Industrial metals touched its priciest levels in more than three months on Tuesday as upbeat demand prospects in two of the world's biggest consumers helped to keep a surprisingly strong summer rally intact.
Thunder Bay-based Zenyatta Ventures has ended its dispute with Constance Lake First Nation after the leadership of the 1,470-strong community decided to no longer pursue a motion of injunction against the junior explorer in exchange for better co-operation and preferential job opportunities. Zenyatta can now advance its Albany project south of the so-called Ring of Fire in the James Bay lowlands where it is exploring for nickel and platinum group metals with a purported value in excess of $1 billion.
Norilsk Nickel, world number one nickel and palladium producer and Russia's biggest miner, announced on Friday it is restarting operations at its Maggie Hays mine near Lake Johnston in West Australia. Norilsk mothballed Maggie Hays bought from BHP and the other Australian operations it acquired in 2007 two years later as the financial crisis cut demand. Stainless steel production accounts for around two-thirds of nickel consumption.
Business Standard reports that tin and nickel saw a sudden jump in prices today in India after steady trading in London.
Nickel prices rebounded from a sharp fall in June, but slow demand and concerns about an impending sharp rise in output will exert downward presure, or at least limit upside prospects in the next month or two. The London Metal Exchange three-months nickel price was last indicated at $23,920 a tonne. "We've got a situation of rising production and slowing stainless demand growth," said independent consultant Angus MacMillan. Against this backdrop, he said prices were more likely to move lower than higher.
Fletcher Nickel Inc. President Frank Smeenk, Suite 1000, 141 Adelaide Street West, Toronto, Ontario exercised a total of 1.4 million warrants, expiring July 13, 2011, to acquire Fletcher Nickel Inc. (the "Company") common shares from treasury at $0.06 each (the "Transaction").
Pure Nickel Inc. (TSE:NIC,OTC:PNCKF) reports it has reached an agreement with Skye Mineral Partners, LLC regarding a copper project in Utah.
Shares in Anfield Nickel's jumped more than 4% to within striking distance of a year-high on Friday after the company released the results of its economic assessment of the Mayaniquel project in Guatemala. Anfield said the project may generate approximately 700 permanent jobs and 800 direct jobs during the three year construction period and potentially $1.8 billion in taxes and government royalties payable to the Guatemalan government.
Reportedly, Burundi, the Central African nation has planned to start nickel production next year after first discovering this stainless steel making ingredient more than 35 years ago. Because of lacking fundamental infrastructure, the country?s nickel
BHP Billiton said on Wednesday that production at its Kwinana nickel refinery in Western Australia had restarted as planned in early June. "In line with our previous guidance, production at Kwinana resumed in early June," a spokesman told Reuters.