strategy emphasizes gold and copper as core minerals for future growth while acknowledging heightened geopolitical...
Uranium Market Gathers Momentum in 2026: Sprott
Uranium spot prices surged above $100 per pound in January 2026, the first breach of that level in two years, signaling renewed market vigor. Sprott Asset Management, a major buyer, added 4 million lb to its fund this year, bringing total holdings...
US Antimony, Americas Gold to Jointly Build Idaho Plant
United States Antimony and Americas Gold have formed a 51-49 joint venture to construct a hydrometallurgical processing plant in Idaho’s Silver Valley. The facility will treat antimony feed from Americas Gold’s Galena complex and could handle additional sources, aiming to...
First Quantum Credit Outlook Improves on Cobre Panama Progress
S&P Global Ratings upgraded First Quantum Minerals' credit outlook to positive, citing tangible progress toward restarting the Cobre Panama copper mine. The agency now expects the mine to resume operations in the first half of 2026, with a production ramp‑up later...
Mountain Province Pauses Tuzo Phase 3
Mountain Province Diamonds announced a pause on the Tuzo Phase 3 development at its Gahcho Kué mine, citing weak diamond prices and rising costs. The joint‑venture partners are refocusing capital on higher‑grade feed from the NEX pipe to safeguard liquidity. The decision...
Vedanta Aluminium Boosts Billet Production to 830,000 Tonnes per Annum
Vedanta Aluminium has raised its Jharsuguda billet output to 830,000 tonnes per year, adding 250,000 tonnes of new capacity and a 120,000‑tonne Primary Foundry Alloy line. The upgrade uses advanced casting and homogenising technology from Wagstaff and Hertwich, cementing the...
Mining Corridors as Catalysts: Building on the Lobito Model
In December 2025 the United States and the Democratic Republic of Congo signed a strategic partnership that gives Washington preferential access to Congolese mineral deposits. The article argues that the next step is building logistics corridors, using the Lobito Corridor—linking...
BP Steps up Cost Cutting as Profits Slide
BP reported 2025 earnings of $7.5 bn, a 15% drop from the previous year, as crude prices fell roughly 20%. The oil major lifted its cost‑saving goal to $5.5‑$6.5 bn by the end of 2027, up from a $5 bn ceiling, and halted...
Scale of Australia’s Dec Chickpea, Lentil Exports Surprises
Australian legume exporters posted a dramatic December surge, shipping 588,122 tonnes of chickpeas and 410,805 tonnes of lentils, up 57% and more than double respectively from November. India dominated demand, taking 63% of chickpeas and 39% of lentils, while Bangladesh and Pakistan...
Fresh From the Trading Room: A Little Jittery
The past two weeks saw extreme swings in commodities, with gold tumbling 12% after a record near $5,600, silver down about 30% from its $120 peak, and natural gas plunging 26% on shifting demand forecasts. President Trump’s nomination of former...
US to Exempt some Bangladeshi Clothes From Tariffs
The United States announced a new trade pact that lowers its tariff on Bangladeshi apparel from 20% to 19% and grants tariff‑free status to garments made with U.S. cotton and man‑made fibers. In return, Bangladesh will open its market to...
Former US Officials Warn of Impending 'Widespread Collapse of American Agriculture': 'Our Farmers and Ranchers … Can't Compete with the...
The agricultural sector faces a perfect storm of policy and market pressures, according to a bipartisan letter signed by former heads of the National Corn, Barley, and Soybean Growers associations. The signatories contend that recent tariffs on farm inputs and...
Elevra, Mangrove Lithium Ink Offtake MoU for NAL Project in Quebec
Elevra Lithium has signed a non‑binding MOU with Canada’s Mangrove Lithium to off‑take up to 144,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate per year from the North American Lithium (NAL) project in Quebec. The supply would begin in 2028, scaling to full...
US Military Boards Sanctioned Oil Tanker in Indian Ocean
The U.S. military conducted a right‑of‑visit boarding of the Panama‑flagged tanker Aquila II in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from the Caribbean. The vessel, linked to sanctions on Venezuelan and illicit Russian oil, had been operating with its transponder off,...
Russian Oil Sector Under Siege as EU Ramps up Pressure and India Winds Down Imports
The European Union announced plans to replace its $44.10‑per‑barrel Russian oil price cap with a comprehensive ban on maritime services for Russian crude, pending member‑state approval. The ban would block hull, machinery, and insurance services, pushing Russia toward the uninsured...
Taiwan to Freeze Fuel Prices over Lunar New Year, Gas Rates Through February
Taiwan's Executive Yuan announced a temporary freeze on gasoline and diesel prices from Feb 16‑23 and will keep natural gas and LPG rates unchanged through the end of February to smooth consumer costs during the Lunar New Year. The decision follows...
US Backs Altona’s Mozambique Rare Earths Project
Altona Rare Earths announced that the U.S. Trade & Development Agency will support its Monte Muambe project in Mozambique, prompting a 76% surge in the company's London‑listed shares. The backing aims to map technical and financial routes for extracting rare‑earth...
Why China’s Aluminum Industry May Have Reached Peak CO2
China's primary aluminum sector, producing about 44 million tons annually, has seen its CO₂ emissions likely peak in 2024. The peak stems from a massive geographic shift moving roughly 13 million tons of output from coal‑heavy provinces to hydro‑rich regions such as...
US Mineral Supply Chains Remain Exposed to China Chokehold: USGS Report
The U.S. Geological Survey’s 2026 mineral commodities summary shows the United States now imports 100% of 16 of the 90 non‑fuel minerals it tracks, up from 15 a year earlier, and relies on foreign sources for more than half of...
Heliostar Pours First Gold From San Agustin Mine
Heliostar Metals announced the first gold pour from its newly restarted San Agustin mine in Durango, marking its second operating asset after La Colorada. The open‑pit mine is projected to deliver roughly 45,000 ounces of gold from existing reserves, prompting...
DPM Adds 20% More Gold-Silver to Extend Bulgaria Mine
DPM Metals announced a 20% increase in measured and indicated resources at its Chelopech gold‑copper mine, boosting total reserves to 1.6 million ounces of gold and 6.23 million ounces of silver. The update extends the mine’s projected life to ten years, up...
January 2026 Metals Options Report
Gold options opened 2026 with record‑high activity, posting a month‑to‑date average daily volume of 73 K contracts for monthly tenors and 30 K for weekly. Spot gold surged past $5,000 per ounce, driven by a weaker dollar and heightened geopolitical tension, while...
FAO Food Price Index Declines in January for Fifth Consecutive Month
The FAO Food Price Index slipped to 123.9 points in January, marking a fifth consecutive monthly decline and a 0.4% drop from December. Prices fell sharply for dairy (‑5%) and sugar (‑1%), while the cereal price index edged up 0.2%...
LG Energy Solution Targets 90GWh of Battery Orders in US Energy Storage Market in 2026
LG Energy Solution announced a target of 90 GWh of new battery‑energy‑storage‑system (BESS) orders in the United States for 2026, raising its ESS cell output to over 60 GWh while keeping total global capacity at roughly 300 GWh. The company plans to slash...
Pro Farmer Podcast | What's Next for the Dollar?
In the February 2 2026 episode of the Pro Farmer Podcast, host Davis Michaelsen and guest Bill Watts dissect the recent turbulence in the U.S. dollar and its ripple effects on precious‑metal markets. They attribute the dollar’s swings to shifting Federal Reserve...
Pro Farmer Podcast | A Winter Wonderland
On the January 26, 2026 episode of the Pro Farmer Podcast, hosts Davis and Hillari examined how unusually frigid temperatures could jeopardize the upcoming winter wheat crop. They highlighted potential germination delays, reduced tiller development, and heightened disease pressure. Editor Bill Watts...
Heat Pumps That Pay: How Industrial Process Heat Is Becoming a Cost-Saving Asset
Industrial heat, the world’s largest energy end‑use, is now a balance‑sheet issue as manufacturers grapple with volatile fuel prices and rising carbon costs. A new generation of high‑temperature heat pumps can deliver up to ~200 °C, turning waste heat and low‑grade...