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 >

Smartgrid Stocks to Power Your Portfolio
Source: G.S. Early, Money Morning  (8/16/12)
"High-temperature superconducting wire is to traditional powerline as fiber optic cable is to telephone wire. The capacity is so great you could literally back up a small city on one buried cable." More >

Obstacles Hit Canada-China Energy Investment
Source: Reuters, David Junggren  (8/16/12)
"Unclear investment rules are hampering trade between Canada and China, a study by officials from both countries said." More >

You Say You Want a Revolution, Shale Gas? Here Are Some Things to Do
Source: Bill Holland, Platts   (8/16/12)
"From Reagan to Twitter, the industry needs to use a variety of campaign tools if it wants to win over the broad swath of Americans caught in the middle of the hydraulic fracturing debate, speakers said this week at an industry event in Denver." More >

Optimize Your Gold Portfolio with Ron Struthers' Tips
Source: JT Long of The Gold Report   (8/15/12)
Ron Struthers has crunched the numbers and his indicators are telling him the gold markets are poised for a big jump up. The editor of Struthers' Resource Stock Report called a double-bottom in July and is ready to deploy his liquid reserves so he will be ready for the next bounce. In this exclusive interview with The Gold Report, he makes recommendations for optimal portfolio diversification and names some junior companies set to take off. More >

Why Are Gold, Silver Mining Share Prices Not Moving Higher?
Source: Julian Phillips,Gold Forecaster  (8/15/12)
"The prime reason that institutional investors and wealthy retail investors are buying gold and silver mining shares now is that these will produce a greater total return than the gold and silver prices themselves." More >

Paulson, Soros Add to Gold ETF Positions
Source: Ben Traynor, BullionVault  (8/15/12)
"Soros Fund Management, which sold most of its SPDR Gold Trust position last year, doubled its stake to take it to 884,400 shares." More >

Romney and Coal or Obama and Wind?
Source: Reuters, Steve Holland and Jeff Mason  (8/15/12)
"Republican Mitt Romney vowed to step up coal production while President Barack Obama mocked him for opposing a windmill tax credit, in a rare debate over energy policy on the campaign trail." More >

New Regulations Could Make Biodiesel Juniors More Competitive
Source: Meghan Gordon, Platts  (8/15/12)
"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency expects to propose a regulatory fix aimed at restoring the market for renewable fuel credits after three fraud cases shut out all but the largest biodiesel producers." More >

Biotech Stocks Live (and Die) on the Calendar: Michael Hay
Source: George S. Mack, The Life Sciences Report  (8/15/12)
Since the beginning of the biotech revolution, analysts have kept spreadsheets, tables and calendars to catch the next whiff of data coming out of companies whose futures hang in the balance. I recently interviewed Vice President Michael Hay of Sagient Research Systems for The Life Sciences Report. Hay watches for data and listens to conference calls the same way analysts from investment banks and asset management firms do, but his specialty niche is catalysts. He has concluded that the two most powerful share-price drivers of small companies are pivotal phase 3 data and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel votes. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) date, which is when the FDA delivers its yes or no decision on a drug, is not necessarily the big market mover because most times FDA takes the advice of the advisory committee, which means the news is already baked in. Indeed, the PDUFA date can sometimes trigger a sell-on-the-news effect to knock a stock down from its peak even on good news. More >

Will Your REEs Suffer Molycorp Contagion? Chris Berry Advises Patience
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Critical Metals Report  (8/14/12)
Molycorp's poor performance has impacted the entire rare earth sector. Until the rare earth element "super-cycle" gains steam again, investors need to reset their expectations. In this exclusive Critical Metals Report interview, Chris Berry of House Mountain Partners discusses what really matters in a rare earth element company, and why investors should exercise patience. More >

Who Will Fill the 24 Million Pound Uranium Supply Gap?: David Talbot
Source: Zig Lambo of The Energy Report  (8/14/12)
David Talbot of Dundee Securities sees the tides rising in uranium markets, but not every stock price will recover in-step. Talbot's strategy is to focus on a good story, and he has identified uranium exploration, development and production companies with compelling growth profiles. In this exclusive interview with The Energy Report, Talbot explains why investors should build positions while the spot price is still sluggish. More >

Waterfloods: The Next Big Profit Phase of the Shale Oil Revolution
Source: Keith Schaefer, Oil and Gas Investments Bulletin  (8/14/12)
"Producers are using 'waterfloods'—pushing water into underground formations to flush a large amount of oil out to nearby producing wells—to increase production and profits. It's the next big money-making phase of the Shale Revolution." More >

Pension Funds Harness Wind Power to Drive Returns
Source: Reuters, John Acher  (8/14/12)
"Pension funds hunting for higher returns are buying direct equity stakes in wind power projects that are being shunned as too risky by banks and other investors." More >

S&P Downgrades Molycorp on Liquidity Concerns
Source: Dorothy Kosich, Mineweb  (8/14/12)
"Standard & Poor's lowered its ratings on Colorado-based rare earths producer Molycorp from 'B' to 'CCC+' and placed the rating on CreditWatch 'with developing implications.'" More >

A Company's First Profit Can Mean Big Gains for Investors
Source: Kevin Matras, Zachs Investment Research  (8/14/12)
"Those are the stocks that will likely see the best new demand from new investors: people who are now, all of a sudden, willing to take notice of the stock." More >

Bear Market Conditions Hit Junior Mining Sector
Source: The Vancouver Sun, Gordon Hamilton  (8/14/12)
"Association for Mineral Exploration British Columbia President Gavin Dirom said tough economic conditions have hit the sector again, prompted by worries about Europe's sovereign debt crisis and China's slowing demand for copper." More >

Why the Gasoline ETF Is a Top Performer
Source: Eric Dutram, Zachs Investment Research  (8/14/12)
"A marginally better economic outlook and some Middle East tensions have once again pushed energy prices higher." More >