© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: A small toy figure and gold imitation are seen in front of the Newmont logo in this illustration taken November src9, 202src. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
(Reuters) -Newmont Corp on Tuesday reported a weaker-than-expected third-quarter profit as the world’s biggest gold miner was hurt by lower gold prices, higher input costs and a tight labor market.
Gold prices were down 8% in the quarter, their worst since March 202src, primarily driven by hawkish interest-rate hikes by central banks around the world in the face of unrelenting inflation.
The miner said its third-quarter gold production rose to src.49 million ounces from last year’s src.45 million ounces, primarily due to higher ore grade milled at Ahafo, Akyem and Boddington mines. However, its realized gold price fell by $87 to $src,69src per ounce of gold.
All-in sustaining costs (AISC) for the quarter, an industry metric that reflects total expenses, rose to $src,27src per ounce from $src,src20 per ounce.
The company’s adjusted profit fell to $2src2 million, or 27 cents per share, in the quarter ended Sept. 30, from $483 million, or 60 cents per share, a year earlier.
Analysts on average had expected income of 36 cents per share.
Newmont also reaffirmed its 2022 outlook.