Seaborne premium hard coking coal prices remained largely stable in both the cfr and fob on markets Wednesday June 9, with most market participants on the sidelines, source said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $168.50 per tonne, up $0.20 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $282.87 per tonne, up $0.20 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $145.43 per tonne, up $3...Read More

Zinc producers in China's southwestern province of Yunnan should be able to fully resume their operations by mid-June, sources said.Yunnan will remove its power restrictions by the end of June that have stunted local zinc output, the provincial energy bureau said.A few zinc smelters in Yunnan have already resumed production, however, sources that spoke to Fastmarkets said.Production capa...Read More

RAPAPORT... India's major jewelry trade body has launched a new exhibition in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), expressing optimism that flights between the two countries will resume this summer.The first International Gem & Jewellery Show (IGJS) will take place from August 14 to 16 in Dubai, India's Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) said Wednesday. It will have space for...Read More

The US nickel market was active in the week to Tuesday June 8, with a consensus that falling supply and healthy spot demand will support the current premium range. US premiums poised for possible increase if miners' strike in Canada endures.  Continued arbitrage losses push some Chinese traders away from nickel plate.  European London Metal Exchange warehouse stocks fall 400 tonnes, but...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Mehul Choksi, the fugitive Indian diamond tycoon who claims he was abducted from a Caribbean island, says those responsible were prepared to kill him."I have no doubts that the agents if given enough reason and opportunity, would not have thought twice before killing me," he wrote in a report filed to police and seen by Times of India.Choksi, 62, is wanted by police in India as a s...Read More

RAPAPORT... The 54.03-carat Chrysler Diamond necklace was among the top sellers at the Christie's Magnificent Jewels sale in New York, bringing in $5.1 million.The pear-shaped, D-color, internally flawless stone was originally purchased by Harry Winston in 1958 from the estate of Thelma Chrysler Foy, the daughter of railroad and automotive executive Walter Chrysler. The necklace beat its high esti...Read More

RAPAPORT... Israel's diamond exports rose sharply in May as the global industry continued to recover and polished prices climbed, according to government data.Polished shipments after returns more than tripled to $264.2 million from $75 million a year earlier, reflecting a rebound from the 2020 coronavirus crisis, the Ministry of Economy and Industry reported Tuesday.Israel has almost entirel...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Chow Tai Fook saw net profits more than double to $777m, as it recorded its best performance since 2014 - in spite of the pandemic.China's biggest jeweler by market value says it opened 741 new points of sale across the mainland in the year to 31 March, and was planning a further 700-plus in the coming year. It currently has 4,591.The increased profits exceeded forecasts as th...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Russia may release diamonds from its state-controlled stockpiles, allowing Alrosa to replenish dwindling reserves as demand surges.The government holds undisclosed reserves of precious gems and metals in a repository known as Gokhran.It is now reported to be considering the release of some rough reserves through public auctions, according to Bloomberg News, which would Alrosa to re...Read More

The export market for steel billet from the Commonwealth of Independent States softened on Wednesday June 9 in new deals from Ukraine.Fastmarkets' daily steel billet index, export, fob Black Sea, CIS was calculated at $644 per tonne on June 9, down by $2 per tonne from $646 per tonne a day before.A few deals for Ukraine-origin billet totaling 15,000 tonnes were done to Italy. Sales...Read More

A workers' strike at Vale's Sudbury nickel mine, in the eastern Canadian province of Ontario, is now in its second week, but would have to continue for at least a month before nickel premiums would rise in the United States, according to most market sources consulted by Fastmarkets this week.They were considering the effect on cut cathode premiums, especially.Vale Canada is North America's main pr...Read More

US Midwest aluminium premiums were likely to stay at elevated levels on continuing strength in physical demand and the continuation of trade tariffs, the chief financial officer of Alcoa has said.According to William Oplinger, the Midwest premium was currently 27 cents per lb, a situation that was likely to continue provided the current factors bullish remained in place."Assuming strong demand and...Read More

Two Chinese investors into Kamoa Kakula copper mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have signed offtake agreements for phase 1 output, operator Ivanhoe Mines said on Wednesday June 9.CITIC Metal (HK) Limited and Zijin Mining's subsidiary Gold Mountains (HK) International Mining Co will each have access to 50% of Kamoa Kakula's copper concentrate and blister copper, Ivanhoe said The offta...Read More

Zinc producers in China's southwestern province of Yunnan should be able to fully resume their operations by mid-June, sources said.Yunnan will remove its power restrictions by the end of June that have stunted local zinc output, the provincial energy bureau said.A few zinc smelters in Yunnan have already resumed production, however, sources that spoke to Fastmarkets said.Production capa...Read More

Rising storage and logistics costs sent the US lead premium to an all-time high on Tuesday June 8, while Chinese zinc market participants expect domestic supply to rebound when the Yunnan government ends the cap on power consumption for manufacturing in three weeks. The US 99.97% lead premium reached a new record high, supported by rising logistics costs.  Power limits in China are due to en...Read More

Prices for steel hollow sections in Europe were unchanged on Wednesday June 9 following recent stability of feedstock costs and uncertainty over the upcoming European Commission safeguard decision, sources told Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe was ?,?1,320-1340 ($1,607-1,631) per tonne on June 9, unchanged week on week...Read More

Iranian steel billet export prices increased in week to Wednesday June 9, with several deals heard in the market, but slab export prices fell, sources told Fastmarkets.Last week, Iranian mills were waiting for some clearer price direction from China, and one order was even canceled  in response to domestic billet prices in China dropping to 4,730 yuan ($747) per tonne on May 27.But domes...Read More

Great Panther Mining is a precious metals miner in the AmericasSPONSOREDgreat pantherStellar metrics just the start for near-term developer Theta GoldSPONSOREDtheta gold minesPAM puts itself in the middle of Thailand 4.0SPONSOREDThe future economy is looking greenSPONSOREDlomiko metals incDrilling returned an intercept of 14m grading 0.89% copper and 8 grams per tonne silver including 6m grading 1...Read More

LME base metals have looked tired, having lost their upward momentum in the past few days, but underlying support looks plentiful, with all the base metals on the SHFE being in positive territory this morning, Wednesday June 9.* US 10-year treasury yields have fallen, not on haven buying, but because the market seems more sanguine that central banks will not rock the boat anytime soon...* ...but w...Read More

European steel H-beam prices reached new highs on Wednesday June 9, with mills continuing to push through successful increases, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel beams, domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?970-1,000 ($1,181-1,218) per tonne on Wednesday, up from ?,?940-970 per tonne one week earlier.Some mills remained out of the market, with full...Read More