Big Flakes Finish First in the Graphite Market
Source: JT Long of The Critical Metals Report  (8/21/12)
Flakes are king in the graphite space, where large flake commands a substantial premium. But the path to production can be long and twisted, with many moving parts. Resource and tech investor Ron Struthers met up with The Critical Metals Report and walked us through the funhouse of graphite investment. Read on to find out which companies look good in every mirror. More >

What Happened to the Rare Earth Metal ETF?
Source: Eric Dutram, Zacks Investment Research  (8/21/12)
"Rare earths will not disappear anytime soon, and current valuations warrant a closer look at a sector that still has the potential for an extremely robust future." More >

Guyana Is Proving Its Worth for Explorers of All Sizes
Source: Mining.com, G. Joel Chury  (8/21/12)
"Though it has long been a source of wealth for the country, gold exploration in Guyana has been on a tear over the last four years." More >

Bring Home Profits from Nevada: David Sidders
Source: Alec Gimurtu for The Gold Report   (8/20/12)
Investors do not need to travel the world to make money in gold mining stocks. Nevada has world-class geology, infrastructure and a mine-friendly legal system without the substantial risks of international resource development. In this exclusive Gold Report interview, David Sidders, founder of Xeitel Capital Management, discusses how to keep investments simple by staying close to home. More >

Watch Out for a Silver Breakout
Source: Jeb Handwerger, Gold Stock Trades  (8/20/12)
"All signs are pointing to possible global inflation, which could propel silver prices higher." More >

Big Changes Ahead: Gold Just Became Money Again
Source: Doug Hornig, Casey Research  (8/20/12)
"The Fed and FDIC circulated a letter to banks that proposes to harmonize U.S. regulatory capital rules with Basel III. If the proposals are approved by regulators, then this is a momentous change for the gold market." More >

Gold Market to Be Driven by Politics This Week
Source: Ben Traynor, BullionVault  (8/20/12)
"Jean-Claude Juncker, head of the Eurogroup of single-currency finance ministers, is expected to visit Athens Wednesday to discuss Greece's request for a two-year extension to its austerity program." More >

Copper Prices Signaling a Top in the S&P 500
Source: Chris Vermeulen, The Gold and Oil Guy  (8/20/12)
"Recently, copper futures prices have been trading in a relatively tight range, but the longer-term weekly chart demonstrates that a major selloff could transpire." More >

Platinum Hits Two-Month High on Supply Fear
Source: Reuters, Frank Tang  (8/20/12)
"Platinum prices jumped nearly 2% on Monday, hitting a two-month high after deadly violence at a mine in South Africa triggered heavy speculative buying on supply worries." More >

Love Trade Cools as Central Banks' Gold Demand Heats Up
Source: Frank Holmes, U.S. Global Investors  (8/20/12)
"As we enter the 'Love Season' for gold, we'll look for any indications from government policies that might spur the continuation of the long-standing tradition of gold buying for weddings, births and festivals." More >

Long-Term Technical Outlook for Gold and Silver Is Rosy
Source: Jordan Roy-Byrne, The Daily Gold  (8/19/12)
"The fact that gold and silver are unlikely to break to new highs anytime soon hardly deters me in my bullish enthusiasm for select gold and silver stocks." More >

More Rare Earth Players Expected
Source: China Daily, Wang Zhuoqiong  (8/18/12)
"China's preeminent position in rare earths exports is likely to change after a couple of mining operations in the United States and Australia begin to produce the materials next year." More >

$2,000 Gold Will Soon Kickstart Mining Shares: Michael Fowler
Source: Zig Lambo of The Gold Report  (8/17/12)
The lack of excitement haunting the precious metals and mining shares markets over the past year is expected to change in the next few months, according to Michael Fowler, senior mining analyst with Loewen, Ondaatje, McCutcheon Ltd. In this exclusive interview with The Gold Report, he explains why he expects gold to finally break through the $2,000/ounce barrier in 2013 and how this should affect the mining stocks that he covers. While share prices are generally low across the board now, Fowler tells us about a few of the ones that he expects to shine bright when the market turns. More >

Central Bank Stimulus Hopes Give Boost to Gold
Source: Ben Traynor, BullionVault  (8/17/12)
"Gold traded just below $1,620/oz during Friday morning's London session, very slightly below where it ended last week amid renewed speculation over central bank stimulus measures." More >

Barrick Gold in Talks with China over African Stake
Source: The Canadian Press  (8/17/12)
"Barrick Gold Corp. is in talks that could result in the sale of its majority holding in spinoff African Barrick Gold Plc to China's largest gold producer." More >

Role of Gold in a Bear Market
Source: Adam Hamilton, Zeal Intelligence  (8/17/12)
"Though the old standby of holding cash during bears remains fine, gold's returns have been far superior." More >

Rare Earth Production Lull Hits South China
Source: China Daily  (8/17/12)
"Rare earth production is in the doldrums in many Chinese provinces, including the southern province of Guangdong, which is a major rare earth producer."
More >

Why Are Gold, Silver Mining Share Prices Not Moving Higher? Part II
Source: Julian Phillips, Gold Forecaster  (8/17/12)
"Several silver and gold mines link dividend payments to profit and to the gold and silver prices and have seen their share prices outperform their competitors who do not follow this practice." More >

Are Central Banks Still Hoarding Gold?
Source: Eric McWhinnie, Wall St. Cheat Sheet  (8/17/12)
"A new report shows global gold demand fell in the second quarter from prior year levels. While some investors were discouraged by the price action, central banks were more attracted to gold than ever before." More >

On the Ground in the Yukon: Part 1
Source: Kip Keen, Mineweb  (8/16/12)
"On site in the Yukon, Mineweb reporter Kip Keen takes a tour of the Yukon's operating mines and some of its leading exploration projects." More >

Platinum ETFs Take Off
Source: Eric Dutram, Zacks Investment Research  (8/16/12)
"ETF investors saw outsized trading in the physically backed commodity of platinum with the ETF Securities Physical Platinum Shares Fund." More >

Evaluating the Wisdom of Buying Gold
Source: Frank Holmes, U.S. Global Investors  (8/16/12)
"Even before the height of the global crisis, there was a 'wise crowd' of institutional and individual investors who had been buying gold as a safe haven from currency risks and the trillions of dollars invested in derivatives, and as a way to recycle petrodollars." More >

Optimize Your Gold Portfolio with Ron Struthers' Tips
Source: JT Long of The Gold Report   (8/15/12)
Ron Struthers has crunched the numbers and his indicators are telling him the gold markets are poised for a big jump up. The editor of Struthers' Resource Stock Report called a double-bottom in July and is ready to deploy his liquid reserves so he will be ready for the next bounce. In this exclusive interview with The Gold Report, he makes recommendations for optimal portfolio diversification and names some junior companies set to take off. More >

Why Are Gold, Silver Mining Share Prices Not Moving Higher?
Source: Julian Phillips,Gold Forecaster  (8/15/12)
"The prime reason that institutional investors and wealthy retail investors are buying gold and silver mining shares now is that these will produce a greater total return than the gold and silver prices themselves." More >

Paulson, Soros Add to Gold ETF Positions
Source: Ben Traynor, BullionVault  (8/15/12)
"Soros Fund Management, which sold most of its SPDR Gold Trust position last year, doubled its stake to take it to 884,400 shares." More >