mineral exploration project – commodity prices – mining stock- trade and market

Cliffs Natural Resources Inc., North America’s largest iron-ore producer, said it’s still in talks with customers about how they will pay for the steelmaking raw material after a four-decade-old annual price system ended.

Changes to the pricing of iron ore and coking coal are “resulting in a more fluid and uncertain near-term pricing environment for these commodities,” the Cleveland-based company said today in a statement.

Gold declined in New York as signs that the global economic recovery is taking root curbed investor demand for the metal as a means of protecting wealth and as yesterday’s gain dampened physical purchases.

Gold yesterday rose 1.2 percent, the most in more than three weeks. Singapore’s government today raised the forecast for full-year economic growth to as much as 15 percent, while Intel Corp. reported record second-quarter sales and topped analysts’ estimates with its forecast for the coming period. Asian shares gained and U.S. index futures rose. European stocks were down 0.5...

Macarthur Coal Ltd., the world’s largest producer of pulverized coal used by steelmakers, raised its full-year profit forecast as sales increased, bolstering speculation the company may be a takeover target.

Profit, excluding accounting adjustments, may be between A$115 million ($96 million) and A$125 million for the 12 months ended June 30, compared with its earlier forecast of A$103 million to A$113 million, Macarthur said today in a statement.

The Brisbane-based company rose 5.2 percent yesterday after Thailand’s Banpu Pcl agreed to buy the rest of Centennial Coal Co. for...

Centennial Coal has accepted a cash offer with a 40 per cent premium from Thailand’s Banpu, valuing the NSW coal miner at $2.4 billion.

As revealed by The Australian on its website earlier today, Centennial confirmed Banpu — Thailand’s biggest coal producer — has offered $6.20 a share for the 80 per cent of the Hunter Valley thermal coal producer it doesn’t already own.

Banpu said it would finance the deal through cash reserves and new and existing credit facilities. JPMorgan is advising Banpu, with UBS advising Centennial.

The Australian sharemarket closed three per cent higher for the week, as middling-to-positive leads from European stocks and Wall Street culminated in a solid weekly close, after China rejected reports it was considering reviewing its European bond holdings.

For the week, the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index gained 3.15 per cent to 4,457.5 points, while the broader All Ordinaries index jumped 7.58 per cent to 4,479 points.

AMP Capital Investors chief economist Shane Oliver said it looked like a correction in equities and commodities prices was under way, and a decent rally was beginning.

Glencore International AG, the world’s largest commodity trader, will buy back a Colombian coal unit from Xstrata Plc, setting the stage for an initial public offering that may value the trading company at $35 billion.

Essar Group said its purchase of Trinity Coal Corp., the Indian company’s first overseas coal mine acquisition, will help lock in raw materials with...

TNR Gold Corp. is pleased to announce that it has engaged British Swiss Investment Corp. to undertake...