Since 1996, the World Gold Council has produced a quarterly summary of the state of gold worldwide, the Gold Demand Trends (GTD) report. The latest edition of this industry leading resource has just been published, and the key findings for Q2 2013 are summarized below.

Overall Demand

The strong recovery in consumer demand for gold has continued this quarter, with numbers up from the previous quarter.

The demand for jewellery, bars and coins has increased by 53%. Multiple markets saw increased gold demand appear in parallel with the dropping price of gold, as people took the opportunity to invest in physical gold products.

Individual Market Demand

India

Together with China, India is responsible for over 50% of the demand for gold jewellery worldwide. This quarter saw this demand increase in India by 70% year on year.

In addition to a strong quarter for jewellery, retail investment in gold bars and coins have also experience a record quarter, with demand up 116%.

China

As mentioned above, China is a major consumer in the gold jewellery market; jointly with India representing 50% of worldwide demand.

The passing of Chinese New Year often sees a decrease in total gold demand in China, but this quarter has seen demand remain very strong, with some retailers even running out of stock.

Finally, Chinese gold investors have helped push the demand for bars and coins up by a significant 157% this quarter.

United States

Q2 2013 has seen the demand for gold jewellery grow for the second quarter running in the United States.

Industry Overview and Supply

In the industry overall this quarter has seen a net increase of 105 tonnes invested in gold. The technology sector has experience steady demand, with a marginal increase.

Lastly, a decrease in gold recycling suggests strong consumer confidence in the future value of gold jewellery, bars and coins, and the overall desirability of gold in all major markets.

World Gold Council, Guest Contributor to MiningFeeds.com

About the author: The World Gold Council is the market development organisation for the gold industry.

NEWS RELEASE.

September 5, 2013: Vancouver, BC – Balmoral Resources Ltd. (Stock Profile – TSXV:BAR & OTCQX:BALMF) today reported that it has outlined a large, ovoid shaped, chargeability anomaly extending for over 1,800 metres in a NW-SE direction on its wholly owned Martiniere Property in Quebec (visit www.balmoralresources.com).

Known gold mineralized zones on the property, including the Bug Lake Gold Zones and the numerous high-grade intercepts in the Martiniere East area, are associated with, or flank, this large anomaly. The majority of the newly defined anomaly remains to be drill tested, suggesting potential for a significant expansion of the mineralized system in the Martiniere East/Bug Lake area.

Chargeability anomalies such as the one discussed above are typically associated with either disseminated or semi-massive sulphide mineralization. Throughout the Martiniere Property there is a strong correlation between gold mineralization and sulphide minerals.

In addition to the large anomaly in the Martiniere East area a new anomaly was identified in the NW corner of the survey area. This opened-ended anomaly is located along the flanks of a prominent magnetic high and sits immediately south of a series of airborne geophysical conductors which will also be examined by the current geophysical program.

A second large geophysical grid, covering the Martiniere West Gold Zone and West Zone Extensions identified by the winter 2013 drill program, is currently being surveyed. Additional surveying is also planned to test a portion of the Sunday Lake Deformation Zone, which hosts the Detour Gold deposit 45 kilometres to the east. The Martiniere Property forms part of the Company’s wholly owned 600+ square kilometre Detour Gold Trend Project in Quebec.

Revisions to the current drill plan are currently underway to incorporate testing of the Martiniere East anomaly and potential extensions of the Bug Lake and related gold zones identified by the survey.

Doigt Property

Balmoral also announced that it has identified a large geophysical anomaly on its wholly owned Doigt property which is located approximately 7 kilometres to the northwest of the Bug Lake area. On the Doigt Property, the Company has outlined a 600 metre long, open-ended chargeability anomaly, associated with a distinct resistivity high, which flanks a gabbro body identified in the area by mapping. A small, isolated EM conductor also correlates with the chargeability anomaly. There is no known historic drilling on the Doigt Property.

This association of a gabbro body with distinct EM and I.P. anomalies flanking it, in less magnetic rocks, is nearly identical to the signature of the known gold mineralized zones at Martiniere West and the Company’s Fenelon Property to the east. Both gold systems, and the Detour Gold deposit to the west, were discovered by testing isolated EM anomalies associated with the transition from strong to weak magnetic rocks making the Doigt target a high-priority for drill testing.

Grasset Property

Located 40 kilometres east of Martiniere, the Grasset Property stretches for 20 kilometres along the Sunday Lake Deformation Zone and has seen very limited historic exploration. Grasset hosts recent gold and base metal discoveries and geophysical work is now underway on the property to refine drill targeting for follow-up of both the Grasset gold and nickel-PGE discoveries, and to examine other select areas on the property. Follow-up testing of these anomalies will be scheduled once the geophysical results have been received and evaluated.

Drilling Update – Martiniere Property

Diamond drilling continues on the Martiniere Property with approximately 5,000 metres of a planned 10,000 metres completed to-date in 18 holes. Initial drill results remain pending and will be released as they become available. As noted above the summer/fall drill program will be modified to incorporate testing of the recently defined geophysical anomalies.

The fully funded 2013 summer/fall exploration program on the Detour Gold Trend Project remains on budget.

To learn more about Balmoral Resources – CLICK HERE.

CompanyFeed™

NEWS RELEASE.

September 3, 2013: Montreal, Quebec – Stornoway Diamond Corporation (Stock Profile – TSX:SWY) announce the opening of the Renard Mine Road to all-season vehicle traffic for the first time. All four road construction segments “A” to “D” of the Renard Mine Road and the Route 167 Extension that are currently under construction by Stornoway and the Québec Ministère des Transports (“MTQ”) have now been connected, allowing the full transit of construction vehicles from Temiscamie, at the end of the existing public highway, to the Renard project site 240 km to the north.

Matt Manson, President and CEO commented: “With today’s news, it is now possible to drive directly to the Renard Project by permanent road. The connection of each construction segment has been achieved two months earlier than expected, and well ahead of the 4th Quarter, 2013 schedule established when construction of Stornoway’s portion of the road began in April. We are also forecasting final completion of the Renard Mine Road within budget. These achievements have been made possible by the strong performance of our construction contractors, all of whom are Cree or locally operated businesses, and the professionalism of Stornoway’s construction management team based in Longueuil, Québec.”

Matt Manson continued: “The Renard Project is now permitted, connected by road, and ready to build. The project’s large Mineral Resource, and its extensive exploration upside, offers a project producing up to 2 million carats of diamonds per year and projected annual revenues of up to C$450m per year within its initial 11 year mine life. Renard is an outstanding, and unique, new diamond development project. Project financing discussions with lenders and prospective investors are ongoing and progressing well, with a view to first construction mobilization prior to the end of 2013.”

For more on the news – CLICK HERE.

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