Staring into the abyss.
EPA/ROLAND WEIHRAUCH
The US has already tried to save a steel industry, and its undercooked response holds some valuable lessons.
Is the coal train leaving town?
CSIRO
We hear a lot about how essential coal and other mineral exports are for Australia. Is it true? Only for a relatively small section of the population.
Magnetic rare earths are used in the production of magnets found in mobile phones.
Barn Images/Flickr
The magnetic group of rare earths, used in the production of powerful magnets, will be a driver for the market into the future.
Graphite can be converted into synthetic diamonds used in manufacturing.
Yves Herman/Reuters
Australia needs to move beyond mining graphite and invest in processes that convert it into synthetic diamonds and use it to create carbon fibres.
Africa contributes the least of any continent to climate change – but it also has the least resources to manage it.
Shutterstock
Scenarios on global trends over the next 20 years point to some serious challenges for Africa. Whatever actually happens, it’s important for the continent to put in place mitigation strategies.
Lithium is used in Tesla Energy batteries for businesses and utility companies.
Patrick Fallon/ Reuters
If Australia investments in technology to recycle and lease lithium, it could capitalise on its increasing use in batteries.
Haulage truck at the Rio Tinto West Angelas iron ore mine in the Pilbara region of West Australia.
ALAN PORRITT/AAP
Even if the price of iron ore remains low, Australia is still well placed to benefit from this resource in the future.
Dormant: oil rigs in North Dakota stand idle due to a crash in global oil prices.
Andrew Cullen/Reuters
Cheap gas is traditionally a boost for the U.S. economy but this time the economy could be badly hurt because of the domestic drilling boom and financial bets made by the oil & gas industry.
Reuters/Mike Hutchings
The decline in commodity prices means African countries must work that much harder to encourage both local and foreign smaller and junior mining companies.
Joining forces.
shutterstock.com
While oil prices have halved over the past year, the number of mergers and acquisitions has most definitely not.
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There could be trouble ahead.
Gold: not the safe haven it was once considered to be.
Neil Hall/Reuters
The best answer for dealing with a volatile market is to do nothing.
‘Heave away boys …’
PHOTOCREO/Michal Bednarek
With the economic dashboard flashing red, here’s the route to safety.
Crude health.
REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed
Oil exporters have had a tough year … but there is hope for economic reform via the Islamic bond market.
The sun has long set on the commodities boom.
REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
Anglo American has announced it will cut 85,000 jobs worldwide, as profits slump and mining communities bear the brunt of the commodities crunch.
Excavators and drillers at work in a copper and cobalt mine near Lubumbashi. Mineral resources are a big part of the DRC’s economy.
Reuters/Jonny Hogg
The fall in commodity prices has hit the DRC hard. This is a lesson to resources-dependent countries in Africa that they need to diversify their economies.
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The love affair with gold as a financial instrument can be traced back for centuries.
Don Featherstone, the creator of the iconic lawn ornament, died in June.
Ryan Hyde/flickr
Through the years, the iconic lawn dweller has migrated across a range of tastes.
Treasurer Joe Hockey must weigh all aspects of Australia’s economy in his budget.
AAP/Lukas Coch
As we head into the federal budget tonight, all eyes will be on how the Coalition government might tackle some challenging economic data affecting Australia’s economy.
Agriculture remains a major employer in Australia but the challenges of competition, food security and climate change are on the horizon.
AAP image/supplied by Graincorp
As the Coalition government prepares its second budget, how is the “five pillar” economy promised by Tony Abbott faring?