Lonmin’s CEO shocked the world by stepping down three days before the Xstrata (XTA) deadline. But the exit of Brad Mill leaves investors wondering not whether Lonmin (LMI) will accept the offer but if Xstrata will back out before it can.

The base metals were mixed on Thursday. Copper held in positive territory until mid-morning in New York, but then hit the skids, finishing just off its intraday low at $3.3037/lb., down 4¾ cents.

The Canadian markets managed a modest recovery from Tuesday’s massive sell off as select investors went bargain hunting during Wednesday trading.

How about the worst-performing precious metal so far this decade for a contrarian play? Eric Roseman says Palladium could spike before the year is up as platinum becomes to expensive for commercial use. With output in the world’s largest platinum producer, South Africa, tumbling, Eric thinks both metals could soar…