Gold futures were trading around 38,000 rupees per 10 grams on Friday after hitting a record high 38,666 rupees this month.

The Vancouver-based miner is doing sampling work at its Wabunk Bay gold and base metal property.

The buyout increases Desert's land position along and near the Senegal-Mali Shear Zone by 28%.

Sources said those measures had possibly been designed to reduce capital outflows and bolster the yuan.

The Canadian billionaire investor has splashed over C$145 million on gold, silver, and nickel explorers.

Total known ETF holdings expanded to 2,424.9 tonnes on Wednesday, the highest since 2013.

Investors will be watching specifically for remarks from Mario Draghi and Jerome Powell.

Like many African countries, Sierra Leone has courted foreign companies which pay governments big fees for mining rights, while locals often feel they have no say nor benefit.