Copper

Robert Friedland, Chairman, and Peter Reeve, Chief Executive Officer of Ivanhoe Australia Limited (TSX:IVA)(ASX:IVA), are pleased to announce the receipt of the $30.1 million distribution from Exco Resources Limited.

Taseko Mines on Wednesday announced it is going ahead with its Gibraltar capital program and is planning to spend $134 million to complete the project by the end of this year. The investment will increase Taseko's share of copper production capacity to 140 million pounds per year. Taseko owns 75% of Gibraltar, located in British Columbia.

US Labor Department figures released on Wednesday show the country's mining sector added more jobs in 2011 than at any other period since the early 1980s.

Chile’s state-owned copper giant on Tuesday turned the screws further on Anglo-American in its bitter fight over a 49% stake in Anglo-American Sur, one of the world's richest copper deposits.

China’s Minmetals Resources Ltd has, once again, extended its $1.3 billion takeover offer for Africa-focused copper miner Anvil Mining Ltd (TSX:AVM) to Feb. 16. This is the third time that Minmetals offer has been extended since the deal got the go ahead by the Australian Foreign Investment Review Board, last October.

London copper fell early Monday as concerns over slowing growth in the euro zone strengthened the U.S. dollar, making commodities priced in the unit more expensive in other currencies.

London copper rose on Friday, erasing this week's declines, after jobs data pointed to a recovery in the US economy and offset concerns that the euro zone crisis is dragging demand growth lower.

As protests against the $4.8 billion Conga project in Peru resumed this week, Newmont Mining Corporation (NYSE: NEM) has put together a strategic document outlining its community investment projects related to the gold-copper project.

Union spokesman Virgo Solossa said Friday the miners will stop returning to the mine on Saturday if they are not paid salaries owed to them during a recent three-month strike.