Gold

Over 5,000 informal miners started an indefinite protest in the gold-rich Peru's Madre de Dios region on Monday, demanding the government to revoke a new decree that regularizes small-scale and artisanal operations.

Major Drilling posted quarterly revenue of $182.2 million, up nearly 70% from the $107.7 million recorded for the same quarter last year. This represents the highest level of third quarter revenue in the Company's history.

Shares of some top gold companies are down at 1 p.m.: Barrick Gold CorpBarrick Gold Corp. fell $.99 or 2.1 percent, to $46.44. Gold Fields fell $.40 or 2.6 percent, to $14.95. GoldCorp. fell $1.30 or 2.6 percent, to $47.83. Newmont Mining CorpNewmont...

Latin America remained the most popular exploration destination, attracting 25% of global explorations spending in 2011, said to the Halifax-based Metals Economics Group's World Exploration Trends report released on Sunday.

In what was clearly a strategic move, the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines released a statement on Sunday saying that it has withdrawn all lands near the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) community from prospecting and mineral staking.

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.