The $1.4 billion bid made by the Chinese defence and industrial giant in June stalled after Congo state miner Gecamines submitted its own unsolicited bid for the Chemaf assets, deepening a standoff that has been complicated by U.S. officials lobbying against China’s grip on the mineral-rich central African Copperbelt.
Norinco has now proposed that the Democratic Republic of the Congo increase its interest in Chemaf’s Mutoshi and Etoile mines to as much as 15% from 5% currently – at no additional cost – subject to negotiations, said the sources, who asked to remain anonymous.
Source – Reuters
Norinco – also known as China North Industries Corporation. Within China it is known as China Ordnance Industries Group Corporation Limited
Gold prices rose on Tuesday, supported by safe-haven demand amid uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff plans for next week that could potentially boost inflation.
Spot gold was up 0.3% at $3,021.39 an ounce at 11:24 a.m. ET (1524 GMT). U.S. gold futures were up 0.4% at $3,026.20.
“Investors are concerned about the state of the world, especially with U.S. policies being what they are, and so they’re buying gold as an alternative asset because they’re concerned that the U.S. government may throw the world into a global recession,” said Jeffrey Christian, managing partner of CPM Group.
Spot silver gained 1.8% to $33.59 an ounce, platinum added 0.8% to $980.80 and palladium added 1.1% to $961.60.
Source – Reuters
Bitcoin has gained just over 3% year-to-date, trailing gold’s 9% jump, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The precious metal reached a record high of $2,882 an ounce after President Trump on Feb. 4 said the US could take over Gaza — a comment his aides sought to tone down. Bitcoin is currently about 10% below its peak.
Source – Bloomberg
Mali’s industrial gold production plunged 23% to 51 metric tons last year from 66.5 tons in 2023, the West African country’s mines ministry said.
With an estimated 6 tons produced in artisanal mines, Mali’s total gold production in 2024 is expected to reach 58.7 tons, the mines ministry said.
Source – Reuters
“I think that once you punch a hole in the stock market… you’re going to have a lot of that money moving,” he predicted, suggesting that a 5-10% drop could trigger a significant shift in investor sentiment, driving capital towards safer havens like gold and silver.
“Silver didn’t move with commodities in moved with gold,” he asserted, countering arguments that silver has lost its monetary significance.
Source – The Jerusalem Post / Opinion
Gold and silver prices hit fresh record levels on Monday, rallying Rs 1,300 each, tracking strong trends in the global markets amid uncertainty over US tariffs, trade tensions and growing expectations of monetary policy easing by the Federal Reserve.
According to the All India Sarafa Association, the precious metal of 99.9 per cent purity, extending gains for the fourth day in a row, rallying Rs 1,300 to hit a fresh peak of Rs 90,750 per 10 grams.
Source – Press Trust of India
Central banks are expected to help keep gold’s stunning rally going this year with buying aimed at further diversifying reserves away from the dollar due to risks stemming from U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies.
Spot gold hit its latest record at $3,167.57 a troy ounce on Thursday for a gain of 19% since the start of 2025 and a hefty 71% rise since the end of 2022.
“Emerging market central banks currently hold around 10% of their assets in gold. They should really hold 30% of their assets in gold,” said BofA commodity strategist Michael Widmer.
“From the central banking perspective (uncertainty) means less incentive to add Treasuries into portfolios and more incentive to actually de-dollarise it,” he said.
Source – Reuters
Gold prices made steady progress last year and have continued that with a very strong start to this year, said George Milling-Stanley, chief gold strategist at State Street Global Advisors. That has led to April gold’s settlement at $3,001.10 an ounce on Comex Friday, the highest most-active contract finish on record.
Source – Market Watch