Robin Bromby
Robin has worked in journalism for 58 years, with 32 of those involving covering resource companies. Previously a reporter for The Australian, Robin has authored countless newspaper columns on mining and oil juniors and has published many books about mining and investing.
Greenland’s resource race heats up as over 250 companies vie for dominance
More than 250 mining companies holding 700 project licences between them are already in the race to open Greenland. This follows incoming US president Donald Trump saying he wants Washington to buy the world’s largest island. US commentators have noted that controlling Greenland would help Washington solve its key critical metals problem. Major interest Big […]
Investment leaders predict gold price to soar in 2025
While UBS usually plays it safe with gold prices, the Swiss investment bank’s chief investment officer is now predicting a mid-2025 gold price of $2,850 per ounce. Sprott Gold Report’s John Hathaway is equally enthusiastic, noting that gold rose 27 per cent in 2024—its best annual gain in 14 years. Meanwhile, London-based BullionVault is now […]
Copper price surge continues as analysts forecast steep rise amid supply crunch
Copper prices have topped US$10,000 per tonne for the second time in a fortnight but analysts including Goldman Sachs are predicting that there’s still a long way to go. Goldman’s latest forecast is for the red metal to reach US$12,000/t by the end of 2024 and then US$15,000/t in 2025. The last time copper went […]
Boss Energy emerges as global uranium supplier amid soaring market demand
Boss Energy’s (ASX: BOE) emergence as the world’s newest uranium producer could not have been timed better, with fast rising spot prices and prospects for further hikes. The March quarter saw the South Australian producer finish the successful commissioning of its Honeymoon mine. That mine is now ramping up to a production rate of 2.45 […]
RareX advances Cummins Range project, explores new global rare earths opportunities
In its latest business development update, RareX (ASX: REE) has set out its two key pillars for growth: focusing on the last stages of development at its flagship Cummins Range project and securing new complementary rare earths (REE) projects in stable jurisdictions. This comes against a background of REE prices that have been weak but […]
Canadian silver producers seek recognition of critical mineral status as deficits continue
A group of 19 Canadian silver miners is asking the federal government in Ottawa to recognise silver as a critical mineral as the country’s producers boost production to C$300 million per year. Acknowledging that the second half of the 20th century saw silver production in Canada decline due to economic factors and falling grades, the […]
Australian uranium shares surge on news of Kazatomprom production shortfall
Local uranium shares soared on Friday after news broke that Kazatomprom, the world’s largest exporter of the nuclear fuel, will likely miss potential production targets for 2024 by a fifth due to construction delays and problems obtaining sulphuric acid. Kazatomprom’s woes sent Australian uranium shares rising and traders will be looking for another jump in […]
Coda Minerals boosts Elizabeth Creek copper-cobalt project valuation to $735m following new scoping study
Coda Minerals (ASX: COD) has reported that a scoping study for its Elizabeth Creek copper-cobalt project in South Australia boosted the project’s net present value (NPV) by $165 million to $735m. This is a 29% increase in NPV compared to the scoping study published last March. The 701 sq km Elizabeth Creek project sits within […]
Rox Resources highlights substantial increase in gold resources at Youanmi prospect
Rox Resources (ASX: RXL) expects to deliver its Youanmi gold pre-feasibility study (PFS) by June with their Western Australian project now looming as one of Australia’s most promising gold developments. Located near Mt Magnet, Youanmi now has a total mineral resource estimate (MRE) of 2.3 million ounces at 4.4 grams per tonne gold. This new […]
Nova Minerals unveils high-grade gold discovery at Wombat prospect in Alaska
Nova Minerals (ASX: NVA) has discovered the thickest gold-bearing quartz veins to date in its initial exploration program at the Wombat prospect with grades up to 24.2 grams per tonne. Wombat is part of Nova’s flagship Estelle gold project located 177km northwest of Anchorage, Alaska’s major city. Estelle sits near the eastern end of the […]
Lithium Universe eyes Quebec for carbonate refinery site amid strategic port access considerations
Access to port infrastructure has become the key factor as Lithium Universe (ASX: LU7) narrows down its possible refinery site in Quebec province. In its latest quarterly report covering the December 2023 period, the company lists the many milestones achieved during the three months ending December 31. These include the appointment of global engineering company […]
Sodium-ion batteries on the rise as shift away from lithium gathers pace
The bad news keeps coming for lithium, now with visuals — as in television footage of electric vehicles (EVs) in the US knocked out of action due to snowstorms and plunging temperatures. Or burnt-out shells of cars. Now one of Australia’s advanced lithium projects seems to have been derailed. With lithium prices having lost 80% […]
Gold price hits Australian dollar record as global tensions escalate
Gold pushed through to A$3,136 per ounce on Friday morning, setting a modern record in Australian dollar terms. But there may be more to come with JP Morgan predicting the gold price to hit US$2,175/oz in 2024. That may well turn out to be far too pessimistic given the state of the globe right now. […]
Whitehaven Coal transforms into major coking coal player with US$3.2b BHP-Mitsubishi deal
Australia’s coal industry has been reshaped with Whitehaven Coal (ASX: WHC) set to acquire the Daunia and Blackwater coal mines in Queensland from the BMA Group, a joint venture between BHP (ASX: BHP) and Japan’s Mitsubishi. The deal involves a US$3.2 billion payment, with the upfront amount set at US$2.1 billion, followed by three annual […]
Aurumin unloads Mt Dimer gold tenements to Beacon Minerals in a winning deal for both companies
Aurumin (ASX: AUN) is set to get a major cash infusion after signing a binding sale agreement whereby Beacon Minerals (ASX: BCN) will buy its Mt Dimer gold tenements located 120km northeast of Southern Cross, Western Australia. One of the two historical mines at Mt Dimer, Golden Slipper, was mined in the 1990s and produced […]
Battery Minerals expands into NSW gold hunt, plans name change to reflect copper-gold focus
What had been a graphite-gold play now becomes more focused as a copper-gold explorer with the acquisition by Battery Minerals (ASX: BAT) of the Spur project in central New South Wales. The company moved into gold and Victoria in 2020 as a means of diversifying its portfolio, until then heavily weighted to graphite. As well […]
Sovereign Metals appoints new CEO, advances massive rutile-graphite project with Rio Tinto
Experienced Africa-based mining executive Frank Eager has been promoted to chief executive officer at Sovereign Metals (ASX: SVM) as the company moves forward with its massive Kasiya rutile-graphite project in the southern African state of Malawi. This comes on the heels of the decision in July by Rio Tinto (ASX: RIO) to back what is […]
Trigg Minerals starts work on gold-base metals projects, suspends potash plans
In the expectation that shareholders will later this week approve the purchase, Trigg Minerals (ASX: TMG) has begun work at its newly acquired Drummond gold and base metals project in Queensland. At the same time, Trigg has suspended all activity, apart from new process technology research, on its sulphate of potash (SOP) projects in Western […]
Pioneer Lithium discovers 85 new pegmatite outcrops at Root Lake project
Pioneer Lithium (ASX: PLN) has moved its maiden exploration program at Root Lake in Canada into fourth gear with the discovery of a large pegmatite swarm. The find of 85 outcropping pegmatites occurred adjacent to the Root Bay pegmatite system being explored by Green Technology Metals (ASX: GT1) which has an inferred resource of 8.1 […]
Australia’s biggest business mystery: Gina Rinehart’s lithium plans
Just one month ago Albemarle, global lithium operator and owner of the huge Greenbushes lithium in Western Australia, was on track to take control of its prey, emerging lithium player Liontown Resources (ASX: LTR) and its Kathleen Valley spodumene project near the West Australian town of Leinster. All it took was Albemarle raising its offer […]