Soaring prices have Australian gold enthusiasts expecting a frenzy of mergers and acquisitions

Australia’s gold industry – buoyed by precious metal record—setting the course This year, a wave of deal-making is expected, with smaller mining companies set to be targeted due to delays in exploration.

The possibility of a wave of mergers and acquisitions in the world’s largest gold producer after China and Russia was one of the main themes of the three-day Diggers & Dealers Mining Forum in the dusty mining town of Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.