Ken Chernin Shares Extraordinary Stories of Tungsten and Fluorspar
Source: Sally Lowder of The Critical Metals Report  (10/9/12)
Tungsten and fluorspar may sound like dry subjects, but Jennings Capital Analyst Ken Chernin makes them positively magical. In this Critical Metals Report exclusive, Chernin transports us from Morocco to the dazzling Newfoundland coast, to "Tungsten Town" in Northern Canada. Along the way, we'll meet visionary leaders who work miracles with project logistics, winning fiercely loyal talent in the process. The two critical materials parallel the rare earths investment thesis, but Chernin's picks are more than a bet on shifting Chinese policy—they are compelling stories involving a war metal-turned global growth staple. More >

Iran's Currency Collapse Has All the Markings of a Full-Blown Crisis
Source: Kent Moors, Money Morning   (10/9/12)
"Oil sanctions and ever-tighter restrictions to international banking have had a devastating impact on the rial, Iran's currency. Riots have begun and its economy is unraveling." More >

EU Backs Away from Stricter Offshore Oil, Gas Rules: MEPs
Source: Jane Morecroft and Kimberly Peterson, Platts  (10/9/12)
"The energy committee voted to switch from a detailed, technical regulation to a more flexible directive that will allow countries to adapt the rules to existing systems." More >

Infographic: Gold as an Investment
Source: Visual Capitalist  (10/9/12)
"As central banks continue to increase the money supply in today's economic climate, investors continue to turn to gold as a safe haven for their investments." More >

How a Mosquito’s Sting Could Spread Health
Source: Josh Grasmick, Penny Sleuth  (10/9/12)
"How in the world could this little pest affect your life, other than whiz in your ear, suck your blood, inflict an itchy bite, transfer a deadly disease. . .or meet a justified smack? And how could it play a role in the marketplace?" More >

Gold and Silver Will Soon Line Investors' Pockets: Jordan Roy-Byrne
Source: Zig Lambo of The Gold Report  (10/8/12)
Even though the mining equity markets have been choppy and mostly sideways this year, Jordan Roy-Byrne, CMT and editor of The Daily Gold Premium newsletter, has managed to produce some enviable returns in his model portfolio. In this exclusive interview with The Gold Report, he tells us why he's now turning his attention to silver, which he expects will provide some exciting returns for producers and investors. He talks about some of his favorite names and how companies with cash and cash flow will be able to scoop up some great property deals from less-fortunate juniors. More >

The Opposing Forces Behind Gold's Bull Market
Source: Clif Droke  (10/8/12)
"Gold loves inflation, and any increase in monetary liquidity in the global financial system will be reflected in an increasing gold price sooner or later." More >

Fed QE and Gold, Silver
Source: Adam Hamilton, Zeal Research   (10/8/12)
"Throughout history, gold and silver have maintained their real purchasing power as money-supply growth lifted prices all around them. They are like battleships on the seas—no matter how high the ocean of paper currencies under them rises, they still float commandingly on top." More >

10 Countries Sitting on Gigantic Piles of Gold
Source: Business Insider, Mamta Badkar  (10/8/12)
"According to the World Gold Council, global central banks bought 157.5 tonnes of gold in the second quarter, up 63% quarter-over-quarter and up 137.9% year-over-year." More >

Increasing Demands of the Alternative Energy Sector
Source: Nicole Engbert, Resource Investor  (10/8/12)
"There has been a growing focus within the Canadian mineral exploration industry toward supplying materials for the high-tech and alternative technology sectors." More >

Gold Traders Bullish but 'Caution Advised'
Source: Adrian Ash, BullionVault  (10/8/12)
"Speculators in the U.S. gold futures and options market raised their betting, taking their net long position (of bullish minus bearish positions) to its highest level since August 2011 at the equivalent of 941 tons." More >

John Williams on Lies, Damned Lies and the 7.8% Unemployment Rate
Source: JT Long of The Gold Report   (10/8/12)
Shadowstats.com Author John Williams wonders if politics are at play behind the latest jobs report, which shows 114,000 new U.S. jobs since September and a 0.3% drop in unemployment since August. Investors need to know how seasonal factors and month-to-month volatility affect the Bureau of Labor Statistics' reports. In this exclusive interview with The Gold Report, Williams explains why he doubts that we are in a recovery. The take-away? Look at the unadjusted figures before you sell your gold. More >

Ghana's Gold Sparks Conflict with Illegal Chinese Miners
Source: Bloomberg, Pauline Bax  (10/8/12)
"Small-scale mining is reserved for Ghanaian nationals as the law allows foreigners only to provide goods and services to Ghanaian miners. Chinese-made gold mining equipment has quickly become popular in mining towns including Tarkwa, which is near Ghana's biggest gold mine, run by Gold Fields Ltd." More >

New Technique Reveals Lithium in Action
Source: R&D, David Chandler  (10/8/12)
"This new method for studying the reactions of such batteries in detail could help researchers in their quest to design better batteries." More >

3-D Printing Has Now Reached Critical Mass
Source: Michael Robinson, Money Morning  (10/8/12)
"The U.S. remains the clear leader in 3-D printing. The technology will help everyone live longer and healthier lives, and it will transform manufacturing as it brings jobs back to the U.S." More >

Will the Parti Québécois Alter Québec's Mine-Friendly Policies?: Eric Lemieux
Source: Brian Sylvester of The Gold Report  (10/5/12)
A plan to build roads into mining projects. Tax breaks for junior mining companies. Does the return to power of the Parti Québécois signal the end to the province's mining-friendly policies? Unlikely, according to Eric Lemieux, equity analyst with Laurentian Bank Securities. In this exclusive interview with The Gold Report, Lemieux says that even if the PQ tweaks current policy, it will take time, and he believes there are plenty of good stories to tell and invest in before that happens. More >

Rare Earths Could Be a Pawn in Island Spat. . .Again
Source: GoldSeek, Heiko Ihle  (10/5/12)
"As China and Japan continue to ratchet up tensions over a group of disputed islands in the East China Sea, many investors may be wondering how the dispute could affect the marketplace." More >

Gold Backs Off 11-Month High
Source: BDLive, Clare Hutchison  (10/5/12)
"Gold fell from an 11-month high hit earlier on Friday after the U.S. jobless number fell to the lowest in nearly four years, but prices steadied at lower levels as the employment data was not seen altering a low interest-rate environment." More >

Gold Traders More Bullish as Holdings Reach Record
Source: Bloomberg, Nicholas Larkin  (10/5/12)
"Investors are holding the most metal ever through gold-backed exchange-traded products after buying 85.4 Mt last month, the most since July 2011." More >

Confidence Game
Source: Eric Coffin, HRA Journal  (10/5/12)
"After months of nothing but ugly, the market for resource stocks finally took a meaningful turn for the better." More >

Much-Hyped Renal Denervation Devices Could Help Diabetics, Too
Source: Fierce Medical Devices, Damian Garde  (10/5/12)
"Renal denervation devices, designed to treat hypertension, are already tabbed for big sales in that sphere--$2.8 billion by 2020, analysts say. Now, new research suggests the nerve-deadening procedure could benefit diabetics, an even larger patient population." More >

The Solar Silver Thrust
Source: Jeff Clark, Casey Research  (10/5/12)
"In early July, Japan announced that utility companies would be paid three times more for electricity sourced from solar. It's widely expected that the premium will ignite the use of solar power—and solar uses a lot of silver." More >

The End of High-Grade Antimony Reserves in China—The Real Low Down
Source: Kip Keen, Mineweb  (10/5/12)
"There has been a lot of hype about the state of Chinese antimony mining, but the facts are hard to find." More >

How a Switch Back to Coal Could Halt the Natural Gas Rally
Source: Keith Schaefer, Oil & Gas Investments Bulletin  (10/5/12)
"When will electricity producers in the U.S. switch from natural gas back to coal? It's an important question this week as natural gas prices are breaking out above recent lows." More >

Energy Technologies with a Competitive Edge: James McIlree
Source: Peter Byrne of The Energy Report   (10/4/12)
Anyone who's ever endured a 20-minute blackout knows how important non-stop energy is to a modern economy. Nonetheless, the U.S. energy grid is deteriorating, says Analyst James McIlree of Dominick & Dominick. The bright side is that companies are stepping up to make sure that hospitals, phone service providers and similarly energy-reliant businesses will never have to let their customers down. In this exclusive interview with The Energy Report, McIlree zeroes in on Acorn Energy Inc., a holding company with a portfolio of names that offer much-needed solutions from energy sourcing to delivery. More >