(IDEX Online) - The National Retail Federation has reported that despite a slowdown in the U.S. economy, consumers are still spending and the important holiday season looks on track to perform better than last year. Retail sales in October increased 0.2 percent seasonally adjusted over September and were up 4.2 percent unadjusted year-over-year. "Despite the gradual slowdown in the U.S. econo...Read More

Import prices for rebar sold into Singapore maintained their upward trend in over the past week amid China's strengthening market.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar) import, cfr Singapore - which mainly looks at cargoes sold into Singapore on a theoretical-weight basis - was $430-435 per tonne on Monday November 18, up $5-10 per tonne from a week earlier.Qatari r...Read More

Hot-rolled coil prices in Asia continued to gain last week, forcing buyers to restock after several months of hesitation. Fastmarkets' assessment for steel HRC import, cfr Vietnam, which mainly looks at Chinese 2-3mm re-rolling-grade SAE1006 HRC and equivalent products sold into Vietnam, was $443-445 per tonne cfr for the week ending Monday November 18, up $5-13 per tonne from a week earlier.India...Read More

London-listed Petra Diamonds has effected some organisational changes to help facilitate the rapid execution of its Project 2022 strategy.These changes include a flatter management structure, with mines now reporting directly to CE Richard Duffy.AdvertisementThe company on Friday reported that the restructuring had resulted in the removal of the COO role and that Luctor Roode was, therefore, leavi...Read More

China's hot-rolled coil prices regained more upward momentum on Monday November 18 on a drop in supply.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,610-3,630 yuan ($515-518) per tonne, up 20-30 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,570 yuan per tonne, up 10 yuan per tonneTrading activity in both northern and eastern China remained robust during the day, with buyers still restocking amid short supply,...Read More

British Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has indicated that it intends to exercise its options under a 2017 option-and-joint-venture agreement with Saskatoon-based explorer Star Diamonds, which owns the Fort a la Corne kimberlites in central Saskatchewan.TSX-listed Star Diamonds announced on Friday that Rio Tinto Exploration Canada (RTEC) would exercise all four options – years earlier than...Read More

London-listed Petra Diamonds has sold a 20.08 ct blue diamond, recovered at its Cullinan mine, in South Africa, in September, for $14.9-million.This represents a value of about $741 000/ct.Advertisement"We are very pleased with this result, which is in line with our expectations and confirms the resilience in the value of very high-quality blue diamonds, undoubtedly one of nature's rarest...Read More

Galena provides a leading lightSPONSOREDgalena miningUnder the terms of the strategic cooperation and investment agreement signed in Beijing, China, Cordoba will issue 91.Read More

Domestic auto bundle scrap prices in Turkey have increased in line with rising imported scrap values, with local ship scrap prices expected to follow soon, sources said on Monday November 18.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap, auto bundle scrap, domestic, delivered Turkey, was 1,455-1,640 Turkish lira ($253-286) per tonne on Monday, up from 1,455-1,560 lira per tonne last week.Th...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices were rangebound on Monday November 18, as market participants awaited the official announcement for the winter heating season restrictions in China.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $85.77 per tonne, up $0.73 per tonne.62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $85.80 per tonne, up $0.73 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $85.20 per tonne,...Read More

The seaborne coking coal market was quiet on Monday November 18 with participants awaiting the emergence of fresh bids and offers.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $133.72 per tonne, down $0.09 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $147.82 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $120.70 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $131.50 per tonne, u...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures slipped 2 points in pre-opening trade. The Shanghai Composite Index advanced 17.86 points to 2,909.20 after the Bank of China lowered its overnight lending rate. Ford gained $0.10 to $9.05 after announcing the launch of its all-electric Mustang Mach E.Tesla added $1.73 to $353.90 after Deutsche Bank raised its target price from...Read More

Dear Rich Lifer,As I mentioned in one of my issues last week, I attended the first annual Paradigm Press summit in New York City and gave a talk to both live attendees and thousands of additional investors with streaming access to the event.The entire event was terrific with eye-opening insights from many additional presenters - Jim Rickards, Nomi Prins, Tim Sykes, Ray Kurzweil, George Gilder, Gra...Read More

Dear Rich Lifer,You've heard the saying when it comes to trading stocks: buy low and sell high. The same strategy applies to making money buying items in stores.This is called retail arbitrage, and it can make you a small fortune pretty quickly if you know how to do it right, and with Black Friday and the Holidays right around the corner, there has never been a better time to try it out.E-commerce...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices increased further on Monday November 18 amid low inventories, though participants were less optimistic about the market due to softening demand. Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,940-3,970 yuan ($562-566) per tonne, up 70-80 yuan per tonne Northern China (Beijing): 3,720-3,750 yuan per tonne, up 20-30 yuan per tonneLow stock levels in the spot market continued to provide up...Read More

Key data from the pricing sessions in Asia and Europe in the week ended Friday November 15.ChinaKey drivers  The Chinese silicon export market continued to gain momentum for the fourth consecutive week in response to higher offer prices amid supply tightness in the dry season from November to May. According to market sources, an increase of around 100 yuan ($14) per tonne has been seen in Chi...Read More

The price of seaborne low-grade manganese ore managed to tick upward in the latest assessment period, which ended on Friday November 15, amid a revival in buying appetites.Fastmarkets' manganese ore index, 37% Mn, cif Tianjin, rose by 3 cents week on week to $3.28 per dry metric tonne unit (dmtu) on November 15, the first rise recorded since late August, when the price was $5.04 per dmtu.Fastmarke...Read More

Industry figures at the International Ferro-alloys conference in Budapest this week will be discussing future developments in the manganese markets after a dramatic turn in the manganese flake price over the past year; Fastmarkets looks at the key reasons behind the slump. The manganese 99.7% electrolytic manganese flake, in-whs Rotterdam price fell to $1,610-1,670 per tonne on November 8, down by...Read More

Large-scale cobalt supply from recycled electric vehicle (EV) batteries is yet to come, Tiger Pan, vice general manager of GEM Co Ltd, told Fastmarkets in a recent interview. Shenzhen-headquartered battery materials producer GEM has established 16 recycling industrial parks in over 10 provinces in China. The company recycles about 5,000 tonnes per year of cobalt, and about 10,000 tpy of nickel. In...Read More

Weeks of slow spot buying from consumers comfortable working with low stock levels has brought cheaper offers into the spot cobalt market so far in November. Competitive negotiations for 2020 long-term contracts, macroeconomic concerns and cautiousness around the pace and timing of an uptick in cobalt usage by the battery sector have also created more reserved sentiment, market sources told Fastma...Read More