Funds grow wary as red-hot copper hits nine-year highs

Government is considering to extend the miner a temporary permit, valid for up to six months, which would pave the way for Freeport to resume exports from Grasberg.

Newcrest's gold production dropped to 614,715 ounces in the quarter ended in December, from 615,498 ounces in the three months immediately prior and 620,691 ounces a year ago.

Indonesia's concentrate export ban, new ownership rules and licence conversion worry investors in Arizona copper giant.

Mines minister Mosebenzi Zwane noted that 19 of the 73 miners who died in South Africa last year lost their lives at operations run by those companies.

Gold price to drop 8% in 2017 according to bank's January Commodities Outlook, but industrial metals face much better prospects.

The miner reported broadly higher output in the fourth quarter across all divisions, except for copper, which suffered from lower grades and strikes.

INTERACTIVE MAP: Together reserves at the global top 10 copper mining projects are worth more than $360 billion.

World's largest listed copper miner said Indonesian export ban will force it to slash spending and operate its giant Grasberg operations at 40% capacity.

But lower all-in sustaining costs mitigated the impact of decreased production, preliminary full-year figures show.