Nickel

Sinocast reports China's market for rare earths has begun to see negative effects of its crazy growth this year with an increasing number of downstream players finding it difficult to make deals despite price cuts. Prices of certain elements such as cerium used to polish TV screens and lenses are down 10% over the summer after months of break-neck price hikes. Reuters reports China is in the midst of a crackdown on illegal miners and processors and the busy black market trade that have sprung up, but has struggled to impose a REE production cap, with actual annual output exceeding official quotas by 40% to 50% since 2007.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Aug. 30, 2011) - Further to the press release dated July 27, 2011, Nortec Minerals Corp. (TSX VENTURE:NVT)(PINK SHEETS:NMNZF)(FRANKFURT:WMQ) ("Nortec" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that it has signed an Option and Joint Venture Agreement ("OA") with Otterburn Ventures Inc. (CSNX:OTB) ("Otterburn"). The OA gives Otterburn the option to earn up to an 80% interest in Nortec's Läntinen Koillismaa project, a 100 % owned palladium-platinum–gold–copper-nickel property ("LK Project"), located in north central Finland.

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Aug. 30, 2011) - North American Nickel Inc. ("NAN") (TSX VENTURE:NAN)(OTCBB:WSCRF) (CUSIP: 65704T 108) is pleased to announce that it has commenced a field campaign to evaluate prospective areas within its 4,841 km²exclusive mineral exploration licence. Electromagnetic anomalies, identified from a recent re-interpretation of a 1995 GeoTEM fixed wing survey, along with other areas of interest derived from compilation of previous work and satellite imagery will be ground checked in order to prioritize areas for helicopter borne time domain electromagnetic (TEM) surveying planned for September and October.

Shares of Minara Resources jumped 36% today on news of a takeover bid by Swiss-based commodities trader Glencore Resources. Glencore, which went public in May with an astonishing $11 billion IPO, is seeking to buy a minority position in Minara, of which it already owns 73.4%, for AU$268 million.

TSX V-quoted Noront Resources on Tuesday published the results of a prefeasibility study into its Eagles Nest nickel-copper-platinum project in Ontario’s Ring of Fire, outlining a $734-million capital investment for a one-million ton a year mine.

Standard & Poor's has kept its BBB- long term corporate credit and ruAA+ Russia national scale ratings on Russian mining and metal group MMC Norilsk Nickel on CreditWatch with negative implications.

Isolated North Korea is desperate to earn some hard currency and look for rare earths in its borders with China.

Finland's Talvivaara missed Q2 earnings expectations and produced 3,951 tonnes of nickel in the quarter adding that its nickel output for the year will be towards the lower end of its 22,000 to 28,000 tons guidance. The miner warned that the short term outlook for nickel – which has declined to its lowest level in 2011 at around USD 21,000 per tonne – is uncertain and volatility across the base metals complex is likely to remain high. On the other hand, the global nickel market has remained in a deficit throughout the first half of the year with LME nickel stocks currently around their lowest levels since early 2009.

Uncertainties with regard to global growth are pressuring the base metal prices. However Nickel especially faces huge downside pressure due to a weakening Steel demand and prospects of new mine operations that will Lead to a supply surplus.