Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday March 14 that are worth another look.Metal trading funds and the metal commodities industry in general are increasingly focused on trading copper spreads and staying away from bets on outright price, panelists at the International Copper Conference said on Wednesday March 13. At Fastmarkets' 20th Asian Ferro-alloys confere...Read More
Metal trading funds and the metal commodities industry in general are increasingly focused on trading copper spreads and staying away from bets on outright price, panelists at the International Copper Conference said on Wednesday March 13.This shift has been helped by diminishing volatility in copper's outright price, and better visibility over market fundamentals ahead of a macroeconomic environm...Read More
Price-spread backwardations for copper on the London Metal Exchange, with nearby dates, have reduced after 34,950 tonnes of material were delivered into the exchange's warehouses on Thursday March 14, doubling the on-warrant inventory.At 17:18 London time on Thursday, 50 lots of LME cash-March spreads traded in a $2.50 per tonne contango on the exchange's Select platform, after starting the day in...Read More
Gold revisits month-start levels by nearing $1306 ahead of London open on Wednesday. Brexit and trade developments can act as near-term catalysts. $1302 and $1308 are likely immediate levels to watch. Gold trades near the highest level in two weeks, around $1306, on early Wednesday. The yellow metal crossed 50-day simple moving average (SMA) for the first time since November 2018 as latest commu...Read More
American Battery Metals (CSE: ABC) announced that later this month it will start an exploration program at its Temple Mountain vanadium property in Emery County, Utah.With $1.5 million in funding, the campaign will be comprised of radon geophysical surveying, trenching and sampling, and reverse circulation drilling of 10 holes for 3,000 feet.According to American Battery Metals, the geophysical su...Read More
The United States copper market failed to hold onto previous gains during morning trading on Thursday March 14, with weaker-than-expected Chinese data capping the base metals space.The copper price for May settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange dipped 4.30 cents to $2.8925 per lb. Data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) at around 10am Shangha...Read More
Turkish billet prices have continued to rise due to improved demand in the export and domestic markets in addition to the latest growth in imported scrap costs, sources said on Thursday March 14.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic billet was $460-470 per tonne ex-works on March 14, up from the $450-460 per tonne of last week.Long steel producer Kardemir opened its local billet sales...Read More
Prices in the local market for Turkish rebar and wire rod have continued to increase, influenced by the weakening of the value of the country's lira and rising costs for imported scrap raw material, sources said on Thursday March 14.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic rebar was TRY3,180-3,215 ($582-589) per tonne ex-works on March 14, including 18% VAT, up from last week's TRY3,100-3...Read More
Turkish rebar and wire rod prices have increased over the past week in line with the latest uptick in the cost of imported scrap, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday March 14.Demand for rebar was still sluggish in the country's export markets, however, although the wire rod market was comparatively better due to demand from the machinery industry.Turkish steel producers were trying to keep their...Read More
Steel billet import prices in Egypt have increased over the past seven days with higher offers being heard, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday March 14.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel billet imported into Egypt was $475-480 per tonne cfr on Thursday, rising from $470-475 per tonne cfr last week.CIS-origin billet was offered to the country at $480 per tonne cfr, but no major bookin...Read More
Market sentiment weak, with select categoriesseeing demand. Diamonds between 0.70 ct. and 1.99 ct. moving well, but largestones slow. Sluggish demand for goods under 0.50 ct., with manufacturersreducing production of that size. Rough market subdued. Alrosa Jan.-Feb. sales-40% to $627M. Belgium Feb. rough imports -28% to $621M, polished exports -3%to $1.2B. Gem Diamonds 2018 revenue +25% to $267M,...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices were flat amid lower trading activity on Thursday March 14, though bullish sentiment propped up the export market slightly.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,810-3,850 yuan ($568-574) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Beijing): 3,790-3,830 yuan per tonne, unchangedRebar futures were lower than Wednesday's settlement price of 3,817 yuan per tonne during most of the...Read More
Sentiment cautious, with selective interestin smaller sizes. Surplus of +11 goods has placed pressure on prices. Firmstrading rough rather than manufacturing, creating shortages in certain meleecategories. Slow demand for diamonds under 0.50 carats, but better sales ofround, 1 ct. stones. Dealers seeing stronger orders from US than China, withcertified goods easier to sell than uncertified. Liquid...Read More
RAPAPORT... Gem Diamonds has announced the sale of a 13.33-carat pinkdiamond, discovered in February at its mine in Lesotho, for $8.8 million. The tender sale, which took place in Antwerp, represents a record per-caratprice of $656,933 for the company, it said Thursday. The result builds on a successful 2018 for Gem Diamonds, which morethan doubled its profits to $46.6 million, it reported. The mi...Read More
RAPAPORT... Alrosa has begun accepting payments in euros, as it continues to test the waters with currenciesother than dollars. The move, which currently extends to only one of its Chinese clients, is an attempt to avoid theconsequences of future US sanctions on the Russian miner, according the SouthChina Morning Post. That publication identified the client as Hong Kong-based jewelryretailer...Read More
On March 14 the Mining Association of Canada released the latest edition of its annual Facts & Figures report that provides a comprehensive overview of the trends affecting Canada's mining sector. It contains the unwanted truth that this country's competitiveness continues to erode.Canada is losing its ability to seize new opportunities for growth and it is essential the federal and provincial gov...Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices mixed on Thursday March 14 with those in the eastern region slipping while the northern market held steady. The export market strengthened with deals being concluded at higher prices. DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,830-3,850 yuan ($571-574) per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,760-3,780 yuan per tonne, unchanged Sellers in easter...Read More
RAPAPORT... Pandora chairman Peder Tuborgh is set to leave the Danishjewelry maker. This comes just one month after the company appointed veteranconsumer-brand executive Alexander Lacik as its new CEO. These significant leadership changes form part of thecompany's strategic initiative to combat disappointing sales figures, asluggish retail market, and problems with its new jewelry lines. In 2018...Read More
Africa-focused Gem Diamonds (LON:GEMD) has sold a 13.33 carat pink diamond recovered at its flagship Let??eng mine in Lesotho last month for $8.8 million.The high-quality pink colour type I diamond sold at a tender in Antwerp, Belgium, achieving a record price per carat of almost $657,000.Let??eng mine is well-known for yielding some extraordinary diamonds, such as the 910-carat "Lesotho Legen...Read More
JFE Meranti is a newcomer to the coated steel coil sector, and it expects its first years to be challenging while it works to achieve the lion's share of Myanmar's up-and-coming market for coated steel products, chief executive and managing director Sebastian Langendorf has told Fastmarkets.Langendorf was speaking in an exclusive interview at JFE Meranti's Singapore headquarters in the Marina Bay...Read More