The price for used beverage cans (UBCs) soared higher this week due to seasonally slower flows in the United States and numerous reports of delayed and late shipments."It seems like the flows are slowing down, and we're seeing a lot of delayed and late shipments of UBCs. It has been very tough building inventories," one US consumer said, noting that the volume of late and missed shipments has been...Read More

A cyber attack on Norwegian aluminium group Norsk Hydro caused temporary halts on its rolling and extrusion operations, chief financial officer Eivind Kallevik said on Tuesday March 19.Output reductions, however, are minimal for now. The producer is working to comply with customers' orders during the day and deliveries have not yet been affected, he noted.Every unit was isolated from the company's...Read More

A report published by Deloitte Access Economics reveals that Australian mining companies paid A$30.6 billion in company tax and royalties in 2017-18 - the equivalent of all Federal Government spending on Australian schools, universities and vocational training.According to the report, the dollar amount paid in company taxes over the past couple of years surpasses that of 2011-12, which was the pea...Read More

Major Norwegian aluminium producer Hydro has switched to manual operations at some of its facilities due to a cyber attack, the company said on Tuesday March 19. "Hydro became victim of an extensive cyber attack in the early hours of Tuesday, impacting operations in several of the company's business areas," Hydro said. "IT systems in most business areas are impacted and Hydro is switching to manua...Read More

Aluminium's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange consolidated higher during morning trading on Tuesday March 19, with price action largely unaffected by a rewarranting of just under 100,000 tonnes in Malaysia, accounting for around 10% of total LME stocks. Volumes traded for aluminium on the exchange continue to lead the complex, with just over 7,500 lots changing hands as of 9:50am Lond...Read More

Brazilian flat steel sales increased by 19.3% year on year in February, according to local flat steel association Inda.Sales amounted to 309,800 tonnes last month, compared with 259,800 in the same period a year earlier, Inda said on Tuesday March 19.Flat steel shipments also increased by 16.8% from January's revised figure of 265,300 tonnes.The increase was a result of better performance from the...Read More

Brazilian flat steel producers have announced price increases to distributors for late March and early April, as a result of higher international prices and changes to the currency exchange rate for the country's Real, according to local flat steel association Inda."Domestically produced flat steel is currently around 7-8% cheaper than imported material," Inda president Carlos Loureiro said on Tue...Read More

Export prices for Chinese cold-rolled coil (CRC) and hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG) rose for the sixth consecutive week on Tuesday March 19. Mills increased their offers again on steady domestic demand in China amid the ongoing winter production cuts, and costlier hot-rolled coil feedstock also helped to push up the prices, sources said. Fastmarkets' daily fob China HRC Index stood at...Read More

RAPAPORT... India's polished-diamond exports dropped 4% to $2.34 billionin February, as market weakness continued. A slide in the volume of shipmentsoutweighed a higher average price, according to data the Gem & JewelleryExport Promotion Council (GJEPC) released this week. Rough imports also decreased,indicating a slowdown in the manufacturing sector.India Trade Data for February 2019 $...Read More

Chinese hot-rolled coil sellers kept prices steady on Tuesday March 19 on robust domestic demand ahead of a decrease of the country's value-added tax.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,850-3,870 yuan ($573-576) per tonne, widening downward by 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,810-3,830 yuan per tonne, unchangedPrices were largely stable in both eastern and northern China, with buyers s...Read More

RAPAPORT... With Tiffany & Co. refurbishing its flagship store on New York's Fifth Avenue, there is a buzz of speculation on how the retailer plans to make the shop more interactive and appealing to millennials, as it has vowed to do. What people may not know, however, is that Tiffany has already made a similar move in London, opening a new, modern store that strikes a different tone than...Read More

RAPAPORT... Swiss watch exports rose in February, as stockpiling in theUK prior to Brexit accounted for 80% of the industry's worldwide growth. Shipments rose 3.4% to CHF 1.8 billion ($1.8 billion) forthe month overall, following a two-month downturn. Supply to the UK surged 58%to CHF 126.5 million ($126.5 million), while those to China bounced back,rising 15% to CHF 151.1 million ($151.1 mil...Read More

A report published by Deloitte Access Economics reveals that Australian mining companies paid A$30.6 billion in company tax and royalties in 2017-18 - the equivalent of all Federal Government spending on Australian schools, universities and vocational training.According to the report, the dollar amount paid in company taxes over the past couple of years surpasses that of 2011-12, which was the pea...Read More

The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, hot-dipped galvanized coil, pre-painted galvanized iron, steel plate, steel sheet and other flat steel products. Latest transaction: hot-rolled coilHot-rolled coilEast China, domestic, commercial-grade...Read More

The Debswana Diamond Company (Debswana), a 50/50 joint venture between the Government of the Republic of Botswana and De Beers Group, is launching its Cut-9 project, to extend the life of Jwaneng Mine to 2035. The mine is expected to yield an estimated 53 million carats of rough diamonds from 44 million tons of treated material. Debswana will invest approximately US$2 billion over the life of the...Read More

Alrosa, one of the world's leading diamond miners has initiated a decision-making protocol that will determine if the company's diamond mine at the famous Mir pipe is to be permanently decommissioned or fully restored.   The protocol will require deep level exploration down to -1,300 meter to confirm the mine's reserves. These activities are scheduled to be completed by early 2022. Budg...Read More

RAPAPORT... Mining operations at Alrosa's Mir deposit won't resume until at least 2030, as the company carries out work on the site that could take up to 13 years. It will take approximately five years for the miner to conduct deep-levelexploration and designwork that will enable it to open the site safely. That will costthe company RUB 2 billion ($30.9 million), Alrosa said Monday. Alr...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices edged up further on Tuesday March 19 on steady end-user demand amid favorable weather. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,870-3,900 yuan ($576-581) per tonne, narrowed upward by 20 yuan per tonne Northern China (Beijing): 3,850-3,890 yuan per tonne, narrowed upward by 10 yuan per tonneWarmer weather in both Shanghai and Beijing led contractors to raise their procure...Read More

For the ninth year in a row, Initiatives in Art and Culture (IAC) has created a two-day gathering of experts and visionaries working across various fields related to gold. From journalists and jewelry designers, to environmentalists and government regulators, an international gathering of those passionate about gold will discuss challenges the precious metal and its surrounding industries face tod...Read More

A new mine in Saskatchewan will change the way potash is produced and sold.The Saskatoon-based Gensource Potash Corporation plans to build a mine between Eyebrow and Tugaske, about one hour northwest of Moose Jaw. The Vanguard One project is currently in the financing phase and if everything goes as planned, construction is expected to begin this spring.Construction will create about 150 jobs and...Read More