Prices of Key Minerals Plummet

Here are the prices of key minerals produced in the Congo.

Copper (five years & six months):














Cobalt (three years & six months):














Tin (five years & six months):













Tin has declined by nearly 50 percent since its highs in February 2006.

Gold (five years, six months & one month):

























Prices for gold have gone up from around $300 to $400 in January 06 to between $750 and $850 today.

Tantalite (five years & sixty days):




Note that while Tantalite prices seem to be up, they are still way down from their highs in December 2000, when they reached $418/lb. Now they are hovering around $45/lb.

Bottom line:
We should see all elements of the Congolese mining sector decline significantly, with the exception of gold, which is counter cyclical. Because Congolese gold mines fall heavily in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, we may see more fighting emerge in these areas as competition for control of that resource heats up.