Zinc

Barrick Gold Corp. closed down slightly and outperformed a weak broader market on Tuesday despite a downgrade from CIBC World Markets, which is advising investors to remain cautious as the miner diversifies into copper. Barrick is up some 12% this summer, tracking bullion's spectacular rise, but investors have not welcomed its move into base metals. In April it outbid a Chinese company for Equinox in a $7.7 billion deal, its first real foray outside gold. The global growth outlook has clouded considerably since then and copper – a good indicator of economic activity – is trading at 9-month lows.

Yukon-Nevada Gold announced its financial and operational results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2011. Highlights for the three-month period ended June 30, 2011 include the Jerritt Canyon Mine whihch produced 22,168 ounces from purchased ore, stockpiles and mining operations in the three months ended June 30, 2011, compared with 18,441 ounces in 2010, reflecting a 20% increase in production despite continued shutdowns.

Zinc price gains in July were more than wiped out in early August as worries intensified about global economic prospects, and further price declines could trigger mine production cuts in China, and help reduce surplus supply. "If prices fall below $2,000 then we would expect a lot of Chinese mine production to stop," said Giles Lloyd of industry consultants CRU Group. In 2010, China mined 3.7 million tonnes of zinc, accounting for 30 percent of world mine output.

Copper was steady on Monday, supported by glimmers of economic resilience in Japan, a drawdown in inventories of the metal, and a softer dollar, but investors were wary after wild market swings last week.

Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN)(NYSE: IVN)(NASDAQ: IVN) today announced its results for the quarter ended June 30, 2011. All figures are in US dollars, unless otherwise stated. Ivanhoe Mines (TSX: IVN)(NYSE: IVN)(NASDAQ: IVN) today announced its results for the

The mine operated and controlled by BHP Billiton Limited said that the 15 day illegal strike at the Escondida copper mine in Chile didn't have a relevant impact. As Escondida produces roughly 1.09 million tonnes of copper a year, press reports estimated

Nautilus Minerals announced on Thursday that they were granted offshore exploration licences in Fiji. The Fijian Government has granted the company 14 special prospecting licences, covering a total of approximately 60,000 km2. The territory is considered highly prospective, having been the subject of marine research by Japanese, French and other scientific cruises in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The licences each have an initial term of two years.

The Web documentary "Welcome to Pine Point" by combining video, photographs, text, music and narration and then blurring the boundaries among them, pushes storytelling and documentary filmmaking into new territory. "Welcome to Pine Point" is the story of a small lead and zinc mining town in Canada's Northwest Territories that physically disappeared from the map after the mines closed in 1988. The first buildings were erected in 1952 and at its peak it had 1,200 inhabitants.

Xstrata has approved the commencement of an AUD47 million (USD50 million) pre-feasibility study into the development of a large multi-commodity open pit mine on the existing Xstrata Mount Isa Mines footprint. In a joint statement, Xstrata Zinc Australia Chief Operating Officer Brian Hearne and Xstrata Copper North Queensland Chief Operating Officer Steve de Kruijff said the development of a large scale zinc-lead-copper pit has the potential to extend the life of the combined operations to beyond 2060.