A strong rand is ruining the gold rally for South African mines

Mines are running at full-bore in a modern-day gold rush fueled by never-before-seen prices that make Nevada, if it were its own country, No. 5 in the world for gold production.

Gold has now made a bullish reversal on a weekly basis, as price rallied sharply on Thursday and Friday. Support held, which means gold could be on the verge of setting a double/triple bottom around $1,550.

Rick Rule's presentation at the New York Hard Assets Conference earlier this week sees some light for the informed junior resource investor despite current patterns which have mostly been Bad or Ugly!

The sharp turnaround in sentiment in the bullion market has some asking whether the rally is a dead cat bounce or perhaps the last chance to buy before prices rocket.

A report released today by the US EPA does not paint a favourable picture of the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska.

Michael Pascoe, writing for the Sydney Morning Herald, hits on a little-reported theme gleaned from remarks by BHP Billiton chairman Jac Nasser this week in Sydney.

McEwen Mining (TSX and NYSE:MUX) President and CEO Rob McEwen on Thursday cautioned shareholders that recent energy-industry expropriation and Argentina government policy decrees augured negatively for its San José silver/gold mine and other development projects.

Less than a month after officially launching its asteroid-mining plans, Google’s billionaire co-founders and filmmaker James Cameron’s owned company Planetary Resources, has already decided not to accept any more job applications.

Peru’s illegal mining exports reached $1.8 billion in 2011, exceeding even drug trafficking profits, which accounted for $1.2 billion, said local consultancy firm Macroconsult.