Turkish long steel export prices have gone down slightly over the past week in line with the limited demand for the materials, sources said on Thursday July 18.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar) export, fob main port Turkey, was $450-460 per tonne on an actual weight basis on July 18, down from last week's $455-465 per tonne.The mills in Turkey have generally re...Read More
The price of steel billet imported into Egypt decreased in the week to Thursday July 18 because of lower offers and bids, while demand remained poor because of uncertainty about the application of import duties."Offer prices have fallen but there are no bookings because of the uncertainty about safeguard duties," a local market source told Fastmarkets.In April, Egypt imposed a temporary additional...Read More
The export price for CIS-origin steel billet has tumbled with several new bookings done at lower prices, Fastmarkets heard on Thursday July 18.Fastmarkets' daily steel billet index, export, fob Black Sea, CIS, was $420 per tonne on July 18, down from $425 per tonne the day before. The price was in the range of $422-423 per...Read More
Domestic prices for heavy steel plate in Southern Europe fell over the past week due to a lack of buying activity, sources told Fastmarkets.Demand is expected to decrease further in August due to seasonal factors such as scheduled maintenances at the mills, they added.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel, domestic, plate 8-40mm, exw Southern Europe, was ?,?490-510 ($550-572) per tonne ex...Read More
Diamond market weak due tosummer slowdown and sluggish dealer demand. Manufacturers frustrated by tightprofit margins and hoping for rough price reduction at De Beers July sight. Cuttersmaintaining low polished production due to profit and liquidity squeeze. ABN Amrorestricts rough-sector lending out of concern for lack of profitability. ChowTai Fook FY1Q same-store sales +11% in China, -11% in Ho...Read More
Fewertransactions than this time last year, despite strong foreign-dealer presencein Mumbai. Buyers looking for bargains amid rumors of tight liquidity andfinancial distress. 0.30 ct. diamonds selling in parcels since prices ofcertified goods have declined. GIA has reduced grading fees for 0.30 by 10%. Soliddemand for SI1-I2 parcels. Manufacturers maintaining low polished production. RoundRead More
RAPAPORT...De Beers has lowered its production forecast for this year,noting that weakness in the diamond trade negatively affected itsperformance in the second quarter.Sales volume slumped 10% to 9 million carats in the threemonths ending June 30 due to an oversupply of goods, Anglo American, De Beers'parent company, reported Thursday. In light of that, it now expects to recover about31 million c...Read More
RAPAPORT...Retailers' attempts to maintain low diamond inventories are hurtingdemand across the trade, Alrosa warned after reporting its lowest quarterlysales since 2015. The Russian miner's sales slumped 26% to $807 million in thesecond quarter ending June 30, it reported Thursday. An oversupply of rough andpolished in the manufacturing and retail sectors has hurt appetite for thecompany's goods,...Read More
Various Indian online news outlets reported that Reliance Brands had come to an understanding with the 182-year old American jewelry brand Tiffany & Co. to bring Tiffany's to India. Reliance Brands is owned by Mukesh Ambani, India's richest businessman and industrialist. He is the chairman, managing director, and largest shareholder of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), a Fortune Gl...Read More
RAPAPORT... Sales at Richemont's jewelry brands increased 10% in the first fiscalquarter, as lower value-added tax and customs duties drove purchases in mainland China,the luxury retailer said Thursday. Proceeds from the group's largest product category - which comprises Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels - rose to EUR 1.83billion ($2.05 billion) in the three months ending June 30. At constan...Read More
RAPAPORT... Sales in Chow Tai Fook's mainland China storesgrew strongly in the first fiscal quarter, while purchases in Hong Kong andMacau slowed. Retail sales jumped 24% in mainland China in the threemonths ending June 30, with same-store sales - at branches open for at least ayear - rising 11%, the jeweler reported Tuesday. Retail revenues in Hong Kongand Macau fell 6%, while same-store sales sl...Read More
RAPAPORT... A New York judge has refused to back down after ruling that Signet Jewelers' comments about the sexual-harassment claims it was facing could be part of a class-action suit against the retailer.On July 10, Judge Colleen McMahon ruled Signet shareholders could form a class action in their securities-fraud claim against the jeweler. The following day, Signet claimed it would seek a review...Read More
Speaking at a meeting of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), which took place during the United Nation's 2019 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in New York, CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri has advocated for the position of small and medium-sized enterprises. Sustainable economies rely on the contribution of SMEs, he said, but too often they fi...Read More
The Inside Retail Asia website reported that during the second quarter same-store sales of the world's largest jewelry retailer la Chow Tai Fook (CTF) in Hong Kong and Macau fell by 11 per cent. However, sales in Mainland China rose by 11 percent. "The Hong Kong and Macau market was affected by a tough base of comparison and cautious consumer sentiment amid an uncertain macro environmen...Read More
RAPAPORT... Sales of rough from Lucapa Diamond Company's Lulo mine doubled to $10 million in the second quarter, reflecting higher volumes and an increase in the average price, the company said Monday.Sales volume surged 63% to 5,573 carats, while the average price grew 22% to $1,800 per carat. Production at the deposit in Angola fell 24% to 3,868 carats, as Lucapa focused on processing...Read More
Aim-listed Botswana Diamonds has raised £250 000, through the placing of 50-million shares with new and existing investors at 0.5p a share.This represents about 7.98% of the company's issued share capital.AdvertisementThe funds will be used to continue diamond exploration efforts in Botswana; to progress the Thorny River bulk sampling programme; to bring the Marsfontein dumps and gravels...Read More
RAPAPORT... Diamond production at Rio Tinto dropped 10% year on year inthe first half of 2019, as the miner recovered lower-grade ore at its Argylemine in Australia. The company's share of production at the Argyle and Diavik mines came to 8.3million carats for the six months ending June 30, the company said Tuesday.Argyle yielded 6.1 million carats, a 13% decrease compared to the same periodlast y...Read More
Diamond miner De Beers has revised its full-year production guidance downward to about 31-million carats, leaning towards the lower end of the previous range of between 31-million and 33-million carats, in response to weaker trading conditions experienced during the second quarter.De Beers is currently producing to demand and, in a statement issued on Thursday, the miner reported that the revision...Read More
Anglo American has raised its full 2019 production guidance for its Minas Rio operations in Brazil, but has cut its output estimate for the Kumba operations in South Africa.Full 2019 production guidance for Anglo American's Minas Rio operations in Brazil have been increased to 19-21 million tonnes, up from its previous estimate of 18-20 million tonnes, according to a second-qua...Read More
Physical iron ore prices continued to fall on Thursday July 18 with market participants becoming cautious about rising steel inventories and weaker prices in China.Fastmarkets' index for iron ore 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $119.90 per tonne, down $1.37 per tonne. Fastmarkets' index for iron ore 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines, cfr Qingdao: $119.82 per tonne, down $1.37 per tonne. Fastmarkets' index for...Read More