De Beers's diamond sales plunged to the lowest since 2017 in the company's latest offering, underlining a slump in the industry worldwide.Sales by the Anglo American Plc unit dropped 25% from a year ago to $415 million, and were down 29% from an offering last month. It's often a quieter time of the year because the industry has already restocked after the key holiday period, but total sales so far...Read More
RAPAPORT... Sarine Technologies posted a loss in the first quarter ascredit problems in the Indian manufacturing sector led to softened demand forits equipment. The diamond-technology company reported a net loss of $1.4million, versus a profit of $3.1 million for the same period last year, thecompany said last week. The company's customers in India, its largest market,struggled to obtain cred...Read More
JCK announced that His Excellency Dr. Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, President of the Republic of Botswana, will open the JCK Las Vegas Show as a keynote speaker on Friday, May 31, 2019 at 7:30 am in the Palazzo Ballroom, Venetian Level 5. This "historic conversation will focus on the special connection between the Americans and the people of Botswana as His Excellency, the President of the Rep...Read More
Since the beginning of the year, the news releases issued by the De Beers Group regarding their periodical rough diamond sales (Global Sightholder Sales and Auction Sales) keep getting shorter and shorter. That was also valid for the report concerning De Beers' news on for the fourth sales cycle - or sight - of 2019. The moment these releases will get longer again, it will be to announc...Read More
Aaron Shum Jewelry of Hong Kong and designer Reena Ahluwalia partnership is set to add more dazzle to JCK this year. The brand will be exhibiting Coronet's ninth Guinness World Record and their Alyssum by Reena collection at JCK Las Vegas, booth 57096. The Mudan diamond watch was awarded the Guinness World Record at Baselworld for most diamonds set on a watch. The watch is set with 15,858 di...Read More
Minerals Council South Africa facilitated the inclusion of junior-specific provisions in Mining Charter III, gazetted in September last year, says Minerals Council Junior and Emerging Miners’ Desk head Grant Mitchell.He notes that the provisions will assist the stability and growth of the junior and emerging mining space, which has lagged behind that of Australia and Canada.AdvertisementMitc...Read More
RAPAPORT... Lucapa Diamond Company has recovered a 130-carat, gem-qualitydiamond from its Lulo alluvial mine in Angola. The stone is the miner's 13th over 100 carats todate, and its second in that size category this year, it said last week. It found a128-carat, white, type IIa stone in February. The company expects to sell those two diamonds, along with a62-carat white diamond and several fa...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices continued to strengthen on Tuesday May 21 after exceeding $100 per tonne cfr last Friday, thanks to gains in the futures and spot steel markets.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $102.03 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up by $0.32 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $100.22 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up by $0.32 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $105.76 per tonne cfr Qi...Read More
Seaborne coking coal spot prices were mostly lower on Tuesday May 21 despite a third round of increases in metallurgical coke prices in China.Eastern China-based Rizhao Iron & Steel - a major coke buyer in the country - increased its purchase price for coke on Tuesday for a third time since April 26, sources said.It is now paying a delivered price of 2,140 yuan ($309.40) per tonne for materia...Read More
Physical iron ore markets continued to strengthen on Friday May 17, with the seaborne price breaching $100 per tonne cfr China for the first time in five years amid bullish futures.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $101.71 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up by $2.50 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $99.90 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up by $2.50 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $104.48 per t...Read More
The creator of one of the world's largest indoor rainforests, UK-based charity The Eden project, has partnered with aluminum giant Alcoa (NYSE:AA) to build a $150 million eco-tourism attraction at the company's former Anglesea coal mine, in Australia.The parties estimate the project could create 300 full-time jobs and attract thousands of visitors if it gains the support of the community, finds f...Read More
Nutrien, the world's largest fertilizer company says it plans to reduce production capacity at a potash mine west of Saskatoon later this year, a decision that is expected to result in around 80 job losses.The company will cut 20 full-time salaried staff and 60 workers who are paid hourly from its Vanscoy mine in the third quarter of 2019.Continue reading...Read More
Alkane maps own path to world-class critical metals producerSPONSOREDalkane resourcesAccording to Piggott, who owns about 7% of Core Gold's shares, "the Titan-Core arrangement is a paper deal that is not in the best interest of Core Gold shareholders".Read More
Broader tensions masking still-constructive fundamentals With the US-China trade dispute escalating again and now geopolitical tensions between the US Iran rising, there is less and less appetite for risk in financial markets. Base metals continue to feel the fallout, despite plenty of signs of tightness in the fundamentals. Aluminium: Base-building amid cross currents There are many cross-current...Read More
Midwest premium to retreat after Section 232 tariffs removed from Canada and Mexico President Trump announced last week the United States has reached an agreement to remove Section 232 tariffs from Canada and Mexico. Following the removal, we believe the US Midwest premium should drop from the current elevated levels. Prior to the implementation of 232 tariff, the US Midwest premium was trading at...Read More
Aluminium LME aluminium’s May 2019 low at $1,784 per tonne remains under threat and a negative break below this level could encourage more technical selling to emerge in the short term. Its daily RSI and stochastic lines have slid lower too, threatening more downside for prices. Given its bearish technical configuration, the LME aluminium price needs to quickly regain confidence by tradi...Read More
Poor macro dynamics Although LME copper prices found some support at $6,000 per tonne last week, a break below this key level is likely imminently due to the macro negativity stemming from tense US-China relations. The re-escalation in the US-China trade and technology dispute has resulted in a confluence of macro headwinds for copper including a stronger dollar, a weaker yuan, and a reduction in...Read More
China puts tariff on concentrate imports from USA China is keeping a 10% tariff on US lead concentrates imports. Last year, China imported 71,000 tonnes of lead in lead concentrates from the US, some 10% of its total lead concentrate imports, which was down from an average of around 150,000 tonnes over the 2015-2017 period. While this is affecting the already beleaguered Chinese smelting industry,...Read More
Q1 results add to list of supportive fundamental factors We noted in our nickel analysis last week that outside of the broader macro and geopolitical issues weighing on the base metals at the moment, the nickel market’s own fundamentals are contributing to price sentiment via a combination of both positive and negative factors. The positives include strong EV sales data, environmental inspect...Read More
LME tin relatively resilient amid the US-China trade/tech dispute LME tin has proven relatively more resilient than most of the other base metals in the face of the re-escalation in the US-China trade spat earlier this month. Although tin is usually less sensitive to the macro backdrop and more responsive to its fundamental dynamics, it can occasionally have a high systemic risk, as was the case i...Read More