It's been a tumultuous year in mining and the most read articles of 2019 show an industry grappling with technological change, market volatility and climate change, but still unafraid to take moonshots.
After adjusting for seasonality, the reading shows that the manufacturing sector is actually improving, thanks to the slew of stimulus measures implemented by the Chinese government.
The USA's largest rare earth producer Molycorp (NYSE:MCP) is mounting a credible challenge to Chinese rare earth dominance by dramatically scaling up output and potentially increasing its global market share to 30% from 4% at present.
People should stop worrying about Chinese businesses buying up resource companies in Australia because the Chinese are no good at investing, says former Rio Tinto executive, Michael Komesaroff.
Below $120 a tonne most Chinese producers become unprofitable, but a sustained period below this level may indicate a fundamental shift in the industry.
Examples: Worldwide orders for dry-bulk vessels dropped 49% to 9.8 million deadweight tons in the first half of 2012. The monthly index of new-ship prices in China is now at its lowest point since March 2004.
53 people have been rescued while five still remain trapped in a coal mine in China's south-western province of Guizhou following the collapse of two separate sections of the mine's tunnel within the space of several days.
The volume of rare earth minerals legally exported from China for the first half of 2012 plunged by 42.7% year-on-year to hit 4,908 tons according to statistics from China's customs authorities.
Escalating costs and economic instability may be the two main reasons why mining companies worldwide are acquiring existing projects instead of starting their own, shows the latest report from global firm Ernst & Young.