Rio Tinto Bell Bay Aluminium Power Agreement Extends Smelter Life to 2031
Rio Tinto's power deal for Bell Bay was due to expire in December. Two governments have now stepped in to keep the smelter running to 2031.
Category
Commodities
Ask ten people what a mining company really produces, and the vast majority would say gold, perhaps iron ore; not many will note that to get the phone in their pocket onto a shelf it needed lithium, cobalt and rare earths; or that the wind turbine down the road works on heavy copper wiring.
The gap between what people know and what is actually mined this page was created for.
Battery metals, copper, iron ore, lithium, rare earths, uranium and everything else that fails to fit neatly into those six. They do not move together. Iron ore has run on the same construction-and-steel logic for decades, largely out of Australia. Copper used to be boring in the same way, until electrification started pulling it into EVs, grids, and data centres all at once, and boring stopped applying.
Lithium and battery metals are the volatile cousins in this family, prices spiking and crashing as EV demand outpaces or overshoots new mine supply, sometimes within the same eighteen months. Rare earths are the one nobody watched closely until export restrictions in a handful of producing countries turned them into a genuine political flashpoint. Uranium spent years being ignored entirely, then nuclear power came back into fashion and utilities started signing contracts again like it never left.
Gold, silver, coal, and zinc round things out under other commodities, smaller headlines individually, but plenty of portfolios still live or die on them.
Pick a category above, or browse by region if you would rather follow a country than a metal.
Canada Critical Mineral Tax Credits: Expanded Support for Lithium and Copper Investment
Canada’s exploration incentives offer lithium and copper projects a route to investment by reducing the tax burden on eligible investors who finance qualifying work.
Interest Rates and Inflation Reshape Gold Markets
Traditional models insist rising yields should push bullion lower, yet persistent physical accumulation tells an entirely different story. Mounting fiscal deficits and sticky price pressures now firmly reshape the global market trajectory toward 2027
The Great Australian Opal History: How Australia Became the Source of 95% of Opals in the World
Beneath Australia's sun-baked outback lies a fiery secret. Discover the remarkable history of how a rugged desert nation came to produce over 90 per cent of the world's finest precious opals.
Catalyst Metals Plutonic Expansion Strategy Gains a 2 Million Ounce Reserve Base
Catalyst Metals now has 2 million ounces of Reserves behind its Plutonic plan. The harder job is turning them into 200,000 ounces of gold a year.
Silver Market Pressure Intensifies as Long-Term Moving Average Support Fails
Silver’s five-hour chart points to weakening momentum, with prices below the 200-period moving average and close to a support level that could shape the next move.
Gold Price Momentum Loss: Oil Inflation Impact on Gold and Fed Tightening Gold Forecast
Gold fell as much as 4% in one session. Oil, bond yields and Fed hike bets did the damage together, and this week's data may decide what follows.
Orica Reshapes North America Supply and Asset Strategy
Orica has secured vital ammonium nitrate volumes to support contracted miners and industrial clients across North America into FY2027. Through manufacturing integration and strict commercial cost discipline, the explosives leader shields underlying margins against regional supply inflation
Indonesia Resource Trade Oversight Shift Led by Former BHP Engineer in $100B Market Reform Strategy
One agency will check the roughly 100 vessels leaving Indonesia every day. Its new boss is confident the agency will find where value has leaked.
Gold·
Smart Mining Evolution: Barrick Integrates AI Operating System Across North American Gold Assets
Barrick’s North American business has selected Avathon’s Autonomy Platform to connect decisions across exploration, production, maintenance and supply chains, with mining professionals retaining operational control.production, maintenance and supply chains, with mining professionals retaining operational control. test