February 14th is the date in the 2010 calendar when the year of the Tiger starts – the year of the metal tiger - symbolizing toughness, generosity and wealth earned with hard work. Word has it that this is a big, bold year filled with extremes. Unpredictability is in the air; fortunes can be won or lost. China, the apparent leader of the new world, is already showing signs of making bold and daring tiger strides in the mineral resources world.

Methinks I see a tiger’s tail twitching... in my opinion we are already seeing that Chinese hard work all over Africa’s mining hotspots and of course Zimbabwe – the next big thing coming; one can also but wonder where a junior company in this global climate of “finance with head in sand”, suddenly pulls out a huge non-brokered private placement... what is that purring noise I hear in the tall grass?

Meanwhile back at the ranch, Control Risks, independent security consultancy, identifies five key risks to watch for in 2010: elections and leadership changes; red tape and regulation; corruption and fraud; infrastructure deficiencies, and kidnap and piracy. James Smither of Control Risks warned delegates at Indaba ‘10 to beware of considerably increased instability as other groupings battle to succeed despots across the continent.

Here's wishing you a prosperous Year of the Tiger!