Commodity HQ: A Deeper Look At South Africa's Commodity Industry

South Africa is the largest economy of Africa, and it accounts for almost one-quarter of the continent’s GDP. The path to this status has not been an easy one, however, as the country languished under sanctions in the 1980s tied to the government’s apartheid policies. While South Africa has a relatively well-developed manufacturing sector by the standards of African economies (and developing economies in general), a meaningful percentage of the country’s economy still revolves around commodities.

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http://commodityhq.com/2012/a-deeper-look-at-south-africas-commodity-industry/

Commodity HQ: A Deeper Look At South Africa's Commodity Industry

South Africa is the largest economy of Africa, and it accounts for almost one-quarter of the continent’s GDP. The path to this status has not been an easy one, however, as the country languished under sanctions in the 1980s tied to the government’s apartheid policies. While South Africa has a relatively well-developed manufacturing sector by the standards of African economies (and developing economies in general), a meaningful percentage of the country’s economy still revolves around commodities.

Please follow this link to read more:
http://commodityhq.com/2012/a-deeper-look-at-south-africas-commodity-industry/

Investopedia: Small Gold Miners Could Produce Big Returns

Gold is still the hot trade. While it's not that hard to remember when gold was an afterthought, squeezed between a quick summary of bonds and commodities during financial programming, it is now a leading investment class. Whether an investor's interest in gold is fueled by fears of inflation, economic and political turbulence, technicals, or even just a "greater fool" theory, the reality is that it has been a winning trade.

By now any investor with even a passing interest in gold knows a little something about the myriad of investment choices. People can choose to own actual bullion or numismatic gold, resource mutual funds, specialized ETFs like SPDR Gold Shares (NYSE:GLD), or mining stocks - and those are just the most popular options. (For more, see Is There A Right Way To Invest In Gold?)

Given that mining companies are the only entry on the list that can actually grow from internal strategic decisions, they are worth a serious look. This time, it is time to consider some of the smaller miners. Small miners can offer substantially more bang for the buck than larger miners like AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) and Kinross (NYSE:KGC) or highly diversified mining giants like Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO).

A Quick View From Above 

What is interesting about mining companies is that they don't necessarily track gold prices, and that is particularly true for smaller miners. For small miners, performance is often significantly influenced by the company's efforts to bring mines into operation and increase gold production. Investors should also note that many (if not most) analysts expect gold prices to peak in the next year or two and then decline. Those analysts could be wrong, but the possibility is worth considering all the same. (For more, see Does It Still Pay To Invest In Gold?)

Minefinders (AMEX:MFN) 

Minefinders is perhaps the riskiest name on this list, as the company has only one producing asset at present - the Dolores mine in Mexico. Dolores has very attractive production costs right now and good expansion potential; the company is due any day now to provide an updated reserve number for this property. Minefinders also considered its options with the La Bolsa asset and putting this into production could allow for a sizable jump in production within three years.

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http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2011/Small-Gold-Miners-Could-Produce-Big-Returns-GLD-AU-KGC-MFN-NGD-NXG-RIO0429.aspx

Investopedia: 5 Stocks To Get In On The Gold Rush

Gold is still the hot trade. While it's not that hard to remember when gold was an afterthought, squeezed between a quick summary of bonds and commodities during financial programming, it is now a leading investment class. Whether an investor's interest in gold is fueled by fears of inflation, economic and political turbulence, its technicals, or even just a "greater fool" theory, the reality is that it has been a winning trade.

By now any investor with even a passing interest in gold knows a little something about the myriad of choices for getting in on this investment. People can choose to own actual bullion or numismatic gold, resource mutual funds, specialized ETFs like SPDR Gold Shares (NYSE:GLD), or mining stocks ... and those are just the most popular options.

Given that mining companies are the only entry on the list that can actually grow from internal strategic decisions, it is worth a look at some of the major mining companies.

A Quick View From Above 

What is interesting about mining companies is that they don't necessarily track gold prices. True, they follow the same general path, but there can be notable breakouts above (and below) the price of gold as investors react to news about production, operating costs, new discoveries, and so on.

Another interesting detail is that, despite the inflationary pressures popping up around the world, most analysts still expect gold prices to peak in 2011/2012 and then decline. That could put a premium on production growth, resource growth and operating costs and there are wide discrepancies between the major miners in those variables. All things being equal, it can be more effective to own miners with high cost structures during periods of rising prices (and vice versa), although production growth is almost always welcome.

To read the full piece, please go here:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2011/5-Stocks-To-Get-In-On-The-Gold-Rush--GLD-AEM-AU-ABX-GG-NEM0428.aspx

Investopedia: Freeport Looking Shiny

Investors can easily lose themselves in the details of calculating PV-10, forecasting future inventory imbalances and interpreting drill hole data. But here is an alternative way to look at the mining sector - developing countries like China, Brazil and India need a lot of metal to develop their infrastructure and support their economies, and certain companies like Freeport McMoRan (NYSE:FCX) have both ample resources and attractive production profiles. While there is really no good way to completely tamp down the volatility that goes with commodity speculation, buying good companies at good prices seems like an approach worth exploring. 


Digging into the Fourth Quarter
Freeport McMoRan delivered another strong quarterly result. Revenue rose more than 21% from the year-ago level, fueled by higher price realizations for copper, gold and molybdenum. Freeport actually sold less copper (down 4% in pounds), but got nearly 31% more per pound for what it did sell. The same was true of molybdenum, while the company both sold more gold and got a higher price per ounce in the fourth quarter.

Freeport also managed to produce its ore more effectively in the fourth quarter. Overall consolidated costs came out to $0.53 per pound in the fourth quarter - down from $0.62 a year ago and lower than the company's full-year average of $0.79 per pound. (For more, see Copper Developments Continued To Heat Up In 2010.)


The link below will take you to the full article:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2011/Freeport-Looking-Shiny-FCX-TCK-RIO-BHP-VALE-TC-XSRAY0121.aspx

Will The Market Show Faith In An Aluminum Recovery?

In the metals market today, details matter. Iron ore giant Vale (Nasdaq:VALE) is near a 52-week high, as are major gold producers like AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE:AU) and Newmont Mining (NYSE:NEM); copper companies like Freeport-McMoRan (NYSE:FCX); and diversified mining giants like Rio Tinto (NYSE:RTP). (For background reading, see A Beginner's Guide To Precious Metals.)

Unfortunately, Aluminum companies are not feeling the love. Spot prices on the London Metal Exchange have recovered nicely from early summer lows, but aluminum giant Alcoa (NYSE:AA) is trading closer to the bottom of its range than the top. Will solid third-quarter results and improving underlying trends start a new move up in the stock, or will Wall Street stay in a "show me" mode a while longer? 


Please click below to continue on to the full piece:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2010/Will-The-Market-Show-Faith-In-An-Aluminum-Recovery-AA-VALE-AU-NEM-FCX-RTP-BA1008.aspx

Five Gold Ideas Off The Beaten Path

No matter what an individual investor may think about gold these days, there is no denying that it is a major topic of conversation. The SPDR Gold Shares (NYSE:GLD) is just one of several ETF options, and investors have been turning to funds, bullion, coins and miners of all shapes and sizes to make their plays on the shiny yellow metal that is once again so popular. (To learn more, see Why Gold Matters.) 

With such a significant interest in gold, it is difficult to find too many credible ideas that would really meet the standard of "overlooked" or ignored. Nevertheless, here are five ideas that investors may not always see in broader discussions of gold mining stocks. In particular, these are names that may attract the attention of larger miners looking to build their reserves through the checkbook instead of the drillbit.


To read the full piece, please go to:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2010/Five-Gold-Ideas-Off-The-Beaten-Path-GLD-ANV-NEM-AZK-IAG0916.aspx

A Mess In Africa Highlights A Challenge To Resource Companies

Half a world away, a messy situation in a resource-rich land is offering up a lesson in caution to investors who seek out smaller mining companies. Canadian miner First Quantum once thought it had a valuable resource and a valid contract in its Kolwezi copper project in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since then the company has seen the government of the RDC seize the project, sell it to another party, and now has seen the asset sold yet again - this time to mining company Eurasian Natural Resources. All the while, international law has more or less stood behind First Quantum. 

Investors in natural resource stocks have always contended with a higher level of risk and volatility relative to broader stock market indices, and those who invest in small miners (also called "juniors") take on even greater risks. In addition to the uncontrollable commodity price cycles, there are a host of production issues and dangers, as well as the risk that a project does not contain as much mineral wealth as the company hoped. 


To read the full story, please go to:
http://stocks.investopedia.com/stock-analysis/2010/A-Mess-In-Africa-Highlights-A-Challenge-To-Resource-Companies-OXY-FCX-AU-CX-XOM0825.aspx