COMMODITIES

China's Rare Earths Limits Challenged

Between February and March this year, petrol costs have risen by 3%, causing a downward drift in the Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment index. This has many economists worrying, as the fear of recession looms and unemployment figures do not look too uplifting either.

Your editor went to a university financed by and named after Alan Bond. And received a scholarship from an infamous investment bank to do it.

Forget all the noise and protests about coal seam gas and fracking in the US, there's a much more important development at work, one that could change the world as we know it.

Is it really the falling prices of rare earths in the global market that might push China to reconsider its export policies, or the threat that the U.S. and Australia might overtake it as the world's rare earths hub?

A high rise in the oil market shot the crude oil prices above $ 102 a barrel in Asia. The rise in the crude oil prices come as Iran decided to increase threats to cut the supply of crude oil to many of the European countries from the region after sanctions were imposed by the European Union against the Iranian energy and banking sectors.

The two sides of the resources boom were clearly on display yesterday in the interim figures from iron ore exporter Fortescue Metals Group and the full year result from copper-gold group OZ Minerals.

U.S. stocks pared losses to inch higher as investors digested headlines over a Greek debt-restructuring deal that would allow the euro-zone country to avoid a default.

Could the gold boom of the past 10 years be about to peak?

Chesapeake Energy, the second-largest producer of natural gas in North Texas' Barnett Shale, has plans of selling off one of its pipeline units, Appalachia Midstream Services, L.L.C., to Chesapeake Midstream Partners LP. Chesapeake Midstream Partners LP is the entirely owned Chesapeake Midstream Development, L.P. subsidiary of that holds its Marcellus Shale midstream assets.

From Morrison Securities Pty. Ltd.U.S. stocks gained after investors took heart from stronger U.S. economic data, but fell off session highs after the head of the International Monetary Fund stoked fears that Europe's sovereign-debt crisis is worsening.

Gold output from small-scale producers in Zimbabwe has helped the African country's overall deliveries to rise for November by contributing over 50 percent to total output, according to a recent report by the African Development Bank (AfDB).

From Stan Shamu, Markets Strategist, IG MarketsGlobal markets extended their losses overnight on deepening concerns about the European debt crisis, after a poorly-received German debt sale. Germany failed to find buyers for 35% of the bonds it offered at an auction. There was also a swathe of disappointing economic data, with European services and manufacturing output shrinking for a third month, US durable goods orders falling and unemployment claims topping forecasts.

Oil grabbed the attention last week in New York with the first move above the $US100 a barrel mark for the first time in four months.

For economic and strategic reasons, the U.S. must rebuild its rare earth minerals supply chain, Senate staffers were told by the United States Magnetic Materials Association.

A new proposal would expand offshore drilling in U.S. waters, but it's drawing fire from supporters as well as critics of the oil and gas industry.

Wood could become a commercially viable biofuel and serve as a substitute for corn and sugar cane by 2020 if efforts are made to develop it, a study by University of British Columbia says.

Florida-based asset management firm Stonehenge Capital Management (SCM) announced Monday that its new direction-neutral hedge fund strategy called Forward Curve Realignment (FCR) resulted in strong returns one month after its launching.

Victorian-based Rex Minerals has upgraded its plans for its low grade but huge Hillside copper prospect on Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, potentially doubling the original production forecasts.

Fueled by fears over the continuing and escalating global financial meltdown, prices of gold are projected to increase by end of this year and way into 2012 as investors turn to the metal commodity to assure their financial capabilities. Mining companies said the precious commodity may hit $2,000 an ounce by end 2011, and further hike to $2,300 an ounce by the close of 2012.

China aims to contribute to ending world hunger and malnutrition by cultivating a super grain capable of yielding an output of 15 tons per hectare come 2020.

Australia’s growing economic relationship with Asian markets, specifically with China and India, fuelled the country’s fifth trade surplus in July, which economists described as both steady but mostly insignificant movement.

A study by researchers at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom theorises that a meteor shower 3.9 million years ago was the source of previous metals on the planet Earth.

No wonder Chinese companies are back in commodity markets, especially base metals and the best indicator of all, copper.

A surprising aerodynamic innovation in wind turbine design called the 'wind lens' could triple the output of a typical wind turbine, making it less costly than nuclear power.

Romania's president wants to mine for gold in Transylvania — even if it means destroying a 2,000-year-old Roman mine and historic site in the process.

Politicians have raised fresh questions about the role of coal seam gas in Australia's energy future.

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Unlike BlueScope Steel, which has cut the value of its assets by around $900 million and warned of a major restructuring to be announced next week, rival steelmaker, OneSteel has been quietly hacking away at costs without the too much publicity.