Musings on the Long-Term Fundamentals of the Copper Market
Source: Mickey Fulp, The Mercenary Geologist  (5/28/12)
"Shy of a complete global economic meltdown or a catastrophic natural disaster, long-term supply and demand fundamentals remain strong and that certainly bodes well for a robust and healthy Dr. Copper." More >

Australian Graphite Explorers Kicking Goals
Source: Australian Journal of Mining, Mike Foley  (5/24/12)
"Activity is heating up amongst Australia's graphite explorers, fueling speculation that graphite might just be a boom mineral in the making." More >

Rare Earth Junior Miners Should Applaud China: Michael Silver
Source: Sally Lowder of The Critical Metals Report  (5/22/12)
In a sector where the playing field is not always level, Michael Silver, chairman and CEO of rare earth supplier American Elements, makes a case for more cooperation. With China's quotas creating a marked price differential for critical metals, Silver insists that junior miners finally have an opportunity to develop the U.S. resource and manufacturing sectors. Silver shares his vision of a fair market—and his favorite junior miners—in this exclusive Critical Metals Report interview. More >

Rare Earth Mining in Quebec
Source: Resource Investing News  (5/22/12)
"With an investor-friendly market environment coupled with 26 underground open-pit mines and over 300 sandpits, quarries and peat bogs, Quebec's mining industry has thrived over the past decade." More >

If You Want to Be a Winner, Follow These Four Rules
Source: William Patalon III, Money Morning  (5/21/12)
"Rick Rule capped off predictions for gold, energy and other commodities with four rules successful resource investors must follow." More >

No Major Changes in Chinese REE Export Update
Source: Mining Weekly, Matthew Hill  (5/21/12)
"The updated 2012 rare earths export quotas China published on Thursday implied a total of 31.438 tons for the year, a slight increase on last year's figure." More >

2012 Chinese Rare Earth Export Quotas Updated
Source: Gareth Hatch, Resource Investor  (5/18/12)
"On Thursday, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced an update to the 2012 allocations of rare-earth export quotas that were first issued in December 2011. This follows a number of other recent announcements from China." More >

National Strategic and Critical Minerals Act Wins US House Committee Approval
Source: Dorothy Kosich, Mineweb  (5/17/12)
"The U.S. Department of Energy identified the 7–10 year period to obtain mining permits in the U.S. as compared to the average 1–2 years in Australia as one of the principal barriers to new U.S. mining ventures." More >

Australia's Mining Sector Grows at Staggering 12% a Year
Source: IB Times, Vittorio Hernandez  (5/16/12)
"Australia's mining sector continues to gallop, while the rest of the economy trails behind." More >

The Rare Earths Industry Is Only Just Beginning: Jon Hykawy
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Critical Metals Report  (5/15/12)
Is the rare earths space an industry in decline, a bubble popped? Not so, according to Jon Hykawy, head of global research and a clean technologies analyst at Byron Capital Markets. Hykawy tells The Critical Metals Report in this exclusive interview that establishing a supply outside of China could breathe new life into this exiled market. While the winners in the industry may be as rare as the elements they mine, Hykawy believes that the financial community is going to have to revisit rare earths once companies start to produce meaningful cash flows. More >

Rare Earth Mining Rises Again in the US
Source: Wired Science, Danielle Venton  (5/14/12)
"Encouraged by rising prices and political support, new mines are starting up around the world, most notably in Malaysia and in California." More >

Gold and Base Metal Plays: Jerome Hass and Jimmy Chu
Source: Peter Byrne of The Gold Report  (5/11/12)
Toronto-based hedge fund managers Jerome Hass and Jimmy Chu of Lightwater Partners discuss their strategic approach to taking long positions on gold, zinc and tungsten opportunities around the world. In an exclusive interview with The Gold Report, the Lightwater principals reveal several precious and base metal plays in which they have purchased stakes and define their criteria for limiting risks when taking on junior mining investments. More >

Molycorp Kicks Off Mt. Pass Concentrate Production Circuit
Source: Dorothy Kosich, Mineweb  (5/11/12)
"Colorado-based Molycorp initiated the start-up of its new mill, flotation separator and paste-tailing facility at its flagship Mountain Pass operation, located about 55 miles from Las Vegas." More >

Looking Under the Sea for REEs
Source: Rare Metal Blog, Robin Bromby  (5/10/12)
"The bottom-of-the-ocean-REE-riches story is back. Scientists at the University of Tokyo and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology have developed a technology that will allow undersea metals to be detected by changes in gravity." More >

Asteroid Mining: The New Space Race Could be Worth Trillions
Source: Michael Robinson, Money Morning  (5/9/12)
"Here's the math that will blow your mind: A space rock the size of a museum gallery could contain resources worth $100B." More >

Straight Talk from The Graphite Express
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Critical Metals Report  (5/8/12)
In early May, the Graphite Express Conference rolled in to Toronto for a date with investors looking to punch a ticket to big returns. Twelve companies and two speakers made their pitch to roughly 300 investors at the Sheraton Center, curious to see if the graphite train would indeed pick up pace, and which companies look ready to jump aboard. More >

Rare Earths Miners Race to the Finish Line: Carolyn Dennis
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Critical Metals Report  (5/1/12)
The rare earths business isn't unlike a Formula One race, according to Carolyn Dennis, vice-president and senior analyst with Dundee Capital Markets. Companies are speeding to reach production and find strategic partners to grease the wheels to the finish. While several companies are laps ahead of their competitors, Dennis is watching a few names that could come up from behind. In this exclusive interview with The Critical Metals Report, Dennis discusses which companies could see the checkered flag and reap big profits. More >

Rare Earths Riches Could Give Canada Competitive, Political Advantages
Source: Dorothy Kosich, Mineweb  (4/30/12)
"Canada's REE richness could transform it from being the U.S.'s unassuming neighbor into a powerhouse in terms of political leverage and influence, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce suggests." More >

It Takes More Than Being a China Hawk to Produce Rare Earth Metals
Source: Foreign Policy, Steve LeVine  (4/30/12)
"Continued delays to developing REE projects show that there will be more to establishing a balanced rare earths supply than mere anti-Chinese rhetoric." More >

US House Bill Aims to Reduce Permitting Process
Source: Dorothy Kosich, Mineweb  (4/27/12)
"'In a world in which the competition for mineral resources is increasingly fierce, America can no longer afford to benignly neglect a permitting process that stalls investment-threatening raw materials shortages and downstream economic activity,' National Mining Association CEO Hal Quinn told a House subcommittee." More >

Rare Earth Juniors Have a Five-Year Window: John Kaiser
Source: JT Long of The Critical Metals Report  (4/24/12)
John Kaiser, editor of Kaiser Research Online, sees 2015–2020 as a critical time for rare earth projects. Any later, he argues, and companies who have not reached production will be out of the game. In this exclusive Critical Metals Report interview, he profiles promising juniors in the space with the "full spectrum" of rare earth deposits and details how end-users like Toyota are leapfrogging the market to secure the elements they need most. More >

Mining Welcomes Canada's Planned 'One Project, One-Review' Permitting Process
Source: Dorothy Kosich, Mineweb  (4/19/12)
"The Harper government's plan to streamline major project review at the federal level, while leaving smaller project permitting to provincial regulators is garnering support from the Canadian mining and energy industries." More >

WTO Suit Won't End China's Rare Earth Monopoly: Jeffery Green
Source: Zig Lambo of The Critical Metals Report  (4/17/12)
Washington misses the point about rare earth element supply, says Jeffery Green, founder of J.A. Green & Co. With the Departments of Energy, United States Trade Representative and Department of Defense each approaching China's near monopoly from different angles and Congress more divided than ever, it takes an expert like Green to illuminate the structure of this complex global market. In this exclusive interview with The Critical Metals Report, Green explains the fragmented policy developments in this space and pending WTO action, arguing that the U.S. needs to develop a domestic supply chain in order to remain competitive. More >

Tap Profits in the Growing Graphite Market: Simon Moores
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Critical Metals Report   (4/17/12)
Graphite is the Next Big Thing for resource investors, but as in any sector, due diligence is a prerequisite for success. Enter Simon Moores, graphite market specialist with Industrial Minerals in London. In this exclusive interview with The Critical Metals Report, he explains why graphite is "the perfect mineral," why we're still going to be talking about it years from now and which companies to watch in this emerging industry. More >

Gold, Silver and Copper Investing Strategies and M&A Ideas: Vishal Gupta
Source: Sally Lowder of The Gold Report  (4/16/12)
Precious and base metal companies both have to obey the basic laws of physics and economics to be profitable. In this exclusive interview with The Gold Report, geologist turned analyst Vishal Gupta of Fraser Mackenzie shares names of small-cap companies that could successfully take advantage of unique mineralogy to produce profitable mines. More >