On an international level, economic assessment of deposits is done through dynamic methods which take the time factor for investments and returns, i.e. the time value of money, into account and are based on compound interest formulae. The economic benefit of mining enterprise and investment's attractiveness indicated by net present value and internal return rate in dynamic investment forecast model. This study will only deal with simple cash flow calculations a geologist or mining engineer will have to make in the prefeasibility stage of a project in order to establish whether an exploration project worth pursuing.
This paper first of all examines the notion of an equilibrium price for a mineral cоmmodity market. It draws the conclusion that microeconomic theory alone cannot define such a price. It then recapitulates on the reasons for price fluctuations and shows that one can at least identify a floor price and a ceiling price when it proves impossible to identify an equilibrium price. To conclude, it proposes a method for price forecasting, based on a prior analysis of the relevant industrial structure involved.
