The Case for Gold Miners: Why Supply Scarcity Is Key
Gold’s price has hovered near the $4,000 per ounce mark, but short‑term volatility sparked by geopolitical tensions has not yet translated into higher miner earnings. Sprott’s managing partner Shree Kargutkar argues that the scarcity of new gold mines and declining ore grades create a long‑term supply deficit. This imbalance suggests that exposure to gold‑mining equities could outperform as prices rise. Sprott offers two ETFs—SGDM for large miners and SGDJ for junior miners—to capture that upside.
Paladin Energy Engages Global Buyers as Namibia Strengthens Position in Tightening Uranium Market
Paladin Energy is actively courting buyers in the United States, China and Europe for its uranium output from Namibia, as global demand for nuclear fuel accelerates. The company’s CEO, Paul Hemburrow, noted informal talks with U.S. diplomatic representatives but no...
Mozambique and China Forge Strategic Pact to Develop Minerals, Energy and Security Capacity
Mozambique and China signed a comprehensive cooperation pact that blends defence collaboration, geological mapping and industrial investment to unlock the country’s vast natural‑resource frontier. The agreement targets the Rovuma Basin’s more than 5 trillion cubic metres of gas and untapped deposits...
Sego Commences a 2000 Meter Drill Program in The Southern Gold Area and The Quintana Zone
Sego Resources has kicked off a three‑hole, 2,000‑metre drill program on its Miner Mountain Project in northern British Columbia. The first hole targets the Quintana 2009 Titan 24 inverted chargeability anomaly, while two additional holes will test copper‑gold porphyry potential...
Securing Energy Supply Chains: One Critical Mineral Deal at a Time?
The U.S. government has moved beyond traditional grants and loans, taking equity stakes in seven private critical‑mineral projects during 2025. These investments, largely led by the Department of Defense, aim to de‑risk domestic mining and processing of minerals such as...
Volta Metals Receives $215,000 Grant From Ontario Junior Exploration Program
Volta Metals Ltd secured the maximum $215,000 (≈ $159,000 USD) grant from Ontario’s Junior Exploration Program, covering up to 50% of eligible 2025‑2026 exploration costs. The funding targets the 4,750‑hectare Springer Rare Earth Element and Gallium Project, located 70 km east of Sudbury....
First Atlantic Nickel Announces Name Change to First Atlantic Nickel & Cobalt Ahead of the Washington DC Safe Summit, Reinforcing...
First Atlantic Nickel Corp. announced it will rename itself First Atlantic Nickel & Cobalt Corp. effective April 29, 2026, emphasizing the cobalt content of its awaruite deposits. The Pipestone XL project in Newfoundland hosts a naturally magnetic nickel‑iron‑cobalt alloy (≈77%...
CATL to Supply Chinese Steelmaker with Batteries and Charging Stations for Electric Mining Trucks and Machinery
Chinese battery leader CAT CATL signed a multi‑year deal with steelmaker Jianlong to equip its mining trucks, heavy trucks, ships and construction equipment with lithium‑ion batteries and integrated charging‑and‑swapping stations. The partnership targets deployment of over 3,000 electric heavy trucks within...
Gold-Copper Explorer Meridian Plans London Listing
Meridian Mining, a TSX‑listed gold‑copper explorer, announced a dual listing on the London Stock Exchange with shares to trade under ticker MNO starting Friday. The offering includes a £25 million (≈$33.8 million) institutional placement and a £2.5 million retail tranche, boosting total cash...
Critical Metals to Acquire European Lithium
Critical Metals Corp. announced a letter of intent to acquire all outstanding shares of European Lithium Ltd. for an aggregate consideration of roughly $835 million, using an exchange ratio of 0.035 Critical Metals shares per European Lithium share. The deal would...
US Says Allies Should Pay National Security Premium for Critical Minerals; Market Reacts
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer urged allied nations to accept a "national security premium" for critical minerals to curb reliance on China. Prices for germanium and tungsten in Western markets are three‑to‑five times higher than in China, reflecting supply tightness...
Shell Enriches Gas Business with $16.4 Billion ARC Resources Takeover
Shell announced a CAD 22 bn ($16.4 bn) cash‑and‑share acquisition of Canadian gas producer ARC Resources, paying a 27% premium. The deal, split 75% Shell shares and 25% cash, adds ARC’s Montney assets and lifts Shell’s production CAGR from 1% to 4% as...
Graphite Creek Permitting Remains on Track
Graphite One Inc. says its Graphite Creek mine in Alaska remains on track for a September 29, 2026 permitting decision under the federal FAST‑41 framework. The dashboard shows the project "in progress" and on schedule, keeping the timeline to start...
Confined Space Rescue Training for Safer Underground Mining
Underground mining operators are tightening confined‑space rescue training to meet OSHA, MSHA and comparable international standards. Programs now blend legal compliance with hands‑on drills covering atmospheric monitoring, supplied‑air respirators, retrieval systems and underground communications. Regular equipment inspections and fitness assessments...
Komatsu Mining Signs New Shuttle Car Deal with Contractor TMC Bringing Total to over 50 in India
Komatsu Mining India has signed a contract with TMC Mineral Resources to deliver two new Joy 10SC32 shuttle cars, bringing its fleet in the country to more than 50 units. TMC, a certified underground contractor, operates several coal mines for...
Silver Prices Rose Even as Demand Slipped
Silver prices surged 147% in 2025, climbing from $28.84 to $71.30 per ounce, even as industrial, jewelry and silverware demand fell. The rally was driven by a five‑year cumulative supply deficit—40.2 million ounces in 2025 alone—combined with a sharp squeeze in...
China Rare Earth Export Pause Nears Expiry Amid Persistent Supply Concentration
China’s 12‑month suspension of expanded rare‑earth export controls ends on 10 November 2026, yet the market remains heavily concentrated. China still accounts for roughly 69% of global rare‑earth ore production and processes up to 90% of the material, dwarfing non‑Chinese output. Forecasts...
Liberia: Fact Check - BEA Mountain Did Not Extract 1.2 Million Kilograms of Gold in 2023, As Claimed By Alex...
Alexander B. Cummings, leader of Liberia's Alternative National Congress, claimed Bea Mountain Mining extracted 1.2 million kilograms of gold in 2023, worth $650‑$700 million. Fact‑checking the LEITI 16th report shows the company actually produced 12,146 kg, valued at about $653.6 million, while total national...
AMA Energy Insights: Lithoz and Evove Redefine Lithium Extraction with SeparonicsTM
Lithium demand is surging as EVs and grid storage expand, but traditional brine evaporation ponds are land‑intensive, slow, and environmentally taxing. Ceramic‑3D‑printing specialist Lithoz and UK water‑filtration firm Evove have teamed up to replace evaporation with modular ceramic membranes built...
LNG Tanker Orders Pick Up Despite Shipping Uncertainty
Global LNG carrier orders are rebounding, with 35 new builds contracted in Q1 2024, surpassing the 37 ordered in all of 2025. Shipyards in South Korea and China are seeing heightened demand despite a looming supply glut and rising construction...
Heat, Fires and Agribusiness Squeeze Traditional Amazon Açaí Harvesters
Intensive açaí farming in the Amazon has surged 70% since 2015, while traditional community harvesters face steep losses from extreme heat, drought and wildfires. In 2024 a wildfire in Acará burned two hectares of açaí palms, costing a small‑scale farmer...
Qatar LNG Faces Long Road Back After Unprecedented Disruption
Qatar’s LNG export machine suffered its steepest decline in over 20 years, dropping to 0.23 million tonnes in April—about 85 % below the nine‑year average—after the Strait of Hormuz closed and missile strikes disabled trains 4 and 6. Analysts forecast a three‑phase...
Ghana’s Fuel Payment Strategy Works for Now: How to Fix Longer Term Problems
In 2023 Ghana launched a gold‑for‑oil payment scheme, using domestically mined gold instead of scarce US dollars to settle petroleum imports. The arrangement eased pressure on the cedi, helped curb fuel‑price inflation to roughly 3‑4% by early 2026, and lowered...
Angola: Huila Governor Warns About the Impact of Illegal Mining in Licensed Areas
Angola’s Huíla governor, Nuno Mahapi, warned that illegal mining is proliferating in licensed but inactive concessions, eroding state revenue and hindering sustainable development. He highlighted the province’s high‑value ornamental rock potential and called for a coordinated response involving government, operators,...
Viking Advances Nevada Tungsten Play as Prices Hit Record Highs
Viking Mines has moved its Linka tungsten project in Nevada into early‑stage processing design, completing a preliminary flow diagram for a modular plant that can handle 43 tonnes per hour. The design, created with Mineral Technologies, emphasizes flexibility, allowing future...
Dalaroo Metals Advances Bondoukou Gold Project with Priority Soil Sampling Completion
Dalaroo Metals finished the Priority 1 soil‑sampling campaign at the Bondoukou Gold Project in Côte d’Ivoire, collecting 2,241 primary samples and 120 QA/QC checks, with more than 2,000 sent to Intertek for assay. The pending results will shape trenching, auger work...
Archer Secures $320m Equinor Contract Extension
Archer, a Norwegian offshore service provider, has secured a three‑year contract extension with Equinor worth roughly NOK 3 billion ($322.5 million). The deal expands the integrated wireline and intervention services originally awarded in 2021 across key Equinor assets on the Norwegian Continental Shelf....
Dalaroo Maps Giant Gold Corridor in West African Premier Belt
Dalaroo Metals completed a 2,250‑sample soil geochemistry program across 4.5 km of its Bondoukou gold project in Côte d’Ivoire, mapping a 9.5 km structural corridor in the prolific Birimian Greenstone Belt. The data, the first large‑scale systematic survey in the area, will feed...
The Commodities Feed: Oil Moves Higher Amid US-Iran Stalemate
Oil prices surged as US‑Iran peace talks stalled, pushing ICE Brent up about 2% after a 17% weekly gain. Washington intensified sanctions, seizing an Iranian‑linked tanker and targeting a Chinese refinery and roughly 40 shipping firms. The tightening market leaves...
Europe Emerges As Key Buyer Of U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve Oil
The U.S. Department of Energy has released roughly 80 million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, with Europe emerging as the primary buyer. European refiners, led by the UK’s Vortexa, have taken about 50 million barrels at a $5‑per‑barrel discount to Brent,...
Structural Gas Demand Destruction Threatens Global LNG Market
The ongoing Middle East conflict is sharply curtailing LNG imports in Asia, with April volumes falling to 19.03 million tonnes, the lowest in six years. U.S. LNG is stepping in to replace Qatari shipments, while African producers remain under‑utilized, leaving a...
The Silver Boom May Have Paused, but Fundamentals Could Propel It to New Heights
Investigator Silver’s managing director Lachlan Wallace says the silver market remains fundamentally strong despite a price pullback from the January $120/oz peak. Demand is rising from electrification, solar and electronics, while supply stays inelastic because roughly 75% of silver is...
Canada Just Opened North America's First Battery-Grade Lithium Refinery
Mangrove Lithium opened North America’s first commercial electrochemical lithium refinery in Delta, British Columbia, with a 1,000‑tonne annual capacity of battery‑grade lithium—enough for roughly 25,000 electric vehicles. The plant is a direct response to China’s control of about half the...
Scientists in China Create a Predator-Like Material to Hunt for Uranium in the Ocean
An international team at China’s CAS Qinghai Institute of Salt Lakes has created a light‑powered metal‑organic framework micromotor that swims through water and selectively captures uranium ions. The 2‑micron particles propel themselves using hydrogen peroxide and double their speed under...
Zijin Mining Advances Strategic Logistics Corridor for Manono Lithium Project
China's Zijin Mining is close to completing a dedicated Lake Tanganyika cargo fleet to export lithium from its Manono project in the DRC. Four 70‑meter vessels, each capable of carrying 2,000 tons, are slated for service by July 2026, linking...
Sovereign Wealth Funds Are Africa’s Most Quiet Revolution
At the 39th African Union summit, leaders pledged to build a New African Financial Architecture that would channel mineral wealth into sovereign wealth funds. Africa controls roughly 30% of the world’s known critical mineral reserves, yet extraction profits, processing, and...
3 Overlooked Nuclear Fuel Supply Chain Winners
The IAEA now expects global nuclear‑power capacity to more than double by 2050, reviving investor interest in the sector’s supply chain. Centrus Energy secured a $900 million DOE HALEU contract, giving it a near‑monopoly on high‑assay low‑enriched uranium. Uranium Energy’s low‑cost...
CIL Plans 10-Year Roadmap to Slash 243 MT Coal Imports
State‑owned Coal India Ltd (CIL) unveiled a ten‑year roadmap (2026‑2036) aimed at eliminating the 243 million tonnes of coal imports it currently relies on. The plan hinges on boosting domestic output to 1 billion tonnes by FY 2028‑29, upgrading coal quality through beneficiation,...
Yilan Village Chief Recalled over Mining Project in Indigenous Territory
A recall vote against Lunpi Village chief Wu Ping‑tsung in Yilan County’s Datong Township was approved on April 26, 2026. Of the 338 votes cast, 214 supported the recall, surpassing the 35.31% threshold of the 606 eligible voters. The move...
Opinion: Can Kyrgyzstan’s Mining Reset Work?
Kyrgyzstan is launching a mining "reset" to lure Western investors back after the contentious nationalisation of the Kumtor gold mine. The plan focuses on small‑to‑medium critical‑mineral projects, offering minority stakes and a 30% free‑carried interest while emphasizing ESG standards. A...
DRC and Zambia Emerge as Key Drivers of Global Copper Supply Amid Surging Demand
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia are solidifying Africa’s role as a cornerstone of global copper supply amid a rapid rise in demand. The DRC ranks among the world’s top four copper reserve holders, while Zambia targets...
Brazil Party Asks Court to Halt Rare Earths Miner’s Sale
Rede Sustentabilidade, a left‑wing Brazilian party, petitioned the Supreme Court to block the sale of Serra Verde Group, a domestic rare‑earth miner, to U.S. firm USA Rare Earth Inc. The filing argues that Brazil’s constitution does not provide adequate safeguards...
Dangote at Full Throttle as Nigeria Becomes a Net Fuel Exporter
Nigeria became a net gasoline exporter in March as the 650,000‑bpd Dangote refinery operated near full capacity, producing enough fuel to meet domestic demand and generate significant exports. The refinery shipped roughly 55,000 b/d of gasoline and 100,000 b/d of jet fuel,...
Federal Decision on Remote Road Could Unlock Ring of Fire Access
Canada’s Impact Assessment Agency has launched a review of the 107‑km Webequie Supply Road, an all‑season highway intended to connect Webequie Airport with the mineral‑rich Ring of Fire in northern Ontario. The draft impact assessment, now open for public comment...
Scientists Warn Watt — Jarrah Forests Cannot Recover From Bauxite Mining
Scientists from the University of Western Australia warn that the Northern Jarrah Forest cannot be restored to its pre‑mining state after Alcoa’s bauxite extraction removed the geological substrate that supports the ecosystem. A 2024 study showed that 35 years of...
How to Think About the Extractive Problem of Lithium Mining
Electric vehicle sales are surging, with more than one‑in‑five new cars projected to be electric by 2025, driving a massive demand for lithium. Thea Riofrancos’s field research in Chile’s Atacama Desert—home to roughly 20% of the world’s lithium—reveals severe ecological...
USA Rare Earth CEO on 'Transformative' $2.8B Serra Verde Deal
USA Rare Earth announced a $2.8 billion acquisition of Serra Verde Group, the only mine outside Asia that produces all four magnetic rare‑earth elements. The deal includes a 15‑year, 100 % offtake agreement with price floors backed by a U.S. government‑led special‑purpose vehicle. CEO...
US Tribe Holds up Magnesium Project in Canada
West High Yield Resources' Record Ridge magnesium mine in British Columbia remains stalled after the BC Court of Appeal upheld a temporary injunction pending judicial review of its environmental permits. The injunction, driven by the Sinixt Confederacy’s demand for formal...
Blockade Stalemate Rallies Crude
The U.S. Navy’s blockade of Iranian ports and the IRGC’s control of the Strait of Hormuz halted Iranian oil shipments, sparking a sharp rally in crude. WTI peaked at $98.40 per barrel while Brent reached $107.40, with both grades closing...
Fastmarkets to Launch US Bismuth and Indium Prices
Fastmarkets announced the launch of two new US‑based price assessments for bismuth and indium, designated MB‑BI‑0004 and MB‑IN‑0005. The bismuth benchmark is quoted in dollars per pound with a minimum 1‑tonne lot, while the indium benchmark is quoted in dollars...