After reading my previous post about Newmont's comments regarding tougher discoveries, consider the following:

Newmont will spend a quarter of a billion dollars on exploration this year and probably a similar amount or more next year. That is a commitment every year so they can not abandon it all together but...
... if they used half of that money from one year and perhaps the next they would have a quarter of a billion to spend on an aquisition instead of exploration.
Aquisition of a company that has already spent cash on exploration at most likely much lower cost, a resource is already proven so no risk of a dud, aquisition means a quicker source of bullion than through exploration and production at low cost.

So where does one find an aquisition of that type? Hellooo !?