Global mining company Rio Tinto has raised a total of $2 billion bonds in long-term debt bonds, it said on Wednesday. The offer, registered in the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission, consisted of $700 million in 5-year notes with a coupon of 2.5 percent, $1 billion in 10-year bonds with a 4.125 percent coupon and $300 million in 30-year bonds paying a 5.2 percent coupon.

Gold producer Jaguar Mining Inc posted a quarterly profit that beat analysts' estimates helped by surging bullion prices, sending its New York-listed shares up almost 7 percent in extended trading. For the January-March quarter adjusted profit was $10.3 million, or 12 cents a share, compared with an adjusted loss of $3.7 million, or 4 cents a share, a year ago.

Coal India, the world's largest coal producer, is on a high. The state-run company is set to pick up a 15% stake in a joint venture with US-based coal firm Peabody Energy's $600 million mining project in Australia. The deal size could be upwards of $100 million. Officials privy to the discussion said both the companies were mulling over the exact details and were to form a joint venture company to tackle the Wilkie Creek coal mine, in Queensland, Australia, which is owned by Peabody.

A Mine Concept Study conducted by Steffen Robertson Kirsten (SRK) on the Bungaroo South project has confirmed both the technical and financial viability of a mine development. The mine plan supports a 15 million tonnes per year operation with a mine life of 15 years, with production possible by 2015.

The game of corporate musical chairs has ended with more frustrations than success for the two companies concerned, after BC Iron Ltd (ASX: BCI) got annoyed about Regent Pacific withdrawing its original bid, BC Iron then successfully got the bid reinstated through Australia's Takeovers Panel, and then deciding it didn't want to proceed. The end of this chain was the expert's report to BC Iron that, in summary, said Regent Pacific's bid was neither fair nor reasonable.

Newcrest Mining , one of the world's biggest listed gold miners, expects to resume gold production at its Bonikro mine in the Ivory Coast after a stabilisation of political and security situation in the country, it said on Tuesday. The miner said the production impact had been around 8,000 ounces of gold per month. Newcrest suspended operations at Bonikro in late March.

Red Crescent Resources (RCB.TO: Quote) said on Monday that South African miner Petmin (PEMJ.J: Quote) has agreed to acquire a 10.1 percent stake in the Canadian exploration company for C$4.64 million ($4.78 million). Separately, Red Crescent said it had signed a new definitive agreement with privately held Gensay to acquire a 75 percent interest in the Sivas copper project in central Turkey.

The market was meant to be in surplus but somehow investors were in the midst of a buying frenzy that flew in the face of fundamentals. Big banks such as JPMorgan were known to be shorting the market - and suffering - as the price just kept rising and rising.

Encanto Potash Corp said it is on track to meet its target of doubling resources at its flagship Saskatchewan project after a First Nation council transfers mineral rights to Canada, sending the company's shares up 18 percent in afternoon trade. Encanto, which explores and develops potash properties, expects further drilling at its Muskowekwan property to commence after a referendum by First Nation on transferring the mineral rights on the reserved land to Canada.

A gold explorer finding a million-ounce deposit is quick to say "world class", but when an established gold miner promises single-mine production of 750,000 ounces a year, eyebrows may rise. That's the production target for the Gold Fields South Deep mine in South Africa, an ongoing saga which was given further details by Gold Fields CEO Nick Holland at the recent Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Metals & Mining Conference, in Barcelona.

African Barrick Gold (ABGL.L) said a malfunction in a mill motor at its Buzwagi mine in Tanzania would hit production in the quarter, sending its shares down as much as 9 percent in early trade on Monday. It estimated the replacement of the motor, which failed after a power outage and attempted restart, would take two weeks, during which time the plant would run at reduced capacity.

Sales of gold coins are on track for the best month in a year amid the worst commodities rout since 2008, a sign that bullion's longest bull market in nine decades has further to run, if history is a guide. The U.S. Mint sold 85,000 ounces of American Eagle coins since May 1 as the Standard & Poor's GSCI Index of 24 raw materials fell 9.9 percent.