Shares in Africa focused mine developer Ferrex shot up over 20 per cent today as it revealed positive results from two projects.

Copper Development Corporation is a fully-funded, AIM-listed gem whose efforts in the Philippines don’t really seem to be receiving the market recognition they deserve. Chairman Mitch Alland tells us that CDC is essentially two exciting copper investments in one.  

VANE Minerals’ discovery of copper at its McGhee Peak acreage is a significant milestone but much more work needs to be done, said broker Northland.

The next decade will be all about sweating assets for the world’s major miners, according Citigroup, which this morning gave its long-term assessment of the industry.

The Šturec deposit is part of the group’s flagship Kremnica project which is located in central Slovakia. Ortac today said that a scoping study confirms that it would be a robust and profitable project.

VANE Minerals confirmed this morning that its Wate and Rose uranium projects are unaffected by proposed legislative changes that will see the withdrawal of 1 million acres of federal land in northern Arizona from mining activities.

The discovery of a copper porphyry deposit from one of 22 untested targets in Arizona and New Mexico could transform the valuation of VANE Minerals, according to research published today by Allenby Capital.

Market observers believe 2012 will be a year for the large commodity and base miners rather than their small and medium-sized counterparts.

Wolf Minerals says its proposed new tungsten mine in Devon has passed a major milestone with the arrangement of £55 million of project finance.

Beacon Hill Resources is looking for new properities in Mozambique after its rapid turnaround of Minas Moatize where shipments started this week.

The sell-off in the small-cap sector has been indiscriminate – so the market’s success stories have been battered alongside the market’s basket cases. A prime example of this irrational behaviour in action is Ormonde Mining, which has achieved everything it set out to accomplish a year ago, yet has seen its value tumble by 14 per cent in 2011.

Kincora Copper's flagship asset is the Bronze Fox deposit in Mongolia, which is in the same geological neighbourhood as the giant Oyu Tolgoi mine, just over 100 miles to the north-east. Oyu Tolgoi is the world’s largest undeveloped copper deposit, which also contains an estimated 46 million ounces of gold.

The revised offtake agreement with partner Global Coke is a positive endorsement of the quality from the Minas Moatize mine in Mozambique according to broker Collins Stewart.

Beowulf Mining’s chairman says the company will start more drilling on its Kallak iron ore deposit as soon as it receives the proceeds of its recent placing.

Investec rates both Rio and BHP Billiton as ‘buys’ but it has reduced its price targets for the two shares

VANE Minerals is elephant hunting, but not in Africa or India. Its stalking ground is America’s porphyry copper province. This is an area that straddles the Arizona-New Mexico border and which is home to 60 per cent of all US production of the metal.

Beowulf Mining has said it will carry on drilling after posting a maiden JORC resource for the northern portion of its Kallak iron ore deposit in Sweden. 

Today’s US$5.1 billion deal should increase the level of professionalism in the diamond industry, according to analysts at Northland Capital. This could potentially benefit other companies in the sector, the broker said.

Tertiary Minerals has passed significant development milestones at its Storuman fluorspar project in the last 18 months, says Seymour Pierce analyst Asa Bridle. The broker today upgraded its target price for the stock from 22 to 30p.

A 60-per cent increase to potential tungsten production at the project in western Spain helped the shares add around 14 per cent to their price by lunchtime today. House broker Fairfax noted that the £33 million market cap firm could be generating between €20 million and €29 million per year over the nine-year life of the project

The miner, which is mainly focused on precious metals in Slovakia, said that the results provide further confidence in its resource model, which currently indicates a resource of 1.1 million ounces of gold equivalent

Ortac Resources said it is embarking on a 1,200 metre drilling programme on its Zlata Bana exploration licence in eastern Slovakia. In total the company’s contractors Drillrock will sink five holes, the aim being to verify the results of previous exploration which points to the existence of gold and silver in bonanza grades. 

Ormonde Mining today revealed positive initial drill results from its Zamora gold project in western Spain, including 12 metres at 3.4 grammes of the yellow metal per tonne.

Kincora Copper (CVE:KCC) Tuesday announced an exploration update at its Bronze Fox project in Mongolia, as it named Igor Kovarsky as president and CEO.

Ortac Resources' current share price fails to reflect the full potential of the group and that of its Kremnica gold project in Slovakia, according to broker Seymour Pierce.

Rio Tinto, Glencore and European Goldfields are UBS’s top picks in the mining sector. In a note out today the Swiss bank said the outlook for commodities and mining had “turned more constructive”.

Investors are once again buying into the potential of Beowulf Mining and its iron ore deposits in Sweden. The stock is up 65 per cent so far this week, with a positive market study lighting the blue touch-paper under a 26 per cent rise in the share price today to 41 pence.

Shares in the Swedish minerals explorer surged ahead this afternoon. On Friday, broker HB Markets issued an upbeat research note detailing Beowulf’s iron ore projects

AIM and Toronto-listed Nautilus Minerals said it has raised C$27.6 million via a private placement of shares. It is part of a much larger cash call to bring in more than C$98 million before expenses. This injection of funds will help bankroll the development of Nautilus’ seafloor resource production system.