Shares in the larger mining stocks have been pretty volatile of late driven by concerns about China and commodity prices. However, there are signs that the era of big spending with expensive trophy projects is being curtailed with speculation that two of the largest global miners, BHP Billiton and Glencore could announce share buy backs this week.

What a difference a few weeks makes in the markets! In late July the US indices were hitting all time highs, now it looks like the Dow Jones Industrials are in danger of slipping back below 16,000 after a couple of weeks of heavy losses

Earlier today Gulf Keystone Petroleum released an RNS to try and calm nerves following the recent advances by the Islamist ISIS forces further into Northern Iraq. Unfortunately for GKP, Genel and others, reassuring words don’t seem to be working with the both companies shares down around 8%.

Tangiers Petroleum Limited the ASX and AIM listed oil and gas exploration company with assets offshore Morocco has had a rough few weeks. Its shares are down around 70% in the last week…

After a poor few sessions last week, with a brief respite to the selling yesterday, most of the major indices are moving back down today or are just about holding their own.

Today’s announcement that Cameroon Oil and Gas explorer, Bowleven, had the formal decree awarding the Etinde Exploitation Authorisation (EA) signed by the President of Cameroon appears to have been brushed off by investors with the shares barely rising.

Some rather uncomfortable reading for shareholders in IT outsourcing company, Quindell, this morning with the FT reporting problems with its joint venture with the RAC, sending its shares down around 13% to 180p.

The key US non-farm payroll data for July is out early this afternoon with expectations that the American economy added 235,000 jobs in the month and the unemployment rate at 6.1% and there’s a few nervous investors out there as the markets await the figures.

Africa focused oil and gas explorer, Afren (AFR) is currently down 28% to 107p and fell as low as 97p this morning on news that the CEO and COO have been suspended for ‘the receipt of unauthorised payments potentially for the benefit of the CEO and COO’.

Twitter shares rose over 30% after the market close night and are currently up 26% to $49 in pre-market trading, almost double the $26 IPO price of November 2013.