Diamonds: as good as gold for investors?
The financial crisis of 2008 was the first time that many investors experienced first-hand the worst-case scenarios of investing. In response to that frightening experience, and the ongoing global financial…
Commodities Markets
Editorial: Argentina YPF shocker frazzles foreign miners
When 10,000 British troops tried for a second time in 1807 to invade Buenos Aires after having taken it and lost it the previous year, they were met not only by Spanish troops and irregulars, but also by women throwing roof tiles and pouring…
Commentary: South African mine safety practices face scrutiny
Mine safety is a matter of continuing concern worldwide, there being a wide spectrum of legislation and the manner in which it is administered and enforced. Recent attempts by the South African government provide a case study illustrating the…
Commentary: Engage NGOs to reduce risk
What happens to companies that try to operate where they have few friends? It all depends on their approach. But one thing is certain — corporate engagement with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and local stakeholders is now a…
Lifton describes copper as the “nerves of civilization”
In a keynote address at Byron Capital Markets’ third annual conference on electric metals in Toronto last week, Jack Lifton warned that the prospect of copper shortages should be of far greater concern than of electric metals such as rare…
Commentary: Engage NGOs to reduce risk
What happens to companies that try to operate where they have few friends? It all depends on their approach. But one thing is certain — corporate engagement with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and local stakeholders is now a…
Editorial: Mainstream media misses the boat on gold prices
Gold investors have become far too familiar with the same old reasons offered by the financial press for short-term gold price movements.
Tin and silver — the new electric metals
Historic high prices for tin and silver are in the cards between now and 2018 as demand for the two metals in solder used in the electronics industry continues to climb and supply fails to keep pace, Jon Hykawy, head of global research at Byron…
Editorial: CSR office shoots another blank
There have been a couple of new precedents set in Canada’s evolving corporate social responsibility (CSR) landscape.
Metals Commentary: Pullback in gold a buying opportunity, Macquarie says
Since the 2007 global financial crisis, March has been the worst month for the gold price with average declines of 1.6%. But David Doyle, a Toronto-based strategist and economist at Macquarie Capital Markets, believes the recent pullback is a…
Editorial: Nothing for your thoughts, after rounding
In presenting its budget on March 29, the Canadian government lived up to its reputation of being mining-friendly, even in an age of austerity budgets worldwide. Overall, the relatively healthy state of the Canadian economy gave federal Finance…
Metals Commentary: Is a nickel export ban coming to Indonesia?
The nickel sector was caught a bit off guard in February when an Indonesian press report claimed the country’s government intends to enact its proposed ban on nickel ore exports from January 2014 to as early as May 2012. The ban,…