Here's the latest on one of the largest banks in the world...By Matt from Silver Fortune via Silver Fortune$920 million fine for one of the largest banks in the world.Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.While steel markets in Asia have demonstrated the most strength with regards to pricing through much of 2020, recent weeks have seen prices in Europe and the United States outperform those elsewhere.In a way, much of this is simply catching up on the gains already made by Asian steelmakers. They were able to obtain higher pri...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloys forecast highlights:Prices across most ore and alloy markets trended higher in September, buoyed by improving demand from steelmakers with the end of the summer holiday season in Europe and the United States, as well as maintained demand from Chinese steel mills. Tightening of alloy inventories...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Chinese blast furnace (BF) utilization rates have stagnated and iron ore port stock volumes are rising, reaching their highest levels since March, which suggests that iron ore supply is becoming excessive while demand is not growing. Unsurprisingly, prices dropped last week and we expect the trend to continue. The market has...Read More

The three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange tumbled at the close of trading on Thursday October 1, while the rest of the complex reacted to news that US lawmakers remained at odds over the country's pandemic relief efforts. Copper's outright price on the LME closed at $6,387 per tonne on Thursday afternoon, declining from an intraday high of $6,710 per tonne, while turnover was at it...Read More

Polish ferro-silicon producer Huta Laziska is set to produce a volume close to its capacity for 80,000-90,000 tonnes per year of standard-grade ferro-silicon (Si 75%) this year, amid signs of a rise in European spot prices, an industry source has told Fastmarkets.Huta Laziska has made only minor adjustments to its output so far in 2020, due to annual planned maintenance measures that have meant on...Read More

A summary of W Resources half-year results for the six months to June 30, 2020, at its La Parilla, tungsten and tin project in the Extremadura region of Spain.In brief:Following the completion of the construction of the La Parrilla plant in the second half of 2019, initial production commenced in late November 2019 and started ramping up at the beginning of 2020.Production in the first h...Read More

Members of Union No2 representing supervisors at the Chilean Escondida copper mine, operated by BHP, voted to strike following unsuccessful labor negotiations with the company, Union No1 said on Wednesday September 30. The latest offer from Escondida's management was rejected by 98.36% of votes from members of Union No2. According to Union No1, the largest union representing workers on the mine, n...Read More

Canada-headquartered Lundin Mining expects to partially resume operations at its Chapada copper-gold mine in the Midwestern Brazilian state of Goi??s within a week and return to full capacity usage in two months, the company said on Tuesday September 29.Lundin had to halt activities on Sunday September 27 after a power outage damaged four motors used for its semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) and...Read More

Alvance, the aluminium division of GFG Alliance, has completed the acquisition of Aleris' Duffel rolling mill in Duffel, Belgium, Alvance said on Thursday October 1. The ?,?310 million ($364.1 million) acquisition, which helped pave the way for the Aleris-Novelis merger earlier this year, took around 10 months to complete after the initial announcement last December. Alvance said on Thursday...Read More

The London Metal Exchange three-month lead price rose during morning trading on Thursday October 1, with a large fresh cancelation of some 15,075 tonnes supporting the incline while LME nickel futures similarly traded in positive territory despite thin volumes.LME lead's outright price was recently trading at $1,835.50 per tonne, climbing by 0.5% from a morning low of $1,811.50 per tonne, while tu...Read More

Trading quiet due to Chinese and Jewish holidays and Covid-19 uncertainty. Expectations low for Oct. 1 Golden Week Hong Kong retail sales. Global brands focusing on China and e-commerce as mainland luxury shoppers limit travel, impacting seasonal sales at Hong Kong, New York and London flagships. Government crackdown on diamond smugglers ensures level playing field for legitimate traders looking t...Read More

RAPAPORT... The Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) has reshuffled its leadership team, with president Nishit Parikh retiring and six new members joining the board.Parikh, the CEO of Diarough, chose not to run again following two years in the position, the AWDC said Thursday. The Belgian organization will elect a new president from among its members.Meanwhile, the AWDC held "Covid-19-safe" el...Read More

The refining charge (RC) for blister copper brought into China rose by 1.7% on Wednesday September 30 to its highest since June 2019, due to reported higher availability of domestic units and lackluster buying from smelters. Fastmarkets assessed the copper blister 98-99% RC spot, cif China at $140-160 per tonne on Wednesday, compared with $135-160 per tonne a month earlier. Offers for importe...Read More

(IDEX Online) - An exceptional 119-carat untreated royal blue Burmese sapphire is to be sold by Sotheby's.The auction house says it's the largest sapphire of its kind it has ever offered.The legendary Rockefeller Sapphire, which is half the size, sold for $3m in 2001. The 62.02 carat rectangular step cut stone was bought in 1934 by the billionaire John D. Rockefeller Jr from an Indian Ma...Read More

RAPAPORT... The Indian government has permitted rough-diamond importers to correct errors on Kimberley Process (KP) certificates, removing an obstacle that had been preventing the clearance of goods.The country's Directorate General of Foreign Trade has empowered the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) to approve fixes to technical or typographical mistakes. The new rule appl...Read More

RAPAPORT... China has arrested 121 people suspected of bringing CNY 3.88 billion (around $570 million) in diamonds into the country through illegal channels since 2015, according to a state-owned newspaper.Officials seized more than 2,520 diamonds, more than 4,000 broken diamonds, and 158 pieces of diamond jewelry during the raid in early September, China Daily reported last week. Authorities...Read More

RAPAPORT... Mountain Province shareholders have approved a refinancing deal that will allow one of its major investors to buy out its current credit facility.Dunebridge Worldwide, which is controlled by Dermot Desmond, who owns just over 32% of Mountain Province's stock, will take ownership of the $25 million secured loan held by the miner's existing lenders, Mountain Province said Wednesday. Dune...Read More

Domestic reinforcing bar prices and demand in the United States were stable week over week, sources told Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), fob mill US held at $29.75 per hundredweight ($595 per short ton) on Wednesday September 30, down by 0.8% from $29.50-30.50 per cwt at the beginning of the year.US marketOverall market dynamics held steady heading int...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Diamond factories will remain open in Surat, India, over the Diwali, the Hindu festival of light, to fulfil export orders.Manufacturers in the world's cutting and polishing capital say they can't afford to turn away business and take the traditional two-to-four-week break.An estimated 650,000 artisans will carry on working over the festive period (Diwali is 14 November th...Read More