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

RAPAPORT... Star Diamond Corporation may end its partnership with Rio Tinto, stating it believes the Australian mining giant is responsible for the unnecessary breakage of large diamonds.Rio Tinto recovered 3,005 diamonds weighing a total of 131.82 carats from its most recent bulk sampling at the Star-Orion South project in Saskatchewan, Star Diamond said Wednesday. Those included 2.69-, 2.03- and...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

(IDEX Online) - Diamond industry veteran Chaim Pluczenik has been elected president of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC).He pledged to do all he can to help Antwerp recover from the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic.Mr Pluczenik takes over from Nishit Parikh, who retired after two years in office without seeking re-election.AWDC represents Belgium's diamond sector and offer...Read More

The spot market for copper scrap in the United States remained quiet week on week, with sellers finding it difficult to move material while discounts widen amid lukewarm demand. Meanwhile, the brass scrap market remained strong, supported by sustained domestic demand."The market is saturated with scrap, primarily due to soft domestic consumer demand as well as soft export demand," a major scrap co...Read More

Chinese alumina market buying interest in seaborne cargoes grew significantly this week following a steady appreciation of the yuan since Monday, with many hoping to lock in relatively cheaper material compared with the domestic market. A higher volume of inquiries and deals over the course of the week took the benchmark alumina index on an uptrend since Tuesday. Fastmarkets' alumina index, f...Read More

Chilean copper producer Codelco has offered a copper premium of $98 per tonne to its European clients on top of the London Metal Exchange price for 2021 contracts, Fastmarkets learned."We do not [think there will be any] significant changes in Europe," one company source said. Starting in 2019, Codelco introduced flexible terms...Read More

The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange held on to gains made earlier in the week during morning trading on Thursday October 15, despite a downturn in Chinese producer and consumer prices last month prompting selling pressure, while a fresh cancellation in tin kept the metal's price elevated. Nickel's outright price on the LME was recently trading at $15,395 per tonne, holding We...Read More