2008 was a year comprised of two very different times for the mining industry. The first part of the year was a continuation of the golden days that the industry basked in for all of 2007. Metal prices were high, demand robust and mergers and acquisitions were still at the forefront of industry news. Admittedly, there were a few clouds appearing on the horizon. The subprime mortgage crisis in the US was making it difficult to get credit, and people worried that the slowing US economy would put an end to the strong demand for commodities. Many in the industry, however, took comfort in the 'de-coupling' theory: the premise that the BRIC countries would continue to drive the world's economy notwithstanding how events ultimately unfolded in the US.