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An eight-month rally in Islamic bonds showed its resilience as an Indonesian sukuk drew record bids before debuts by Luxembourg, Hong Kong and South Africa.

A Bloomberg index tracking dollar-denominated Shariah-compliant debt from 43 sovereign and corporate issuers rose to an all-time high this week, as supply was limited amid the worst quarter for new issuance since 2010. Indonesia’s $1.5 billion offering of 10-year notes on Sept. 2 got more than $10 billion of orders, with a combined 35 percent allocated to investors in the U.S. and Europe, the same as from the Middle East.

Read more at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-04/sukuk-rally-shows-strength-in-indonesia-demand-islamic-finance.html

SYDNEY, Sept 3 (Reuters) – London nickel firmed on Wednesday, bucking the trend in a largely flat metals market, after a Philippine senator filed a bill urging a halt to exports of unprocessed mineral ores.

The proposed halt is similar to a ban introduced by Indonesia that led to a sharp spike in nickel prices and cut other ore exports from January. The ban in Indonesia has led stainless steel makers in China and in Japan to source more ore from the Philippines.

The move raised the spectre of further supply squeezes in a nickel market that most analysts expect to see in deficit next year, although there was little sense of whether the bill would find popular support, or any timescale on whether exports could be banned, if the bill was even signed into law.

Read more at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-2741516/London-copper-steady-low-volumes-supply-outlook-drags.html

(Reuters) – A Philippine senator has filed a bill urging a halt to exports of unprocessed mineral ores, similar to a ban introduced by Indonesia that led to a sharp spike in nickel prices and cut exports of other ores.

The Philippines, which has vast but largely untapped mineral resources, has been looking at ways to raise the contribution of mining to its economy.

Read more at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/03/philippines-mining-idUSL3N0R434720140903

MUMBAI: Pricing of rare earth oxides remains a sticky point between India and Japan as the two countries try to revive an earlier agreement to trade in rare earth minerals in an effort to counter China’s global monopoly, sources familiar with the matter told ET.

Amur Minerals Corporation has announced that proved and probable reserves at its Russian asset at Kun-Manie have increased by 25 percent, making it one of the world’s largest nickel sulphide projects.

The nickel and copper exploration and development company revealed that the site now contains 39.2 million ore tonnes, translating to 219,000 tonnes of nickel and 58,100 tonnes of copper. There is also potential for further expansion of reserves by positive infill drilling of inferred resources.

Read more at: http://www.businessrevieweurope.eu/finance/111/Russian-Nickel-and-Copper-Reserve-Revealed-as-Among-the-Largest-in-the-World

Jakarta. State-owned miner Aneka Tambang, also known as Antam, swung to loss in the first half of this year from a year earlier due to the impact of the government’s mineral ore export ban.

Antam posted a loss of Rp 639 billion ($55 million) in the January-June period this year compared with a profit of Rp 374 billion in the same period a year earlier, according to its financial report to the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX).

“Although the second quarter of the 2014 period saw higher commodity price levels, our financial performance remained lackluster in the first half as a consequence of the government’s policy to ban ore exports, coupled with lower average selling prices in the first quarter of 2014, which affected the overall commodity prices in the first half,” Antam president director Tato Miraza said in the statement.

Read more at: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/state-owned-antam-swings-loss-first-half/

Jakarta. Indonesia’s chamber of commerce mining committee is lobbying president-elect Joko Widodo to relax a seven-month-old ban on unprocessed ore exports and look for better ways to use the natural resources of Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

Read more at: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/business/indonesian-miners-urge-president-elect-relax-ore-export-ban/

Rising London Metal Exchange nickel stockpiles are a result of inventories shifting out of storage in Australia and China and don’t reflect real supply and demand, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Aug 26 (Reuters) – Newmont Mining Corp has withdrawn its international arbitration filing against the Indonesian government, the industry minister said on Tuesday, in a possible sign of a breakthrough over its seven month dispute that halted exports.

Newmont’s Indonesian CEO Martiono, CEO Newmont said it had reached a “constructive solution” over new mining rules, and expects to resume production at its copper mine soon.

Read more at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/26/indonesia-newmont-arbitration-idUSL3N0QW26I20140826