These shares have been pounded more badly than a big rock at the end of a burly miner's pick.

Not only have they suffered in the general collapse of the commodities super-cycle, but they have also been squeezed by market forces.

And that is before you have even got into yet more tragedy and sadness in Africa. Other than that, we think they are great…

Research: CFM

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Mark Twain famously said that a mine is a hole in the ground with a liar at the top. It follows then, that if you want to invest in mining you should get someone who knows what they are doing to do it for you.

Almost no one on, or indeed in, the earth is as good at that as Graham Birch, manager of the hugely successful BlackRock World Mining Investment Trust.

It also follows that if you really want to get to the bottom of it then get another expert to ask him. So here is Andrew Pitts, the multiple award winning editor of Money Observer magazine.

Research: BRWM.L

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There is gold in them thar hills! Get orn out there an stake yer claim before some varmint steals it. Or something like that.

We all know that the price of gold and diamonds have been flying through the roof as investors seek a safe haven.

But what if we were to tell you there is a company out there that has staked its claim over a big seam in Ireland. No really.

Research: CDG.L
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It’s all about as murky as the water in that curiously glowing pool you always see in photos inside nuclear reactors.

British Energy, which owns eight nuclear power stations in the UK, is in the van of a new wave of popularity for nuclear power.

But who owns what, who pays for what and who might own what if and when it’s been paid for is all a little less clear.

Research: BGY.L

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You thought it had all gone away didn’t you? For 150 years coal was what kept us all alight and weren’t we reminded of it on a regular basis.

But not all the miners have been sent on their bikes to find a new trade, a few are still quietly digging away.

And wouldn’t you know it, Old King Coal - long ago privatised - is making a comeback.

Research: UKC.L

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