Streetwise Critical Metals Articles

Bullish or Bearish: Mining Sector Prospects for 2014
Source: PinnacleDigest (1/5/14)
"The mining sector is not dead. . .not by a long shot. Sure, many metals are relying on an inflationary rally, which may or may not happen in 2014, but others are simply poised to move higher in value based on a supply crunch that has been building for several years. You can't ignore fundamentals."
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New Royalty Scheme a Leveler in the Mexican Silver Space
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Mining Report (12/31/13)
We may be headed into a new year, but Chris Thompson, mining analyst with Raymond James, expects more of the same in the precious metals prices: volatility. In this Mining Report interview, he advises investors to play that volatility. He details why—despite its higher royalty tax—Mexico remains a silver powerhouse, and which companies will feel the royalty pinch most.
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Miners Should Launch a Gold Cartel or Risk Losing Everything, Advises Stephan Bogner
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Gold Report (12/28/13)
It's no surprise that Stephan Bogner, analyst with Rockstone Research Ltd. and CEO of Elementum International—a precious metals trading and storage firm—advises investors to hold physical metals outside the banking system, but he also advocates mining companies keeping gold on their balance sheets and forming a cartel. In this interview with The Gold Report, Bogner discusses which exploration and development companies will be ready to produce when metals prices rise and shares his interest in the diamond, potash and uranium space.
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Jeb Handwerger: Follow the Fundamentals in Mining Markets
Source: JT Long of The Mining Report (12/10/13)
It may seem like a confusing time to be a mining investor, but Jeb Handwerger, of Gold Stock Trades, insists it doesn't take a rocket scientist. "Stick to the fundamentals," he says. "The technicals will eventually reflect the fundamentals." In this interview with The Mining Report, Handwerger talks about what companies have the right foundation to shine after the market dusts itself off and starts to climb.
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Metals Shortages, Lack of Substitutes May Harm Innovation: Yale Report
Source: Dorothy Kosich, Mineweb (12/9/13)
"Society will need to pay more attention to the acquisition and maintenance of metals than has been the case in the past, a new study by Yale University suggests."
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Richard Karn: Three Australian Miners Positioned for Success
Source: Special to The Energy Report (11/19/13)
Sometimes the worst of times brings out the best in people. Such is the case in Australia's mining sector, according to Richard Karn, managing editor of The Emerging Trends Report. While some companies are floundering or failing altogether, Karn has noticed a few shining exceptions. These are companies with innovative management teams that have approached project funding in this challenging environment as though it were a high-stakes chess game—and their maneuvers are astonishing. In this interview with The Mining Report, Karn takes a look at three mining companies that are defying the odds and may emerge victorious.
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Eric Muschinski: Investor Psychology Can Trump Market Fundamentals
Source: Special to The Gold Report (11/13/13)
With gold and silver equities markets as volatile as ever and assets of many miners valued at pennies on the dollar, Eric Muschinski, editor of the Gold Investment Letter, believes it is critical to be on the right side of the emotional curve when investing. He pays as much attention to investor psychology as he does to market fundamentals. In this interview with The Gold Report, Muschinski explains how investors can use knowledge of market cycles to their advantage and profiles undervalued companies flying under the radar.
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Steve Palmer: Change Up Your Portfolio's Sector Weightings to Capture Profits
Source: Peter Byrne of The Mining Report (11/12/13)
Steve Palmer's AlphaNorth Partners Fund didn't make a 130% return by adhering to a strict natural resource weighting. In this interview with The Mining Report, Steve Palmer describes how his fund uses "bottom-up analysis" to find profit opportunities in metals, energy, life sciences and tech stocks. Small-cap equities may not be leading the pack now, but they are still the best-performing asset class in the long term, says Palmer, and he names some companies that are already outperforming.
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Play the Market Bottom and Focus on Energy Commodities: Chris Berry
Source: J. Alec Gimurtu of The Mining Report (11/5/13)
Commodities are and always will be a cyclical market, asserts Chris Berry of House Mountain Partners. That's why he's not sweating disappointing stock performance and flat pricing environments. But the self-described long-term bull on energy materials has big plans on how to play growth in the developing world, and he insists that now is the time for investors to position themselves ahead of an upswing. Find out about companies that have the cash, the assets and the strategy to create long-term shareholder value in this interview with The Mining Report.
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Carbon Is the Problem: Is Graphene the Solution?
Source: Christine Hertzog, The Energy Collective (10/31/13)
"The search is on to find a better material than silicon—one that is much more energy-efficient and less likely to produce waste heat."
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10 Strategies for Success in a Flat Commodity Price Market: John Kaiser
Source: JT Long of The Mining Report (10/22/13)
It could be 2017 before the commodity supercycle is evident again, but stormy weather in the mining space has a silver lining: It is encouraging miners to develop new, innovative approaches to their business. In this interview for the first edition of The Mining Report, John Kaiser of Kaiser Research Online outlines 10 strategies that are setting certain companies apart. Discover the companies that are redefining their business, as well as miners with the goods in the ground to continue come rain or shine.
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Maximizing Returns in an Uncertain Mining Market: Tom Szabo
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Metals Report (10/15/13)
Tom Szabo, an investment strategist and principal of MetalAugmentor.com, invests in miners with base metal, specialty metal and rare earth element projects because the market isn't quick to notice them—meaning it's easy to get in early on a great project. His Peerless system helps to identify opportunities based on unique attributes. So, which metals and rare earth companies are set to strike in this volatile market? Szabo doles out tips in this Metals Report interview and explains why he likes companies that have yet to achieve market favor.
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Wave of the Future Investment from the Ground Up: Byron King
Source: JT Long of The Metals Report (10/8/13)
An increasingly high-tech world is on the horizon, but technological revolution can't take place without the right materials, especially graphite and platinum group metals. This is where mining, one of the oldest industries in human history, comes in. In this interview with The Metals Report, Byron King, editor of the Energy & Scarcity Investor and Outstanding Investments newsletters, profiles companies poised to deliver graphite and platinum group metals to tech companies working to change the way we communicate, travel and harness energy.
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Rick Mills: Greenland Is the Final Frontier for Lower-Cost Mining
Source: Kevin Michael Grace of The Metals Report (10/1/13)
Industrial minerals like copper and nickel are essential to global economic expansion. But everywhere you look, grades are getting lower, and costs are getting much, much higher. Is there a way out? Rick Mills says mining companies need to look to Greenland. In this interview with The Metals Report, the owner and host of Ahead of the Herd.com lauds the world's largest island for its vast resources, its one-stop regulatory system and its year-round access to ocean transportation.
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McKinsey Report: Commodities Supercycle Dead? Hardly.
Source: Dorothy Kosich, Mineweb (9/30/13)
"Over the past 13 years, the average annual volatility of resources prices has been three times what it was in the 1990s, resulting in a new era of resource price supercycles."
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Paul Renken: It's Time for Retail Investors to Capture Metals Upside
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Metals Report (9/17/13)
When gold and silver took a plunge, institutional investors went bargain shopping right away, says Paul Renken, mining analyst with VSA Capital. Now it's time for retail investors to ride upside momentum in copper, zinc, tungsten and phosphate. In this interview with The Metals Report, Renken shares his outlook for base and minor metals, as well as the companies that could outperform on the back of climbing commodity prices. (Hint: It's not usually the majors.)
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Zinc Faces Structural Deficit as Demand Outstrips Supply: Glencore
Source: Andy Blamey, Platts (9/10/13)
"According to Glencore's presentation, a 5% increase in demand equates to around 600,000 mt of new zinc mine capacity needed every year; by 2016 nearly 2 million mt of new annual production will required."
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The Impending Shakeout in the Rare Earth Sector: Who Will Survive?
Source: Gareth Hatch, Technology Metals Research (9/5/13)
"Though there are exceptions, in general the supply chain doesn't care which REE projects will successfully come to fruition, only that enough come to fruition such that their ability to secure REE metals, oxides and other compounds from sources outside of China, at a reasonable price, is realized."
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Anthony Mariano: Calling Next-Generation REE Investors
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Metals Report (8/27/13)
If you thought you had rare earth element mining all figured out, think again. Dr. Anthony Mariano and his son, Anthony Jr., work as geological consultants to many rare earth companies, and say even they have more to learn. But if you're looking for a sector that will nurture your inner nerd, rare earth elements may be the play for you. In this interview with The Metals Report, geek out with the Marianos as they talk rare earths and igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks.
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Mark Seddon: Why You Should Look Twice at an Ugly Duckling Metal
Source: Alec Gimurtu of The Metals Report (8/20/13)
Tungsten just doesn't have the sex appeal that made investors fall for the rare earth story. But maybe that's its trump card, considering the boom/bust cycle that swept rare earths didn't touch tungsten's slow, steady price increases. Analyst Mark Seddon of Tungsten Market Research has long been watching the often ignored metal, and asserts that tungsten is a harder sell, but a better buy for investors. In this The Metals Report interview, Seddon outlines tungsten's finer points and suggests miners are poised to reap rewards.
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Electric Transportation Could Jump-Start Rare Earth Markets: Patrick Wong
Source: JT Long of The Metals Report (8/13/13)
Remember when CD players cost hundreds of dollars? The same volume-based price slide is starting to take place with electric vehicles, according to Patrick Wong, CEO and director of Innovation Metals Corp. Wong believes that hybrid and electrical cars are on the cusp of overtaking standard automobiles as the vehicles of choice. And when they do, the rare earth markets that supply the materials needed in every electric car battery and drive motor will take off. In this interview with The Metals Report, Wong encourages investors to get into the market before they get left behind.
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China to Begin Trial Run of Rare Earth Products Exchange
Source: Dorothy Kosich, Mineweb (8/12/13)
"Rare earth trading systems are currently undergoing testing and are expected to become operational in China in October."
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Eight Catalysts That Can Move Your Mining Stocks: Jocelyn August
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Metals Report (8/6/13)
Catalysts can move mining equities substantially up or down, so being aware of upcoming news and events is key to portfolio management. Sagient Research's Jocelyn August advises investors to look for miners with good management teams that are transparent in their announcements and consistently meet their deadlines. In this interview with The Metals Report, August outlines the eight biggest catalysts in the mining space and discusses companies with anticipated near-term catalysts.
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Counterpoint: Supply and Demand in the Rare-Earths Market 2015–2020
Source: Jack Lifton, Technology Metals Research (8/1/13)
"In the rare-earth total supply chain, China is most of the global ball game."
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Chris Berry: Rare Earth Stocks Show Signs of Life, but Will the Uptrend Stick?
Source: Alec Gimurtu of The Metals Report (7/30/13)
Prices for rare earths and some rare earth mining stocks are showing positive price action following China's crackdown on illegal mines. But is this the beginning of a sustained recovery, or just a temporary blip on the screen? House Mountain Partners founder Chris Berry explores these questions in this interview with The Metals Report and shares his macroeconomic outlook. As Berry reminds us, V-shaped recoveries are preferred, but rare. That means investors must cultivate patience and courage.
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