Nickel

The source of the surge in mining investment has been quite diverse, reflecting the widespread advance in prices. For 2012, gold leads the way with $3.6 billion of capital spending. But not far behind are copper-nickel-zinc mines at $3 billion, potash at $2.9 billion and iron ore at $2.7 billion as the Labrador Trough is developed.

Domestic rare earth supplies will meet the U.S. defense industry’s needs by 2013 for the materials that go into military motors and electronics, according to a Pentagon report sent to Congress.

"Resources groups and the bankers who promote them merit close scrutiny since minerals have been linked in the past with financial scandals and market manipulation, from the nickel bubble that captivated the City in the 1960s and ended in the Poseidon crash, to the Hunt brothers’ cornering of the silver market in 1980."

Vale — the second largest nickel producer in the world — plans to begin looking for nickel this year on the Melville Peninsula near Repulse Bay, Nunavut.

Malaysia's Atomic Energy Licensing Board (AELB) has postponed granting a temporary rare earths mine operating license (TOL) to Australian miner Lynas Corp. (ASX:LYC) until an outstanding appeal by residents to the science, technology and innovation minister has been completed.

Standard Graphite Corp. (TSX VENTURE:SGH) (the "Company") is pleased to report that it has signed an option to acquire a 100% interest in 31 mining claims in Quebec.

In a move to curb the rampant domestic illegal mining of rare earth, as well as regulate its rare earths players, China is launching an industry association for the precious metal commodity on April 8.

An annual profit of more than $A530 million for the world's biggest rare-earths producer, China's Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Rare-Earth Hi-Tech Co, a $1.23 billion North American takeover deal, and complaints by the US, EU and Japan to the World Trade Organisation over China's limiting of rare earth exports made March a busy month for the industry.

A proposal for a large underground copper mine in Minnesota reached a milestone last week.