Zinc

Toronto stock exchange listed Minera Andes announced on Friday the proposed spin-out of its copper assets, including the 100%-owned Los Azules project, has been deferred. The gold, silver and copper exploration company cited weaker financial markets, financing uncertainties, and a delayed legal decision regarding its dispute with TNR Gold over claims on the Argentinean property, as contributing to the board’s decision.

Reuters Africa reports Exxaro (JNB:EXX) has invited bids for the company’s stake in a zinc and lead mine in Namibia. The market news is quoted as saying: The assets up for sale include Exxaro’s 50.04 percent stake in the Rosh Pinah mine and its wholly owned Zincor refinery.

Pan Pacific Copper Co, Japan's top smelter, said on Friday it and BHP had agreed to a 29 percent rise in copper treatment and refining fees for ores to be delivered in July-December, reflecting higher fees on the spot market. Pan Pacific, a unit of JX Holdings Inc , agreed to $90 a tonne for treatment fees and 9 cents a pound for refining for the six months, a company executive said.

Large copper smelters in China settled term treatment and refining charges with global miner BHP Billiton Ltd at $90 per tonne and 9 cents per pound respectively for delivery in the second half of this year, a smelter source said on Friday. The second-half treatment and refining charges, or TC/RC, will nearly double from the same period of 2010 and represent a rise of 25 percent from about $72 for the first half of 2011. The term TC/RC for the full year 2010 was $46.5 and 4.65 cents.

Mitchell Adam, President and CEO of Vancouver-based Pan Terra Industries announced on Thursday it has entered into a deal to acquire 80% of Namibia’s Congo Namibia Trading, a private gold and copper exploration company. Under Thursday's letter of intent, TSX-Venture listed Pan Terra will pay C$300,000 in cash and issue 3m shares as well as 3m share purchase warrants priced at C$0.73. Congo Namibia Trading holds 100% interest in five exclusive prospecting licenses in the Tsumeb Copper Belt in Namibia as well the rights to acquire 51% stake in an Angolan and a Zimbabwean gold joint venture.

Commodity Online reports that copper markets were in surplus of 118,000 tonnes during January — March this year according to the World Bureau of Metal Statistics. The market was in surplus 43,000 tonnes for the whole of 2010. Stocks of copper by end of March 2011 were 138,000 tonnes higher than by the end of 2010. Refined copper production was 4.76 million tonnes in Jan-March 2011, up 1.8% compared to the first quarter of 2010.

Levon Resources announced that it has today closed a previously announced financing pursuant to which the Company has issued 20,600,000 common shares at a price of $1.95 per share for gross proceeds of $40,170,000. The company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for continued exploration of the Cordero property located in Chihuahua, Mexico, and for working capital.

Scorpio Mining achieved record mine operating earnings of $12.5 million in Q1 2011, an increase of 823% over mine operating earnings in Q1 2010 and 123% over mine operating earnings in Q4 2010. Net earnings were $6.6 million or $0.03 per share (basic) for Q1 2011 compared to $18.6 million or $0.17 per share (basic) for Q1 2010. The Q1 2010 net earnings included a $19.8 million gain on dilution and deconsolidation of Scorpio Gold Corporation ("Scorpio Gold"). Basic earnings per share of $0.09 in Q4 2010 was due to the inclusion of $12.4 million of non-cash corporate tax recoveries.

Commodities trader Glencore's bumper public offering has increased interest in Hong Kong listings from across the mining sector and will prove a welcome boost to the bourse, a senior executive at the exchange said. The world's largest diversified commodities trader is set to make its market debut in London and Hong Kong next week, in what could be a record listing, with Glencore [GLEN.UL] hoping to raise $11 billion.