Marikana Lonmin is after Palladium- more massacres blame it on the Russians

read and weep at the hysterical first part ,read & learn at the 2nd part. I am not a finance expert Id never be,Id make a lousy one 😉

Just a note: Wasnt  London Based Lonmin the Company responsible for the Marikana massacre? huh? Think for yourselves(comments in italics are all mine)

From MoneyMorning:

All signs now point to a complete depletion of Russia’s palladium reserves at their Gokhran Repository.

That means 42% of the world’s supply of this precious metal may now disappear.

And There is No
“Knight In Shining Armor”

Besides Russia’s crippling palladium shortage, there is a simultaneous crisis happening right now in South Africa.

Riots, uprisings, and a halt in production have put another 38% of the global supply of this precious metal in jeopardy.

The math is truly frightening.[really????]

• 80% of the palladium that is used every year to produce new cars, phones, and computers… [wow]
• 80% of the palladium used by our military and NASA… [jaw-dropped]
• 80% of the palladium that goes into every step of bringing food to our tables, fuel to our vehicles, and a natural gas renaissance to our great nation… [Monsanto labeled food ]

It’s all in a state of emergency.

But history has proven time and time again, that those who control a market with limited supply and nearly unlimited demand can reap unimaginable rewards.

It’s Time to Turn This Russian State Secret into an
Opportunity to Multiply Your Wealth 10x’s Over!

As this palladium crisis worsens, there is a small “David and Goliath” miner the world will have no choice but to turn to…

Because it’s now holding all the cards.

That’s why I want to rush you the intelligence briefing Money Morning’s Natural Resources Director, Peter Krauth, has prepared.

It’s called Russia’s State Secret Exposed: The 1,000% Windfall They Don’t Want You to Know About.

• The Gokhran Cover-Up – Peter Krauth has been tracking down and investigating the intelligence leaks that are slipping out from the highest ranks of the Russian government, as well as from deep inside their palladium mines. He’s going to blow the doors off this cover-up so you can see how far it reaches.[oopsie]You’ll be shown shocking charts, a timeline of palladium depletion that strongly suggests Russia’s reserves are down to zero, plus you’ll see why South Africa will not be able to come to the rescue anytime soon.[oopsie again]

• The Palladium ETF That Shines the Brightest – Peter Krauth has taken the top three palladium ETFs and run them through a series of rigorous tests to see the ideal candidate for your portfolio. [sure does so does for Lonmin’s pocket]He’ll even show you how to transform your shares into real palladium.

• The Incredible Story of the “David and Goliath” Miner – Peter Krauth has uncovered the kind of underdog story that can change financial destinies.It can change your destiny.

  One small miner controls 114 square miles of what could be the most palladium-rich land on the planet.

  Yet, after 20 years in business, this company has only mined .38ths of a square mile.

  That’s why Wall Street hasn’t caught on to this story.

  But that’s going to change very soon.

South Africa

Anglo Platinum

The Anglo Platinum Group, commonly referred to as “Amplats,” is the world’s leading primary producer of Platinum Group Metals (PGMs). The company produces about 2.5 million ounces of platinum and more than one million ounces of palladium annually and contains reserves in excess of 220 million ounces, comprised chiefly of platinum, palladium, rhodium, and gold.

Employing just under 50,000 employees worldwide, Anglo Platinum’s center of operations are in South Africa, where it maintains seven mines, three smelters and two refineries. The company also conducts operations in the Sudbury District of Ontario, Canada, the Vissim District of the Ural Mountains, near Yekaterinberg in Russia, at Pedra Branca in Brazil, and in the Dunba, Gaojacun, and Xinjie areas of China’s Sishaun Province.

The Anglo Platinum Group is listed both on South Africa’s JSE Securities Exchange and the London Stock Exchange. Additionally, International Depositary Receipts in respect of the Company’s shares are listed on the Brussels Bourse .

Impala Platinum

Founded in the mid-1960s, Impala Platinum has grown to become one of the world’s largest Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) producers, yielding 3.5 million ounces of PGMs in FY 2005.

Opening its first mine in 1967, Impala miners exclusively worked the Merensky Reef of South Africa’s Bushveld-Igneous Complex (BIC) until 1979. Since that time, the company has expanded its operations to include other reefs within the BIC and areas along the Great Dyke in Zimbabwe. In addition to its five “mine-to-market” operations (Impala Platinum, Marula Platinum, Two Rivers, Zimplats, and Mimosa), Impala Platinum maintains a refining services arm as well as investments in the operations of Aquarius Platinum, Ltd., a PGM mining company headquartered in South Africa.

Impala Platinum’s primary listing (IMP) is on the JSE Limited (JSE) with a secondary listing (IPLA) on the London Stock Exchange. The company has a sponsored level 1 ADR program (IMPUY) in the United States.

Lonmin Platinum

Created more than a century ago, Lonmin Platinum is a miner of Platinum Group Metals and Gold, employing more than 20,000 people across its operations.

Lonmin operates four mines in South Africa, three in the northwest province near Marikana and one in the Limpopo Province near Polokwane. Also located in the Limpopo Province are Lonmin’s two refineries and its smelting facility. In FY 2005, Lonmin produced a total of approximately 1.7 million ounces of Platinum Group Metals (PGMs), including 408,141 ounces of Palladium. Lonmin primarily exploits the UG2 and Merensky reefs within the Bushveld-Igneous Complex (BIC).

Shares of Lonmin Platinum are traded on the London Stock Exchange.

Aquarius Platinum

Aquarius Platinum currently operates three mines (two in South Africa and one in Zimbabwe) and is constructing a fourth mine (Everest) on the eastern limb of the Bushveld-Igneous Complex in South Africa.

The company’s primary operation, the Kroondal Mine (South Africa), is consistently one of the world’s most efficient PGM producers, yielding 324,730 ounces of PGMs in FY2005, including more than 95,000 of palladium.

Shares of Aquarius Platinum, listed under the symbol AQP, are traded on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX)

Northam Platinum

South Africa ‘s fourth largest PGM mining company, producing 340,000 ounces of PGMs annually (including an average of about 96,000 ounces of palladium) Northam Platinum commenced commercial operations in 1981. Over the years, Northam has been recognized as an established leader in deep level underground mining and has played an important role in advancing hydro-powered mining equipment technology.

Operating mines in South Africa’s Merensky and UG2 reefs, Northam exploits that country’s deepest platinum mine. In 2004, the company acquired interest in the Booysendal Project (located on the eastern rim of the Bushveld Complex) from Mvelaphanda Resources and plans to begin mining operations in this area as soon as possible. Acquisition of a portion of the Booysendal Project, which has a resource of approximately 677 million tons, is expected to provide a significant boost to Northam’s production capacity.

Shares of Northam Platinum are listed on the JSE Limited (Johannesburg Stock Exchange).

Russia

Norilsk Nickel

Norilsk Nickel is by far the largest PGM producer in Russia, operating mines in northern Siberia and on the Kola Peninsula that together yield of over 2.7 million ounces of palladium and approximately 800,000 ounces of platinum annually.

The company’s major PGM operations are centered around its Polar Division located on Taimyr Peninsula in northern Siberia. Norilsk Nickel’s Polar Division is comprised of seven nickel-copper mines and associated smelting and refinery plants. Despite logistics and climate related challenges (the Polar Division is located in a remote area within the artic circle where the average daily temperature hovers around -32 degrees Celsius), the company annually process more than 13 million tons of ore from its six underground mines and one open cast operation. In its latest production plan (for the years 2005 -2015), Norlisk Nickel optimistically forecast an increase in ore processing at its Norilsk-Talnakh facilities to more than 14 million tons per annum. In 2003, Norilsk Nickel purchased controlling interest of USA-based Stillwater Mining Company, the only primary producer of palladium in the U.S.

Shares of Norilsk Nickel are traded on the Russian MICEX (Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange) and in Level 1 ADR on London Stock Exchange, the New York based NASDAQ exchange, and the Berlin Stock Exchange.

United States

Stillwater Palladium

Stillwater Mining Company, based in the Stillwater Valley near Nye Montana, is the only American producer of palladium and platinum and largest primary producer of Platinum Group Metals outside of South Africa, producing approximately 450,000 ounces of palladium and 130,000 ounces of platinum annually.

The company’s operations are comprised of mines and associated metallurgical plants at two main sites: the Stillwater Project, located some 110 miles southwest of Billings, Montana, and the East Boulder Project, located just 15 miles west of Stillwater. In 2003, Russian PGM producer Norilsk Nickel acquired 50.8% of Stillwater Mining.

The Company’s shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol SWC.

Canada

North American Palladium

North American Palladium is Canada’s only primary producer of palladium. The company’s Lac de lles Mine, located near Thunder Bay, Ontario is one of the largest open-pit bulk mineable palladium reserves in the world.

During the fourth quarter of FY 2005, the Lac de lles Mine processed more than 1.1 million tons of ore, yielding 36,833 ounces of palladium and 3,761 ounces of platinum. Lac de lles improved its palladium recovery rate by nearly 8% in the fourth quarter. Palladium production for all of 2005 totaled just over 177,000 ounces.

Shares of North American Palladium, Ltd. Are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), Canada’s largest exchange, as well as the New York based American Stock Exchange (AMEX).

Sources of palladium production are quite limited. More than 80% of world palladium production is concentrated in just two countries: the Russian Federation and South Africa. The Russian Federation alone accounts for nearly half of total palladium supply. Russia has three sources of palladium: the Norilsk Nickel mine, Gokhran (Russia’s precious metals and gems reserve) and the Russian Central Bank. The state-owned trading monopoly, Almazyuvelirexport, handles palladium shipments from Russia. The Norilsk-Talnakh region in the Russian Federation produces the majority of its palladium, and the company NORILSK NICKEL is the world palladium industry leader. Because the palladium mined by this company falls short of meeting the tremendously growing world demand, the Russian State has filled the deficit from large state stockpiles. The Norilsk-Talnakh mines reached their highest level of production in the late eighties. Output fell at the beginning of the nineties, mainly due to low level of investment as well as to lower productive capacity. PGMs grades were also lower due to the mining-out of massive sulphide ores. Higher palladium prices in the late nineties prompted Norilsk Nickel to successfully invest in improving PGM recoveries, resulting in increases in refined PGM production. The Russian Federation is also the only country which has held significant stockpiles of palladium, although many believe that their level has decreased considerably. The actual level of Russian palladium stockpiles is a state secret. Russian Government export policies have significantly influenced world palladium supply and prices volatility. The other significant producing area is the Bushveld Complex in South Africa, where Platinum Group Metals are mined as primary products. Palladium is also mined in smaller deposits in United States and Canada. Mining companies in South Africa and North America are developing expansion plans which will lead to future increases in palladium production. Data pulled from the U.S.G.S. Minerals Review, 2003: Palladium Production Worldwide Country 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Australia 4 800 e 816 812 r 828 r 800 Canada 8,905 8,939 9,949 11,700 r 11,500 Finland e 150 150 — r — r — Japan 5 4,151 5,354 4,712 4,830 5,000 Poland 6, 7 12 12 12 12 e 12 Russia e 70,000 75,000 84,000 85,000 r 84,000 Serbia and Montenegro e 50 25 25 25 25 South Africa 56,608 58,164 55,818 62,601 64,244 8 United States 9 10,600 9,800 10,300 12,100 14,800 8 Zimbabwe 1,855 342 366 371 r 1,080 8 Total 153,000 159,000 166,000 177,000 r 181,000 e Estimated. r Revised. — Zero. 1 World totals, U.S. data, and estimated data have been rounded; may not add to totals shown. 2 Table includes data available through April 29, 2003. Platinum-group metal (PGM) production by Germany, Norway, and the UnitedKingdom is not included in this table because the production is derived wholly from imported metallurgical products and to include it would result in double counting. 3 In addition to the countries listed, China, Indonesia, and the Philippines are believed to produce PGM, and several other countries may also do so, but output is not reported quantitatively, and there is no reliable basis for the formulation of estimates of output levels. A part of this output not specifically reported by country is, however presumably included in this table credited to Japan. 4 PGM recovered from nickel ore that is processed domestically. PGM in exported nickel ore are extracted in the importing countries, such as Japan, and are believed to be included in the production figures for those countries. 5 Production derived entirely from imported ores. 6 Based on official Polish estimates. 7 Estimates based on reported platinum and palladium-bearing final (residual) slimes and then average Pt and Pd content from electrolytic copper refining. 8 Reported figure. 9 A very small quantity of byproduct platinum and palladium produced from gold-copper ores was excluded. Mining Platinum Group Metals is capital intensive. Large investments are needed to build production facilities and long-term survival of a PGM mine requires heavy expenditures in order to finance exploration and production. Processing of the ore through milling, flotation and smelting to form a matte that contains the PGM is normally undertaken at the mines. Further refining may take place in refineries on the mine property or elsewhere. New palladium mine development and exploration outside the Russian Federation, particularly in North America, are taking place as a result of the palladium market boom. This is a response to the erratic Russian supplies and consequent higher palladium prices. Diversification away from dependence on Russian palladium is considered desirable. 2003 palladium production

Stillwater Mining Company is the only primary palladium producer within the United States.  The Company operates two underground mines near Nye and McLeod, Montana and a state-of-the-art smelter and refinery in Columbus, Montana. Johnson Matthey is a leading world refiner and assayer, publishes the annual Platinum and is an excellent source of information about palladium. Northwest Territorial Mint mints and sells palladium bullion exclusively from palladium mined by the Stillwater Mining Company. Northwest Territorial Mint also sells bullion of other precious metals and is the nation’s premier minter of custom coins and medallions. The New York Mercantile Exchange is the largest commodity exchange in the world, and the only place where palladium futures are actively traded. Tokyo Commodities Exchange is a major international commodities exchange on which palladium futures are traded. The London Platinum and Palladium Market (LPPM) Operating as principals and issuing their own contracts, market making members quote buying and selling prices for spot delivery. Trading takes place during working hours in London and Zurich. International Platinum Association A non-profit association of the leading mining, production and fabrication companies in the global PGMs industry. The IPA provides information on issues relating to PGMs and their applications to interested parties around the world. International Precious Metals Institute (IPMI) is an international association of producers, refiners, fabricators, scientists, users, financial institutions, merchants, private and public sector groups. Palladium research at Nature. Nature publishing Group is the publisher of Nature Magazine and other journals that include results of scientific research. This link is a search of all palladium research in any of its journals, and may take a while to load. Azonano.com is a web site devoted to advances in nanotechnology, that is, about devices ranging in size from a nanometer to a micron, and often molecular in size. This link selects the advances involving palladium. Catalysis Today. Journal devoted to scientific research into the chemical field of catalysis with much research on palladium use. Hosted by Ingenta.com Engelhard is a surface and materials science company that develops technologies to improve customers’ products and processes and is a world-leading provider of technologies for environmental, process, appearance and performance applications. Umicore Precious Metals is a world market leader in recycling complex materials containing precious metals. Its facility in Hoboken, near Antwerp (Belgium) is one of the world’s largest, cleanest and most advanced precious metals recycling and recovery operations. Fuel Cell Today is the source for comprehensive and authoritative fuel cell news, commentary, resources and business opportunities. Surepure Chemetals offers a complete range of palladium and other precious metals and specialty metals in many forms, including a wide range of wire sizes, sheets and metalic salts. Over 3,000 items are in stock.