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May 19, 2022
2022.05.19 Consumers today are mostly worried about gasoline prices approaching “unaffordable” territory, but […]
April 22, 2022
2022.04.22 A recession is what results when an economy stops growing. The National […]
April 16, 2022
2022.04.16 The gold-oil ratio is an important indicator of the global economy’s health. […]
April 14, 2022
2022.04.14 The new “commodities super-cycle” touted by many including Goldman Sachs, may be […]
March 25, 2022
2022.03.25 “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, […]
March 23, 2022
February 5, 2022
2022.02.05 We have come to terms that a global transition to clean energy […]
January 15, 2022
2022.01.05 Inflation is one of the best determinants of gold price movements, because […]
January 11, 2022
2022.01.11 China and Japan are by far the largest buyers of US Treasuries. […]
December 28, 2021
It seems fitting that the year we are expecting to see an unprecedented rise in US government spending and money-printing to spur an economic recovery, marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the gold standard.
Done at the time to fight an economic crisis, we are still feeling the effects of this disastrous decision, five decades on.
In this article, we explain why President Nixon did what he did, and why every promise that unshackling the US government from the requirement of maintaining the dollar's value in terms of gold would mean for the United States, has been broken.
Done at the time to fight an economic crisis, we are still feeling the effects of this disastrous decision, five decades on.
In this article, we explain why President Nixon did what he did, and why every promise that unshackling the US government from the requirement of maintaining the dollar's value in terms of gold would mean for the United States, has been broken.
December 28, 2021
The modernization and electrification of our global transportation system will require a change hitherto unprecedented in the history of civilization. Not even the shift from horse and buggy to the crank-start Ford Model T can compete with what it will take to electrify the billion-plus cars on the planet’s roads, and eventually put a complete stop to noxious tailpipe emissions resulting from the combustion of gasoline and diesel fuel, that are poisoning the air we breathe.
For now, thorium is a theoretical solution to our energy dilemma, but it could be much more than that. A concerted effort to develop thorium reactor technology could provide stable, clean, base-load power for millions, something that is not possible with renewables due to the intermittency factor and the current early stages of renewable battery storage technology. It is safer and better for the environment than uranium and can even use radioactive waste as feedstock for the nuclear reaction, thus killing two birds with one stone. The market is not yet ready for thorium, but when it is, a whole new mining sector and supply chain will be born.
For now, thorium is a theoretical solution to our energy dilemma, but it could be much more than that. A concerted effort to develop thorium reactor technology could provide stable, clean, base-load power for millions, something that is not possible with renewables due to the intermittency factor and the current early stages of renewable battery storage technology. It is safer and better for the environment than uranium and can even use radioactive waste as feedstock for the nuclear reaction, thus killing two birds with one stone. The market is not yet ready for thorium, but when it is, a whole new mining sector and supply chain will be born.
December 24, 2021
2021.12.24 As US automakers like Ford and GM prepare to break ground on […]
December 7, 2021
2021.12.07 What does it mean to go hungry? The United Nations says hunger […]
November 12, 2021
2021.11.12 A lot of our recent focus has been on the copper market, […]
November 4, 2021
2021.11.04 One of the biggest fallouts we could expect from COP26 is a […]
July 27, 2021
2021.07.27 A scorching summer heat wave, thought to that killed over 700 Vancouver-area […]
June 11, 2021
What’s the point of making supposedly “green” battery components when the refining process is so dirty?
May 27, 2021
Joe Biden’s position on mining has always been murky.
Publicly the veteran Senator turned US President says all the right things to show mine workers he is on their side. Away from the cameras Biden is listening to the anti-mining left wing of his Democratic Party controlled by liberal progressives and environmentalists, doing whatever he can to scupper new mining projects and oil pipelines.
Publicly the veteran Senator turned US President says all the right things to show mine workers he is on their side. Away from the cameras Biden is listening to the anti-mining left wing of his Democratic Party controlled by liberal progressives and environmentalists, doing whatever he can to scupper new mining projects and oil pipelines.
May 23, 2021
Resource nationalism is the tendency of people and governments to assert control, for strategic and economic reasons, over natural resources located on their territory. It has been identified as one of the key risks for investors in the natural resources sector.
Miners are easy targets because mining is a long-term investment and one that is especially capital intensive. Mines are also immobile, so mining companies are at the mercy of the countries in which they operate. Outright seizure of assets happens using the twin excuses of historical injustice and environmental or contractual misdeeds. There is no compensation offered and no recourse.
Miners are easy targets because mining is a long-term investment and one that is especially capital intensive. Mines are also immobile, so mining companies are at the mercy of the countries in which they operate. Outright seizure of assets happens using the twin excuses of historical injustice and environmental or contractual misdeeds. There is no compensation offered and no recourse.
May 21, 2021
If you needed upwards of 50 million tonnes of copper over the next five years, and had very little production of your own, what would you do?
I’m thinking you would manipulate the market like crazy trying to get everyone to believe there is a huge surplus instead of a major deficit.
I’m thinking you would manipulate the market like crazy trying to get everyone to believe there is a huge surplus instead of a major deficit.
May 18, 2021
In a previous article we proved peak gold; in this piece, a deep dive into copper supply depletion, we ultimately reach the same conclusion, ie., that we have reached peak copper.
May 14, 2021
Continuing the US (and Canadian) economic recovery is obviously important but it should not come on the backs of the poor who bear the most weight of inflation, particularly increases in food prices.
Government officials need to be aware of how their monetary and fiscal policies are impacting the most vulnerable in society.
Government officials need to be aware of how their monetary and fiscal policies are impacting the most vulnerable in society.
May 8, 2021
What’s the point of making supposedly “green” battery components when the refining process is so dirty?
May 3, 2021
Climbing yields, as investors rotate funds out of bonds into stocks, on increasing confidence in the economy, is the primary reason why the prices of precious metals gold and silver have pulled back in recent weeks. For now.
May 3, 2021
Look up the word sustainable in the Oxford English dictionary and you get the following definition: “avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance.”
Unfortunately the world’s ecological balance has not been right for a very long time. As a society, we are consuming resources far more quickly than we are replacing them, which is the very definition of unsustainable.
Unfortunately the world’s ecological balance has not been right for a very long time. As a society, we are consuming resources far more quickly than we are replacing them, which is the very definition of unsustainable.
April 29, 2021
While precious metals have somewhat been subdued over recent weeks, there’s a storm brewing that could set gold, and by extension silver, on an upward trajectory once again.
April 27, 2021
The United States is back in the fold of countries pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and that is helping to drive demand for an assemblage of metals that a global push to decarbonize and electrify is expected to require.
April 24, 2021
Joe Biden came to power as the 46th US president expecting to spend more on green energy and clean technology. Just how much more is starting to be revealed.
April 23, 2021
There was a time when China had an appetite for silver, and the West hungered for Chinese goods.
In a world dominated by paper currencies, we sometimes forget the role of gold and silver in fostering international trade and creating the basis of the monetary system as we know it today.
In a world dominated by paper currencies, we sometimes forget the role of gold and silver in fostering international trade and creating the basis of the monetary system as we know it today.
Many scholars consider the silver trade to mark the beginning of the global economy, with one historian noting that silver “went round the world and made the world go round.”
The precious metal has made an indelible mark on Chinese history, helping both to build an empire and to destroy it.
April 21, 2021
There’s an old saying on Wall Street: “Six percent interest will draw money from the moon.” And it’s true, but what is also true is, 1/ As long as real interest rates are below 2% gold is in a bull market and 2/ Real interest rates below 2% draw investors to gold.
Central banks know this, so do educated gold buyers.
With Treasury notes paying such low net yields, gold becomes an attractive investment.
Central banks know this, so do educated gold buyers.
With Treasury notes paying such low net yields, gold becomes an attractive investment.
April 20, 2021
What gets me, though, is how bad Canadian politicians are at negotiating. Here we finally have a resource that should give us significant leverage in dealing with our largest trading partner, ie., critical metals. In return for offering our minerals and our mining expertise, what are we asking for in return? I’ve yet to discover anything in print.
April 14, 2021
Gold prices ticked higher on Tuesday after inflation data showed US consumer prices rose in March for the fourth straight month and inflation hit its highest level in 2.5 years.
The US Federal Reserve, whose dual mandate is to keep inflation in the “Goldilocks zone” of around 2% and to control unemployment, has been downplaying inflation, telling the public that even if prices rise, it will only be temporary.
The US Federal Reserve, whose dual mandate is to keep inflation in the “Goldilocks zone” of around 2% and to control unemployment, has been downplaying inflation, telling the public that even if prices rise, it will only be temporary.
April 13, 2021
ESG was a dominant theme running through this year’s AME Roundup conference in Vancouver.
Ross Beaty, chairman of Pan American Silver and Equinox Gold, said “It’s just critical. Every single meeting you have with investors, it’s number one on the topic (list).”
Ross Beaty, chairman of Pan American Silver and Equinox Gold, said “It’s just critical. Every single meeting you have with investors, it’s number one on the topic (list).”
April 11, 2021
“The adage of ‘if it can’t be grown it must be mined’ serves as a reminder that electric vehicles, transitional energy, and a green economy start with metals. The supply chain for batteries, wind turbines, solar panels, electric motors, transmission lines, 5G — everything that is needed for a Green Economy starts with metals and mining. Demand for these metals, principally lithium, nickel and cobalt on the battery side and copper, uranium and rare earth elements on the energy side is expected to rise rapidly.”
April 9, 2021
Amid bombastic statements that scared US consular officials and alienated allies, like calling North Korea’s Kim Jong-un “rocket man”, rejecting the Iran nuclear deal and declaring that the US embassy would be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, former President Trump occasionally had flashes of brilliance.
One such instance was said to have occurred regarding Taiwan.
According to John Bolton’s memoir, Trump liked to point to the tip of a Sharpy and say, “This is Taiwan,” then motion to the desk in his Oval Office and say “This is China. Taiwan is like two feet from China, we are 8,000 miles away. If they invade there isn’t a f&%*ing thing we can do about it.”
One such instance was said to have occurred regarding Taiwan.
According to John Bolton’s memoir, Trump liked to point to the tip of a Sharpy and say, “This is Taiwan,” then motion to the desk in his Oval Office and say “This is China. Taiwan is like two feet from China, we are 8,000 miles away. If they invade there isn’t a f&%*ing thing we can do about it.”
April 5, 2021
Years of neglecting its critical metal supplies is catching up with the United States, as demand for the raw materials needed to build a new green economy that rejects fossil fuels gears up.
March 31, 2021
As the fight against the coronavirus continues to take center stage, an insidious environmental problem is getting worse: plastic pollution.
The global health crisis has prompted a rush for single-use plastic just as governments around the world were taking steps to curtail or ban its usage. Demand has surged for everything from face shields and gloves to takeaway food containers and bubble wrap for online shopping — most of which cannot be recycled and is ending up as waste.
The global health crisis has prompted a rush for single-use plastic just as governments around the world were taking steps to curtail or ban its usage. Demand has surged for everything from face shields and gloves to takeaway food containers and bubble wrap for online shopping — most of which cannot be recycled and is ending up as waste.
March 27, 2021
When looking for an investment, the approach I take involves looking at the global, big picture conditions. I study trends, read the news, basically watch and listen to what’s going on in the world. Then I study the different sectors to select the one (or ones) that I think is going to match up well with the overriding, long-term theme. This is top-down investing.
The second part of my search for the dominant investment is a bottom-up approach. This is where I find individual companies, in the specific sector I have chosen to invest in.
The second part of my search for the dominant investment is a bottom-up approach. This is where I find individual companies, in the specific sector I have chosen to invest in.
March 27, 2021
The common denominator for each countries climate action plan is electric vehicles; that’s easy to identify. But whether economies can acquire sufficient raw materials to reach “full electrification” is another story — it's a problem that has yet to be solved.
For years, the US has been heavily reliant on foreign supply of minerals required for key areas such as national defense, electronics and medical equipment, and its EV sector is no different.
Under Trump’s executive order (September 2020), graphite was identified as one of four minerals considered essential to the nation’s “national security, foreign policy and economy.”
For years, the US has been heavily reliant on foreign supply of minerals required for key areas such as national defense, electronics and medical equipment, and its EV sector is no different.
Under Trump’s executive order (September 2020), graphite was identified as one of four minerals considered essential to the nation’s “national security, foreign policy and economy.”
March 25, 2021
According to Pew Research the real average wage, which Pew defines as “the wage after accounting for inflation” has roughly the same purchasing power as it did 43 years ago.
In real terms average hourly earnings peaked more than 45 years ago: The $4.03-an-hour rate recorded in January 1973 had the same purchasing power that $23.68 would today
In real terms average hourly earnings peaked more than 45 years ago: The $4.03-an-hour rate recorded in January 1973 had the same purchasing power that $23.68 would today
March 21, 2021
The thawing of permafrost is yet another manifestation of climate change, that populations living near it will have to deal with in the coming decades as global warming accelerates, particularly in the polar regions
Mining is often deemed complicit in the rise of greenhouse gas emissions, given its use of heavy machinery and ground disturbance, but in this case, in areas where the ground is permanently frozen but starting to thaw, operations can be negatively impacted, and big miners are having to shell out millions. We have seen the implications of thawing permafrost at Teck’s Red Dog Mine in Alaska, and at Norilsk Nickel’s Oktyabrsky and Taimyrsky mines in Siberia.
The problem is not going away; in fact, there is every indication it will get worse.
Mining is often deemed complicit in the rise of greenhouse gas emissions, given its use of heavy machinery and ground disturbance, but in this case, in areas where the ground is permanently frozen but starting to thaw, operations can be negatively impacted, and big miners are having to shell out millions. We have seen the implications of thawing permafrost at Teck’s Red Dog Mine in Alaska, and at Norilsk Nickel’s Oktyabrsky and Taimyrsky mines in Siberia.
The problem is not going away; in fact, there is every indication it will get worse.
March 16, 2021
North America relies heavily on foreign supplies of critical minerals — the raw materials it needs to become a leader in high technology, transportation, energy, and defense. Materials like lithium, graphite, and tin.
For years, the United States and Canada did not bother to explore for these minerals and build mines. Globalization brought with it the mentality that all countries are free traders, and friends. Dirty mining and processing? NIMBY. Let China do it, let the DRC do it, let whoever do it.
China recognized opportunity knocking and answered the door
For years, the United States and Canada did not bother to explore for these minerals and build mines. Globalization brought with it the mentality that all countries are free traders, and friends. Dirty mining and processing? NIMBY. Let China do it, let the DRC do it, let whoever do it.
China recognized opportunity knocking and answered the door
March 10, 2021
The sell-off in bonds that has been tripping up gold prices may be over, with some investors anticipating the bond market will calm down, as appetite for US government debt revives following the sharp rise in yields.
“We think a big part of the bond-yield move has played out,” Wall Street Journal quoted a portfolio manager at PineBridge Investments. “At this level of yields, we do expect additional buyers to come in. That tends to stabilize the yield level.”
Gold bugs are closely watching what happens with Treasuries
“We think a big part of the bond-yield move has played out,” Wall Street Journal quoted a portfolio manager at PineBridge Investments. “At this level of yields, we do expect additional buyers to come in. That tends to stabilize the yield level.”
Gold bugs are closely watching what happens with Treasuries
March 6, 2021
Is America’s infrastructure spending worth it? So far, the answer would lean towards a yes.
A report published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) this week has validated the nation’s recent success in improving its infrastructure, while justifying the need for additional government spending.
A report published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) this week has validated the nation’s recent success in improving its infrastructure, while justifying the need for additional government spending.
February 26, 2021
2021.02.26 Looking to advance what would be an integral part of the US […]
February 13, 2021
2021.02.13 Despite zinc’s low profile among resource investors, it is the fourth most […]
January 27, 2021
2021.01.26 The Democrats have turned the tables on the Republicans in the Senate, […]
January 20, 2021
2021.01.20 Gold may have come off the boil after rising above $1,900 an […]
January 16, 2021
2021.01.16 Entheon Biomedical Corp. (CSE: ENBI) (FSE: 1XU1) has completed its first deal […]
December 5, 2020
December 2, 2020
2020.12.02 Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures. As the saying goes, governments around […]
November 21, 2020
2020.11.21 While all eyes were on American politics over the past few weeks, […]
November 14, 2020
2020-11-14 Gold may have come off the boil a bit after rising beyond […]
October 27, 2020
2020.10.27 British Columbia’s NDP government was re-elected on Saturday with a comfortable majority, […]
October 24, 2020
2020.10.24 Joe Biden’s performance in Thursday night’s presidential debate was solid. The former […]
October 21, 2020
2020.10.21 Autumn is harvest season in North America and many families gather on […]
September 26, 2020
2020.09.26 Has the bill for your weekly shop gone up? If so you’re […]
September 24, 2020
2020.09.24 “We’re not giving lifetime appointments to this President, on the way out […]
September 9, 2020
2020.01.09 Gold’s safe haven status was tested this week, as Iran countered the assassination of […]
August 1, 2020
2020.08.01 As gold prices hit all-time record highs this week, some market observers […]
July 30, 2020
2020.07.30 In Provo, Utah, members of an anti-government group patrol the streets wearing […]
July 22, 2020
2020.07.22 In 2016 Steve Bannon, President Donald Trump’s former chief strategist, declared that […]
June 30, 2020
2020.06.30 A flurry of safe-haven demand has pushed gold higher in recent weeks, […]
June 26, 2020
2020.06.26 In accepting the Democratic nomination for the presidency on July 2, 1932, […]
June 20, 2020
2020.06.20 Already high racial tensions in the United States could boil over this […]
May 7, 2020
2020.05.07 Cleaner skies owing to covid-19 lockdowns appear to be the silver lining […]
May 1, 2020
April 14, 2020
2020.04.14 “Today the House of Representatives has taken an historic step toward continued […]
April 10, 2020
2020.04.10 If there is one thing we know about the coronavirus, it’s that […]
April 1, 2020
2020.04.01 Benjamin Franklin once said; “Out of adversity comes opportunity.” The adversity the […]
March 25, 2020
March 19, 2020
2020.03.19 The rich are getting richer, inequality is on the rise, and the […]
March 17, 2020
2020.03.17 Stock markets rebounded on Tuesday, after the White House announced further measures […]
February 26, 2020
2020.02.26 Whether it’s a Democrat or a Republican installed in the White House […]
February 13, 2020
2020.02.13 In his recent State of the Union address, President Trump gave a […]
February 5, 2020
2020.02.05 The Trump administration has just granted its Commerce Department sweeping powers to […]
January 29, 2020
2020.01.29 Gold climbed to a seven-year high on Monday, as fears over the […]
January 1, 2020
2020.06.02 The race riots seen around the United States over the past few […]
January 1, 2020
Resource nationalism is the tendency of people and governments to assert control, for strategic […]
January 1, 2020
Resource nationalism is the tendency of people and governments to assert control, for strategic […]
December 4, 2019
2019.12.04 As world leaders gather in London this week for the NATO Summit, […]
November 26, 2019
2019.11.26 In the 1986 classic ‘Platoon’, Charlie Sheen’s character Chris Taylor tells everyone […]
November 2, 2019
2019.11.02 On Wednesday the US Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the third […]
October 25, 2019
2019.10.25 In mid-August, a ground-breaking ceremony of sorts took place in Edmonton for […]
October 19, 2019
2019.10.19 In the first quarter of 2019, global debt hit $246.5 trillion. Encouraged […]
October 5, 2019
2019.10.05 In 1917, the United States created the federal debt limit (or ceiling) […]
August 1, 2019
2019.08.01 A warming climate plus decades of mismanagement by various provincial governments threaten […]
July 17, 2019
2019.07.17 A lot of resource investors stop listening to corporate presentations when they […]
July 6, 2019
2019.07.06 Californication is a brilliant 1999 song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Many of […]