A lot of press in recent weeks about solar power finally getting price-competitive with fossil fuels. Due to rapidly falling production costs for solar cells. That’s largely due to cheap manufacturing in China. And several news items this week suggest that nation doesn’t just want to supply the renewable energy revolution — China wants to own the … Read more

I wrote a few weeks ago about record slowdowns in gold sales across India. With buyers in the world’s number-one consuming nation holding off on purchases ahead of an expected cut in import taxes from the federal government. And yesterday we got the decision from India’s officials on the gold tax. Although it wasn’t at all … Read more

China moved to cut zinc and nickel output. Production will be shuttered as part of an anti-pollution drive. Energy private equity changed strategy. Investors are partnering directly with E&Ps, showing shale opportunities may be dwindling. Queensland got tougher on miners. The world-leading exploration regime unveiled new rules on reclamation and financial guarantees. The North Sea saw $1.35 billion in deals. Private equity firm Blue Water … Read more

Lots of important news in the resource space this week. With the tossing of tougher U.S. frack rules being one of the biggest developments in the shale patch for a long while. Elsewhere, the South American nation of Colombia signed a long-awaited peace accord. Which could open up some of the world’s top terrain for exploration … Read more

Many investors will be shocked at a new report this week. Showing that investment in the downtrodden natural resources sector is actually hitting record highs right now. Research firm Preqin, as covered by Law360, reported that resource-focused private equity funds have raised an incredible $28 billion so far in 2015. That lofty figure puts resource investors … Read more

Asia’s emerging Silk Road corridor may be one of the biggest developing stories in natural resources. And this week saw one of the first big deals in this space since China announced the initiative earlier this year. That came in Kazakhstan. Where a slate of Chinese companies announced agreements in the country’s world-leading uranium industry. CGN Mining, a … Read more

The mining sector in one of the world’s most important platinum, gold and coal nations is in an uproar this week. After the government surprised the industry with some controversial changes Friday. The place is South Africa. Where the national government published a draft of a new Mining Charter for the country’s industry late last week … Read more

In March 2014, I reported on the first-ever modern offshore oil and gas licensing round in the Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar. And this week, we saw the first big discovery to come out of this emerging play. That came from Australia’s Woodside Petroleum. Which said Monday it has hit significant natural gas pay in its … Read more

It’s been an on-again, off-again battle — but one of the world’s largest and most critical new energy infrastructure projects got off the ground this week. That’s a 770-kilometer crude oil pipeline in the Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar. Owned and built by China — and giving that country unprecedented access to crude flows in … Read more

The biggest story in gold the past year has been India. With the world’s former largest gold importer seeing a 21% fall in shipments during 2016, to just 676 tonnes. But news this week suggests India’s gold demand is coming back to life — for the first time in nearly a year. Preliminary statistics on … Read more