Gold

According to a new report by Business Monitor International Russia's mining sector is set to grow slowly over the forecast period to 2015, marking a reversal of the declining output seen since 2006. Business Monitor forecasts the value of the mining sector to reach US$259bn in 2015 from US$134bn in 2010, marking an annual average growth rate of 2.6%.

Midas Gold Corp. (MAX: TSX) today reported that the 2011 exploration program at its Golden Meadows Project, Valley County, Idaho, has commenced.

Romarco Mineals Inc. (TSX:R) has drilled its best hole since Horseshoe on the Haile property identifying a newly designated zone ("Mustang") as a result of its ongoing drill program at its Haile Gold Mine project in South Carolina. Image of the Haile gold project by Romarco Minerals

Freeport-McMoRan reported a doubling of profits at $1.4 billion in the second quarter, but the blow-out results did not satisfy investors who shaved more than 1.5% off the stock amid record gold prices and a positive day on the markets. The company said labour action at its Grasberg mine – the globe's largest copper-gold mine – hurt output. During the eight-day strike in July, the company lost about 35 million pounds of copper production and 60 thousand ounces of gold production which could hurt its next set of results.

Newcrest Mining, Australia's largest gold mining company, reported on Thursday that gold production rose 16% to 700,124 ounces during its June quarter. Copper production was slightly higher than the previous quarter at 20,127 tonnes. The company said cash costs of A$542 per ounce were higher than the previous quarter due to higher site costs and lower copper byproduct credits per ounce.

The price of gold was steady near $1,600 Thursday morning as traders await cues from the European leaders summit, due later today, on a second round of aid for Greece. Gold for August delivery, the most actively traded contract, edged up $3.20 to $1,600.10 an ounce.

Russian gold miner Petropavlovsk’s recorded a 32% rise in total gold production in the first half of the year and said it was on track to achieving its target of 600,000 ounces of gold for the year. During the period between 1 January to 30 June, Petropavlovsk reported total attributable gold production of 219,100 ounces, a 32% jump from 166,300 ounces in the comparable period last year.

Harmony Gold Mining upgraded the resource estimate for its Wafi-Golpu project in Papua New Guinea on Wednesday increasing it by 57% to over 1 billion metric tons, making it one of the highest grade copper-gold porphyry systems in South East Asia. CEO Graham Briggs said it was a "game-changing asset" for the company and the latest drilling results bring the Wafi-Golpu deposits within sight of Freeport-McMoran’s Grasberg mine across the border in West Papua, Indonesia, which was recently hit by strikes.

In today's operating environment, a mining company is as likely to be judged on its environmental and social performance as its ability to pull minerals out of the ground. Randgold Resources has taken on an ambitious project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to build one of the largest gold mines in Africa.