Gold companies take a shine to China’s Silk Road

Fast-growing Danish jewellery maker Pandora (PNDORA.CO: Quote) missed forecasts with a 55 percent rise in first-quarter profit as price rises failed to […]

Assays in from one of two new diamond drill holes into the WKP West gold prospect on the Coromandel Peninsula on New Zealand's North Island has given further proof of a large epithermal system for Newmont Mining and boutique gold miner and active explorer Glass Earth Gold Ltd. Glass Earth Gold Ltd (TSX-V & NZAX: GEL) said that drill hole WKP 27 on the WKP West prospect had produced a 152.4 metre section grading 1.16 grams/tonne gold and 2.22 g/t silver, within which the best section of 1.4m went 30.7 g/t gold and 77.7 g/t silver.

China's gold output in the first three months of 2011 totalled 73.412 tonnes, up 4.63 pct from the same months of 2010, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Friday. It said gold mining output was 60.262 tonnes, up 5.18 percent, while another 13.15 tonnes was obtained from smelting base metals, up 2.21 percent from a year earlier.

Anaconda Mining Inc. ("Anaconda") - (TSX: ANX) is pleased to announce that, on May 4, 2011, it shipped a record amount of gold, 344.2 troy ounces, in a single pour at its Pine Cove gold mine ("Pine Cove"). The production was during an approximately 7-day period from April 25ththrough May 1st. In addition, overall recovery rates at the Pine Cove mill continue to improve. In the press release dated May 2, 2011, Anaconda reported that overall recovery had reached the low to mid 70% range. During the period from May 1st through May 15th, overall mill recovery was approximately 80%.

Mitchell Adam, President and CEO of Vancouver-based Pan Terra Industries announced on Thursday it has entered into a deal to acquire 80% of Namibia’s Congo Namibia Trading, a private gold and copper exploration company. Under Thursday's letter of intent, TSX-Venture listed Pan Terra will pay C$300,000 in cash and issue 3m shares as well as 3m share purchase warrants priced at C$0.73. Congo Namibia Trading holds 100% interest in five exclusive prospecting licenses in the Tsumeb Copper Belt in Namibia as well the rights to acquire 51% stake in an Angolan and a Zimbabwean gold joint venture.

During 2010, London- and Johannesburg-listed Central Rand Gold (CRG) produced 9,321 ounces of gold. This is the company that categorically stated in its 2007 annual report that it is "intended that CRG will begin gold production in early 2009 at an annualized rate of 100,000 ounces. This production rate is forecast to increase to around one million ounces a year by 2012."

Amid growing interest in bullion as a hedge against the dollar and inflation and a renewed rally in gold and precious metals prices, Christian Science Monitor, documents gold’s journey around the globe in a fascinating and extensive photo-essay.

Levon Resources announced that it has today closed a previously announced financing pursuant to which the Company has issued 20,600,000 common shares at a price of $1.95 per share for gross proceeds of $40,170,000. The company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for continued exploration of the Cordero property located in Chihuahua, Mexico, and for working capital.

The gold bears and doubters - and the silver bears in particular - have had great success in driving the prices of these two precious metals downwards but are we looking at more of the same to come, or perhaps consolidation and another take-off? The pattern of price movements we are seeing currently, with strong upwards and downwards fluctuations for both metals.