UMS United Mining Supply and Renault Trucks have marked a decade of collaboration in Guinea’s bauxite sector, where UMS now operates around 350 Renault haul and logistics trucks in high-abrasion, high-dust conditions. The partnership couples heavy-duty fleet supply with tailored services such as on-site maintenance, driver training and operational support to keep vehicles running on long mine-to-port haul routes. For mine operators, the model shows how integrated OEM–logistics contracts can stabilise haulage capacity and availability in remote West African operations.

US Federal Reserve policy trapped by a near-$40 trillion US national debt, annual deficits approaching $3 trillion and interest costs heading toward $2 trillion will ultimately drive gold to $10,000/oz and silver to $200/oz, argues long-time dollar bear Peter Schiff. With gold already back above $4,100/oz after weaker June payrolls and silver recently testing the historic $50/oz resistance from 1980 and 2011, he expects $50 to become long-term support in a new silver bull market. Schiff anticipates mining equities will re-rate sharply as investors accept structurally higher metal prices and central banks keep shifting reserves from US dollars into gold.

Gold’s latest rally is turning bullion from a passive hedge into working collateral, with Q1 demand rising 2% to 1,231 tonnes but surging 74% in value to a record $193 billion as bar and coin demand climbed 42% to 474 tonnes and central banks bought 244 tonnes. Speakers at the Rule Symposium pointed to rising physical deliveries and withdrawals from COMEX and China’s continued buying and repatriation as evidence of a shift from paper to metal-based settlement. New lenders such as Battle Bank are formalising this by writing loans at up to 50% loan-to-value against stored bullion, potentially tightening the link between physical demand and mine finance even as juniors still struggle for equity.