Gold has big year in 2020 and outlook for this year robust. Learn about monetary expansion and gold future prices.Read More
The gold futures price reached US$1,767/ounce this week before retreating, which was the second time it has surpassed US$1,760 in the past two months, marking some of gold's highest levels in several years.Read More
* Codelco signs large supply deals with major clients* Asia including China accounts for about 50 percent of sales* Copper price down 20 percent from JuneLONDON/BEIJING - Chilean state miner Codelco has agreed to sell France's Nexans, China's Minmetals and U.S.-based Southwire 50,000 to 100,000 tonnes of copper each from 2019 to 2021 in rolling deals known as "evergreens", sources close to the mat...Read More
More than half of the copper mines in Zambia, Africa's second-biggest producer of the metal, will probably be unprofitable next year with thousands of jobs on the line, as the nation raises taxes for operators, the country's biggest industry lobby group said.The effective tax rate will range from 86 percent to 105 percent, with about 27,900 jobs at risk, the Zambia Chamber of Mines said in a state...Read More
China's month-on-month new electric vehicles (NEV) sales rebounded in August after month-on-month declines in June and July. The drop in sales between May and June was the first drop since September 2016, but Fastmarkets MB had expected Chinese NEV sales to dip temporarily after the June subsidy changes came into effect because consumers and NEV manufacturers would have to adjust to the new subsid...Read More
American engineering company Bechtel, ranked #11 on Forbes' America's private company list for 2018, announced this week that it opened the Bechtel Mining & Metals Innovation Center in Chile with the goal of developing new technologies that boost productivity, promote environmental sustainability and improve worker safety for the copper industry.In a press release, Bechtel said that the cente...Read More
Iron ore prices fell sharply in the second half of November after climbing through October, with prices for higher-grade material pioneering the decline.Fastmarkets MB daily benchmark for 65% Fe fines dropped by 22% by Monday November 26 after peaking on October 29. The 62% Fe iron ore index declined by 16% over the period, as some Chinese steelmakers started to seek larger volumes of cheaper ores...Read More
The steel scrap sector in the United States still depends on exports to Turkey, a member of the Fastmarkets research team said during the ferrous session at the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) conference in London.This dependence persists despite the changes in the international markets created by the US' imposition of its Section 232 tariffs on imports of steel products, metals analyst Le...Read More
Seaborne pig iron has become relatively competitive versus ferrous scrap over the past year in most regions, and China is no exception. As the first chart below illustrates, the gap between the MBR's proxy for imported pig iron price in China and the Metal Bulletin's Chinese domestic heavy melt scrap price assessment had shrunk by late 2017. The premium averaged $17 per tonne this year to date, co...Read More
The closure of some induction furnaces in China in 2016 followed by the government's crackdown on all unlicensed IFs in mid-2017 freed up some scrap volumes, albeit arguably of low-quality material. Chinese domestic scrap prices came under pressure from the increased supply, which prevented them from keeping pace with the rise in steel and other raw material markets in the fourth quarter of 2016;...Read More
Some domestic rebar producers in Egypt have reduced prices, however, steel billet import prices have remained stable in the past week, sources said on Thursday December 20.Fastmarkets MB's weekly price assessment for steel billet imported into Egypt was at $440-445 per tonne cfr on Thursday, unchanged from the previous assessment.Billet producers in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) wer...Read More
Rebar producers in the United Arab Emirates have decreased their prices for January shipping, effective from Thursday December 20.The country's biggest producer Emirates Steel is now offering rebar at 1,899 dirhams ($517) per tonne ex-works, down from the previous 2,016...Read More
Dear Friends,Greetings and best wishes for a happy, healthy, prosperousand peaceful New Year. The New Year is an important time for introspection. Forthinking about our past, present and future. This New Year has special importance for the Rapaport Groupas we celebrate 40 years of continuous publication of the Rapaport DiamondReport. While it is nice to announce longevity, celebrate survival and s...Read More
The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Friday December 21.Base metal prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed at the close of trading on Thursday December 20, with a continued retreat in the United States dollar index failing to spur upward price action amid broadly moderate volumes. Read more in our live futures report.Here are how prices looked at the close of trading:It...Read More
Positive sentiment in final sales-week beforeChristmas. Fashion jewelry for self-empowered women driving growth. Polishedtrading quiet as US and Belgium firms close for holidays. Dealers hoping strongUS shopping will stimulate wholesale demand in the first quarter. Chinesejewelers preparing for Feb. 5 Lunar New Year. Indian manufacturers cautious, withfactories below capacity after India's Nov. ro...Read More
Cautious sentiment amid rumors of furtherbankruptcies and job cuts among manufacturers. Polished production well belowcapacity, with some small- and medium-size factories still closed since Diwali.Stable rough demand from sightholders at last week's De Beers sight. Shortage ofbetter-quality SIs expected, as new production will only be available in mid-firstquarter. Steady consumer interest during...Read More
Precious gemstones miner Gemfields (JSE: GML) has announced that the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) has cleared its Kagem emerald mine following a probe into alleged tax evasion.During an unannounced visit in August, the ZRA seized documents and files including those allegedly used to evade payment of Value Added Tax (VAT), income tax, with-holding tax and other taxes.Probe was part of a wider eff...Read More
RAPAPORT... Swiss watch exports grew last month at their fastest ratefor two years amid an upturn in orders from the US and increased shipments ofhigh-end timepieces. Total exports rose 3.9% year on year to CHF 2.06 billion($2.09 billion) for the month, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industryreported Thursday. "The strongest increase was in the US, the second-mostimportant market, ag...Read More
RAPAPORT... Lucapa Diamond Company brought in $1.5 million at a sale of goods from its Mothae mine, with individual stones fetching up to $15,000 per carat.The Australia-based miner sold 4,000 carats of rough diamonds it recovered during initial bulk sampling at its assetin Lesotho, which began commercial production earlier this month, it said Thursday.Last week, Lucapa recovered a 78-carat w...Read More
It's been nine months since the United States announced Section 232 tariffs, and over six months since a 10% tax was applied to imports of aluminium from Canada, Mexico and the European Union. There's been a huge debate over how successful the tariffs - imposed on the grounds of national security and also applied at a 25% rate to steel - have been. Much depends on who you talk to, and what their s...Read More
RAPAPORT... The second-largest diamond in history was probably twice as big before it broke into pieces, researchers at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) have claimed.Similarities between the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona, the 812-carat Constellation and three other stones suggest they were all one large piece of rough weighing at least 2,774 carats beforevolcanic eruptions or mining process...Read More
RAPAPORT... Whether it's a blessing or curse, we're certainly living in interesting times, and 2018 delivered a host of standout developments that will have a lasting impact on the diamond industry. In the latest Rapaport Diamond Podcast, the editorial team looks back at some of the key themes that shaped the year in our coverage on Diamonds.net. What were the biggest stories of the year...Read More