The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.In the year 2020 to date in late August, the Fastmarkets 62% Fe iron ore benchmark has powered along and reached six-year highs, supported by Chinese demand, and despite the global economic uncertainty created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Iron ore demand has weakened almost everywhere except in China, where it has continued to...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.There has been an increasing bullishness in Chinese steel market sentiment recently, with rising post-Covid-19 optimism about the country's economy for the second half of 2020, especially after the government announced an infrastructure spending boost. Although we believe that high prices are justified, they remain far from...Read More

RAPAPORT... Belgium's diamond shipments continued to fall in July, but the rate of decline slowed as markets reopened following coronavirus shutdowns. The country's polished exports dropped 35% year on year for the month, compared with a 44% slump in June, according to recent data from the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC). Belgium trade data for July 2020Read More

RAPAPORT... Jeweler Chow Sang Sang will open more than 40 new stores in China by the end of the year, while closing a number of locations in Hong Kong."Despite all the uncertainties brought on by the pandemic and geopolitical strife, we are optimistic about the China market with its huge middle class," the Hong-Kong based company said last week. As such, "we will continue to build our store networ...Read More

RAPAPORT... The first Christie's online auction dedicated solely to diamonds achieved $1.5 million, with a Graff necklace coming in as the top lot.The piece features a detachable pendant with a pear brilliant-cut, 20.21-carat, fancy-deep-yellow-brown, VS1-clarity diamond and 47.29 carats of white diamonds. It brought in $325,000, falling within its presale estimate range, Christie's announced last...Read More

RAPAPORT... The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) plans to close or heavily scale back its Antwerp operations following a review of its business in the Belgian city."Based on global and local market conditions and activity, and the impact of the global pandemic, the GIA conducted an evaluation of the long-term viability of GIA Belgium," a spokesperson for the organization told Rapaport N...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Fears that online diamond trading in India would be hit by the country's new e-commerce tax have been allayed.The two per cent levy introduced in April applies to consumer sales only, not B2B transactions, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman (pictured) told trade bodies.The clarification came after she met a delegation from the GJEPC (Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Counci...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Alrosa has reportedly followed De Beers by discounting rough prices in response to the coronavirus slump in demand.Last week De Beers was reported to have lowered the price of larger stones at Sight 7 by as much as 10 per cent.Both miners have held firm with sales-over-volume policies until now, despite smaller rivals offering discounts of up to 25 per cent.  De Beers and...Read More

88 Energy (ASX:88E) Prepares for Billion Barrel Farm OutSPONSORED88 energyAVZ closes on financing for tier-one lithium projectSPONSOREDavz mineralsLithium no quiet place for AVZSPONSOREDavz mineralsElement 25's Butcherbird on songSPONSOREDelement 25The gold production guidance improved by about 50,000oz to 500,000-550,000 ounces in 2021, from the 450,000-500,000oz expected previously. The impr...Read More

Artemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesUpdated production guidance resulted in a forecast output reduction of 885,000 tonnes to 11.8 million tonnes, down from 12.7Mt prior to COVID-19, according to the analysis of 15 copper producers.Read More

Canada's Barrick Gold says it will challenge an apparent move by the PNG government to grant a 20-year lease for the Porgera gold mine to a state-backed firm.Read full newsRead More

Aug 28, 2020 (Baystreet.ca via COMTEX) --When insiders like Warren Buffett make investments in sectors like gold/precious metals, that have previously been...Read full newsRead More

Aug 27, 2020 (Financial News Media via COMTEX) --FN Media Group Presents Oilprice.com Market Commentary London - August 27, 2020 - A post-COVID new normal...Read full newsRead More

For the recent retiree, growth stocks can be something of a mixed bag. A lot of it comes down to risk appetite, of course. Those speculative plays that felt fairly low key a few years ago are becoming less appealing. But the markets are also changing rapidly. While this means that some high-risk areas have lost momentum, growth is now cropping up in some unusual places. Let’s examine a few o...Read More

Gold has pulled back from its record highs.Where we go next is anyone’s guess, but investors who missed the big rally this year might want to consider buying the latest dip to get exposure for their RRSP or TFSA portfolios.Gold price momentumGold started 2020 near US$1,525 per ounce. It hit a record closing high of US$2,069 on August 6, but slipped back below US$1,925 by early last week. Pro...Read More

I got an email from Gerardo in June of last year:I've held off on sending out an update on gold because I wanted to be sure that the weekly closing last week held the $1,383 level which was resistance.The yellow metal passed that test with flying colors, bursting through the $1,400 level and trading at $1,415/oz. as I write this....we now have the energy and volatility we need for the new gold bul...Read More

Aug 31, 2020 Guest(s): Kenneth Berry CEO, Northern Vertex Mining Corp. Gold prices holding above critical support above $1,900 an ounce have breathed new life into the mining sector and investor sentiment has come a long way in the last two years, according to one mining executive. On the sidelines of the Mines and Money Online Connect virtual mining conference, Ken Berry, CEO of Northern Vertex...Read More

Aug 31, 2020 Guest(s): Peter Marrone Executive Chairman, Yamana Gold Although gold equities have seen a substantial rally this year, with the VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX), up 45% year to date, the sector as a whole is still undervalued, according to Peter Marrone, executive chairman of Yamana Gold. "I think that this is the time to be invested in equities, more than the time to be invest...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday August 31 that are worth another look.The United States' government has reduced the Section 232 quota for imports of semi-finished steel products from Brazil in the fourth quarter, according to a proclamation from president Donald Trump published late on Friday August...Read More

A second deal for fourth-quarter aluminium ingot supply to main Japanese ports (MJP) was concluded at a premium of $83 per tonne cif MJP, market sources told Fastmarkets on Monday August 31.The deal was for 1,500-3,000 tonnes of aluminium ingot in total for October-December delivery, with 500-1,000 tonnes to be delivered each month. The premium is paid on top of the London Metal Exchange cash pric...Read More