Copper

Quadra FNX Mining announced on Sunday a US$724 million joint venture with Sumitomo Corporation to develop the Sierra Gorda copper-molybdenum project in Chile. The total cost of the mine is estimated at 2.8 billion and production is scheduled to start in 2014. Sumitomo has a 45% stake in the joint venture; Quadra FNX has 55%. Sierra Gorda is a copper exploration project located in the Atacama Desert, Region II of Chile. According to Quadra FNX's recently completed feasibility study, the production from current sulphide reserves will average 483 M lbs of copper, 25 million lbs of molybdenum, and 64 kozs of gold per annum over a 20-year mine life.

Overall construction of the Oyu Tolgoi Project was 15.1% complete by the end of Q1'11, slightly ahead of the planned 14.8%. Total capital invested in the project by the end of Q1'11 was $1.8 billion. The Oyu Tolgoi Project initially is being developed as an open-pit operation, with the first phase of mining planned to start at the near-surface Southern Oyu deposits, which include Southwest Oyu and Central Oyu. A copper concentrator plant, related facilities and necessary infrastructure that will support an initial throughput of 100,000 tonnes of ore per day are being constructed to process ore scheduled to be mined from the Southern Oyu open pit. Commercial production of copper-gold-silver concentrate is projected to begin in the first half of 2013.

Speculators in gold, silver and copper futures and options sharply cut their net long positions in the week ended May 10. Metal prices sold off during a commodities rout during the period, according to the latest report by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

The Directors of Aurelia Resources Limited (ASX:AJU) are pleased to confirm the opening of the company’s Offer Period for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) to raise $3 million, and to undertake a listing on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). Listing on the ASX is expected before the end of June 2011. Fifteen million shares are being offered at 20 cents per share and the company may accept subscriptions for a further 5 million shares to raise an additional $1 million. Also, a loyalty option, priced at 1 cent will be offered to shareholders after three months on a 1 for 2 basis. The exercise price is 20 cents with an expiry date of 30 April 2014. Image by Aurelia Resources Limited

Northern Freegold Resources announced that it intends to complete a non-brokered private placement of up to 22,857,142 units at a price of $0.35 per unit, for gross proceeds of up to $8 million. Each unit will consist of a common share and a share purchase warrant, each warrant being exercisable to acquire an additional share at $0.45 for 18 months following the closing. Net proceeds from the private placement will be applied towards advancement of the Company's Yukon mineral properties and for general working capital purposes.

Franco Nevada reported an adjusted net income of US$21.4 million or 18-cents per share for the first quarter, a 157% increase over the adjusted net income of US$8.3 million or 7-cents per share for the first-quarter 2010. Net income for the first quarter of 2011 was $21.2 million or 18-cents per share, which included a $5.6 million gain, $6.5 million in forex losses and $1.7 million in losses recorded from the equity accounting of Franco's investment in Gold Wheaton prior to the acquisition, which closed on March 14, 201

Europe's No.2 copper producer KGHM (KGHM.WA) nearly tripled its net profit in the first quarter, beating expectations thanks to a rally in metal prices. Poland's state-controlled miner said on Friday its bottom line reached 1.96 billion zlotys ($710 million), compared to 1.84 billion seen in a Reuters poll.

Intergeo, the Russian copper and nickel company owned by billionaires Mikhail Prokhorov and Maxim Finskiy, hopes to raise from C$100 million ($104.2 million) to C$500 million in a initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange by the end of the year. Finskiy, the company's chairman and 20 percent stakeholder, told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday the company would float about 10 percent of its shares in the offering.

The quest to commercialize one of Latin America’s last undeveloped major gold deposits is one major step closer to a prospectively big pay day for its unlikely owner - a small gold explorer named Exeter Resources. A Canadian-headquartered company, Exeter recently completed a major milestone development. It announced a positive metallurgical study for the sprawling Caspiche gold-copper deposit in northern Chile’s gold-rich Maricunga mineral belt.