Barrick Gold Corp. (NYSE: ABX) announced this morning that it has replaced now-former CEO Aaron Regent and appointed the company’s now-former CFO, Jamie Sokalsky, as the new CEO, effective immediately. Sokalsky will…
The single most important word in world markets for base metals and steel is “China.” With the slow-motion economic recovery in the global economy, the expected 8% or so growth in Chinese…
What happens when you have an appreciating dollar? Commodity prices tend to fall, all other things being equal. But what about when you have a scenario where risk-on investors are not buying…
Gold has been trading in a fairly narrow range between $1,600-$1,700/ounce for the past two months after ending 2011 at around $1,525/ounce. Gold prices spiked to near $1,800/ounce in February, but none…
From a high of around $4.60/pound in February of 2011, copper prices have fallen around $3.60/pound today, which is actually better than the price of around $3.40/pound at the beginning of the…
The metals and materials sector, including miners, has been hit hard by the weaker global economy. China’s manufacturing slowdown, the turmoil in Europe, and slow growth in the US have caused prices…
Of the companies that have so far reported earnings for the last quarter, five from the materials sector have posted surprise earnings upside of more than 15%. That’s according to S&P Capital…
Of the 76 companies included in the S&P 500 index that have reported earnings through last week, 55% have beat expectations according to S&P Capital IQ consensus estimates. The largest year-over-year growth…
Stocks opened higher this morning and have mostly remained in positive territory throughout the day. Reports that China was considering lowering its banks’ capital reserve requirements boosted both Asian and European markets…
Newmont Mining Corp. (NYSE: NEM) is out with its preliminary estimates on 2011 production and an outlook for 2012. In 2011, the company expects gold production of about 5.2 million ounces at…
From a high in February 2011 of about $4.60/pound, copper prices have fallen more than $1/pound to around $3.43/pound today. Prices have fallen for the past two days, primarily on fears that…
This last weekend brought the first waves of picks for 2012. Barron’s issued its “10 Favorite Stocks For 2012” and the stocks were just about all lower on Monday with a very…
For several months now, the world’s largest mining firms have been re-affirming that their businesses are solid and that demand has remained solid. Now, though, the veneer may be cracking. Both Rio…
In mid-October, we took a look at target prices and implied gains among 11 metals and materials stocks. The companies we examined were United States Steel Corp. (NYSE: X), Nucor Corp. (NYSE:…
Stock markets. Equity markets opened sharply higher this morning before falling into negative territory before the ISM and factory order reports were released. The ISM index came in lower than expected, but factory…
