in the news - the australian 21st may

Excerpt from article in The Australian 21st May -----

Alex Passmore, head of metals and mining at Patersons Securities in Perth, says investors with a focus on WA stocks should also be considering Catalpa Resources (which last week received a $350m takeover bid from St Barbara), Integra Mining, Focus Minerals and Regis Resources.

Passmore points to Australian Bureau of Statistics data that show gold exploration has surged from $90 million per quarter in June 2008 to $170m per quarter in December.

Until 2009, he says, the Australian gold sector was weighed down by domestic cost pressures driven by rapid rises in other commodities.

As a result, many were forced to explore offshore, particularly in Africa.

But for the past two years, gold has been catching up to other minerals as the price has soared from $US800 to $US1500 an ounce.

Link to entire article ----

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/old-prospects-attract-new-attention-as-gold-goes-up/story-e6frg9df-1226059919685