Platinum Hits Two-Month High on Supply Fear
Source: Reuters, Frank Tang  (8/20/12)
"Platinum prices jumped nearly 2% on Monday, hitting a two-month high after deadly violence at a mine in South Africa triggered heavy speculative buying on supply worries." More >

How a US Oil Refinery Got Saved and a Supply Shutdown Averted
Source: Keith Schaefer, Oil & Gas Investments Bulletin  (8/20/12)
"This is a textbook lesson that polarized stakeholders in the Northern Gateway and Keystone pipelines should be reviewing. If they could work together like this, there would be environmental and economic security—and commerce would flow." More >

Geothermal in South America: Major Prospects for Development
Source: Alt Energy Stocks, Meg Cichon  (8/20/12)
"South American countries are set to develop their vast geothermal potential. Will developers be able to acquire investment and favorable policy?" More >

How to Profit from an Alternative to Chemotherapy
Source: Ray Blanco, The Penny Sleuth  (8/20/12)
"Companies with breakthrough platforms enjoy the ability to leverage the platforms into many new therapies; if well managed they can grow for many years and continue to build value for their shareholders." More >

Love Trade Cools as Central Banks' Gold Demand Heats Up
Source: Frank Holmes, U.S. Global Investors  (8/20/12)
"As we enter the 'Love Season' for gold, we'll look for any indications from government policies that might spur the continuation of the long-standing tradition of gold buying for weddings, births and festivals." More >

These Five Biotech Firms Will Literally Change the World
Source: Michael Robinson, Money Morning  (8/20/12)
"In the very near future we will have a wide array of new drugs, devices and biotech systems that will save the human race from disease and premature death. We also will be able to make money by investing in these breakthroughs." More >

Long-Term Technical Outlook for Gold and Silver Is Rosy
Source: Jordan Roy-Byrne, The Daily Gold  (8/19/12)
"The fact that gold and silver are unlikely to break to new highs anytime soon hardly deters me in my bullish enthusiasm for select gold and silver stocks." More >

More Rare Earth Players Expected
Source: China Daily, Wang Zhuoqiong  (8/18/12)
"China's preeminent position in rare earths exports is likely to change after a couple of mining operations in the United States and Australia begin to produce the materials next year." More >

Six Disruptive Biotech Stocks: Ray Blanco
Source: George S. Mack, The Life Sciences Report  (8/18/12)
Imagine a novel discovery or even a novel platform that just fizzles. To a technology freak like me that sounds so disappointing—to think that you can actually discover breakthrough ideas that are not disruptive and don't really change much. I recently spoke to Ray Blanco, who was so inquisitive as a kid in the 1960s that he built a Wilson cloud chamber in his parents' basement to detect vapor trails revealing movement of subatomic particles. He's still at it, but now it's about building financial models to assess the value and prospects of innovative companies. Today, as an editor and contributor to several investment publications at Agora Financial, Blanco is satisfying his still-healthy curiosity by finding small-, mid-, and even a few large-cap tech stocks with the potential to usher in new paradigms and make significant returns for investors. More >

IAEA Says Nuclear Safety Improving
Source: Swagato Chakravorty, Energy & Capital  (8/17/12)
"The IAEA plan asks that all nuclear nations institute immediate and thorough reviews of all operational plants, especially with a view to their resistance to natural forces." More >

$2,000 Gold Will Soon Kickstart Mining Shares: Michael Fowler
Source: Zig Lambo of The Gold Report  (8/17/12)
The lack of excitement haunting the precious metals and mining shares markets over the past year is expected to change in the next few months, according to Michael Fowler, senior mining analyst with Loewen, Ondaatje, McCutcheon Ltd. In this exclusive interview with The Gold Report, he explains why he expects gold to finally break through the $2,000/ounce barrier in 2013 and how this should affect the mining stocks that he covers. While share prices are generally low across the board now, Fowler tells us about a few of the ones that he expects to shine bright when the market turns. More >

Central Bank Stimulus Hopes Give Boost to Gold
Source: Ben Traynor, BullionVault  (8/17/12)
"Gold traded just below $1,620/oz during Friday morning's London session, very slightly below where it ended last week amid renewed speculation over central bank stimulus measures." More >

Barrick Gold in Talks with China over African Stake
Source: The Canadian Press  (8/17/12)
"Barrick Gold Corp. is in talks that could result in the sale of its majority holding in spinoff African Barrick Gold Plc to China's largest gold producer." More >

Role of Gold in a Bear Market
Source: Adam Hamilton, Zeal Intelligence  (8/17/12)
"Though the old standby of holding cash during bears remains fine, gold's returns have been far superior." More >

Rare Earth Production Lull Hits South China
Source: China Daily  (8/17/12)
"Rare earth production is in the doldrums in many Chinese provinces, including the southern province of Guangdong, which is a major rare earth producer."
More >

Why Are Gold, Silver Mining Share Prices Not Moving Higher? Part II
Source: Julian Phillips, Gold Forecaster  (8/17/12)
"Several silver and gold mines link dividend payments to profit and to the gold and silver prices and have seen their share prices outperform their competitors who do not follow this practice." More >

U.S. Oil and Gas Put Squeeze on Alternative Energy
Source: Kent Moors, Oil & Energy Investor  (8/17/12)
"Normally, when oil and gas prices accelerate on both sides of the Atlantic, alternative energy sources come into focus and become a big part of that 'energy independence' discussion. Not this time." More >

Are Central Banks Still Hoarding Gold?
Source: Eric McWhinnie, Wall St. Cheat Sheet  (8/17/12)
"A new report shows global gold demand fell in the second quarter from prior year levels. While some investors were discouraged by the price action, central banks were more attracted to gold than ever before." More >

Potash Supply Glut Delays New Vale Project
Source: Dorothy Kosich, Mineweb  (8/17/12)
"However, Saskatchewan Minister of the Economy Bill Boyd says he still sees 'significant ramping up of spending between the existing players and new entrants.'" More >

Why M&A Flurry Has Top MKM Analyst Smiling All the Way to the Bank
Source: George S. Mack of The Life Sciences Report  (8/16/12)
Sometimes bigger is better. In this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report, Senior Analyst and Managing Director Dr. Jon LeCroy of MKM Partners points to mergers and acquisitions that have bolstered stock prices and singles out biotech and specialty pharma companies of all sizes that could generate significant returns for investors by addressing unmet medical needs with innovative solutions. More >

Who's Afraid of Middle East Oil? Not David Popowich
Source: The Energy Report Staff  (8/16/12)
Some companies will go wherever the oil is—even if that means venturing into war-torn areas. Junior explorers ahead of the game can generate major shareholder value for investors who don't place a circle-slash over the entire Middle East. If you're ready to enter the fray, Macquarie Capital Markets Analyst David Popowich can help you plan your attack. Get his debriefing on Egypt, Kurdistan and which junior explorers to watch for in this exclusive interview with The Energy Report. More >

IAEA Sees Strong Interest in Nuclear Power Despite Fukushima
Source: Reuters, Fredrik Dahl  (8/16/12)
"Almost 30 countries are considering or planning to introduce nuclear energy as interest remains strong despite last year's Fukushima accident, the United Nations' atomic agency said." More >

On the Ground in the Yukon: Part 1
Source: Kip Keen, Mineweb  (8/16/12)
"On site in the Yukon, Mineweb reporter Kip Keen takes a tour of the Yukon's operating mines and some of its leading exploration projects." More >

Platinum ETFs Take Off
Source: Eric Dutram, Zacks Investment Research  (8/16/12)
"ETF investors saw outsized trading in the physically backed commodity of platinum with the ETF Securities Physical Platinum Shares Fund." More >

Evaluating the Wisdom of Buying Gold
Source: Frank Holmes, U.S. Global Investors  (8/16/12)
"Even before the height of the global crisis, there was a 'wise crowd' of institutional and individual investors who had been buying gold as a safe haven from currency risks and the trillions of dollars invested in derivatives, and as a way to recycle petrodollars." More >