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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.
The global copper market is entering a period of structural transformation that challenges historical pricing models. As we look toward 2026, the convergence of chronic mine-side…
The global mining industry has entered a transformative period in 2026, where Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting has shifted from a marketing-driven voluntary exercise to…
The global nickel market, long characterized by the relentless expansion of Indonesian supply, is entering a period of fundamental structural realignment. As we look toward 2026,…
The global uranium market is entering 2026 defined by a transition from speculative sentiment to a hard-coded structural deficit. For over a decade, the nuclear fuel…
SANTIAGO, Chile : Codelco, Chile’s state-owned mining giant, has officially revised the development timeline for its flagship Maricunga lithium project, pushing the expected start of production…
SANTIAGO/LONDON : Copper prices spiked to a record high of $13,940 per metric ton on the London Metal Exchange (LME) on Tuesday, as a "perfect storm"…
Gold has entered a new era of structural support, with prices stabilizing around the $4,000/oz level as 2026 approaches. This valuation shift is not merely a…
Malaysia’s government has launched a formal investigation into a US$96 million supply agreement between Lynas Rare Earths (ASX: LYC) and the United States Department of Defense…
As the global economy shifts toward a compute-heavy future, the fundamental infrastructure of the digital age is hitting a physical wall. Copper, the "red metal" essential…
The year 2026 marks a structural shift in the U.S. mining industry, as decades of regulatory gridlock begin to clear under a wave of aggressive permitting…
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