Dave Forest

Latest articles from Dave

• Asian Copper Buyers: Hurting Miners?

  Published 24 September 2013 | viewed 4,979 times

  Several years ago, Asian mining companies were all the buzz.The idea was that deep-pocketed miners from China, Japan and Korea were going to buy projects…

• Battling for Something Worth Nothing

  Published 23 September 2013 | viewed 3,651 times

  U.S. natural gas continues to be one of the cheapest commodities globally, on a late-historical basis.But despite the low price (in fact, because of it),…

• Pressure is On the World's Last Exploration Frontier

  Published 20 September 2013 | viewed 3,919 times

  Okay, there have been a lot of "world's last exploration frontiers" over the years. But one place that particularly fits the bill might be making…

• Spot the Difference Between These Giant Gold Deposits

  Published 19 September 2013 | viewed 5,913 times

  Very interesting data points this week on two of the world's largest gold projects.First, the negative. In Alaska, major producer Anglo American announced it is…

• Petro-Banking

  Published 17 September 2013 | viewed 4,314 times

  It's surprising who's buying oil assets these days.Not major oil companies. As we've discussed, firms like Apache have been busy divesting projects globally.Brazilian oil heavyweight…

• The Subsea Factory

  Published 16 September 2013 | viewed 4,596 times

  It's tempting to think that all big oil companies are the same. They trade more or less in line with crude prices--with little to differentiate…

• Brazil's Oil: Less Mega Than You Think

  Published 12 September 2013 | viewed 4,787 times

  Word last week that offshore oil players may not be impressed with Brazil's massive pre-salt prospects. At least, not as impressed as Brazilian officials think.Several…

• China Makes Cheap Coal Expensive

  Published 11 September 2013 | viewed 10,238 times

  China has long benefited from cheap thermal coal imports from Indonesia. But that may be coming to an end.The Chinese government last week announced it…

• Is Today the Most Important Date in Financial History?

  Published 09 September 2013 | viewed 4,212 times

  I'm being hyperbolic. A little.Today is the last--and most major--implementation date for new derivatives trading rules in the U.S.Starting this morning, all traders of swaps…

• The Entire Chinese Coal Industry is Bust

  Published 06 September 2013 | viewed 5,370 times

  At least for the time being.Platts reports data this week showing that the current Chinese price for thermal coal (as reflected in the FOB Qinhuangdao…

• Good News For African Mining

  Published 05 September 2013 | viewed 3,582 times

  News last week that Mozambique will be sending electricity across the African continent, to Namibia.The supply will come from a 122 megawatt expansion of a…

• Looking for the Next Mega Oil Play

  Published 04 September 2013 | viewed 7,214 times

  News came out last week that Apache is divesting a big chunk of its Egyptian oil acreage.The company will sell one-third of its rights there…

• The One Thing You Need to Follow in LNG

  Published 03 September 2013 | viewed 5,546 times

  Japan.Last week, Timera Energy put out the excellent chart below. Showing how Japanese demand is the driving force in global gas markets right now.This is…

• What a World Without Nuclear Looks Like

  Published 31 August 2013 | viewed 17,091 times

  In a word, expensive.Platts reports that electricity prices in California jumped 70% during the first half of 2013, year-on-year. Much of the increase apparently related…

• "Kitchen Sink" Time in India

  Published 28 August 2013 | viewed 8,755 times

  Sometimes we have tendency to connect events that may actually be completely random.But sometimes things just seem too connected to be coincidence.That feel is strong…

• Are We On the Verge of an Exploration Boom?

  Published 27 August 2013 | viewed 4,141 times

  Australia's business leaders think it's time for more mineral exploration.The South Australian Chamber of Mines and Energy said last week that the nation needs an…

• 10% of Supply of This Metal Might Vanish

  Published 26 August 2013 | viewed 7,889 times

  We were recently discussing the plight of South African mining. And another graphic illustration of this problem just materialized.Late last week, South African steelmaker Evraz…

• What Do Platinum, Coal, and Manganese Have in Common?

  Published 21 August 2013 | viewed 16,101 times

  There are today a lot of hidden ties between different business sectors and far-flung parts of the world.And I'm increasingly convinced that many of the…

• The Four-Year Gold Curse

  Published 20 August 2013 | viewed 4,163 times

  Very interesting comments this month from one of the gold industry's biggest players.Gold Fields CEO Nick Holland was quoted in South African newspapers talking about…

• Here's The Next Thing in Shale

  Published 19 August 2013 | viewed 5,064 times

  We've talked about unconventional gas drilling underway in Chile. Now it appears another Latin American nation wants to get in on the act: Brazil.U.S. Energy…