The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.United States sheet prices hit record highs again in May, with upward momentum carrying into June. Actual US HRC prices averaged $1,712 per tonne in May, largely in line with our forecast of $1,698 per tonne. Strong underlying supply-and-demand conditions both in the US and globally are supporting prices as well as long lead...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Global welded pipe prices surged in May as strong demand and still-insufficient supply lifted flat steel prices.The biggest jumps were seen in China, which was hit by the unexpected announcement of the elimination of export rebates on welded pipes in April. Chinese seaborne prices reached $1,570 per tonne fob for longitudina...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Recent weeks have largely been a repetition of the weeks leading up to our previous tracker in mid-April. A flurry of price increases have been announced, and largely obtained, by leading steelmakers in both Europe and the United States while buyers struggle to secure spot tonnages.Although steel output is rising in both reg...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:Unprecedentedly high flat steel product pricing in the United States was forecast to persist through the current quarter and well into the second half of 2021.Actual US hot-rolled coil prices in April slightly outpaced our forecasts, with Fastmarkets' US HRC index ave...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Bulk ferro-alloy prices have shown impressive gains again this month, with ferro-silicon, silicon metal and manganese alloy prices all making significant increases. Noble alloy markets also enjoyed upward momentum, with both vanadium and molybdenum prices rising sharply.Recovering demand from steelmakers globally, together w...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Recent weeks have brought two key developments with regard to trade policy on stainless steel products that will be to the detriment of consumers.In China, the country's stainless steelmakers no longer enjoy a 13% export rebate as of May 1, reducing greatly their incentive to export and instead leading them to focus on supply...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Stainless steel prices and margins for stainless steel producers have risen notably over the past few months in both Europe and the United States, but there are now signs that the rally is petering out.A clear reason for the halt to rising prices comes from the near 20% drop in nickel prices seen in late February/early March,...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were little changed at the 5pm close of trading on Thursday June 10, with slight increases for aluminium and nickel, while prices dipped elsewhere on the complex.The three-month copper price fell by 0.9% to $9,890 per tonne during Thursday trading, down from $9,978.50 per tonne at Wednesday's 5pm close, despite reaching an intraday high of $9,992.50...Read More
Diamond market upbeat as orders stream in; dealers frustrated with sourcing difficulties. Prices firm due to supply shortages and steady US and Chinese demand. Rough trading strong as De Beers raises prices by estimated 5% for goods above 2 ct. Major jewelers gaining market share with robust e-commerce growth. Signet Jewelers 1Q sales +98% to $1.7B, profit of $138M vs. loss of $197M Chow Tai Fook...Read More
RAPAPORT... Sales at Signet Jewelers stormed past the company's expectations in the first fiscal quarter as the retailer's new strategy helped it capitalize on resurgent consumer demand.Revenue jumped 98% year on year to $1.68 billion in the 13 weeks that ended May 1 amid buoyant in-store and e-commerce sales, Signet reported Thursday. Same-store sales rose 107%, while group net profit stood...Read More
Turkish steel billet prices in both the local and export markets have decreased over the past week on limited demand, market participants said on Thursday June 10.Long steel prices in the country, on the other hand, increased slightly during the week because of higher materials costs.Most market participants in Turkey expected billet prices to increase in the next few weeks as well, because of inc...Read More
RAPAPORT... Alrosa's diamond sales remained stable in May as manufacturers continued to show demand despite challenges in the Indian market, the miner said Thursday. Revenue from rough and polished goods stood at $365 million, down 9% from $401 million in April but higher than the $40.1 million the company reported during the peak of the coronavirus crisis a year earlier. This reflected stron...Read More
RAPAPORT... The International Gemological Institute (IGI) has discovered a 6.18-carat synthetic diamond that fraudsters had misrepresented as natural by falsely pairing it with a mined-diamond grading report."This is the largest lab-grown diamond ever certified by a leading gemological laboratory where the sole purpose was to pass off a lab-grown stone as natural," Bob Van Es, IGI managing di...Read More
RAPAPORT... A diamond necklace by designer Andrew Clunn smashed its estimate at Sotheby's on Wednesday, selling for $4.1 million at the company's New York auction.The piece, set with 28 graduated, oval-shaped diamonds weighing more than 168 carats combined, achieved a price well above its $3 million high valuation at the June 9 Magnificent Jewels sale, Sotheby's said. This established a new record...Read More
(IDEX Online) - The historic Chrysler Diamond has sold for $5.07m at Christie's New York, above its high estimate of $4.5m.The 54.03-carat Type IaB D-color, internally flawless pear-shaped diamond (pictured) takes its name from the socialite Thelma Chrysler Foy.Her father Walter Chrysler started life as locomotive engineer. He went on to found the Chrysler car corporation and personally funde...Read More
The metals and mining industry is unlikely to invest significantly in Chile until uncertainty surrounding the country's fiscal framework is resolved, the chief financial officer of Freeport-McMoRan said. Kathleen Quirk, also president of the United States-based copper producer, said that Freeport was watching developments in Chile before making any further investment decisions. "I believ...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Alrosa today reported $365m sales of rough and polished for May, down slightly from $401m in April.Monthly sales since the start of the year have been steady, averaging $365m. By way of comparison, De Beers has averaged rough sales of $408m at the four sights completed so far this year.Alrosa says demand remains strong from the Indian midstream and is "robust" in all key regions."D...Read More
Mining companies will need to see higher copper prices before they fell any incentive to push forward with new projects, the chief financial officer of US producer Freeport-McMoRan has said.Higher prices will also be needed to attract more sources of copper scrap, Kathleen Quirk told Deutsche Bank's 12th annual global basic materials virtual conference on Thursday June 10."We believe we'll have to...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Gemologists from the IGI lab in Thailand spotted their biggest ever impostor stone - a 6.18-carat lab-grown that was being presented as a natural gem.It had been submitted for verification and came with a GIA certificate stating it was a natural diamond, D color, flawless clarity and triple excellent cut.The genuine stone had been fraudulently replaced with a lab-grown that had bee...Read More
Marex will not proceed with its plans to list its shares on the London Stock Exchange, the brokerage firm confirmed to Fastmarkets on Thursday June 10.Marex announced its intention to hold an initial public offering (IPO) on the LSE on May 14, when commodity prices were in a rally that had taken copper and iron ore prices to all-time highs just a few days...Read More