‘Impending gold production cliff' may deliver a jolt to prices

``2015 may end up being the peak global production year for gold, at about 95 million ounces, with output in 2024 expected to fall to 78 million ounces. On an annualized basis, the decline would be about 2.2% a year, it said. It is likely that there will be a "significant wave of M&A within the gold industry" because ‘"companies need to replace both reserve and production ounces."''