Frik Els , Editor

Frik has 20 years’ experience as a business journalist across a range of industries including automotive, technology and entertainment markets. Frik has an entry in Global Mining Observer’s Who’s Who of Mining 2018, and contributions to publications and conferences including Business Insider, Investing.com, Mines & Money London and New York, Vancouver Resources Investment, Progressive Mine Forum in Toronto and Canadian Mining Symposium in London, UK. He’s been interviewed on CBC Radio and Korea State TV and quoted in the Financial Post.

Posts by Frik Els:

Congo bans copper, cobalt concentrates exports

Minmetals confident amid DRC election chaos, extends Anvil takeover offer again

Anvil Mining, a copper producer in the Democratic Republic of Congo, announced Wednesday China's Minmetals Resources has extended its $1.3 billion takeover offer for the second time, to January 11 next year. The extension comes as violence and allegations of vote rigging mar the DRC presidential election, for which full results is now only expected later this week. Anvil is also undergoing an audit of its leases with the DRC's state-owned Gecamines.
Frik Els | December 7, 2011 | 11:20 am

LME overhauls electronic platform as trading volumes surge

The London Metal Exchange said Tuesday it has completed a major upgrade to its electronic trading platform to cope with record volumes and high frequency trading. A takeover of the 134-year old exchange – one of the last bastions of open outcry trading – appear to be in the offing as its major shareholders jockey for position and competition from Asia intensifies. Over the last 7 years electronic trading has grown from 2% to over 70% of the LME's market volume.
Frik Els | December 6, 2011 | 12:40 pm

With super-carrier disabled in its port Vale’s shipping strategy is keel hauled

The Vale Beijing, the globe's largest bulk carrier, is disabled in a Brazilian port and shipping agents tell Reuters the vessel had ruptured its hull. If the $110 million vessel should sink it could also turn out the be the final nail in the coffin of Vale's disastrous strategy to tighten its grip on the world's annual 1 billion tonnes sea-borne iron-ore trade. China, the world's number one market for the steelmaking ingredient to where Vale ships about 45% of its output, turned away another carrier in the fleet earlier this year.
Frik Els | December 6, 2011 | 8:54 am

Peru declares state of emergency over Cajamarca gold mine protests

Reuters reports Peruvian President Ollanta Humala declared a state of emergency late on Sunday banning assembly and giving police special powers of arrest to quell protests against Newmont Mining's Conga gold mine that have caused havoc across the region of Cajamarca for 11 days.
Frik Els | December 5, 2011 | 3:15 pm

Gold Fields CEO says not averse to M&A to ramp up to 5 million ounces

BusinessLive reports Gold Fields, the world's fourth largest gold producer, is not averse to merger and acquisition activity but will not rely on it, said CEO Nick Holland on Monday. The company, which continues to target five million ounces in development or production by 2015, has spent the last two years aggressively growing its production.
Frik Els | December 5, 2011 | 2:15 pm

Global Witness leaves ‘diamond laundering’ Kimberley Process, calls Zimbabwe decision an outrage

The human rights organization – co-nominated for the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize for its work on conflict diamonds – said the decision to allow diamonds from Zimbabwe's rich Marange fields means the money that flows from there ends up in the pockets of the Robert Mugabe-aligned military's top brass who could use it to organize support to intimidate the opposition in the run-up to elections. Hundreds were killed and thousands of local miners were driven off claims when the Zimbabwe army seized control of the Marange area in 2008.
Frik Els | December 5, 2011 | 1:20 pm
Featured Post

Mining vs AI: What’s wrong with this picture?

As the saying from mid-19th century California goes, during a gold rush the easiest way to get rich is selling shovels and picks. 
Frik Els | July 10, 2024 | 6:15 pm