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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.
Modern silver processing infrastructure reflects the supply constraints behind the 2026 market outlook. Silver price prediction 2026 scenarios remain unusually wide. The consensus case is clustered…
Uranium processing infrastructure in Kazakhstan. The uranium market is sending two different signals in 2026. Spot U₃O₈ prices are trading in the mid-to-high US$80s per pound,…
Copper enters 2026 with two competing forces shaping its outlook. Supply is becoming harder to expand as mature mines face declining grades, operational disruptions and long…
Industrial processing infrastructure is becoming as important to nickel pricing as mine supply. Indonesia’s decision to limit nickel ore output in 2026 has changed the market’s…
An Indonesian bulk carrier loads mineral cargo at an export terminal. Indonesia’s new rare-earth testing requirements have disrupted shipments of nickel products, delaying mandatory surveyor reports…
Copper cathode bundles in a warehouse, where available inventory has become central to price formation. Copper has entered a new phase of market stress, with London…
Exploration drilling underway in Namibia’s Otavi region. Midas Minerals has extended the drill-tested copper-silver mineralisation at its Spaatzu prospect in Namibia to at least 1.2 kilometres…
Mining M&A deals 2026 are increasingly focused on advanced development assets, and OceanaGold’s proposed A$776 million acquisition of Ausgold is among the clearest examples. The transaction…
Representative image: copper-gold exploration drilling in Queensland. Copper exploration company QMines Limited (ASX:QML) has reported a 35-metre intersection grading 2.88% copper at its Mt Chalmers project…
Western Australian gold development landscape with mining infrastructure and exploration activity. Canadian gold and copper producer OceanaGold is buying Australian gold developer Ausgold for A$776 million,…
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