Sarah Mitchell is a Senior Markets Analyst with over 12 years of experience in commodity research and investment strategy. She specialises in precious metals market structure, ETF flow analysis, central bank reserve policy, and the macroeconomic linkages between Federal Reserve monetary policy and gold and silver prices. Prior to joining LiveMetalPrice.com, Sarah held research roles at a multi-strategy commodity fund and a boutique precious metals advisory firm, where she produced institutional-grade research for family offices and fund managers across North America and Europe.
Sarah holds a CFA charter and a Master's degree in Economics from the University of Edinburgh. Her research methodology combines quantitative analysis of positioning data (CFTC Commitments of Traders, ETF holdings) with qualitative assessment of central bank communication and geopolitical risk factors. She is a regular contributor to industry publications on precious metals market structure and has been cited in financial media on topics including gold/silver ratio dynamics, ETF mechanics, and the relationship between real interest rates and commodity prices.
Credentials & Methodology
Designation
CFA Charterholder
Education
MSc Economics, University of Edinburgh
Experience
12+ years commodity research
Specialisation
ETF flows, central bank policy, PGMs
Primary Data Sources
Sarah's analysis draws on COMEX and LBMA price data, CFTC weekly Commitments of Traders reports, World Gold Council ETF holdings data, IMF and central bank reserve disclosures, Silver Institute annual demand surveys, and proprietary positioning models. All price data used in articles is sourced from recognised commodity benchmarks and cross-referenced before publication.
Gold Investment StrategySilver Market StructureETF Flow AnalysisCentral Bank ReservesFederal Reserve PolicyGold/Silver RatioPlatinum Group MetalsPortfolio Allocation
Barrick Gold has posted its strongest quarterly production result from the Nevada Gold Mines joint venture since late 2024, driven by accelerating ore grades at the Cortez underground expansion and improved mill throughput at Goldstrike. The complex produced 410,000 ounces in the first quarter, underpinning renewed analyst confidence in Barrick's full-year guidance.
Newmont Corporation's Penasquito mine in Mexico — the world's largest silver-producing mine — remained idle on Tuesday as a labour dispute with the National Union of Mine and Metal Workers entered its second week, threatening a significant near-term disruption to global silver supply.
Barrick Gold has reported record quarterly production at its Pueblo Viejo joint venture in the Dominican Republic and confirmed regulatory approval for the long-awaited plant expansion, a development that is expected to add up to 200,000 ounces of annual gold output and extend the mine's productive life through the mid-2040s.
Sibanye-Stillwater has revised its full-year platinum group metals production guidance downward after a series of seismic events forced the temporary suspension of operations at two shafts in its Rustenburg complex, adding fresh supply uncertainty to an already tight palladium market.
Barrick Gold has reported a multi-year production high at its Cortez complex in Nevada, with first-quarter gold output exceeding forecasts and the company reaffirming its full-year guidance as improved ore grades and expanded processing capacity drive output gains across its North American portfolio.
Anglo American Platinum has lowered its full-year platinum and palladium production guidance after wage negotiations with the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union broke down at two of its Bushveld Complex operations, raising fresh supply concerns in an already tight PGM market.
Barrick Gold has revised its 2026 production guidance downward following severe seasonal flooding that forced a temporary suspension of operations at its Loulo-Gounkoto complex in Mali — one of the company's highest-margin gold mines. The disruption adds to an already constrained global gold supply picture and has drawn fresh attention to mining-sector concentration risk in West Africa.
Newmont Corporation disclosed first-quarter gold production of 1.38 million ounces, falling short of analyst expectations as grade variability at its Nevada mining complex weighed on throughput. The company maintained full-year guidance but cautioned that H1 output would remain below the annual run rate.
Newmont Corporation has revised its 2026 gold production guidance downward after heavy rainfall and flooding at its Boddington open-pit mine in Western Australia forced an unplanned operational suspension. The disruption is expected to remove approximately 80,000 troy ounces from the company's annual output and has contributed to a tightening of near-term physical gold supply estimates.
Newmont Corporation trimmed its full-year 2026 gold production guidance by roughly 200,000 ounces on Wednesday, citing accelerating grade decline at its Boddington open-pit mine in Western Australia. Meanwhile, Barrick Gold reported a strong quarter at its Carlin complex in Nevada, partially offsetting softness at Pueblo Viejo.
Barrick Gold has disclosed that its Pueblo Viejo mine in the Dominican Republic produced below internal targets in the first quarter of 2026, as government-imposed water usage restrictions limited ore throughput. The shortfall adds to mounting supply-side pressures across the gold sector, with analysts flagging rising input costs and permitting delays at several major operations.
Newmont Corporation revised its 2026 gold production guidance downward on Monday after severe flooding in southern Peru forced a temporary suspension of mining operations at its Yanacocha complex, one of the largest gold mines in South America. The company now expects to produce between 5.9 million and 6.2 million gold-equivalent ounces for the year, down from its prior forecast of 6.4 million to 6.7 million.
Newmont Corporation has temporarily suspended underground production at its Penasquito polymetallic mine in Zacatecas, Mexico, following an uncontrolled water inflow that affected two lower-level stopes. The incident is expected to weigh on second-quarter silver and gold output and has prompted the company to place its full-year production guidance under review. Sarah Mitchell reports.
Barrick Gold revised its full-year gold production guidance downward on Thursday after weaker-than-expected ore grades at its Carlin complex in Nevada weighed on Q1 output. Separately, South Africa's Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union has issued a 48-hour strike notice at two Sibanye-Stillwater platinum operations near Rustenburg, putting an estimated 320,000 ounces of annual PGM production at risk. Sarah Mitchell examines what both developments mean for near-term precious metals supply.
Barrick Gold has revised its full-year 2026 production guidance downward after heavy spring flooding closed two major production zones at its Cortez complex in Nevada, one of the largest gold mines in the United States. The disruption, which Barrick says will remove between 90,000 and 120,000 ounces from its annual output, adds to a broader tightening of North American gold supply at a moment when spot prices are trading near record highs.
Sibanye-Stillwater has declared force majeure on palladium and platinum deliveries from its Stillwater and East Boulder mines in Montana following an underground fire that has forced an indefinite suspension of production. The two mines together account for roughly 90 percent of U.S. primary palladium output, and the outage is expected to tighten an already strained global supply picture.
Barrick Gold has reported first-quarter 2026 production of 1.24 million troy ounces of gold, beating analyst consensus by roughly 6 percent, driven by a record quarter at its Carlin Complex in Nevada. The company also raised its full-year guidance range by 40,000 ounces, citing improved ore grades and processing throughput at its flagship North American assets.
Newmont Corporation has suspended production at its Yanacocha and Conga gold projects in northern Peru following a week of community-led road blockades that cut off critical supply routes. The company estimates the halt could reduce quarterly output by up to 35,000 troy ounces if operations remain offline beyond ten days.
Barrick Gold has posted record first-quarter production figures from its Kibali gold mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, while announcing a major new deep-level deposit discovery adjacent to the existing operation. The findings could extend Kibali's mine life by more than a decade and add significant ounces to global gold supply at a time when new large-scale discoveries have become increasingly rare.