Copper $ 4.6775 / lb 0.06%
Brent Crude Oil $ 62.78 / bbl -0.81%
Palladium $ 961.3 / ozt 0.14%
Crude Oil $ 60.79 / bbl -0.25%
Natural Gas $ 3.447 / Btu -2.49%
Silver Futures $ 33.029 / ozt -1.26%
Aluminum Futures $ 2348.5 / ton 0.00%
Micro Gold Futures $ 3369.6 / ozt -0.68%
Micro Silver Futures $ 33.029 / ozt -1.21%
Platinum $ 1054.9 / ozt -2.50%
Gold Futures $ 3315.4 / ozt -0.83%
Go to MDC Markets

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:

1 million Grand Canyon acres off limits to miners for the next 20 years

AP reports that the Obama administration is ignoring intense lobbying from the mining industry and political opponents on the right and will formally ban new uranium mining on 1 million acres around the Grand Canyon on Monday. Miners who registered thousands of claims during the final Bush years remain free to push ahead with new projects.
Frik Els | January 9, 2012 | 5:10 pm

Potash Corp and Mosaic settle over Esterhazy

Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan on Thursday announced the settlement of its litigation with Mosaic over their respective rights and obligations at Mosaic's Esterhazy mine. Potash Corp says the end of the legal battle "dovetails" with its expansion programme designed to increase production to 17.1 million tonnes a year by 2015.
Frik Els | December 8, 2011 | 1:00 pm

Week after flagging diamond division sale, BHP says likely no new investment in aluminum and nickel arms

Finance News Network reports BHP Billiton's CEO Marius Kloppers says the miner will likely stop investing in its "tough" aluminium and nickel divisions and run them as "lean and mean as possible". The comments are fuelling speculation that BHP will lob off the two divisions and come just one week after the company said it would decide by January next year whether to get out of the diamond business altogether.
Frik Els | December 8, 2011 | 11:50 am
Shipping mining

Vale readies first Moatize coking coal shipment

Brazil's Vale is set to move its first coking coal shipment next week from its Moatize mine in Mozambique, sources told Reuters on Tuesday. This will be the first coking coal shipment, after 3 thermal coal shipments, and is destined for steelmaker ArcelorMittal's South African unit. Vale last month approved a $6 billion expansion of Moatize to double output to 22 million tonnes per year.
Frik Els | December 7, 2011 | 2:00 pm

FT asks if Indians’ love of gold is destroying their economy

Based on new research by investment bank Macquarie titled India’s Fatal Attraction, the FT asks if India’s weddings are destroying its economy given the huge importance of gold in the culture – especially between October and January, when festival season turns into wedding season and some 20 million Indians tie the knot.
Frik Els | December 7, 2011 | 11:52 am
Featured Post

CHART: Asian EV battery makers buy 94% of global battery metals

EV battery manufacturers based in China, Korea and Japan have almost complete control of the global market, and it’s not changing any time soon. 
Frik Els | May 27, 2025 | 1:22 pm