B of A cuts GDP forecast, predicts ‘mini recession’
The economics team at Bank of America has cut its 2020 global growth forecast to 2.8% “while also factoring in a mini recession.” “Logistics and supply chains remain an issue,…
Commodities Markets
Commentary: The state of metals markets in 2020
The metals markets promise to be full of fascinating developments and unexpected twists in 2020. Mining equities will not be excluded from the drama. This partly reflects the reality that…
Malaysia reverses production ban on bauxite
Malaysia is set to begin issuing bauxite mining licenses in early 2020, four years after it imposed a ban in response to environmental concerns. The Southeast Asian nation produced very…
Update: Chinese GDP estimates decline on coronavirus
Uncertainty over the coronavirus outbreak — which has sickened 37,251 people in 25 countries and left 813 people dead (all but two of them in mainland China) as of Feb….
Haywood bullish on uranium sector fundamentals
While uranium spot prices were down 14% in 2019, supply and demand fundamentals for uranium are the “most bullish in years,” and the sector “offers its most compelling value proposition…
B of A boosts palladium price forecast
Palladium prices have surged 1520% since 2009 due to tight supply and higher emission standards, and analysts at the Bank of America forecast the metal could rise to US$3,500 per…
World Gold Council: Risk, uncertainty to drive gold in 2020
In 2019, gold had its best performance since 2010, rising 18.4% in U.S. dollar terms. It also outperformed major global bond and emerging market stock benchmarks over that period. In…
Commentary: The gold party has only just begun
The year 2019 has been good for gold. In many currencies gold recorded all-time highs (i.e. euro, Canadian dollar and Australian dollar), with the exception of the U.S. dollar. As…
Commentary: Changes in financial markets trouble mining industry
Analysts at CPM have studied the precious metals and commodities markets — including investment trends in mining equities — since the 1970s. This long and intimate involvement gives us insight…
Commentary: Gold sector fragmentation hurts investors
Of all the mining sectors, gold is possibly the most fragmented, and the gold industry and its investors would realize considerable benefits from consolidation. Brokerage Pollitt & Co. estimates that…
Commentary: Mining’s unlikely heroines — Greta Thunberg and AOC
Left-wing darling Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s proposed Green New Deal, despite its flimsy 14 pages, is nothing if not all-encompassing and vaulting in its ambition. The bill was also crucial to Ocasio-Cortez’s…
Lynas and Blue Line to build rare earths separation capacity in US
A combination of growing demand for rare earth elements (REEs) and supply uncertainty related to the ongoing trade war between the U.S. and China has reignited project investment, with rare…