Today's Mining Pulse
Indonesia grants export monopoly to state trader DSI, targeting $66bn in resource revenues
Indonesia’s employers association and major mining cartels have endorsed President Prabowo Subianto’s new export monopoly, giving exclusive rights to state‑controlled PT Danantara Sumberdaya Indonesia. The policy seeks to capture roughly $66.13 billion in annual resource revenues—about 23.4% of exports—and to curb $908 billion in historic tax leakage.
Also developing:
Botswana: Illegal Sand Mining On the Rise in Ntlhantlhe
Kgosi Malepa Orekeng warned Ntlhantlhe residents that illegal sand miners, many armed, are increasingly operating trucks across the Molopye River. The village’s long‑standing rule limiting sand collection to manual, resident‑only methods has been ignored, prompting a surge in unregulated extraction. Local police lack vehicles and manpower, while previous Botswana Defence Force patrols proved temporary. Orekeng called for a permanent, government‑led special operation and highlighted the potential for regulated sand sales to boost the community’s economy.
Lilac, Traxys Lock 10‑year, 5,000
Lilac and Traxys sign a 10-year offtake for 5,000 t/y Utah lithium carbonate starting in 2027. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/03/lilac-traxys-lithium-offtake-secures.html
Rio Tinto Secures Australian Taxpayer Loan, Threatening WA Lithium
Rio Tinto gets Australian taxpayer loan for Argentinian project that is part of the threat to WA lithium https://t.co/oQ2vC7FYXl
Dateline Stakes Claim on District-Scale US Rare Earths Play
Dateline Resources has dramatically expanded its Music Valley heavy‑rare‑earth project in California by filing 969 additional claims, boosting the footprint by 1,800% to 20,520 acres across 1,026 contiguous claims. The new land package spans roughly nine kilometres of strike on...
BRE’s Expanding Rare‑earth Strike Hides Untapped Uranium Potential
I'm surprised there aren't more discussions/posts about $BRE. Their projects also show strong uranium potential as a byproduct/co-product—which doesn't get mentioned nearly enough. $BRE Sulista Rare Earth District Grows to 17 km Strike https://t.co/v6qoNJbLvc https://t.co/0mTD70p6wJ
Chinese Billionaire Zhang Bo Sees Wealth Surpassing $48B as Aluminum Prices Jump
Chinese billionaire Zhang Bo’s net worth has topped $48 billion as aluminum prices surged over 25 % in the past year. Shares of his China Hongqiao Group jumped 585 % since he took control in 2019, making him Asia’s richest metals magnate. The price...
From Toilet Paper to Diesel: Are We Creating the Shortage?
Australia’s diesel imports remain strong, with about 5.8 million tonnes expected by the end of March 2026 – the second‑largest first‑quarter volume on record. Real‑time tanker tracking from LSEG Vessel Explorer captures roughly 90 % of these shipments, confirming that physical supply...
Lynas Secures Japanese Deal at Magic NdPr Floor
Lynas Rare Earths inks a revamped deal with major Japanese customer at ‘magic’ NdPr floor price https://t.co/RprvAdbu2p
Amid a Defence Boom, Zentek Takes a Fresh Look at Its Hearst-Area Graphite Deposit (Northern Ontario Business – March 10,...
Zentek, a Guelph‑based high‑tech firm, is revisiting its Albany graphite deposit near Hearst to position it as a strategic resource for defence, nuclear and battery markets. The new CEO, Mohammed Jiwan, announced a strategic reset and plans to launch a...
First Nation-Owned Mine in Manitoba Gets Green Light to Begin Production – by Ozten Shebahkeget (CBC News Manitoba – March...
The Minago critical minerals project in Manitoba has secured an amended environmental licence, allowing it to produce up to 10,000 tonnes of material per day. Owned entirely by the Norway House Cree Nation, the rebranded venture targets magnesium and platinum‑group...
Mine Waste Like Those Found in Sudbury Could Strengthen National Security (Sudbury Star – March 9, 2026)
Nadia Mykytczuk, director of Laurentian University’s Goodman School of Mines, told Canada’s Standing Committee on National Defence that the country’s abundant mining tailings contain billions of dollars’ worth of critical minerals such as nickel, copper, cobalt and rare earth elements....
Coal: Australia and Canada’s Next Middle‑power Energy Play – by Christopher Wright (Lowy Institute – March 11, 2026)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney urged Australia to treat Canada as a strategic collaborator rather than a competitor, highlighting the potential of joint action in mining and critical minerals. Together the two middle powers already supply roughly one‑third of the...
Canada Is Racing to Make This Key Battery Ingredient at Home – by Anam Khan (BNN Bloomberg – March 10,...
Canada’s battery supply chain is hampered by a lack of domestic graphite refining, with 90% of battery‑grade graphite processed in China. Nouveau Monde Graphite (NMG) is launching a Phase‑2 mine and battery material plant in Bécancour, Quebec, backed by federal...
‘I Couldn’t Breathe’: The Dark Side of Bolivia’s Silver Boom – by Gonzalo Torrico (AFP News/Yahoo News – March 2,...
Bolivia’s historic Cerro Rico mine is experiencing a resurgence as silver prices surge to $87 an ounce, prompting a new wave of artisanal miners. Youths like 28‑year‑old Efrain Villaca are drawn by earnings of roughly $1,000 a month, more than twice...
Copper Explorers Attract Capital; Short‑Term Profit Opportunity
Macro: capital favors copper explorers. Key: Mogotes closed C$23M, CD Capital joined board, cash>debt. Risk: shares look overvalued; Kazakhstan deal may dilute. Take short‑term profits. 📈 — Viktor Kopylov, PhD, CFA. More insights: t.me/si14Kopylov
How Critical Are Critical Minerals in the Brazil-US Economic Relationship?
Policymakers and experts convened to examine how critical minerals shape the Brazil‑US economic partnership. Brazil’s abundant rare‑earth and battery‑grade mineral reserves are increasingly vital to the United States’ energy‑transition agenda. The discussion highlighted supply‑chain vulnerabilities, especially reliance on China, and...
Why It’s Still Early for Silver
The author argues that the silver bull market is still in its early phase, having surged 320% to a January peak and remaining up 206% after the correction. Using the same data‑driven framework applied to gold, the report projects the...
First Large XCMG XDE260 Mining Trucks Arrive in Australia
On March 9 2026 XCMG Group delivered the first six XDE260 diesel‑electric mining trucks to Port Hedland, Australia, with another six slated to join the same customer for a 12‑unit fleet. The XDE260 combines a Cummins QSK60 engine with a Wabtec AC...
Epithermal Gold-Silver and Porphyry Copper-Gold Potential Confirmed by Geophysical Survey Results at Swan Lake
Arctic Minerals announced that its late‑2025 induced‑polarisation (IP) geophysical survey at the Swan Lake project confirmed a strong positive IP anomaly coincident with a magnetic low, interpreted as the upper portion of a porphyry‑epithermal system. The anomaly sits within a...
MacroPass™: Jeff Clark's Latest Gold Mining Stock Pick
Jeff Clark of The Gold Advisor recommends a newly formed gold miner that controls a project with more than 2 million ounces of proven gold in Colombia’s prolific belt. The company, less than two months old, is fully funded, has begun...
Lundin, BHP’s Vicuña Project Targets 395,000 Tpy of Copper Concentrate From Argentina
Lundin Mining and BHP’s 50‑50 Vicuña joint venture in the Argentina‑Chile border region plans to produce an average of 395,000 tonnes of copper concentrate per year, alongside 711,000 ounces of gold and 22.2 million ounces of silver. The three‑stage development requires...
IPO Watch: Kaoko Gears up for Namibian Copper Hunt as ASX Listing Draws Near
Kaoko Metals, fresh from a $6.5 million IPO, is gearing up to explore its flagship Chalkos copper‑silver project and the multi‑commodity Karibib deposit in Namibia’s underexplored Kaoko belt. Surface assays at Chalkos have returned extraordinary copper grades up to 69.6% and...
US Natural Gas Balance
The latest US Natural Gas Balance report shows inventories climbing by 0.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) to a total of roughly 2.9 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). Production dipped about 1% as several key processing plants underwent scheduled maintenance, while demand...
As Gas Prices Soar, Trump Is Ignoring the Lessons of the Last Oil Crisis
The U.S. faces a new oil shock as the Strait of Hormuz closure drives gasoline prices above $3 per gallon, echoing the 1973 embargo. While domestic shale production and higher vehicle fuel economy have reduced the economy’s gasoline intensity, the...
Global Ferrous Scrap Markets Post Mixed Trends in Feb 2026
February 2026 saw a split in global ferrous scrap pricing, with Europe and China posting modest gains while the United States and Turkey experienced declines. Turkish HMS 1&2 (80:20) slipped 0.6% to $373.1 per tonne, and U.S. East Coast HMS...
District Executes Contract for Airborne MobileMT Survey on Alum Shale Properties in Sweden
District Metals Corp. has signed a contract with Expert Geophysics Surveys to conduct a helicopter‑borne Mobile Magnetotellurics (MobileMT) survey over its Alum Shale licences in north‑central Sweden. The program will fly roughly 2,253 line kilometres at 400‑metre spacing with 4,000‑metre...
Goliath Resources –Consolidated 2025 Drill Assays W/ Multi-Element Assays Increased Au-Only By 16.5%
Goliath Resources reported consolidated 2025 drill results from 110 holes at the Surebet Discovery on its Golddigger Property in British Columbia's Golden Triangle. Multi‑element assays showed a 16.5% increase in gold‑only grades compared with previous runs, while also highlighting copper...
JPMorgan Backs Clean Iron Startup Electra
Electra, a Colorado clean‑iron startup, secured a $30 million venture‑debt facility from J.P. Morgan to move toward its first commercial plant. The company’s low‑temperature electro‑refining process converts iron ore into 99% pure iron using renewable electricity, eliminating coal and high‑grade ore...
Cabral Gold Achieves Major Permitting Milestone with the Granting of the LP for Full Mining License at Cuiu Cuiu Gold...
Cabral Gold Inc. announced that Pará’s Environmental Council (COEMA) has issued the Licença Prévia (LP) for a full mining license at the Cuiú Cuiú gold district in Brazil. The LP clears the most time‑intensive stage of Brazil’s permitting process, de‑risking...
Thiess Set to Retrofit Caterpillar 793D with FLANDERS Hybrid Kit
Thiess’ 2025 Sustainability Report acknowledges a slower‑than‑expected energy transition and pivots to interim hybrid solutions for its mining fleet. After a 2024 memorandum of understanding with FLANDERS, the companies completed installation planning and risk assessments in 2025 and aim to...
How IEA Emergency Oil Releases Actually Work
It's a while since the last IEA emergency oil release, so I put together a briefing note on how it works in practice as it follows a strict technical and diplomatic protocol. The below is a (simplified) guide to follow...
Congo Expands State Gold Trading to Strengthen National Reserves
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s state‑owned DRC Gold Trading aims to purchase up to 15 metric tons of artisanal gold by 2026, after the government assumed full ownership in 2024. A February agreement gives the Central Bank of Congo priority...
From Forest to Flatpack, IKEA Faces Timber Traceability Test Under EUDR
The EU’s Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), set to take effect at the end of 2026, requires companies like IKEA to provide geolocation data proving their timber was not sourced from land deforested after December 2020. Although IKEA already sources nearly 100 % of...
QIMC Completes 711 Metre Discovery Hole DDH-26-01 at West-Advocate, Nova Scotia: Hydrogen System Confirmed at Depth
Québec Innovative Materials Corp. completed discovery borehole DDH-26-01 at its West‑Advocate project in Nova Scotia, reaching 711 m depth. Visible gas bubbles and instrument exceedances confirmed a persistent, pressurised hydrogen‑bearing system from roughly 505 m to the bottom of the hole. Diluted...
Lara Raising $33.7 Million for Brazilian Copper-Gold Project
Lara Exploration Ltd. announced a $33.7 million financing plan to advance its Planalto copper‑gold project in Brazil. The company will conduct a brokered private placement of up to 6.75 million shares at $3 each, targeting roughly $20.25 million, alongside a non‑brokered placement of...
US EV Demand Surge Could Boost Lithium Stocks
In recent Rock Stock videos I’ve suggested the extremely negative US EV narrative is likely already “priced in” to #lithium equities — leaving room for an upside surprise. Today TD Cowen published a 60+ page note making a similar contrarian case....
G7 Leaders Convene Video Call on Gulf War Energy Crisis
G7 head of state and/or government will hold a video call Wednesday to discuss the impact of the Third Gulf War, particularly around the “energy situation” and the Strait of Hormuz. The call is scheduled for 2pm GMT. I doubt this...
Nevada Sunrise Resamples Historical Drill Hole at the Griffon Gold Mine Project, Nevada
Nevada Sunrise Metals resampled four historic 2020 drill holes at the Griffon Gold Mine, confirming gold grades and revealing classic Carlin-type pathfinder elements. The 52‑element geochemical analysis matched Fremont Gold’s original gold assays, showing 1.01 g/t Au over 50.2 m in hole...
Alex Grant Pushes US Magnesium Revival with MagraThea Metals
Was great to talk Smack with DLE guru Alex Grant @biglithium And to hear how his @magratheametals aims to Make 🇺🇸 Magnesium Great Again. @StandardLithium @Equinor @exxonmobil @VulcanEnergyRes @Lilac_Solutions 👇👇
Pakistan Deploys Navy to Guard Oil Lifelines Amid Saudi Ties
Pakistan says it has launched a naval operation to protect its “energy lifelines.” In some ways expected: oil importing nations in Asia may step in protecting their own tankers. (Importantly, Pakistan has a defence treaty with Saudi Arabia, and buys...
Standard Uranium Confirms Anomalous Uranium and High-Grade Rare Earths at Surface on the Rocas Project, Saskatchewan
Standard Uranium reported final assay results from its 2025 surface program on the Rocas Project in Saskatchewan, confirming anomalous uranium mineralization and high‑grade rare earth element (TREO) values up to 9.83%. Grab samples yielded uranium grades as high as 0.409%...
China’s Rare Earths May Shorten US Iran Strikes
Could China’s rare earth supplies dictate how long US strikes on Iran go on? ..Washington had only two months of rare earths inventory, issue to dominate talks between Trump, Chinese President Xi. No duh. Not "Washington", dozens of US defind companies... https://t.co/NcUbH1CgJX
Rio Tinto Secures $1.18B Funding for Argentine Lithium
.@RioTinto gets $1.18 billion funding package for Argentina lithium project from @IFC_org, Australian & Japanese governments https://t.co/W3EpXLYk0I
Tenke Fungurume Mine Accused of Polluting Air and Harming Communities in DR C
The Environmental Investigation Agency and PremiCongo released the "Toxic Transition" report accusing CMOC’s Tenke Fungurume Mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo of emitting pollutants that may be harming nearby residents. The study, based on more than 1,200 anonymized medical...
Aztec Minerals Expands Drilling to 17,000 M, Stock Attractive
Another 4,500 meters gets added to @AztecMinerals drill program at Tombstone, the campaign now totaling 17,000 meters. A busy start to the year, this is a #gold stock that hasn't left the station yet, down from its Jan high and...
BanyanGold's Airstrip Yields More Ounces Within Same Footprint
More high-grade hits at @BanyanGold's Airstrip project, with some of them near the conceptual open-pit boundary. As JV puts it, "Translation: more ounces inside the same footprint." This @gold stock is still a Buy, here's why: https://t.co/V90U6UXN5C
Cabral Gold Secures Licença Prévia, Stock Set for Re‑Rating
The Licença Prévia (LP) license for @Cabral_Gold's Cuiú Cuiú #gold district in Brazil has been received, a big deal and signals the train about to leave the station, with a re-rate incoming for the stock. Full details from JV, including...
Supply Strength Keeps Oil Prices Low, Diminishing Hedge Demand
Oil market isn't going the way Iran hoped. Amazing what the Saudi/UAE pipelines can do, plus the (very clear) threat of SPR release. Plus, oil crisis are defined by price x duration. Without a feared long disruption, investors aren't chasing oil futures...
Hard Assets Rally as War Ends, Metals Lead
“Precious metals surge as the war ends.” Bizarre, to say the least. Very solid move in miners and Latin American stocks today. Also worth noting: Oil and gas equities remain remarkably resilient despite the volatility in energy prices. None of us own enough hard...
Japan Sets NdPr Price Floor, Investors Remain Unmoved
Japan becomes the second country to lock in a NdPr price floor. Countries seem to recognise the issue with rare earths but equity investors seem not to... https://t.co/5GI3bRV7K3