Lithium prices plunge in China after moves to curb speculative trading

Lithium prices in China fell sharply on Friday, short-circuiting a rally, after the main exchange stepped in to curb speculative trading and on a report that battery giant CATL could restart... 

EU ready to take stakes in Australian resources projects

The EU is prepared to take direct stakes in Australian critical minerals projects and will soon announce a list of projects it will support, EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said on Friday.... 

China warns citizens risk becoming 'mining slaves' in Central African Republic gold rush

China's embassy in the Central African Republic (CAR) has warned its citizens risk becoming "mining slaves" in the politically unstable nation's gold trade, as Chinese workers look to sub-Saharan... 

South Africa, EU sign critical minerals deal, vow to defend multilateralism

South Africa and the European Union vowed to defend multilateralism on Thursday, ahead of the G20 summit, as they signed a partnership on critical minerals. South Africa is hosting this year's G20... 

China signs agreement to revamp TAZARA railway in Zambia

China signed a $1.4-billion agreement with Zambia and Tanzania on Thursday to modernise the TAZARA railway linking landlocked Zambia to the Indian Ocean. The railway, financed by China in the 1970s... 

South African key rate lowered at first decision under new inflation target

South Africa's central bank cut its main lending rate by 25 basis points to 6.75% on Thursday at the first meeting since its inflation target was lowered, easing concerns that the new target would... 

LME to stop holding price-setting PGM auctions for the LBMA next year

The London Metal Exchange (LME) will stop administering auctions that set platinum and palladium prices for the London Bullion Market Association next year so it can focus on its core base metals... 

China's first coal to chemicals project with green hydrogen starts commercial operations

China's first coal-to-chemicals project integrating green hydrogen started commercial operations on Thursday, according to a report from state-run CCTV. Operated by major state-owned power... 

UBS raises 2026 mid-year gold target price

UBS on Thursday raised its 2026 mid-year gold target price by $300 to $4 500/oz on expectations of Federal Reserve rate cuts, persistent geopolitical risks, fiscal concerns and strong central bank... 

South African rand weakens ahead of interest rate decision

The South African rand slipped in early trade on Thursday, as investors looked ahead to the central bank's interest rate decision, the first meeting since the finance minister officially confirmed... 

Stand-off between Chinese buyer and BHP tightens iron-ore supplies, sources say

Protracted negotiations between China's state iron ore buyer and miner BHP have tightened availability of some iron ore, seven sources said, underpinning prices despite weakening demand for the key... 

MP Materials to build Saudi rare earths refinery with Pentagon, Maaden

MP Materials said on Wednesday it would build a rare earths refinery in Saudi Arabia with the US Department of Defense and state-owned Saudi Arabian mining company Maaden to expand Middle Eastern... 

Chile's Cochilco hikes 2025 and 2026 copper price forecasts to record highs

Chile's state copper commission Cochilco increased its forecast for copper prices for 2025 and 2026 to record highs on Wednesday amid weak production. Cochilco now sees average copper prices in... 

Anfield seeks approval to restart Colorado uranium and vanadium mine

Anfield Energy said on Wednesday it has applied for state approval to restart its past-producing JD-8 uranium and vanadium mine in Colorado, positioning the company to restart production in the... 

Argosy inks lithium spot sales deal with China’s Chengdu Chemphys Industry

Argosy Minerals has signed a spot sales contract with China’s Chengdu Chemphys Industry for 16.1 tonnes of lithium carbonate produced from its Rincon project in Argentina, the Australian miner said... 

Liontown jumps after first spodumene auction lands well above spot prices

Liontown Resources said on Thursday its first online auction for spodumene concentrate from its flagship Kathleen Valley project fetched a price far above prevailing spot levels. Prices for... 

Glencore cuts Century Aluminum stake to 33% after tariff-driven rally

Glencore has cut its stake in Century Aluminum by 10% to 33%, raking in millions following a share price rally triggered by US tariffs on aluminium imports and a profit bonanza for local aluminium... 

EU industry chief says raw materials recycling is solution to China dependency

EU industry chief Stephane Sejourne said on Wednesday that recycling is likely the solution to reducing the bloc's dependency on critical raw materials imports from China. Under the Critical Raw... 

South African consumer inflation quickens to 3.6% y/y in October

South African inflation rose slightly in October, but by less than expected, prompting analysts to predict Thursday's interest rate decision by the central bank was likely to be a close call.... 

Iron-ore hits over two-week high on firm China demand and lower supply

Iron-ore futures prices rose on Wednesday to their highest in more than two weeks, helped by firm demand in top consumer China and falling domestic supply. The most-traded January iron ore... 

PowerChina targets Africa for renewables-focused growth

China's state-owned Power Construction Corp (PowerChina) is aiming for significant growth in Africa, focusing on renewable energy projects as part of its overseas expansion strategy, a company... 

SQM quarterly profit rises as lithium prices rebound

Chilean lithium producer SQM on Tuesday reported a rise in third-quarter net profit, helped by an improved pricing environment that lifted average lithium prices for the first time in two years.... 

Elliott builds stake in Barrick Mining, source says

Activist investor Elliott Investment Management has built a significant stake in Barrick Mining, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Barrick has faced a challenging year, including... 

After deadly accident, Freeport aims to restart Grasberg copper production by July

Freeport-McMoRan said on Tuesday it plans to restore production at Indonesia's Grasberg copper and gold mine by July after a fatal incident forced operations to halt two months ago. Seven workers... 

Rare earth magnet startup Vulcan Elements to build $1bn North Carolina plant

Vulcan Elements, a North Carolina-based rare earth magnet producer, said on Tuesday it will build a $1-billion manufacturing facility in its home state to supply US electronics and military... 

Harmony Gold considers Papua New Guinea copper venture with Newmont

South Africa's Harmony Gold is evaluating a substantial copper venture in Papua New Guinea in partnership with US mining giant Newmont, chairman Patrice Motsepe said on Tuesday. "There's a huge... 

Africa experts call for greater oversight of ratings agencies in G20 report

A panel of Africa experts on Tuesday urged the Group of 20 major economies to step up oversight of credit rating agencies, which they accused of using flawed and opaque methodologies that increase... 

South African rand subdued as traders cautious ahead of key local data

The South African rand was subdued in early trade on Tuesday, as a stronger dollar prompted investors to stay away from riskier assets, while local traders remained cautious ahead of key economic... 

Goldman Sachs sees continued central bank gold buying in November

Central banks likely bought large amounts of gold in November in a multi-year trend to diversify reserves to hedge geopolitical and financial risks, Goldman Sachs said on Monday. The Wall Street... 

EU's EIB to work with Australian government on critical raw materials

The EU's European Investment Bank and the Australian government said in a joint statement on Monday they would deepen cooperation on critical raw materials, as Western powers scramble to cut their... 

Viridis secures Canadian financing interest for rare earths project

Australia's Viridis Mining and Minerals said on Tuesday it received a letter of interest from Export Development Canada for up to $100-million in debt financing for its Colossus rare earths project... 

Indonesia coal power phase-out plan at risk due to stalled international funding

Indonesia's plan to retire 6.7 gigawatts of coal-fired power plant capacity by 2030 to fight climate change is at risk of failure due to stalled disbursal of funding from rich countries, the... 

Congo extends ban on trade in minerals from sites in war-hit east

The Democratic Republic of Congo has extended for six months a ban on the trading of minerals from dozens of artisanal mining sites in conflict-hit North and South Kivu provinces, the mines... 

Lithium surges in China after Ganfeng chairman predicts 2026 demand boom

China's lithium price surged on Monday after the chairman of major Chinese producer Ganfeng Lithium Group forecast demand growth of 30% or even 40% for the battery metal in 2026. The most-traded... 

South African rand steady as markets brush off credit upgrade, pivot to interest rate decision

The South African rand held its ground in early trading on Monday, shrugging off S&P Global's first credit upgrade of the country since 2005 - a move to BB from BB- with a positive outlook - as... 

Around 30 people killed in Congo copper mine incident, officials say

Around 30 people were killed at a semi-industrial copper mine in southeastern Congo on Saturday after a bridge collapsed, the country's artisanal mining agency said. An agency official told Reuters... 

Syrah, Tesla to further extend graphite supply deal deadline

Australia's Syrah Resources said on Monday that it had agreed with Tesla to extend the deadline to tackle an alleged default of their graphite supply agreement for the second time in two months as... 

China rare earths deal will 'hopefully' be done by Thanksgiving, Bessent says

A rare earths deal between the US and China will "hopefully" be done by Thanksgiving, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in remarks that aired on Sunday. Bessent's comments follow a framework... 

Barrick Mining considers splitting into two entities, sources say

The board of Canada's Barrick Mining has raised the possibility of splitting the company into two separate entities, one focused on North America and the other on Africa and Asia, four sources... 

South Africa will hand G20 over to US 'empty chair', president says

President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday South Africa will symbolically hand over the G20 presidency to an "empty chair" in the absence of US leadership at the summit next week, while stressing the...