As China row deepens, 1 million tonnes of Australian copper concentrate needs new buyers

Moody's says base-metals will come under pressure in 2017 – and that includes the zinc price.

Thirty-two miners were killed in a gas explosion that ripped through a coal mine in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia on Saturday.

Just this week, bullion was sold in China at about $24 an ounce above the international price.

The Chinese miner is also having a hard time trying to convince Western lenders of financing part of the deal.

Coking coal prices retreated on Friday, but only slightly, holding above $300 a tonne after two months of insane gains.

Soaring coal prices have helped Glencore, the world’s biggest provider of the thermal kind, straighten its balance sheet.

In the last week alone, seven miners have been killed and 22 others remain trapped, following two accidents in local coal operations.

The headline word for 2017 will be 'inflation' and wealth preservation will continue to be a watchword for those looking to position themselves strategically… and by extension gold is well priced and positioned to benefit.

Wednesday sees more heavy losses with steel, coking coal futures on course for biggest one-day declines on record – iron ore drops 8%.