Near the end of 2020, my research team identified trends, pullbacks, and overall upward/downward trends in US major markets as well as those for Gold and Silver.  It is time we revisited these early 2021 predictions in relation to what is happening in the markets currently. You can revisit our original publication entitled What To Expect in 2021 Part II – Gold, Silver, and SPY.At the ti...Read More

If you're a close observer of the metals market, you know that the price of silver has taken a tumble during the past several days.Elliott wave analysis was a big help in identifying the price turn, which occurred on Jan. 6.Indeed, here's a chart and commentary from the Jan. 6 issue of our Monday-Wednesday-Friday U.S. Short Term Update, an Elliott Wave International publication which provides near...Read More

Peter Krauth, the editor of Gold Resource Investor, traces previous gold bull markets and lays out what he believes is in store for the current one.If we want to make intelligent forecasts and decisions about our future, we need to understand not only where we are today, but also how we got here. So, let's look at previous gold bull markets for some insight on what we might expect from this one.Go...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.We spoke in our previous tracker of stainless steel prices ending 2020 on a high. That trend has continued during early 2021 and, in fact, the upward rally in prices has increased its momentum.Compared with the monthly price increase of some 5% seen at the end of 2020, prices for grade-304 stainless steel in al...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Prices of stainless steel are generally set to reach highs for the year as 2020 comes to a close. For the most common nickel-containing grades of stainless steel, this upward trend is being driven above all by rising nickel prices, which themselves are hitting relatively high levels into the end of 2020.The price increases si...Read More

Positive outlook for 2021 amid steady jewelry sales in US and China. Polished inventory rising. More goods going to GIA for grading. Rough market buoyant as De Beers and Alrosa raise prices again by 3% to 5%. Manufacturing profit margins may come under pressure as slower summer season approaches. De Beers 2020 revenue -27% to $3.4B, loss of $102M vs. 2019 profit of $45M. Rio Tinto 2020 diamond sal...Read More

RAPAPORT... De Beers is embarking on a tracking program for the diamonds it supplies to sightholders, as the miner seeks to enhance its use of data and ensure customers create value from the rough they buy.The company will ask manufacturers for information on polished outcomes under its new supply contract, which goes into effect in April, Rapaport News has learned. This will allow De Beers t...Read More

Alumina cargoes in Brazil were trading at a slight premium to Australian material on Thursday February 25 due a muddled supply picture, but opinions on the market's direction remained mixed.Fastmarkets' alumina index adjustment to fob Australia index, Brazil, was at a premium of $0.90 per dry metric tonne compared with Australian units on Thursday, against a $4.51 per dmt discount on January 14.Th...Read More

RAPAPORT... Revenue at Michael Hill fell 2.9% year on year to AUD 319.9 million ($255.7 million) in the first fiscal half amid coronavirus-related closures and a drop in foot traffic.Same-store sales - at retail locations open for at least a year - rose 6% for the six months ending December 27, reflecting the Australian jeweler's continued focus on strategic initiatives to update its business. Net...Read More

RAPAPORT... De Beers recorded its first annual loss since the aftermath of the global financial crisis as rough sales and prices slumped during the Covid-19 pandemic.The miner's underlying loss came to $102 million in 2020, compared with a profit of $45 million in 2019, parent company Anglo American reported Thursday. De Beers had not been in the red since 2009, according to Rapaport records....Read More

(IDEX Online) - Alrosa is to re-open its Severalmaz ore processing plant, as global demand returns.The plant, which accounts for about 11 per cent of the miner's annual rough diamond output, ceased operations last October. It was scheduled to re-open on 1 April, but that has been brought forward to 1 March as the markets recover more quickly than expected. Processing was also suspen...Read More

Domestic prices for steel hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe increased day on day on Thursday February 25 due to tight supply, sources have told Fastmarkets.Market participants expected that European steelmakers would increase their offers next week in an attempt to trigger further price rises.Fastmarkets calculated its daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, at ?,?735.00...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Lucapa has recovered the largest Type IIa D-color white diamond at its Mothae mine, in Lesotho, since operations began there in 2019.The 215-carat gem (pictured) is the mine's second +200-ct and the fifth +100-ct diamond.Last month the Australian miner achieved its highest ever per-carat price from Mothae - $1,198 -  in a sale included that included a Type IIa 101-carat D...Read More

(IDEX Online) - An Indian laborer who leased a small patch of land in Panna in search of diamonds has recovered one of the biggest gems in recent times.Rampyare Vishwakarma and his partners found a 14.09-ct diamond, which could fetch $95,000 when it is auctioned next month.Small-time prospectors typically pay $2.70 for the six-month rights to a 25ft by 25ft patch in an impoverished area of Panna,...Read More

A summary of Kaiser Aluminum's fourth-quarter and full-year 2020 earnings results, published on Wednesday February 24.Fourth-quarter results in brief Kaiser's fourth-quarter 2020 net sales were $272 million, up by 6.25% from the previous quarter's net sales of $256 million but down by 26.29% from $369 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. The company reported net income of $6 million, up signific...Read More

Jacky Gofflot will become chief executive officer at French lead producer Recylex on Monday March 1 when Sebastian Rudow, who has recently resigned, leaves the company.Gofflot was hired in April last year to manage Recylex's battery-breaking sites, the company said, and brought more than...Read More

The price of aluminium showed a 2.3% rise and held close to its new 2021 high of $2,243 per tonne during trading on the London Metal Exchange on Thursday February 25.The price of nickel was the only one among the base-metals complex to close lower day on day at the 5pm close, being down by 2.6%.Aluminium's three-month price was up to $2,235 per tonne at the close, from Wednesday's 5pm price of $2,...Read More

The backwardation in copper's benchmark cash-to-three-month spread reached a near two-year high of $51.50 per tonne, with the bullish rally on the red metal showing no signs of relenting.The London Metal Exchange cash price for copper reached $9,648.50 per tonne on Thursday, rising by 22.5% from the start of February.  Analysts say copper's all-time high of $10,207.50 per tonne - hit in...Read More

At least $14 trillion must be invested in the electricity grid worldwide by 2050 to support new energy usages, research consultancy BloombergNEF reported on Tuesday February 23.The drive to upgrade the grid could spur demand for a wide range of metals and industrial minerals."The transition to electric heating and transport is driving up electricity demand, while the tremendous growth of wind and...Read More

United States President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday February 24 intended to secure his nation's supply chains through a review of critical products, which will include computer chips and batteries.The order directs US federal departments and agencies to identify ways to secure supply chains against a range of risks and vulnerabilities, and ultimately to avoid shortages of crit...Read More