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Charles Pitts is the publisher of Skillings Mining Review, the trade journal that has covered mining since 1912. He writes on the macro forces behind metal prices: commodity cycles, sovereign capital and the shifting sources of demand. His current work argues that hyperscale AI, and the gigawatt-scale power its data centres need, is becoming a buyer of lithium and copper in its own right, competing with the automotive supply chain for tier-one reserves.
Indonesia’s 2026 nickel market is being shaped by two separate forces: a structural reduction in permitted ore supply and a potential weather-driven disruption at Morowali. The…
Lithium carbonate processing infrastructure highlights the industrial supply chain behind China’s battery-materials market. Lithium carbonate is trading around the 150,000 yuan ($20,800) per tonne level as…
Diamond drilling at a remote copper exploration site. Recent drill results from Alaska, Arizona, Peru and Canada illustrate why copper exploration is attracting renewed attention: and…
Reported shipment disruptions to U.S. buyers are exposing the processing gaps that new Western rare-earth projects still need to close. A reported halt in some Chinese…
Editorially illustrative view of a Western Australian gold processing hub. Forrestania Resources has completed its A$300 million ($215 million) acquisition of the Edna May Gold Project…
Diamond drilling at a gold exploration site in Côte d’Ivoire. Aurum Resources has reported a high-grade gold intercept at its Boundiali project in Côte d’Ivoire, adding…
Copper processing infrastructure at a large-scale mining and smelting complex. Global copper mine production fell 1.1% in the first half of 2026, even as installed capacity…
Mining operations control room with live production, equipment and performance data. Mining projects are entering a more selective funding cycle. Capital remains available for copper, gold,…
Silver’s price outlook is being shaped by a market that remains physically tight but increasingly exposed to industrial efficiency gains and interest-rate risk. The Silver Institute…
Lithium prices are entering a more uncertain phase as demand from electric vehicles and energy storage rises while project delays limit the amount of new material…
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