Gold

Balmoral Resources Ltd. ("Balmoral" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:BAR) reported results from the first six holes of its summer 2011 drill program on the Martiniere Gold Property located along the Detour Gold Trend in Quebec.

Mining company Rio Tinto PLC (RIO) Wednesday raised its ownership stake in Canada-based Ivanhoe Mines Ltd (IVN.T) by 2% to 48.5% as it sought to cement its commitment to the massive Mongolian Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold project. Rio Tinto paid C$18.98 a share and exercised its subscription right to the tune of C$529.5 million in order to increase its take in Ivanhoe Mines, the majority owner of the Oyu Tolgoi project.

Spot gold dropped $105 an ounce, or 5.66%, to $1,753.20 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange in early afternoon trade on Wednesday, as investors booked profits and over disappointment about the precious metal's failure to breach $1,900. Losses over two trading days now top $120 – gold last hit a settlement record on Monday, when it finished at $1,891.90 an ounce. Gold has gained almost 25% from lows in early July and many analysts are holding to forecasts of $2,000 an ounce in the near term, but some producers have sounded caution.

Stephen Harper is using the backdrop of peaking gold prices amid international economic turmoil to sell his vision of economic development in Canada's Far North.

A massive seam of pure gold worth at least nine billion pounds has been discovered in one of the poorest regions of eastern Germany.

As gold prices near $2,000 an ounce, some bulls say it's time to take money off the table after the safe-haven rally extended too far too fast in recent weeks. Gold investors at several firms said gold prices could correct sharply, citing overvaluation. While that does not mean prominent bulls are now bears, they recommended investors take profit on gold holdings, after the precious metal traded briefly above $1,900 on Tuesday for the first time.

EKM visits Majestic Gold's (MJS.V) new mill and gold mine near Yantai, China. Featuring interviews from the President of Majestic, Rod Husband, as well as director Rudy Brauer, this video takes you on the ground to see the operations first hand.

President Hugo Chavez has signed a decree formalizing the nationalization of Venezuela's gold mining industry. The move Tuesday is aimed at giving the government total control over gold produced in the South American country.

Romanian Environment Minister Laszlo Borbely said Tuesday that a Canadian gold mine project would be given the green light only if it drops the proposed cyanide level in its tailings pond.