According to Natural Resources Canada, expenditures on mining exploration in Canada fell 47% in 2009 over the prior year, breaking an 8-year streak of record spending.  But with gold and silver prices rising, the holdback in mine expenditures is about to turn the corner, which in the U.S. the same may be true.

Stillwater Mining Co. (NYSE: SWC) walked into a sweet buyout in acquiring Marathon PGM (TSX: MAR) in a deal valued at $118 million in stock and cash after Stillwater announced that it would add to its platinum and palladium production by 40% over the next three years.

Korn/Ferry International's latest survey shows confidence in business leaders has fallen to its lowest level in a year during the second quarter.  Credibility had dropped 4 points in the second quarter to 74.

Canada's Central Bank on Wednesday raised its key interest rate to 1%, marking the third rate increase since June.  The economy of Canada prompted the Central Bank's move and it became the first Group Seven nation's to raise key interest rates since the global recession.

With Congressional Democrats facing a November shellacking, President Obama is floating new programs to aid troubled homeowners and create jobs that will prove costly and ineffective.

Still too large, the trade deficit subtracted 3.4 percentage points from second quarter GDP growth, and threatens to derail an already weak U.S. recovery

With Labor Day signaling an end to summer trading, the heat taken by investors was almost unbearable.  With the dog days of August trading behind us investors are looking for some solid gains in the third quarter, though the words 'slow recovery' still ring true.

Oil prices continued to move basically sideways last week as bullish and bearish news buffeted prices up and down in a narrow range.

I've been thinking about labor. Actually I've been thinking about this past holiday, American workers, changes, the summer statistics, the November election, and Jesse Jackson.

The nation's unemployment rate rose to 9.6% in August as non-farm payrolls lost 54,000 jobs, but it was good news in that economists at large where forecasting double the unemployment figures for the month.

Low mortgage rates fell still more this week - to the lowest level ever in four decades of tracking. Also, the number of pending home sales posted a rise for the month of July.

The now defunct investment bank, Lehman Brothers, collapsed as a result of the recession, though its ex-CEO, Richard Fuld, blamed the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, saying the decision not to provide support when other financial institutions received it was to blame.

US automakers saw a downturn in vehicle sales in August with General Motors reporting a 7% decline over July sales.  Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) faired slightly better than GM with a 5% drop.  Now auto pundits expect all automakers to report the worst month in decades.

The latest Institute for Supply Management survey showed manufacturing rose 56.3 in August compared to 55.5 on the ISM index the prior month.  Managers also indicated that job growth could lie ahead if conditions continue to improve.  The report marked the 13th consecutive monthly gain in the ISM's manufacturing index.

The Dow opened higher Wednesday morning, showing strong gains for the first day of September rising more than 236 points, or 2.36%, to trade at 10, 251.