South Africa’s manufacturing, mining output disappoint as economy limps

World Gold Council said European central bank sold 1.1 tonnes of gold during the year, the lowest annual sales since the Central Bank Gold Agreement began in September 1999. The current agreement permits signatories to sell 400 tonnes of gold collectively per annum. The council said that European signatories showed a similar unwillingness to sell gold in the prior year of the agreement, selling just 7.1 tonnes of the permitted 400 tonnes ceiling.

Rio Tinto announced on Tuesday that it paid Can$73 million for 49% of Ivanhoe Mines. Rio Tinto acquired an additional 3,700,000 common shares in Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. through a wholly-owned subsidiary, Rio Tinto International Holdings Limited, increasing Rio Tinto's ownership in Ivanhoe Mines by 0.5 per cent to a total of 361,858,442 common shares or 49 per cent through a privately negotiated share purchase agreement.

Johannesburg. Tuesday, 27 September 2011. Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited (Harmony) regrets to advise that following an ore pass accident and subsequent rescue efforts, an employee and two members of an external rescue team were fatally injured yesterday at its Evander mine in Mpumalanga. Investigations are currently underway to establish the causes of the accidents. Operations at the mine have been stopped until investigations have been completed

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO--(Marketwire - Sep 27, 2011) - Gold Resource Corporation (NYSE Amex: GORO) today announced that its Board of Directors has approved a $20 million stock repurchase program. Gold Resource Corporation is a low-cost gold producer with operations in the southern state of Oaxaca, Mexico. The Company has returned over $25 million to shareholders in monthly dividends since declaring commercial production July 1, 2010.

White Tiger Gold, a Russian exploration company, granted a $10 million credit facility to Century Mining. The two companies will be combined at the end of the year. The funds will be used to help Century Mining expand. Century Mining has operating gold mines in Quebec and Peru.

The FrumForum gloats that Glenn Beck's admonitions to buy gold, lots of physical gold in coins and other forms, has turned sour for customers just when it is supposed to have its greatest worth: The gold market meltdown — with prices plunging in recent weeks from over $1,900 an ounce to under $1,600 — is a reminder that the precious metal is a volatile, speculative commodity. It also signals a bear market in credibility for the many right-leaning cable-news and talk-radio hosts who have touted gold relentlessly in recent years as a hedge against economic calamity.

WINNEMUCCA, NEVADA--(Marketwire - Sept. 27, 2011) - Paramount Gold and Silver Corp. (NYSE Amex:PZG)(TSX:PZG)(FRANKFURT:P6G)(WKN:A0HGKQ)("Paramount Gold") announced today new high grade assay results from 10 core holes drilled on its 100% owned San Miguel Project in northwestern Mexico. Four holes drilled on the San Miguel Vein returned multiple high-grade gold and silver intercepts including 9.2 meters grading 5.56 g/T of gold and 120.14 g/T of silver and 21.95 meters grading 2.79 g/T of gold and 325.07 g/T of silver. These results are expected to upgrade inferred resources to higher categories and improve the average grade of the resource in this area.

A statement put out by Ivanhoe Mines on Monday telling investors that its Oyu Tolgoi project remains on track and pooh-poohing rumours about the Mongolian government reneging on the deal that Ivanhoe and partner Rio Tinto spent five years negotiating did little to ease the fears of investors. By lunchtime Ivanhoe had plummeted more than 21.3%, crashing through the $10 billion market valuation level and taking the week's losses to 33%, with the number of shares changing hands already exceeding the daily average. Ivanhoe also appeared to have patched things up with Rio Tinto on Monday after it said last week it's unhappy that the world's number two miner told investors about possible delays to the mega-project.

Gold for December delivery dropped $40, or 2.5%, to just under the $1,600 an ounce level in midday trade on the New York Mercantile Exchange on Monday, but had recovered from sharp losses which saw the metal reach a low of $1,535 shortly after the open. Talk that a bailout for the Eurozone could top 2 trillion euros failed to boost the demand for gold as an inflation hedge. Gold has now declined more than $300 since setting an intraday record of $1,923.10/oz in the second week of September, but is well clear of its year low of just under $1,300/oz and most analysts remain positive about gold's long term trend.