Strange days for coal with Glencore’s cap, China curbs

Zinc may be the black sheep of base metals this year amid expectations that increases in mining capacity will pressure prices. However, the outlook could brighten should some of those expansion plans be put on hold because of weak demand and problems getting project financing. Longer term, analysts expect prices may rise as mines close, shrinking supply.

Reuters reports that Toyota has developed a technology to substitute rare earths used in its hybrid vehicles. The company, which has a strong lead in environmentally friendlier car sales around the world said it would be able to bring the technology to market within two years if REE prices don't fall.

The share price performance of those non-Chinese rare earth miners closest to production – Molycorp in the US, Australia's Lynas and Great Western Minerals in South Africa – is in stark contrast to what is happening to rare earth oxide prices, some of which have more than halved over the last three months.

Perceiving a cloudy future for world markets, Ivanhoe Mines (NYSE:IVN) announced that they had negotiated an additional US$1.8 billion bridge financing for Oyu Tolgoi.

The market for iron ore is likely to soften this year but industry leaders Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton are not pulling in production, betting that the slowdown in steelmaking is temporary.

The country hopes the new platform will help strengthen its pricing power and wrest control from Vale, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, which between them control three quarters of global seaborne ore supplies.

Brazilian iron ore producer Vale SA (VALE) will likely wait until the end of the Lunar New Year to sell a massive cargo of iron ore that was delivered into the Chinese port of Dalian via one of its “very large ore carriers” or VLOCs at the end of December, two traders said.

Gold traders are the most bullish in two months after mainland China imported the most metal ever from Hong Kong and investors bought US bullion coins at the fastest pace in more than two years.

Caterpillar is building on its Bucyrus acquisition with the recent signing of another contract to deliver an automated longwall coal plow system to Chinese company Gasification Co part of Lvliang Dongyi Group. The system marks the 11th plow system from DBT/Bucyrus/Caterpillar for delivery to Chinese mines. The system will be delivered in the first quarter of 2013 and will go to work in the Xinyan mine in Shanxi province