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 >

Graphite Has Surged 250%
Source: Nick Hodge, Energy & Capital  (4/12/12)
"Now is the time to take advantage of the graphite bull. Prices for the mineral have surged 250% in the past few years thanks to a number of factors." More >

Investing in Graphite's Growth: Kevin Puil
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Critical Metals Report  (4/10/12)
As the boundaries of technology continually expand, so does the demand for graphite. With uses developing and supply mainly controlled by China, prices for graphite should continue to climb, says Kevin Puil, senior analyst for the Encompass Fund and portfolio manager with San Francisco-based Malcolm H. Gissen & Associates. In this exclusive interview with The Critical Metals Report, Puil shares some junior miners set to soar alongside demand. More >

On Estimating Rare Earth Reserves
Source: Gareth Hatch, Resource Investor  (4/10/12)
"The NI 43-101 approach to mineral-resource classification provides greater transparency on the early stages of project development with a rigorous reporting framework that is missing under the SEC guidelines." More >

Into the Green: Lithium
Source: Rick Mills, Ahead of the Herd  (4/5/12)
"With the rechargeable battery industry and consumer electronics driving demand, forecasters believe lithium's price could as much as double in value in the near future." More >

Emerging Trends in Critical Metals: Richard Karn
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Critical Metals Report  (4/3/12)
While markets do not always reward every deserving company, quality deposits carry an intrinsic value. That's why Richard Karn, managing editor of The Emerging Trends Report, advises investors to "buy the resource" over the stock. In this exclusive Critical Metals Report interview, Karn shares some companies with deposits worth their salt. More >

China to Officially Launch Rare Earth Association April 8 in Beijing
Source: Mineweb, Dorothy Kosich  (4/2/12)
"More than 100 Chinese rare earths exploration, mining and processing companies have reportedly been invited by the central government to attend the official launch of China's rare earth association." More >

Why Graphite Stocks May Continue To Outperform In 2012
Source: Jeb Handwerger, Gold Stock Trades  (4/2/12)
"Graphite is rapidly earning a new recognition as a component in the latest clean energy technologies such as the lithium-ion battery, fuel cells, pebble bed nuclear reactors and vanadium-redox batteries." More >

The WTO Rare Earths Trade Dispute: An Analysis
Source: Gareth Hatch, Resource Investor  (3/29/12)
"What are the consequences of the various potential outcomes of the disputes, once they have been concluded, and what clues can a similar trade dispute in the past show us as to how things might actually turn out?" More >

The [Recovery] Has No Clothes
Source: Eric Sprott and David Baker  (3/28/12)
"'The prevalence of paper trading in the silver market is what makes the drastic price declines possible by allowing non-physical holders to sell massive size into a relatively small market.'" More >

Rare Earth Metals Growth Drivers: Siddharth Rajeev
Source: JT Long of The Critical Metals Report  (3/27/12)
With so many moving variables in the rare earth space, how can investors evaluate investment opportunities? Siddharth Rajeev of Fundamental Research Corp. finds his top prospects by zeroing in on a specific material and tracking its growth drivers. Rajeev argues that critical materials used in viable new technologies will see increasing demand. In this exclusive interview with The Critical Metals Report, he explains how lithium-ion battery development and the forthcoming WTO ruling effect his outlook for graphite and niobium. More >

Winning the Rare Earth Economic War: Luisa Moreno
Source: JT Long of The Critical Metals Report  (3/20/12)
China's sudden cuts to rare earth export quotas and domestic production marked the beginning of a Rare Earth Economic War, proposes Jacob Securities' Senior Mining and Metals Analyst Luisa Moreno. The good news is that partnerships between end-users and mining companies may just be the secret weapon to level the playing field for critical metals producers operating beyond China's borders. In this exclusive interview with The Critical Metals Report, Moreno points to the companies that are closest to delivering high-quality goods for the benefit of manufacturers and investors alike. More >