Minerals
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Why the Wall Street Journal is Dead Wrong about Asteroid Mining
Asteroid mining hasn't even gotten off the ground yet.
But it's already drawing some bad - and very misguided - press
I wrote to you last month to tell you about a new startup that wants to mine asteroids for resources that could be worth trillions.
Indeed, as I said, just one of these rocks the size of an art museum could be worth $100 billion. (See "'Mining the Sky' for an Abundant Future.")
I also told you to keep an eye on Planetary Resources and its breakthrough high-tech system as a possible future investment.
Not only does the new firm have the backing of several billionaires, it also has the support of the U.S. government.
And let's not forget our friends across the pond...
This month, the European Space Agency will begin training a team to land on one of these giant space rocks and return with samples for researchers to study. They want to tap asteroids for metals and minerals, too.
Clearly, some very bright leaders all over the world believe "mining the sky" will be a key part of our future.
That's why I still believe the question isn't if we will mine asteroids, but when.
But in a story last Tuesday, none other than The Wall Street Journal tried to cast doubt on the whole concept.
The headline says it all: "Exhausting Earth's Resources? Not So Fast."
The central part of the report is that Earth has more resources than we can dig up in decades.
As a long-time Journal reader, I have to say I was surprised the writer was so naive.
The article focused on only one aspect of space mining - that Earth is running out of resources like gold, silver, and platinum. As I see it, the Journal was bending over backwards to support the current, terrestrial mining industry.
Because there's much more to the story than that...
To continue reading, please click here... -
China Using Government Muscle to Turbo Charge its Auto Industry
Having already supplanted the United States as the world's largest auto market, China is on the fast track to becoming the global leader in hybrid and electric cars.
General Motors and Chrysler were forced into bankruptcy largely because they failed to pursue more fuel-efficient models. Indeed, GM and Chrysler looked wholly unprepared as gas prices soared over $4.00 a gallon in 2008.
As GM emerges from bankruptcy - having been bailed out by the U.S. government - it will put a renewed focus on alternative energy. Unfortunately, it's too late to make a difference. As U.S. car companies sputtered amid the country's economic collapse, carmakers in China raced ahead. And with billions of dollars in government backing, they are the companies that will set the pace for the global auto market.
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Australia Reduces Mining "Super Tax," Reviving Profitability of Resource Sector
Australian mining companies declared a huge win today (Friday) when the government announced the proposed mining "super tax" would be reduced, prompting some companies to reactivate shelved projects and reopen merger and acquisition talks.
Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard agreed on a compromise plan that would reduce the planned tax to 30% of profits from iron ore and coal, and 40% tax on oil and natural gas, down from the originally proposed 40% tax on all resources. The new plan, called the mineral resource rent tax, would also raise the tax's trigger level to profits that exceed a 12% rate of return instead of 6%.
"The reduction in the headline rate is an amazing concession," John Robinson, chairman of Global Mining Investments Ltd., told Bloomberg. "It's certainly better than I had expected."
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Question of the Week: Readers Respond to Money Morning's Afghanistan Mineral Wealth Query
The news that there is $1 trillion of Afghanistan mineral wealth hiding in the country's scarred and deserted landscape has global investors calculating how likely it would be for this incredibly poor country to transform itself into a natural-resources powerhouse.
It has also spawned debates about which nations should be given a piece of this vast apparent fortune.
The discovery - and its transformational potential - is mind-boggling: At $1 trillion, the estimated value of the mineral reserves is 100 times the size of Afghanistan's entire economy, estimated at $12 billion. And it's not just the dollar figures that could bring about change. Much of Afghanistan's economic activities involve drug-trafficking and terrorism. About 40% of the country's population lives below the poverty line, and 70% lives on $2 a day.
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We Want to Hear From You: Is Afghanistan's Mineral Wealth a Blessing or a Curse?
The news that there is $1 trillion of Afghanistan mineral wealth hiding in the country's scarred and deserted landscape has global investors calculating how likely it would be for this incredibly poor country to transform itself into a major global exporter.
It has also spawned debates about which nations should be given a piece of this potential fortune.
At $1 trillion, the estimated value of the mineral reserves is 100 times the size of Afghanistan's $12 billion economy. And it's not just the dollar figures that could bring about change. Much of Afghanistan's economic activities involve drug trafficking and terrorism. About 40% of the country's population lives below the poverty line, and 70% lives on $2 a day.
