Key data from the price assessment on Thursday December 12 in Shanghai.Fastmarkets assessed the price of alumina metallurgical grade, ddp China at 2,330-2,450 yuan ($331-348) per tonne on December 12, down 1% from the previous week's 2,350-2,480 yuan per tonne.Key drivers: Cargoes continued to be imported to China in significant numbers after the import arbitrage window opened late in Se...Read More
The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange consolidated during morning trading on Wednesday December 12, with another fresh inflow of 25,518 tonnes into several locations elevating a weak LME nickel stock count. Nickel's outright price on the LME was recently at $13,775 per tonne, a drop of just 0.4% from Wednesday's closing price of $13,850 per tonne. Turnover in nickel was high o...Read More
Base metals on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were broadly higher at the close of the morning session on Thursday December 12, with optimism over a recovery in Chinese demand and a weak US currency providing support to the complex. "The mood in the base metals sector remains positive, with optimism over a recovery in Chinese demand helped by signs of progress from the US-China trade talks," ANZ Res...Read More
NexGen Energy's Arrow uranium deposit, at the Rook 1 property in Saskatchewan's Athabasca basin. Credit: NexGen EnergyVANCOUVER - With the release of the latest batch of assays from its Arrow uranium deposit at the Rook 1 property in Saskatchewan, NexGen Energy is getting closer to completing a feasibility study slated for the first half of next year.The latest assays, part of a 131-hole winter dr...Read More
Fastmarkets is proposing to change the publication date of its Brazilian domestic steel price assessments, ex-works Brazil, reais per tonne.The proposal would shift publication of Brazilian domestic flat steel and rebar price assessments from the first Friday of each month to the second Friday of each month, allowing Fastmarkets to capture price changes more quickly and accurately.After receiving...Read More
Steel billet prices in Turkey increased over the past week in response to the rising cost of imported scrap, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday December 12.Suppliers of material from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) raised their offers for Turkey to $420-425 per tonne cfr this week, up from $410-415 per tonne last week. However, buyers in Turkey prefer domestic billet...Read More
Turkish long steel export prices continued to increase over the past week in response to rising imported scrap values, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday December 12. However, demand remains limited in the country's major export destinations, they added.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar) export, fob main port Turkey was $435-440 per tonne on Thu...Read More
Polished trading driven by last-minute US holiday ordersand preparations for Chinese New Year. Multi-channel marketing andpersonalization are key themes for retail this season. Consumers shifting tolower price points. Diamantaires satisfied with Dec. orders after tough year. Dealershoping reduced rough supply will support prices and relieve inflated polishedinventory. De Beers cuts production plan...Read More
Sluggish polishedtrading, with buyers struggling to find the right goods due to scarcity of popularcategories. Manufacturers cautiously raising production levels. Factories stilloperating below capacity with large inventories of lower-quality diamonds that aredifficult to sell at a profit. 0.30 to 0.70 ct., G-J, SI-I1 moving well. Starsand melee stable in SI and lower piqu?(C) clarities. Jewelry r...Read More
RAPAPORT... With the holiday season well under way, the Rapaport Diamond Podcast debates different trends taking shape in the retail space. The discussion spans personalization, omnichannel, effective storytelling, being more open-minded, and the need to move away from our reliance on Christmas.In addition, news editor and host Avi Krawitz, senior reporter Joshua Freedman, editor-in-chief Sonia Es...Read More
Domestic prices of rebar and wire rod in the Turkish market have continued to increase over the past week due to rising imported scrap costs, sources said on Thursday December 12.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar) domestic, exw Turkey was 3,020-3,070 Turkish lira ($520-529) per tonne on Thursday, up from the 2,920-2,950 lira per tonne of last week.Steel producer...Read More
RAPAPORT... Operations at Petra Diamonds' South African mines haveresumed after the local electricity provider lifted restrictions on power usage. "The company's mining operations in South Africa are...nowoperating at normal load levels," the miner said Thursday. On Tuesday, Petra halted all production, hoistingand processing at its Cullinan, Finsch and Koffiefontein deposits after Eskom enf...Read More
RAPAPORT... Royal Asscher has appointed Kenji Saikachi as CEO of RoyalAsscher Japan, where he will be responsible for leading the jeweler's growth inthe country. "We are confident that [Saikachi] will successfully leadRoyal Asscher to become an even more important player in the Japanese diamondjewelry market," Royal Asscher managing director and vice president MikeAsscher said last week. "Wit...Read More
RAPAPORT... Diamond manufacturers will consolidate in the coming years to avoid being further squeezed by miners and retailers, Bain & Company predicted in its annual report on the industry.The forecast stems from the midstream becoming anincreasingly weak part of the supply chain while retailers and rough producers haveimproved efficiency. This has resulted in manufacturers becoming "pri...Read More
RAPAPORT... Sotheby's garnered $43.1 million from its two New Yorkjewels auctions, led by a blue diamond ring which sold for $6.6 million. The cushion-cut, 7.55-carat, fancy-deep-grayish-blue, typeIIb, SI2-clarity Indian Blue had been estimated to fetch $6 million to$8 million at the Magnificent Jewels auction Tuesday. That sale followed theNew York Fine Jewels auction, which took place Monda...Read More
Prices for steel billet and rebar in Egypt continued to rise in the week ended Thursday December 12 amid moderate demand from the construction sector, sources told Fastmarkets.Egyptian rebar producers were offering rebar at E ?10,000-10,580 ($618-654) per tonne ex-works including 14% VAT.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, exw Egypt,...Read More
RAPAPORT... A ruby brooch sold for nearly $9 million at Christie's NewYork sale Wednesday, far surpassing its $5.5 million high valuation. The piece, which comprises a total of 11.20 carats ofBurmese rubies, emeralds, diamonds and natural pearls, is from the collectionof noted philanthropist Jessie Ball duPont, who was the wife ofmultimillionaire businessman and duPont gunpowder heir Alfred d...Read More
(IDEX Online) - An Alrosa delegation, led by CEO Sergey Ivanov, recently met with diamond banks and funds to discuss developments in the industry. Among the attendees at the December 6 Moscow event were delegates from the State Bank of India, NBF, ABN AMRO and representatives of the DelGatto and Channel finance funds.During the meeting, the group discussed the factors leading to the weaker diamond...Read More
RAPAPORT... ABN Amro will implement changes to its guidelines for lending to the diamond industry in 2020, reasoning that the trade has become more efficient and now requires less credit.The midstream's reliance on working capital funding should have diminished given it has streamlined its production and sales processes, a spokesperson said in an email to Rapaport News. That new-found efficie...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Bain & Company and the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) have released their ninth annual global diamond study. Among the key expectations of the study is a fall in rough diamond sales by up to 25 percent in 2019. With continued geopolitical instability, strong signs of an impending recession and limited marketing support, especially for non-branded and lower-end jewelry...Read More