Deep-Sea Mining: A New Mineral El Dorado?
Aug 1, 2025
Reading time: 4 mins.
In April 2025, Donald Trump signed an executive order authorizing deep-sea mining, sparking international outrage over a practice with an unclear regulatory framework and uncertain environmental impacts.
Disclaimer: This article has been translated from French to English. The French version is available on Zenon Research.
Key Takeaways from our July Panel Discussion: Financing the Energy Transition
Jul 25, 2025
By Gaia Research Team
Reading time: 4 mins.
Explore the pivotal role of Sustainable Finance and Critical Minerals Investments in driving the energy transition. Our panelists shared invaluable insights on bridging the gap between capital and the resources essential for a sustainable future.
BHP’s Decarbonization Strategy in Chile
Jul 10, 2025
By Gaia Research Team
Reading time: 9 mins.
Few materials are as vital to the energy transition as copper — and nowhere is that more visible than in Chile, where it powers everything from electric vehicles to wind turbines.
In Chile, home to some of the world’s largest copper mines, BHP is leading the charge to make mining more sustainable. Its operations at Escondida and Spence are not just digging up metal—they’re setting a blueprint for "green copper" production. By slashing emissions, switching to renewable energy, and rethinking water use in the arid Atacama Desert, BHP is tackling the mining industry’s biggest environmental challenges. This article dives into BHP’s decarbonization strategy in Chile, exploring its ambitious goals, tangible progress, and the hurdles it faces in a world demanding cleaner resources.
Copper Miners are Hot
Jul 7, 2025
By Laurent MAUREL
Reading time: 10 mins.
In this climate of widespread distrust toward fiscal and monetary policy, gold is once again asserting itself as the ultimate safe haven.
Let’s now turn to recent developments in the mining sector, with a particular focus on the turbulent week experienced by the silver market.
Amid extreme volatility, aggressive futures positioning, and an ongoing sector rotation, several key signals deserve closer analysis.
Nickel 101 - Part II
Jun 12, 2025
By Gaia Research Team
Reading time: 8 mins.
The 2022 LME nickel crisis led to trading suspension and reforms: 15% price limits, new oversight, and six new brands, raising stocks from 40,000 to 230,000 tons by late 2024 (+59% volume). Shanghai’s SHFE challenges LME, opening futures to foreigners in mid-2025; its SMM index sets ferronickel prices. CME, ICE, and Abaxx expand futures, while bilateral markets for Class II (ferronickel, NPI) often use Chinese prices. LME prices for pure nickel misalign with Class II, fueling LME-SHFE arbitrage. Regulatory shifts, like Russian metal bans, disrupt prices.
Nickel 101 - Part I
Jun 12, 2025
By Gaia Research Team
Reading time: 7 mins.
Nickel market faces oversupply until 2027-2028, driven by Indonesia’s production share. LME prices dropped in April 2025, recovering to ~$15,000. INSG forecasts 198,000-ton surplus in 2025. Demand grows 5-8% yearly, but supply outpaces, especially for Class II nickel (NPI, ferronickel). Class I nickel preferred for batteries; ESG concerns limit Indonesian nickel in Western EV chains. LME reforms post-2022 crisis boost stocks; SHFE challenges with globalized futures.
High Costs and Geopolitical Turmoil Shake Investor Confidence in some Gold Miners
May 30, 2025
By Laurent MAUREL
Reading time: 9 mins.
The surge in gold prices is already causing major disruptions in Burkina Faso, both economically and politically. In this increasingly unstable context, it's essential to assess what could change in the short term for the mining industry in a jurisdiction that is becoming more complex and exposed.
What new risks—and potential opportunities—might emerge from this rapidly evolving landscape?
Miners are Starting to Move
May 29, 2025
By Laurent MAUREL
Reading time: 8 mins.
Despite a tense global environment — with persistent inflation, geopolitical tensions, and heightened interest rate uncertainty — the U.S. economy remains broadly resilient.
The uranium sector has emerged as one of the most sought-after plays in the market. The momentum was abruptly reignited by a series of executive orders signed by Donald Trump, aimed at revitalizing and reindustrializing the American nuclear industry. These measures — still in the process of being fully defined — form part of a broader strategy for energy security and reduced reliance on imports, particularly from Russia.
Greenland – Part II: Northern Lights Eldorado
May 23, 2025
By Gaia Research Team
Reading time: 24 mins.
Geologically, Greenland is extraordinarily rich and diverse – so much so that it “would be quicker to list what Greenland doesn’t have” in terms of mineral occurrences (geologyforinvestors.com). From gold and base metals to rare earth elements (REEs) and industrial minerals, deposits are found across the length of the island. However, active mineral sites (those under current exploration, development, or production) are mostly clustered in accessible coastal regions. The inland is dominated by the ice cap and high Arctic mountains, leaving only the ice-free fringe (about 400,000 km²) available for mining (eng.geus.dk).
Within this fringe, certain districts stand out: the far south of Greenland hosts world-class rare earth and precious metal deposits, while the far north above the Arctic Circle holds giant base-metal occurrences.
Several high-value metal projects in Greenland have advanced to late-stage exploration or development, promising significant future production...
Greenland – Part I: Northern Lights Eldorado
May 14, 2025
By Gaia Research Team
Reading time: 7 mins.
The rush is on… but this time it’s not only for gold.
In a global industrial shift rewired by electrification, digitization, and the green transition, demand for critical minerals has moved from background noise to a defining macro driver. Rare earths, graphite, molybdenum, cobalt, nickel, uranium; these aren’t just commodities. They’re the foundational inputs of national security, supply chain resilience, and industrial sovereignty.
In a world racing to secure access to green technologies and strategic reserves, Greenland emerges as more than a frozen outpost. Of the 34 minerals designated as "critical" by the European Commission, 25 have been identified on the island.
A New Gold Rush in China
May 2, 2025
By Laurent MAUREL
Reading time: 10 mins.
This marks a major milestone in China's ongoing strategy of gradual dedollarization. Gold is becoming a central geopolitical tool — both as a means to strengthen the yuan’s monetary sovereignty and as a way to bypass U.S.-dominated financial infrastructure.
The message from Beijing is clear: in the future, the value of the yuan could increasingly be backed by internationally accessible gold reserves, reshaping the global monetary order.
Meanwhile, Chinese demand for gold is surging dramatically. At the same time, China's gold exports are rising significantly as new gold/yuan trading hubs are established with its international partners.In other words, China is gradually seeking to establish itself as a key player in the global gold market. By allowing the international delivery of certain products traded on the Shanghai Gold Exchange, Beijing aims to extend its influence well beyond its borders.
Gold Miners Are Waking Up: 3 Company Spotlights
Apr 25, 2025
By Laurent MAUREL
Reading time: 7 mins.
As the GDX forms a strong bullish engulfing candle, the market appears to be sending a clear signal: capital rotation is underway in favor of the mining sector.
We are likely witnessing the end of a decade-long underperformance of gold mining stocks relative to the broader equity market. All signs point to the beginning of a new bullish cycle — the last of which saw the HUI/SPX ratio (which tracks miners versus the broader market) increase fivefold from current levels.