Israel's Diamond Exports Boom
Source: Commodity Online  (4/11/11)
"Israel Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor's figures show double-digit growth in exports and imports of both polished and rough diamonds." More >

Egypt Lifts Ban on Gold Exports
Source: Deutsche Presse-Agentur  (4/11/11)
"Ministry of Trade cites improved conditions in the country." More >

Making the Most of Rising Gold Prices
Source: TrustNet, Angelos Damaskos  (4/11/11)
"The dominoes seem to have started to fall, and the best way to capitalize on rising gold prices is to invest in small- and mid-sized gold miners, as opposed to the yellow metal itself." More >

Stolen Silver Bars Underscore Need for Safe Storage Alternatives
Source: Nick Barisheff, BMG  (4/11/11)
"Don't assume safety deposit boxes are safe. . .or private." More >

China Increases Rare Earth Tax Rate
Source: CRI, Wei Tong  (4/11/11)
"Tax rate of mined light rare earths will increase by US$9 per ton. Since 2005, China's rare earth production has exceeded 100,000 tons in five consecutive years." More >

Utah Gold Standard, Part II
Source: Adrian Ash, BullionVault  (4/11/11)
"Was the gold standard to thank for such felicitous economic conditions?" More >

Leonard Melman: On Freedom and Gold's Future
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Gold Report  (4/11/11)
How has the increase in government in the last 150 years driven precious metal prices? In this exclusive interview with The Gold Report, Leonard Melman, editor of The Melman Report newsletter and the author of Reverse the Way In, discusses why he recommends precious metal stocks, but advocates changes in monetary policy that could diminish the price of gold. More >

Researchers Find Replacement for Indium Tin Oxide
Source: PhysOrg  (4/11/11)
"Supplies of this rare metal are expected to be exhausted within 10 years." More >

Beware of the Silver Streak
Source: Reuters  (4/10/11)
"That silver and gold prices are racing to new record highs is a bad sign. . ." More >

Jonathan Lee: Gray Metal Driving Green Revolution?
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Gold Report  (4/8/11)
Vanadium, a gray metal mainly used as an additive to steel, could see a jump in demand as new technologies emerge in energy storage. In this exclusive interview with The Gold Report, Jonathan Lee, a battery materials and technology analyst with Toronto-based Byron Capital Markets, talks about which vanadium producers are ready to grapple with the prospect of increasing demand from the adaption of "green" uses. More >

Will Silver Become Money Again like Gold?
Source: Julian Phillips, Gold Forecaster  (4/8/11)
"In the private and institutional domain, silver already is a wealth protector." More >

Gold Technicals
Source: Adam Hamilton, Zeal Research  (4/8/11)
"Not only did gold hit new all-time nominal highs, its secular bull was born exactly 10 years ago." More >

Gold Hits Record as Silver Tops $40
Source: The Street, Alix Steel  (4/8/11)
"Traders braced for an uncertain weekend with a potential government shutdown looming in the U.S." More >

Rare Earth Stocks Heat up on Legislative Action
Source: Jeb Handwerger, Gold Stock Trades  (4/8/11)
"Colorado Congressman Mike Coffman introduced the Rare Earth Supply-Chain Technology and Resource Transformation (RESTART) Act of 2011, which will give loans to the industry and speed up permitting." More >

World Silver Survey: Investment, Industrial Demand Surge
Source: Kitco, Allen Sykora  (4/7/11)
"Big increases in both investment and industrial-fabrication demand made silver jump in 2010, but the Silver Institute does not see a 'new paradigm' altering the gold:silver ratio." More >

Zimbabwe's Mining Output Doubles in 2010
Source: Bloomberg, Brian Latham and Ainhoa Goyeneche  (4/7/11)
"Platinum and gold production have multiplied as the nation emerges from economic recession, but foreign companies are on a deadline to show how they will dispose of 51% of their Zimbabwe operations." More >

Gunmen at Indonesia Gold Mine Kill Two Workers
Source: Reuters  (4/7/11)
"Mining has been a frequent source of friction in Papua because of its environmental impact, the share of revenue going to local Papuans and the legality of payments to Indonesian security forces guarding the site." More >

U.S. Mint to Release 2011 Silver 5 Oz. Bullion Coins
Source: Kitco, Debbie Carlson  (4/7/11)
"To participate in the program, authorized purchasers must certify they sold all of their 2010 'America the Beautiful' five-ounce silver bullion coins." More >

Istanbul Gold Exchange Opens to Diamonds, Gems
Source: National Jeweler  (4/7/11)
"The IGE was established in 1993 to develop gold-based investment vehicles, at which point Turkey fell in line with the international per-ounce price of gold." More >

India's Commodity Markets May Grow 25%
Source: Commodity Online  (4/7/11)
"Forward Markets Commission, India's commodity market regulator, dubs the four-fold sector increase estimate 'conservative,' and driven by precious metals performance." More >

Megawatt Ambitions for Vanadium-Based Batteries
Source: Photovoltaics World  (4/7/11)
"Vanadium-based liquid batteries under development as scientists strive to build an installation with a capacity of 20 MWh—enough to power roughly 2,000 households through a long winter night." More >

Are ETFs Really Safe?
Source: David Galland, The Casey Report  (4/7/11)
"A Casey Report interview with Dr. Andrew Bogan. . ." More >

The World in an Escalating Race for REEs
Source: Fiscal Times, Tom Zoellner  (4/7/11)
"Whenever the word "shortage" is in play, somebody is making huge profits." More >

Are ETFs Really Safe?
Source: David Galland, Casey Report  (4/7/11)
"Given that there are about 2,000 ETFs in existence, with assets totaling over $1 trillion, we thought it appropriate to find out what Dr. Bogan has learned in his research." More >

Let the Gold Surge of 2011 Begin
Source: Motley Fool, Christopher Barker  (4/7/11)
"Seems like just yesterday we saw the onset of a powerful new surge in gold and silver in H210." More >