Highland Copper announces positive PEA for White Pine North project

Extreme shortages of food and power continue to ravage the country of Venezuela, and ordinary people have been paying the price.

The company's Bayan Khundii project went from greenfield prospect to the company’s flagship asset in roughly nine months.

The country is said to be sitting on mineral deposits worth hundreds of billions of dollars which, once developed, could surpass oil as its main source of income.

Gold is up more than 20% in 2016 but gold mining equities have doubled and the sector as a whole has returned 53%.

The mining giant is said to have hired Goldman Sachs as an adviser to look at a two-step wrap-up of the Vancouver-based firm.

First time a country partners with privates to boost the development of the industry.

"In an environment of rising event risk, sub-zero interest rates and now the potential of rising inflation gold and silver should continue to prosper."

Canada slipped in the Fraser Institute’s global ranking, while Chile remains the most attractive jurisdiction in Latin America.

For private capital mining and metals is the riskiest natural resources sector – but only energy beats the returns.