Reasons why investors should place stakes on silver against gold

Shares in Ivanhoe mines closed up just over 5% in Toronto on Monday outperforming the broader market and bringing the counter's gains to 23.2% over the last week. At a time when many miners across the developing world struggle to preserve their social licence, the impact of Ivanhoe's Oyu Tolgoi on the people of Mongolia stands in stark contrast: the mine will contribute a third of the country's GDP when it goes into full operation, will be mined until at least 2060 and increase the average earnings of Mongolians by 60% according to a new CNN report.

Silvercorp Metals has achieved record silver production and record sales from its Chinese operations for the first quarter of the 2012 financial year. The company recorded 1.6 million ounces of silver production, up 15% from the same period a year ago. Revenue was US$69.7 million which was 90% more than the same quarter last year. The silver figures were achieved from the four mines at the Ying Mining Camp in Henan Province. The company is well on track for the fiscal year 2012 production guidance of 5.6 million ounces.

Ollanta Humala, President-elect of Peru, fulfilled a campaign promise Thursday in announcing his government's intention to hit mining companies with higher royalty taxes. Humala, who was elected in July, campaigned on a promise to tax mining company profits and distribute them to the poor — a development that had investors and mining company CEOs running for cover in a country that is the world's second largest producer of copper and the sixth biggest gold miner. Companies now pay between 1% and 3% in royalties.

Reuters reports 50,000 protesters battled police in Chile's capital on Thursday, the second day of a two-day strike against unpopular President Sebastian Pinera. A recent poll put the right-wing leader's approval rating at only 26%, below even that of dictator General Pinochet, who ruled the country for 17 years from 1973. The protests follows recent strikes in the copper sector over pay and a campaign against a massive coal mine on an island in Patagonia amid accusations that billionaire Pinera’s shareholding in the developer, Copec, constitutes a serious conflict of interest.

One of the largest mining companies operating in northern Peru says that a 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Peru Wednesday didn't interrupt operations. Roque Benavides, chief executive of precious metals mining company Compania de Minas Buenaventura SA (BVN, BUENAVC1.Vl), said in an email message he wasn't aware of any damage from the earthquake on its operations in northern Peru.

Gold futures dropped for the first time in more than a week on Tuesday as global equity markets posted gains, buoyed by better-than-expected data from China. Gold for December delivery fell $19.80 or 1% to $1,873.50 an ounce at the start of trade in New York's Comex. On Monday the December contract rose $39.70, or 2.1%, Monday to settle at $1,891.90. Bullion is up 16% in August, heading for its best monthly performance since September 1999. Silver for December delivery in New York declined 1% to $42.94 an ounce after earlier touching $44.295, the highest price since May 3. It’s up 39% this year.

Ivanhoe Mines (TSE:IVN,NYSE:IVN,NASDAW:IVN) announced an update to the production potential of its Oyu Tolgoi project.

Canadian company Silvercorp Metals Inc. said Monday it is buying a controlling share in two Chinese mining companies for about $10.4 million, including debt. Silvercorp will hold a 90 percent stake in Zhongxing Mining Co. Ltd. and Chuanxin Mining Co. Ltd. It will pay $4.3 million cash for the two companies and assume $6.1 million in debt. Silvercorp is making the purchase through its majority-controlled Henan Found Mining Co. unit.

Gold futures hit another record high of $1,898.60/oz on Monday, despite a recovery on global stock markets following one of the most volatile weeks in trading history. The precious metal rose by more than 6% last week, the most since February 2009. So far this year bullion has gained roughly a third in value. Gold's allure as an inflation hedge was boosted by renewed talk that policy-easing initiatives would be unveiled by the US Federal Reserve on Friday at an annual gathering of central bankers. A round of asset purchases that eventually became known as “QE2” were unveiled at the meeting last year.