Kaz Minerals suspends operations at Kyrgyz

The beneficiaries are gold and treasury yields, with gold rallying and treasury yields declining as investors seek safe havens.

In response to a number of factors, gold is up close to 3% in 2018, compared to the S&P 500 Index, down 2.4%.

CPM forecast net gold investment at 20.3 million ounces during 2018, a 6.6 percent rise from its 19.1 million ounces in 2017.

The combination of the two companies will result in a mid-sized copper miner, with an expected annual production of about 73,000 tonnes of the metal.

Gungnir's drill campaign would begin in the second quarter of 2018 with 20 diamond drill holes testing six target areas over a strike length of more than 8 km.

Mining operations will restart at Cadia East, in accordance with predefined test and response program, the company said in a statement.

Lundin has been developing Fruta del Norte for over a year, following an agreement with Ecuador’s government allowing the miner to move ahead with the gold project, the country's biggest.

The state’s "bad actor" law has only been used once before, and Hecla’s president and chief executive officer, Phillips Baker is the first top executive at a large company to be scrutinized under it.

Results from 11 of the 12 drilling rigs at its 85%-owned Cascabel copper-gold project, suggest there is much more intense mineralization in the property than thought earlier, the company said.