Gold

Fearing a backlash by foreign investors in the mining sector – the foundation of the country's economy – Mongolian legislators on Tuesday watered down many of the provisions of draft legislation that gives the state greater control and ownership of mining projects.

Swiss commodities trader Glencore International PLC (LON:GLEN) painted a rosy outlook for the worldwide demand for raw materials this year, as China and the U.S. help offset the impact of the slump in Europe.

While 2011 was a near-record year for mining mergers and acquisitions (M&A), with over 2,600 deals worth $149 billion in the global mining sector, 2012 is not looking so good, at least not for Canada. The value of mining M&A tumbled 50% in the first quarter compared to the prior three months, with only one deal over $1 billion, said KPMG in a report.

Ivanhoe Mines (TSX:IVN)(NYSE:IVN)(NASDAQ:IVN) announced today that the company's Board of Directors has appointed four new directors.

Kinross Gold (TSX:K) took a drubbing in the markets today, along with other major gold producers, as the sector endured an aggressive selloff in the midst of more turmoil in Europe.

Worries about Europe's sovereign-debt crisis sparked a wave of selling in the gold market, pushing prices briefly below the $1,600 mark and to their lowest settlement price in four months.

Franco-Nevada Corp. had a good quarter, more than doubling profits and hiking revenues by 44%.

Bad news slammed the markets today as worries about Europe caught up to traders.

Hecla's Q1 net income was off 71% to $12.4 million due to a production suspension at Lucky Friday Mine, increased exploration expenses and other one-time charges.