Crash Course: Mining Equity Financing
Source: Visual Capitalistm  (1/11/13)
"Mining exploration companies use large amounts of capital to find discoveries, define a resource and advance to production." More >

CPM Platinum Market Analysis and Forecast for 2013
Source: Alec Gimurtu of The Metals Report  (1/8/13)
Violent strikes and supply disruptions in South Africa put platinum in the headlines last year, and the metal spent 2012 selling at a discount to gold. Is a platinum discount the new normal? How will the market shift in the labor strike fallout? And will mining asteroids transform supply fundamentals? CPM Group Platinum Analyst Erica Rannestad met with The Metals Report to share her price and cost forecasts for 2013 and discuss the supply and demand trends to watch this year. More >

Fear Versus Fundamentals in the Platinum Market
Source: Louis James, Casey Research  (12/13/12)
Although the platinum market is now estimated to end the year in deficit, unless there's a new and even greater supply disruption, the existing recycling output will likely adapt and fill in the 2012 supply gap rather quickly, especially if prices move up. More >

$16T of Platinum Could Be Extracted from Seawater
Source: Mining.com, Cecilia Jamasmie  (10/31/12)
"Space mining start-up Planetary Resources President Chris Lewicki made more than one eyebrow rise Wednesday as he wrote in his blog that about $16T of platinum is waiting to be extracted from our Earth's oceans." More >

Serious Supply Concerns in Platinum Could Lead to Price Spike
Source: Jeb Handwerger, Gold Stock Trades  (10/29/12)
"Gold and silver have gained investors' attention as a store of wealth, while platinum has been significantly overlooked and undervalued." More >

SA Gold Mines Resume Production as Strikes Draw to Close
Source: Mining Weekly, Natasha Odendaal  (10/29/12)
"The illegal strikes that spread throughout the South African mining sector have eased at three gold producers as workers returned and some mines resumed production." More >

Troubles in South Africa's Mining Sector Start to Affect the Economy
Source: The Telegraph, Emma Rowley and Jessica Winch  (10/14/12)
"South Africa's strikes have now affected some 28% of its platinum production, or 17% of global production, according to the Deutsche team. It believes that production losses have the potential to drive up the price of platinum so that it trades at a premium to gold." More >

How to Profit from the Imbalance in Platinum and Zinc Inventories: Matthew O'Keefe
Source: Peter Byrne of The Gold Report  (10/12/12)
Now is the moment to take a hard look at the state of supply for zinc and platinum, says Matthew O'Keefe of Mackie Research Capital Corporation. In an exclusive interview with The Gold Report, O'Keefe explains how market fundamentals are about to pop up some serious game changers in this space. International demand for zinc and the platinum group metals is booming, but the global supply is about to seriously contract. Well-financed mining corporations will celebrate, while others miss the party. More >

Indonesia Digs Hole for Itself with New Mining Laws
Source: Reuters, Fergus Jensen and Neil Chatterjee  (10/1/12)
"The most dramatic effect of the new rules has been on mineral exports, which surged as companies fought to beat a May 6 export tax deadline and plunged thereafter." More >

Last Call for Cheap Gold
Source: Brittany Stepniak, Wealth Daily  (9/30/12)
"While the investment climate remains challenged in South Africa due to concerns for future political stability, gold investors with physical coins and bullion are guaranteed to see some enormous returns in the aftermath of the strikes." More >

Speculators Continue to Buy Precious Metals Futures, Options
Source: Kitco, Debbie Carlson  (9/24/12)
"For the week ended Sept. 18, speculators in the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's weekly commitment of traders report saw their net-long positions in precious metals rise in both the legacy and disaggregated reports." More >

Platinum Output Disruption: It Ain't Over Yet
Source: Lawrence Williams, Mineweb  (9/21/12)
"The platinum mining sector will now almost certainly remain the hotbed for the inter-union struggle and increased workforce instability." More >

S. Africa's Mining Unrest Upsets Risk/Reward Outlook
Source: Reuters, Ed Stoddard   (9/5/12)
"SBG Securities forecast downsizing at almost all South Africa's mature gold operations over the next three years in the face of 'declining reserves and unrelenting inflationary pressures.'" More >

Gold Steadies After Stimulus Hopes Spark 4-1/2 Month High
Source: Reuters, Jan Harvey  (8/27/12)
"Gold prices hit their highest since mid-April on Monday, buoyed by speculation that the U.S. Federal Reserve may be set to unveil another round of monetary stimulus, but then steadied on caution ahead of a key central bankers' meeting later this week." More >

Platinum Hits Two-Month High on Supply Fear
Source: Reuters, Frank Tang  (8/20/12)
"Platinum prices jumped nearly 2% on Monday, hitting a two-month high after deadly violence at a mine in South Africa triggered heavy speculative buying on supply worries." More >

Platinum ETFs Take Off
Source: Eric Dutram, Zacks Investment Research  (8/16/12)
"ETF investors saw outsized trading in the physically backed commodity of platinum with the ETF Securities Physical Platinum Shares Fund." More >

Better Sentiment Seen Toward Gold as Gold-Platinum Premium Sets New High
Source: Ben Traynor, BullionVault  (8/13/12)
"The cost of an ounce of gold bullion minus that of an ounce of platinum breached $230/oz Monday, a new record high for the gold-platinum premium." More >

Platinum: 'Little Silver' v. Big Gold
Source: Adrian Ash, BullionVault  (7/27/12)
"Gold's use is ultimately social, having been a thing of beauty, symbol of power, store of value and a means of exchange since the earliest civilizations, while platinum is primarily an industrial metal, which isn't helping platinum versus the gold price one bit right now." More >

Palladium: Nowhere But Up?
Source: Institutional Investor, Rosalyn Retkwa  (7/25/12)
"Of all the precious metals of interest to investors, palladium may be the one to watch going into the second half of 2012." More >

Platinum Plumbs Deepest Discount to Gold in 7-1/2 Months
Source: Reuters, Jan Harvey  (7/23/12)
"Gold's premium over platinum reached its highest in 7-1/2 months on Wednesday at over $210 oz and could rise still further as the white metal suffers from its heavy exposure to the beleaguered European car market." More >

Is This the Swan Song of a South Africa's Mining Industry?
Source: Geoff Candy, Mineweb  (7/17/12)
"South Africa's gold mining sector is undergoing a dramatic change, the question is, what will it end up looking like?" More >

Diversify Your Precious Metals
Source: Financial Chronicle, Sangeetha G.  (7/15/12)
"Gold is an essential part of any investment portfolio, but silver and platinum may serve the same purpose, even though they are also used in industrial manufacturing." More >

The Next Major Move in Precious Metals Is Close
Source: Chris Vermeulen, The Gold and Oil Guy  (7/13/12)
"I am still a firm believer that gold in most respects is a currency and the only one that can maintain its value. There are very serious issues looming in Europe and across the world that are far from resolution. With few tools left in the toolbox to stimulate world economies, further easing can never be ruled out." More >

Employment in the Mining Industry Is a Pocket of Strength
Source: Frank Holmes, U.S. Global Investors  (7/12/12)
"U.S. employment in the mining sector has increased 16%. This change is far better than any other sector, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics." More >

Short Supply, High Demand for Platinum Group Metals: George Topping and Michael Scoon
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Gold Report   (7/11/12)
Labor problems and low prices have platinum mines closing up shop in South Africa, and the potential for acquisitions is ripening. Senior Mining Analyst and Managing Director at Stifel Nicolaus in Toronto, George Topping believes that companies with shallow deposits and near-term production will be prime targets. In this exclusive interview with The Gold Report, Topping and Associate Analyst Michael Scoon discuss how supply shortages are shaping the landscape for platinum group metals and some bulk commodities. More >