Gold

If 2011 was a near-record year for mining mergers and acquisitions (M&A), with over 2,600 deals worth $149 billion announced in the global mining sector, 2012 will be remembered as the year of the “African Renaissance,” concludes the latest PricewaterhouseCoopers’ report released this morning.

Catalyst Resource Group (OTCQB:CATA) (PINKSHEETS:CATA), a company engaged in innovative processing technologies to extract gold and platinum group metals, today announced that Company has signed a Definitive Agreement to acquire an 80% equity interest of Laos Minerals Mining, Inc.'s ownership in a 68-km2 gold concession known as the San 8 and San 60 areas of the Somsanouk Village, Sanakham District, Vientiane Province, Lao People's Democratic Republic, in exchange for cash and monetary commitments to further explore and develop this project in the near future.

A new study by India's central bank asks whether gold bullion as a safe haven investment has turned into an asset bubble and crucially, if that bubble should burst, would the subcontinent's financial system experience systemic damage.

There's a new appetite for equity financing in the global mining sector, as investors tiptoe back into a market that has fretted about funding for the last six months. Boosted by firm metals prices and a less pessimistic outlook for a still-fragile global economy, many mining companies are again able to sell shares in secondary offerings or tempt investors with an initial public offering.

Last week gold registered its worst weekly performance for 2012 after a sustained rally in January and most of February. This week would be a crucial test for the yellow metal and a significant break below the $1,700 level could trigger a major sell-off.

Australia, Canada, South Africa and many more countries are courting a small, transient, global workforce of engineers, geologists and metallurgists to keep their mining, oil and gas, and energy operations running. What can these major corporations do to secure the right talent? If you’re Rio Tinto, you turn to content marketing.

It is now possible for individuals to establish a personal gold standard using the world's first Gold Debit Card. The service allows users to save in gold but spend in local currency.

The Business Standard reports now that platinum trades more in line with the gold price, Indian jewellery buyers are moving back into gold.

A new survey by The Economist Intelligence Unit finds when institutional investors interested in frontier markets were asked to choose two regions out of five, two-thirds see Africa – projected to be the fastest growing region on the planet this year – as holding the greatest opportunity.