South African rand steady after Venezuela shock

The South African rand was steady in early trade on Monday, as investors considered the implications of US military action in Venezuela, escalating geopolitical tensions and lifting safe-haven... 

Energy storage boom strengthens demand outlook for beaten-down lithium

A boom in battery storage has bolstered the demand outlook for lithium in 2026, driving hopes for an accelerated turnaround for an industry struggling with oversupply. The lithium market has been... 

Australian shares flat as mining gains counter consumer, tech losses

Australian shares were trading flat in early deals on Monday, as gains in heavyweight miners on the back of strong metal prices countered losses in consumer discretionary and tech stocks. The... 

Iron-ore starts New Year higher on strong demand, tight supplies

Iron-ore futures edged higher on Monday, beginning the New Year on a firm note, supported by strong Chinese demand and ongoing supply constraints. The Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) and the... 

OPEC+ keeps oil output steady amid turmoil among members

OPEC+ kept oil output unchanged on Sunday after a quick meeting that avoided discussion of the political crises affecting several of the producer group's members. Sunday's meeting of eight members... 

Petrol, diesel pump prices to fall in January

South Africa's government said on Sunday the petrol pump price would fall by up to 66c a litre and the diesel price would decrease by up to 150c a litre from January 7. South Africa's fuel prices... 

Namib Minerals to restart mothballed Zimbabwe gold mine in February

Namib Minerals will restart operations at its mothballed Redwing gold mine in February as part of the company's broader $300-million investment plan in Zimbabwe, its chief executive said on... 

Chilean regulator to launch 'unprecedented' audit of Codelco-SQM lithium deal

Chilean Comptroller's Office said on Friday that it will launch an "unprecedented" audit of the lithium agreement between state copper giant Codelco and local producer SQM. In a statement, the... 

Peabody Energy CEO Grech to retire in 2028, stay on as adviser until 2030

Peabody Energy's James Grech will retire on May 15, 2028 and remain with the firm as an adviser until 2030 under a transition agreement aimed at ensuring leadership continuity, the US-based coal... 

Botswana's economy seen shrinking almost 1% in 2025 due to diamond sector woes

Botswana's government now forecasts an economic contraction of almost 1% this year as its key diamond sector continues to struggle, its finance minister said in a budget review on Friday. When the... 

Barrick Mining officially resumes operational control of Mali mine, memo shows

Canada's Barrick Mining has officially resumed operational control of its Mali gold mine, according to a company memo seen by Reuters. Barrick will resume production gradually and will focus on... 

Gold bonanza as Australia revises resource export earnings up 4%

Australia on Friday revised its expected resources earnings up 4% to A$383-billion for the current financial year thanks to record gold prices, resilient iron ore prices and the failure of its... 

White South Africans could get Trump biography for kids in refugee welcome packet

White South Africans coming to the US as refugees could get a biography of President Donald Trump for children as part of a welcome packet proposed last week by an administration official, emails... 

Perfect storm of factors propels silver to record high above $65/oz

Robust investment demand for silver, its inclusion on the US critical minerals list, and a wave of momentum buying have propelled the white metal to a fresh record high, setting prices up to close... 

South African rand steady ahead of producer inflation data

The South African rand was steady in early trade on Thursday, as investors await producer inflation data for clues on the health of Africa's most-industrialised economy.  At 0649 GMT, the rand... 

Mass layoffs overshadow Guinea's Simandou mega mine as output accelerates

Guinea's Simandou mega mining project, promoted by the military government as a symbol of the country's economic transformation, is laying off thousands of workers just as it begins exporting... 

US agency, consortium sign $553m loan for Angola railway revamp

The US International Development Finance Corporation signed a $553-million loan with a consortium of firms on Wednesday for the refurbishment of an Angolan railway line - part of the Lobito... 

Woodside Energy CEO Meg O'Neill exits to lead BP

Australia's Woodside Energy said on Thursday CEO Meg O'Neill will be leaving the firm effective immediately to join BP as its CEO. Meg O'Neill leaves Australia's biggest independent energy firm... 

Zimbabwe scraps gold royalty hike, sets higher threshold for windfall tax

Zimbabwe has reversed plans to double its gold royalty rate to 10%, a new 2026 budget bill showed on Wednesday, following protests by miners and industry groups. A royalty rate of 5% would... 

Gold and uranium boost Namibia's tax revenue after diamond prices plunge

Namibia's diamond revenue has been surpassed by income from other minerals for the first time, the country's mining chamber said, with record gold prices and higher uranium output helping to offset... 

Lithium surges in China after local authorities announce plan to revoke mining licences

ithium prices in China surged on Wednesday after the natural resource authority of the country’s main lithium-producing hub said it would revoke 27 mining licences. The most-active lithium... 

South African inflation eases, economists see more rate cuts ahead

South African inflation slowed for the first time in three months in November, bolstering expectations that the central bank will cut interest rates further next year even with its new, lower... 

South Africa arrests Kenyans working on US refugee applications

South Africa on Wednesday said its authorities had arrested and would deport seven Kenyan nationals illegally working on processing refugee applications for the US government. President Donald... 

EU to strengthen carbon levy on high-emission imports

The European Union will expand its carbon border levy - a fee charged on imports of high-emission goods - to cover car parts and washing machines, under European Commission proposals published on... 

South African inflation slows slightly in November

South Africa's headline consumer inflation slowed to 3.5% year on year in November from 3.6% in October, data from the statistics agency showed on Wednesday. In month-on-month terms the Consumer... 

South African rand flat ahead of leading economic indicator, local inflation data

The South African rand was flat in early trade on Tuesday, ahead of the release of local central bank data and inflation data that will shed light on the country's economic outlook. At 0512 GMT,... 

White House plans more 'historic deals' with mining sector, official says

The Trump administration plans more "historic deals" with the US mining sector to boost production of critical minerals for the national defense and high-tech sectors, a senior official said on... 

Russian court rules in favour of Rusal in $1.32bn lawsuit against Rio Tinto

A Russian court has ruled in favour of Rusal in the aluminium giant's 104.75-billion-rouble ($1.32-billion) lawsuit against global mining and metals company Rio Tinto, according to court... 

JX unit sells stake in Peruvian mine to Glencore

Japan's JX Advanced Metals on Tuesday said its Pan Pacific Copper (PPC) unit sold its entire stake in the undeveloped Quechua copper project in Peru to Swiss trader and miner Glencore for an... 

Korea Zinc shareholders ask court to block share sale in $7.4bn US project

Two major Korea Zinc shareholders asked a court on Tuesday to block the company's plan to sell new shares - part of a scheme to help fund a $7.4-billion US smelter which would be built in... 

South Africa boosts coal exports to Israel after Colombia ban

South African miners are boosting thermal coal exports to Israel after top supplier Colombia in August ordered a total ban on shipments of the power-generation fuel to Israel, data from Kpler, LSEG... 

Europe trawls for alternative aluminium supply in face of Mozal shutdown

A smelter shutdown in Mozambique is set to dent global aluminium supplies next year, analysts say, leaving the plant's core European Union customers searching for alternatives. South32 confirmed... 

Swift Anglo-Teck merger approval shows Canada's pro-business shift, dealmakers say

Canada's swift approval of the $53-billion merger between British miner Anglo American and Canada's Teck Resources signals a push to attract investment to offset the impact of US tariffs,... 

US eases sanctions on three Belarus potash companies after prisoner release

The United States has granted limited sanctions relief to three Belarusian potash companies following the European country's release of prisoners at the weekend, a US official said on Monday.... 

Nornickel sharply hikes nickel surplus forecasts for this year and next

Russian mining giant Nornickel said on Monday that it had doubled its nickel surplus forecast for this year and more than doubled its forecast for 2026. In a metals market review, Nornickel, the... 

Fortuna Mining eyes mid-tier gold assets as it works to regain output target

Fortuna Mining is seeking mid-tier gold assets, while accelerating new projects, as it works to restore its 500 000-oz annual output target after selling mines in Burkina Faso and Mexico, its West... 

South Africa records smaller FDI outflows in Q3

South Africa recorded foreign direct investment outflows of 21.0-billion rand ($1.25-billion) in the third quarter of 2025, down from outflows of 73.5-billion rand in the second quarter, central... 

Rand gains as gold shines and investors eye year's final economic data

The South African rand gained in early trade on Monday, supported by higher gold prices as local investors look towards the year's last bit of economic data for clues on the health of Africa's most... 

Dalian iron-ore hits five-month low as China plans to regulate steel exports

Prices of Dalian iron-ore fell on Monday to hit their lowest level in more than five months, as top consumer China's plan to roll out a licence system from 2026 to regulate steel exports cast a... 

How tight supply, AI demand propelled copper towards $12 000

Copper is closing in on the $12 000 a metric ton mark as expectations of soaring demand from data centres that power artificial intelligence and tight supplies collide with shortages outside the...