Gold surges to record as Trump ramps up threats on Fed’s Powell

Gold rose to an all-time-high, after concern that President Donald Trump could fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell triggered a flight from US stocks, bonds and the dollar. Bullion climbed as... 

US rare earth miner MP Materials halts exports to China

A US producer of rare earth metals stopped shipments to China after Beijing placed export controls on similar materials crucial for defense and technology manufacturing. MP Materials, which... 

Central banks stare into trade-war abyss with rate cuts primed

Global central banks will mostly stand ready for interest-rate cuts in coming months to cushion their economies from US President Donald Trump’s trade war. Despite flux in implementation, his... 

Turkish nickel bull plans $2bn M&A spree to rival China

Turkish billionaire Robert Yuksel Yildirim is on a $2-billion hunt for nickel mines, betting that the battery metal’s price will rebound and that the West will want those supplies to cut its... 

Asian coal prices fall to fresh four-year low on trade war fears

Asia’s coal price benchmark fell to a four-year low as trade tensions threaten to sap demand, testing levels where miners shut more production. Australian Newcastle futures declined to $94.25 a... 

Iron-ore miners in rocky start to year as tariff turmoil begins

The world’s biggest iron-ore miners face a difficult start to the year, after extreme weather impacted production and as their biggest customer China braces for a trade war. This week, BHP Group,... 

South African court ends R8bn rail contract in anti-graft push

A South African court set aside an R8-billion contract between the State rail operator and a company that’s now a unit of Wabtec Corp for 233 diesel locomotives, part of a long-running crackdown... 

Alcoa reports $20m tariff hit on imports from Canada

Alcoa, the largest US aluminum producer, said President Donald Trump’s 25% tariff on metal imports has cost the company $20-million since the duties went into effect. The Pittsburgh-based company... 

Indonesia hikes mining royalties in bid to fund Prabowo policies

Indonesia has raised the royalty rate to be paid by nickel, tin and other metal producers as the government searches for ways to fund President Prabowo Subianto’s ambitious but costly priority... 

ANC lags DA in new voter opinion poll

Support for the African National Congress, which ruled South Africa outright for three decades after apartheid rule ended, has slipped further since it lost its parliamentary majority in last... 

Mineral Resources tumbles after two governance directors quit

Mineral Resources shares fell more than 7% after two board members overseeing corporate governance resigned. Jacqueline McGill, who joined the board in early 2024, and Susie Corlett, a member... 

Chile, Canada and Peru push back against Trump's copper tariff probe

Chile, Canada and Peru - three of the largest copper suppliers to the United States - have told President Donald Trump's administration that imports of the metal from their countries do not... 

Gold climbs to record as expanding trade war aids haven demand

Gold rose to record high as the Trump administration pressed ahead with probes that could broaden a sweeping trade war, boosting demand for havens. Bullion climbed above $3 248 an ounce for the... 

Peabody holds off private debt refinancing of $2.1bn loan

Coal mining company Peabody Energy has held off seeking a $500-million private debt, which would help refinance an acquisition loan after the planned deal was put under review, according to people... 

US copper industry seeks export curbs instead of import tariffs

Major players in the US copper industry have called on President Donald Trump to restrict exports of ore and scrap metal rather than imposing tariffs on imports, in his efforts to boost domestic... 

Copper traders, manufacturers discuss funding for Chile smelter

Chile’s Enami is in talks with manufacturers and trading firms interested in financing a $1.4-billion-plus smelting project as the top copper-mining nation looks to arrest a drop in processing... 

China’s commodities imports shrink bar oil as trade woes worsen

China’s commodities imports mostly fell year-on-year in March, the last full month before the Trump administration choked off bilateral trade by imposing punitive levies on Chinese goods. With the... 

Deadly landslide in Indonesia’s nickel hub signals supply risk

A deadly landslide at a top nickel-producing hub in Indonesia has heightened scrutiny of a method used to extract the battery metal from low-grade ore, spurring concern among buyers about the... 

Goldman puts $4 000 gold on the agenda as hunt for havens grows

Goldman Sachs Group and UBS Group issued another round of bullish calls for gold, with stronger-than-expected central bank demand and the metal’s role as a hedge against recession and geopolitical... 

Gold slips from record as Trump tariff agenda stays in spotlight

Gold edged down from a record as markets weighed the latest US trade news from President Donald Trump, who has driven a flight to safety assets amid mounting confusion over his tariff agenda.... 

South Africa’s top lender plans private bank for Ghana’s wealthy

A unit of FirstRand, South Africa’s biggest bank by market capitalisation, plans to set up private banking services in Ghana and bolster its offerings in four other markets to tap the continent’s... 

Rare earths miner Lynas climbs as trade war roils global markets

Lynas Rare Earths, backed by Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart, has been the most resilient stock on the country’s index since the market turmoil started last week. Since US President... 

Trade war risks copper investments needed to meet future demand

The copper industry is turning attention to how the escalating trade war between the world’s biggest economies will affect investments needed to meet future demand for the wiring metal. US... 

Chinese rare earth shipments held up as trade war upends exports

Chinese exports of rare-earth minerals are all but on hold as producers grapple with tighter permit requirements following last week’s new restrictions on the critical materials in an escalating... 

Australian billionaire to face deposition in Tudor Jones suit

Australian mining billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest was ordered to sit for a seven-hour deposition as his US legal battle intensifies with hedge fund mogul Paul Tudor Jones II over a soured green... 

Zimbabwe debt woes grow as State mining firm faces asset seizure

A State-owned Zimbabwean mining firm is trying to protect assets that risk being seized because the country failed to honour a debt incurred when it lost an international arbitration case over... 

Carney pledges to speed permits, make Canada ‘energy superpower’

Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged to make Canada the world’s “leading energy superpower” through a plan that includes establishing a single office that would decide on major projects within two... 

Gold edges up after levy chaos drives biggest gain in 18 months

Gold edged higher after posting its biggest one-day gain in 18 months, as confusion over US President Donald Trump’s tariff agenda drove investors to buy the precious metal as a haven. During a... 

US envoy sees Alphamin reopening DRC tin mine as rebels depart

Alphamin Resources could soon resume operations at one of the world’s biggest tin mines located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) after Rwanda-backed rebels withdrew from the area, a... 

Glencore ex-CEO Glasenberg buys shares for first time since 2015

Glencore’s former chief executive officer and largest shareholder Ivan Glasenberg added to his stake for the first time in a decade after a share-price rout triggered by Donald Trump’s sweeping... 

Trump order seeks to tap coal power in quest to dominate AI

President Donald Trump is moving to expand the mining and use of coal inside the US, a bid to power the boom in energy-hungry data centers while seeking to revive a declining US fossil fuel... 

Euronext CEO says investors pull gold out of US over uncertainty

Euronext CEO Stephane Boujnah said some European investors are so unsettled by the trade policies of the Trump administration they are starting to move gold out of the US. “We’re witnessing a... 

Chinese buyers snapped up copper as prices plunged below $8 500

Chinese copper buyers used Monday’s collapse in prices below $8500 a ton to significantly increase purchases, traders said, helping to trigger a dramatic rebound even as a rout in other global... 

Canada’s Poilievre says he would approve Suncor oil project, mines

The leader of Canada’s Conservative Party said he would accelerate approval on 10 resource projects if elected, including the extension of a major Suncor Energy oil sands mine in Alberta. Pierre... 

Codelco boss keeps faith in copper fundamentals amid market rout

Codelco, the world’s biggest copper supplier, says physical demand for the metal has remained strong amid all the upheaval in financial markets triggered by US President Donald Trump’s trade war.... 

Australian state plans to upgrade coal plant to extend lifespan

Australia’s Queensland will upgrade units of a coal power station originally planned for closure in 2028 and assess its lifespan, according to the state government. Queensland invested more than... 

Copper plunges more than 5% as tariffs hammer metals and miners

Copper plunged more than 5% to trade below $9 000 a ton, in the biggest drop since July 2022, as worries over the impact of a worsening trade war sparked a heavy selloff in industrial metals and... 

US lawmakers revive call for review of South African relations

Two US lawmakers introduced a bill to review South Africa’s ties with Washington, alleging that it supports America’s adversaries. Ronny Jackson, a Texas Republican, said his proposed legislation... 

Zimbabwe’s plan to drop the dollar is faltering on ZiG crunch

A liquidity crunch in Zimbabwe is deepening the economy’s embrace of the US dollar and undermining the bullion-backed currency introduced by the government almost a year ago. The ZiG, short for... 

South Africa targets development finance giants for funds to revive cities

South Africa, already counting on a $1-billion loan from the World Bank to regenerate its rundown cities, is seeking funding from some top global development-finance institutions to help with the...