Prices in the United States for imported flat-rolled steel have inched upward on stable raw material costs abroad and the resumption of normal activity following China's Golden Week holiday, market participants said."The global market has seen a bit of an uptick this week, and everyone is trying to make one more push for higher prices," one trader source said.Hot-rolled coilFastmarkets' price asse...Read More

DADA Holdings LLC, the principal owner of New Day Aluminum, and Canada-based green technologies firm Enervoxa have formed a joint venture (JV) to extract rare earth elements and minerals from bauxite residue at New Day's Gramercy alumina refinery in Louisiana, the United States. The venture, called ElementUS, will use Enervoxa technology to separate bauxite residue into its component materials, in...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday October 15 that are worth another look.Demand in India for steel and ferrous scrap will remain subdued for the rest of this year, while Pakistan and Bangladesh both show stronger demand, Zain Nathani has said during the online Bureau of International...Read More

The battles to free silver from manipulation continue!by Bix Weir of Road to RootaFor 10 years we watched the CFTC & COMEX stand back and ALLOW the Silver price suppression until FINALLY the DOJ came in and slapped JPM on the wrist and asked them to stop. WHERE'S THE CFTC & COMEX "Slap on the Wrist?" The battles to free silver from manipulation continue!Read More

The London Metal Exchange three-month prices of copper and aluminium made small gains in trading on Thursday October 15, with the red metal rising by 1%.The LME three-month copper price closed at $6,783 per tonne, after a moderate turnover of 14,665 lots during the day.Fastmarkets analyst Andy Farida noted in his "Copper Today" report the "nearby macro headwinds" supporting the copper price, "with...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices declined slightly on Thursday October 15 with some market participants sensing the start of some price stability after several consecutive downward corrections, trade sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $118.70 per tonne, down $0.82 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $119.04 per tonne, down $0.94 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grad...Read More

Fastmarkets' seaborne premium hard coking coal cfr index edged down day on day on Thursday October 15, with Chinese buyers sitting on the market sidelines, sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $124.21 per tonne, unchanged Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $134.27 per tonne, down $0.71 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $108.52 per tonne, unchangedHard coking...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:US domestic prices for hot-rolled coil (HRC) moved sharply higher in September, in line with our expectations, but the magnitude of the rise exceeded our predictions. Domestic HRC prices averaged $566 per ton in September, exceeding our $540 per ton forecast price.A c...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Although we correctly forecast a significant rise in hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices in the United States in September 2020, our price forecast proved too conservative.An impressive V-shaped recovery in key economic fundamentals critical to steel consumption is driving stronger demand for steel at the start of the fourth quarte...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.In the iron ore market, supply issues including heavy rains at the start of the year, followed by staffing problems during the Covid-19 pandemic, have affected exports from Brazil. This has helped Australia gain a larger market share, but since June, Brazilian export volumes have returned to levels last seen before the...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Having found it easier to increase prices than their counterparts in Europe and the United States during the past few months, Asian stainless steelmakers now face a number of concerns.In the short term, Asian prices have moved down in recent weeks while those in Europe and the US are on the up. This is mostly a reflection of...Read More

Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.The coronavirus pandemic has had a massive impact on every part of the global economic system. In response, unprecedented stimulus measures have boosted many countries’ debt-to-GDP ratios to levels not seen since WWII. But even...Read More

Rising expectations for US holiday season. Retailers beginning early promotions and planning for longer 4Q selling period to avoid overcrowding among last-minute shoppers. Shortages supporting polished prices after manufacturing down by estimated 50% in 2020. Large volume of new polished expected to become available before year's end following strong 3Q rough buying. De Beers Sep. sales +57% to $4...Read More

RAPAPORT... Alrosa will not hold a rough trading session in October in an effort to avoid releasing too many goods during a fragile recovery in the diamond market. The Russian miner will combine its October and November sales, it said Thursday. "This will help to support a nascent supply-demand balance by servicing only real demand from the clients, as uncertainty persists, thus avoiding a ri...Read More

RAPAPORT... India's polished-diamond exports declined 20% in September - a more moderate fall than the country had experienced in previous months. Rough imports rose 16% as De Beers and Alrosa started selling in large quantities again.India Trade Data for September 2020 Read More

RAPAPORT... Tiffany & Co. has witnessed a rebound in its operations during the third fiscal quarter, driven by growth in e-commerce sales and a strong recovery in China, the jeweler said Thursday.Operating earnings grew 25% year on year during August and September, although group sales declined slightly, the New York-based jeweler reported in an unscheduled update for the period. "While w...Read More

RAPAPORT... Diamond resources at Lucapa Diamond Company's Mothae mine in Lesotho are 280% higher than it originally estimated, it said Thursday.The increase is due to the new commercial processing plant the miner has installed at the deposit, noted Lucapa managing director Stephen Wetherall. The company has raised its assessment of the volume of indicated diamonds - those known based on drilled ar...Read More

The Albras aluminium smelter joint venture in Brazil has ramped up production after the seven-month stoppage of one of its lines due to an electrical transformer catching fire, the company said on Wednesday October 14."Ramp-up conclusion on production line 1 will allow us to resume full capacity at Albras for all four lines," Albras president, Jo??o Batista Menezes, said in a written statement.The...Read More

RAPAPORT... The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has launched its new grading reports for lab-grown diamonds, offering an updated look and format.The new documents, branded "LGDR by GIA," come in digital-only form and use specific color and clarity scores rather than the descriptive terms and ranges that appeared in its previous reports, the organization said Tuesday."The evolution of G...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Tiffany & Co has launched a highly personal attack on LVMH boss Bernard Arnault, citing his reputation for a "ruthless approach to acquisitions".The New York-based jeweler is still smarting after the French luxury conglomerate dramatically pulled out of its $16.2bn acquisition last month, blaming the threat of US trade tariffs.Tiffany hit back with a legal attempt to force thro...Read More