RAPAPORT... US polished-diamond imports more than doubled year on year to $1.74 billion in March, reaching their highest level since May 2019, according to recent government data. The improvement partly reflects a favorable comparison with the onset of the coronavirus crisis a year earlier.US Trade Data for March 2021  Read More

RAPAPORT... HB Antwerp and Sarine Technologies have agreed to a partnership that will see the pair integrate their respective machinery throughout the diamond-manufacturing process.Under the deal, Belgian manufacturer HB will use Sarine's scanning and automated grading systems for the entire supply chain, from rough sourcing to the final polished. HB will pay Sarine based on the value of the...Read More

RAPAPORT... Sotheby's will open a retail store in its New York flagship gallery featuring over 5,000 luxury items, including fine jewelry, art, watches and handbags.The Emporium is an extension of the auction house's Buy Now online marketplace, which enables shoppers to purchase luxury items whenever they want, Sotheby's said Monday. The site will offer items at different price points, and buyers...Read More

The three-month price of zinc rebounded above the $3,000 per tonne mark on the London Metal Exchange and nickel had the largest percentage gain on Tuesday May 11, while most other base metals metals also finished higher due to some dip-buying after prices fell on Monday.Zinc's benchmark futures contract was up by 0.6% to $3,009 per tonne on Tuesday, following a 0.7% decrease of Monday to $2,991.50...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Lucapa today announced it had sold a parcel of about 4,000 carats of rough from its Lulo mine, in Angola, for $5m.The Australian miner said seven high-value diamonds, including two pinks, were put aside for a later sale.It achieved an average per carat of $1,239 in the sale, together with partners Endiama and Rosas & Petalas.Earlier this month Lucapa sold a 3,617 carat parcel f...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Petra is to re-open its Williamson mine, in Tanzania, more than a year after it was put on on care and maintenance amid the first Covid lockdowns and unprecedented low rough prices.The mine, a quarter-owned by the Tanzanian government, has now reportedly secured overdraft funds to resume production at full capacity. It halted operations when the per carat price of the rough it...Read More

The total amount of metal held outside of the London Metal Exchange network fell by 40% in March 2021 to 1.25 million tonnes from just over 2 million tonnes in February, the latest data from the Exchange shows.The LME's latest off-warrant stock report showed a decrease of 841,034 tonnes over March, down from February's reading of 2,093,017 tonnes.There was a decrease in every metal held off warran...Read More

The latest diplomatic tit for tat between China and Australia is adding fuel to cif China bauxite prices already trending upward as a result of higher freight rates since the start of 2021.China announced an indefinite halt to its economic activities with Australia last Thursday May 6, citing some Australian officials' "disruptive measures."Sources told Fastmarkets in the week to Monday May 10 tha...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were consolidating this morning on Tuesday May 11, after having pulled back from high ground on Monday while base metals on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were, for the most part, weaker. Broader markets seem to be getting nervous about inflation, with roaring commodity prices not helping. China's consumer and producer prices up significantly. But, US...Read More

US steel mill shipments in the United States reversed course and increased by 18.05% in March after slipping in February.Steel mill shipments jumped to 7.95 million net tons in March, after falling by 9.20% to 6.74 million tons in February, American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) figures show. March shipments also are up by 1.90% from the 7.80 million tons shipped in the same month...Read More

Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States achieved a new record high for the second consecutive day after market participants said that service centers need to restock, but mills are offering few spot tons. Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $76.61 per hundredweight ($1,532.20 per short ton) on Tuesday May 11, a slight increase from $76.51 per cwt on Mo...Read More

The uptrend in the export market for flat-rolled steel products from the Commonwealth of Independent States continued in new sales during the week to Tuesday May 11 amid strong demand globally, sources said.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel hot-rolled coil, export, fob Black Sea, CIS, was $1,020-1,055 per tonne on May 11, up from $1,000-1,020 per tonne a week before.A sale of Ukraine-...Read More

Prices for steel slab from the Commonwealth of Independent States continued to climb in the first half of May on favorable conditions for finished flat steel sales both domestically and in customers' markets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel hot-rolled coil, export, fob Black Sea, CIS, was $1,020-1,055 per tonne on Tuesday May 11, up from $1,000-1,020 per tonne a week before.The corre...Read More

The Egyptian government announced details of its trial period for the reintroduction of construction permits in an official statement published on Sunday May 9, sources have told Fastmarkets.According to the statement, construction permits will be issued in 27 cities for a period of two months, and will then be available in all cities across Egypt from July 1, 2021.Egypt has had a ban on construct...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday May 10 that are worth another look.European buyers have purchased substantial volumes of cold-rolled coil from China for the first time in about five years, despite the product being subject to anti-dumping tariffs, sources told Fastmarkets on May 10.Consuming...Read More

Towards Sustainable Mining Tailings Guidance Aligns with Global StandardSPONSOREDthe mining association of canadaPAM puts itself in the middle of Thailand 4.0SPONSOREDAuroch powers up nickel explorationSPONSOREDauroch mineralsSaturn still shooting for the stars at Apollo HillSPONSOREDsaturn metalsThe union convened a strike vote for 205 workers after its efforts to improve the terms and conditions...Read More

The global mineral industry will have to rapidly scale up production to meet surging demand from the new energy sector, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned.To reach the target of net-zero emissions by 2050, the energy sector will be consuming minerals at six times the current rate by 2040, the IEA forecast in a special report on Wednesday May 5. "Today, the data shows a looming mismat...Read More

PAM puts itself in the middle of Thailand 4.0SPONSOREDAzure Minerals' managing director shared a coveted industry exploration award for the Cosmos nickel find in 1997. A typical Kambalda-style, komatiite-hosted sulphide deposit, Cosmos became one of the world's highest grade nickel mines.Now Rovira sees great prospects for a Nova-Bollingeresque nickel-copper-cobalt deposit to emerge at Andover, so...Read More

Two-time Vale president Eliezer Batista diesLeadershipLook beyond market approach to project valuations: van ZylLeadershipTowards Sustainable Mining Tailings Guidance Aligns with Global StandardSPONSOREDthe mining association of canadaPAM puts itself in the middle of Thailand 4.0SPONSOREDThe intercept also included 30m at 0.81% Cu-eq, with another hole intersected 128m at 0.42% Cu-eq from 32m.The...Read More

Imports of iron ore into the United States tumbled by 38.5% month on month in February on lower shipments from Brazil and Canada, according to data from the US Geological Survey (USGS).Iron ore imports totaled 246,000 tonnes in February, compared with 400,000 tonnes in January and 225,000 tonnes in December 2020. The February total was up by 5.58% from the 233,000 tonnes imported in the same...Read More