Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States declined for the second consecutive day due to diminishing spot market activity and a lack of availability from steel producers, according to market participants.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $33.52 per hundredweight ($670.40 per short ton) on Wednesday October 28, down by 1.1% from $33.89 per cwt on Tuesda...Read More

Premiums for lead in India have risen amid calls for increased regional production in the week to Tuesday October 27, while lead and zinc premiums in other regions remained flat over the period, despite increased spot-market interest in both the United States and Europe.Increased demand for industrial production boosts Indian lead premiumUS zinc and lead premiums unmoved despite improved spot appe...Read More

The investment environment in Europe is supportive of the creation of a local electric vehicle (EV) battery value chain, delegates heard during a panel discussion at the Lithium Supply & Markets conference on Tuesday October 27. Infinity Lithium chief executive officer Ryan Parker and Savannah Resources CEO David Archer said they were receiving support from European Union institutions to advance t...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday October 28 that are worth another look.Both the North American and Brazilian markets have strong growth potential stemming from infrastructure-related activity, Gerdau's global chief financial officer Harley Scardoelli told attendees at Fastmarkets' 2020 Steel Success Strategies Online conference on October...Read More

The three-month nickel price on the LME was weaker at the close of trading on Wednesday October 28, down by more than 1% against spread tightness and selling pressure, in addition to a steady rise in the US dollar index.London Metal Exchange lead futures, meanwhile, bucked the downward trend to end the day as the only positive close. Nickel's outright price on th...Read More

Precious metals could do well in either an inflationary or deflationary environment...Tavi Costa on Palisade RadioTom welcomes returning guest Tavi Costa of Crescat Capital to the show. Tavi outlines Crescat's macro model and how it drives their investing focus.Tavi discusses how the only way out of the global debt burden is through further debasement and a continued race to the bottom for currenc...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices were up on Wednesday October 28 amid an uptrend in the futures market, which was prompted by low steel reinforcing bar (rebar) inventories, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $116.87 per tonne, up $1.74 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $117.10 per tonne, up $1.09 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qing...Read More

Citibank was up to something last week when they posted a MASSIVELY BULLISH call on Silver prices before the end of the year. And NOW WE SEE WHY!by Bix Weir of Road to RootaI warned you that Citibank was up to something last week when they posted a MASSIVELY BULLISH call on Silver prices before the end of the year...AND NOW WE SEE WHY WITH SILVER BEING SLAMMED DOWN MORE THAN 5%! Don't you wish we...Read More

It looks like demand for Silver Eagles hasn't subsided... by Steve St Angelo of SRSrocco ReportIt looks like demand for Silver Eagles hasn't subsided as the U.S. Mint sold nearly another million since last week. Total Silver Eagle sales for October have now surpassed September, and there are still three more days remaining in the month. Not only are October Silver Eagle sales higher than the...Read More

The London Metal Exchange three-month nickel price made significant gains in the morning session on Wednesday October 28, rising 2.5% from the previous day's close to hit an intraday high of $16,310 per tonne - a fresh year-to-date high. LME nickel futures bucked the complex's current sideways trading trend, in which most metals continue to wax and wane in line with the US equities markets, on Wed...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Approaching the end of the calendar year, steelmakers and consumers enter a busy period of contract negotiations for supply for 2021 or at least the first quarter or half year.With the sharp increases in spot market steel prices during recent months, steelmakers are understandably looking to take advantage and secure higher c...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Prices for most ferro-alloys maintained their upward momentum into October, solidifying previous gains and reflecting the improved demand from steelmakers, the rebuilding of depleted inventories, and the supply-side concerns following both planned and unplanned outages. Gains were noted for ferro-silicon, silicon metal, mang...Read More

RAPAPORT... Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE) president Yoram Dvash will not run for a third term, choosing instead to focus on his leadership position at the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB).Elections for the IDE presidency are due to take place in December, the bourse said Wednesday. Dvash, who has headed the exchange since 2015, became acting president of the WFDB in April, and was e...Read More

RAPAPORT... E-commerce spending in the US is set to "shatter" all previous records for the holidays, according to Adobe Analytics.Sales will rise 33% year on year to $189 billion over the November-to-December period, Adobe predicted in its annual online holiday shopping predictions Wednesday. That figure could rise if the US government distributes another round of stimulus checks, and if the Covid...Read More

RAPAPORT... Gem Diamonds' sales rose sharply in the third quarter as rough prices from its lucrative Let??eng mine in Lesotho topped pre-coronavirus levels amid a recovery in the large-stone market.Revenue grew to $60.5 million in the three months ending September 30, the company said Wednesday - a 67% rise versus the amount it reported for the same period a year ago. The average selling...Read More

RAPAPORT... Dominion Diamond Mines may have to enter liquidation if it fails to find a buyer or investor, chairman Brendan Bell warned in a court filing last week.The company has been seeking restructuring options after its planned sale of the Ekati deposit in Canada collapsed earlier this month, Bell said in an October 23 affidavit. The best outcome would be one that saves the Ekati mine and...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Gem Diamonds reported increased sales after its Letseng mine resumed operations and demand for its diamond improved.The London-based miner was hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic and in September it said revenue had slipped from $93.1m in H1 of 2019 to $69.5m.But today's Q3 2020 trading update shows positive cash flow, revenue of $25.6m and much-reduced debt.It achieved highe...Read More

(IDEX Online)  - Angola, the world's sixth biggest diamond producer, will open its own bourse by the end of next year.Peter Meeus, the industry veteran who oversaw the establishment of Dubai's bourse and served as its president, is acting as consultant for the project.Diamantino Azevedo, the country' minister of mineral resources and petroleum, pledged that the Angola Diamond E...Read More

(IDEX Online)- Almost all jewelry retailers who sell lab-grown diamonds in the US say their margins are better than with mined gems. And more and more consumers are asking for them.Those are among the key findings of Gaining Critical Mass, a study by US-based MVI Marketing LLC (THE MVEye). Almost four out of 10 independent jewelers are sell lab-growns, says the report, and Signet, the biggest...Read More

Domestic prices for hot-dipped galvanized coil in Northern Europe increased in the week to Wednesday October 28, supported by reduced availability of the material in the spot market and strong demand from the automotive sector, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel HDG, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was ?,?600-620 ($709-733) per tonne ex-works on October 28,...Read More