Readership for mining-related news over the Christmas period is tipped to accelerate into 2025 as investor interest for resources-related content in gold, base metals, and critical minerals amid volatile geopolitical events surpass the previous mark set last holiday season.
According to the latest Google search trends data, during the holiday season spanning 1 December 2023 to 31 January 2024, there was a significant increase in search interest for terms related to gold mining and resources companies in particular.
This surge coincided with notable market activities and geopolitical events impacting the mining sector.
In the past month, M&A activity has created heightened interest in precious and base metals, as well as critical minerals following the most recent US election, a sign resources will again be closely followed and searched over the festive period.
Notably, gold giant Northern Star Resources (ASX:NST) only days ago lodged a bid to acquire De Grey Mining (ASX:DEG) for $5 billion by way of a court-approved scheme of arrangement, reportedly one of the largest known gold deals for a target not in production.
That potential deal comes at a time of record-high gold prices. Reports suggest some moderation in the gold price as investors opt for risk-on trades following the announced cease-fire between Israel and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon with expectations for resolution in Gaza and Ukraine.
The Santa sack conceivably will not be tangible in 2024 but rather the intangible of positive news flow associated with resources and geopolitical events.
Dan Petrie is Mining.com.au’s Head of Data, a former data editor at Bloomberg LP, analyst at Macquarie Bank and contributing data expert to Google Digital News Academy.
Images: Mining.com.au & Unsplash
