Antofagasta copper output rises as China fears threaten demand

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Jan. 27, 2012) - Ivanhoe Mines (TSX:IVN)(NYSE:IVN)(NASDAQ:IVN) Deputy Chairman Peter Meredith said today he expected the company's 14-member Board of Directors will continue to maintain a majority of independent directors, in accordance with the December 8, 2010, Heads of Agreement signed by Ivanhoe Mines and Rio Tinto.

RBC Capital Markets forecasts copper demand growth of 3.6% in 2011, 5.5% in 2012, 5.6% in 2013, and trend growth of approximately 4.0% in 2014 and 2015.

Anglo-American in its increasingly acrimonious fight with Codelco on Thursday had to defend itself against what it termed "the criminal accusation" made by the president of the Federation of Copper Workers in Chile who sits on the Chile’s state-owned copper giant board.

With revenues of $60 billion last year and operations at the ends of the earth, few companies are in a better position to take the pulse of the global economy and the resource sector than Caterpillar. But what is it saying about the outlook for 2012?

Copper hit a four-month high Wednesday after the US Federal Reserve pledged to hold interest rates to near zero until the end of 2014.

Peru's Prime Minister said on Tuesday Newmont Mining’s stalled Conga project will be developed as the government could end up with a "huge" compensation payment if the $4.8 billion mine does not go ahead.

World number two miner Rio Tinto has taken a majority stake in Ivanhoe Mines, its partner on the massive Oyu Tolgoi project in Mongolia, purchasing a 51% interest. A favourite stock of punters, Ivanhoe surrendered 4% in Toronto on Tuesday.

Hana Mining moved up 4.32% today on positive drill results from its exploration property in Botswana.

A new survey out Tuesday shows South Africa’s appeal for mining investment has declined dramatically since 2006 and the country now ranks a lowly 67th out of 79 countries in the study.