Mining and energy exports to grow further

Australia will enjoy several more years of earnings growth from mining and energy exports, despite the perceived end of the resources boom, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Despite predicting that prices for most of Australia's mineral and energy exports, including iron ore, will fade in coming years, the federal government's Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics forecast at least three more years of rising export revenue.

The prediction was based on the expectation that companies will grow exports faster than commodity prices retreat - a trend that was successfully achieved by the likes of BHP Billiton and Fortescue Metals Group over the past year.

Yanzhou’s $300m loan shows continued support for Yancoal

Chinese company Yanzhou Mining has given a strong indication that it intends to continue supporting ASX-listed Yancoal, despite having cancelled plans for a full takeover this week, according to the Australian Financial Review.

Yanzhou provided Yancoal with $US300 million ($327.33 million) of loans on Wednesday, including $100 million on a six-year term.

The remaining $200 million has been promised, but the term and interest rates are still undefined.

CSG freeze and review to weed out ‘cowboys’

The NSW government has frozen all new coalseam gas exploration licences for six months and announced a review into how they are granted, according to The Australian.

NSW Resources Minister Anthony Roberts said it had been far too easy for “speculators and cowboys” to be granted licences covering large areas of land.