Gold leads exploration surge amid economic uncertainty
Gold has experienced the most investment in exploration of any commodity in Australia during the September quarter. Exploration for gold increased by 17 per cent to $356 million compared with the 6 per cent quarter-on-quarter increase across all minerals (to $702 million), according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data. However, the largest increase in exploration expenditure was on silver, lead and zinc (up 56 per cent to $13 million), followed by nickel and cobalt (up 17 per cent to $49 million). Total mineral expenditure for the September quarter rose by 3 per cent on the prior corresponding period despite the ... (full story)