ABUJA – Swiss prosecutors are investigating a trader of one of the world’s most sought-after-minerals over allegations he illegally dealt in metals during the Democratic Republic of Congo’s civil war.It’s the first time the Swiss authorities have confirmed the probe that began in March 2018.AdvertisementThe Swiss are scrutinising earlier allegations that the trader, Christo...Read More

RAPAPORT... A blue diamond ring by Tiffany & Co. was the top sellerat Phillips' New York sale, leading the $5.4 million auction. The cut-cornered square modified brilliant-cut, 3.02-carat,fancy-intense-blue, VS2-clarity diamond ring fetched $1.6 million, against apresale estimate of $1.5 million to $2.5 million at Monday's New York Jewels sale. A fancy-color diamond and gold necklace feat...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Technology company Everledger and Alrosa have launched a WeChat e-commerce pilot that will give Chinese consumers a more transparent and secure mobile diamond buying experience.Consumers will now be able to check a diamond's full provenance -  including full transparency of origin, characteristics and ownership history - and unique certificate information. They will also...Read More

London-listed Petra Diamonds said on Thursday that its electricity use restrictions have been lifted by South Africa's State utility Eskom and its mines are operating at normal load levels.The company restarted its Cullinan, Finsch and Koffiefontein mines in South Africa on Tuesday, but added that it was restricting power use in line with requirements by Eskom.AdvertisementRolling blackouts in...Read More

JOHANNESBURG – When South Africa’s State-owned utility announced record power cuts on Monday afternoon, Impala Platinum Holdings had two hours to hoist thousands of workers from 1 km deep shafts.The deepening crisis at debt-ridden Eskom Holdings shut down South Africa’s key mining industry for 24 hours, hitting gold and platinum producers that had been enjoying a renaissance on t...Read More

MOSCOW – Angola's major new Luaxe diamond deposit may start trial mining in mid-2020 and could produce one-million carats of diamonds worth $90-million in 2020, Russian diamond producer Alrosa said.Angola's state-controlled diamond miner Catoca and Alrosa found Luaxe's Luele pipe in 2013. Catoca has spent $200-million studying and developing it further and has said the pipe may t...Read More

Physical iron ore prices softened on Thursday December 12 amid losses in Chinese rebar prices and news of production restrictions in Anyang city, central China.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $94.02 per tonne, down $0.65 per tonne.62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $93.11 per tonne, down $0.65 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $93.63 per t...Read More

The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for iron ore, pig iron, direct-reduced iron and other steelmaking raw materials.Latest transaction: iron oreIron oreBHP, private tender, 100,000 tonnes...Read More

Galena provides a leading lightSPONSOREDgalena miningThe red metal may finally have woken from its slumber as China's imports increased in November and a November US jobs report indicated the economic situation may not be as bad as some had thought.Read More

The seaborne coking coal market saw a day of ample spot activity on Thursday December 12, with cargoes trading on both a cfr China and an fob Australia basis.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $136.58 per tonne, up $0.59 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $147.96 per tonne, down $0.60 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $122.33 per tonne, unchanged...Read More

Galena provides a leading lightSPONSOREDgalena miningThe resolution instructs the government to look for ways to improvement the implementation of the 2009 agreement, the 2011 amended and restated shareholder agreement, and to improve the 2015Read More

Galena provides a leading lightSPONSOREDgalena mining"To put it simply, both technological and geological advances in copper mining are increasingly difficult, meaning that price becomes the principal motivating force," it said.Read More

China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices were largely flat on Thursday December 12, though those in the export market gained some strength. DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,880-3,890 yuan ($551-552) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,650 yuan per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonneHRC futures strengthened during the day, but this failed to stimulate the spot market. Some buyers cut their...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices dropped on Thursday December 12 on concerns over high production rates. Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,900-3,930 yuan ($555-559) per tonne, down 30 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,580-3,600 yuan per tonne, down 60-70 yuan per tonne Domestic rebar output totaled 3.66 million tonnes over the week ended Thursday, up 31,000 tonnes from the preceding week, acco...Read More

China's domestic stainless steel prices dropped over the past week due to inventory pressure experienced by a major mill, which went on to weigh on export prices.DomesticFastmarkets' weekly price assessment for stainless steel cold-rolled coil 2mm grade 304 domestic, ex-whs China in the country's major market of Wuxi was 14,150-14,900 yuan ($2,010-2,116) per tonne including value-added tax for the...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 5 points in pre-opening trade. Equity index futures moved slightly lower following release of economic news at 8:30 AM EST. Consensus for Weekly Jobless Claims was 212,000 versus 203,000 last week. Actual was 252,000. Consensus for the November Producer Price Index was an increase of 0.2% versus a gain of 0.4% in Octo...Read More

Cobalt sulfate prices in China have held for the second consecutive pricing session, with the majority of producers holding their quotations firm amid high raw materials costs. Fastmarkets' assessment for Cobalt sulfate 20.5% Co basis, exw China, stood unchanged at 42,000-45,000 yuan ($5,973-6,400) per tonne on Wednesday December 12 from its previous assessment. The price has dropped 28.7% si...Read More

A string of long-term deals for cobalt hydroxide show that bullish forecasts for cobalt consumption from the electric vehicle (EV) sector are coming into play. Glencore will supply battery manufacturer SK Innovation with up to 30,000 tonnes of cobalt contained in hydroxide over six years, it said last week - a deal worth about $1 billion in today's market. And other deals also point...Read More

Dear Rich Lifer,With two of the biggest shopping days of the year behind us, Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it might seem like there are no more deals to be had.However, malls and retailers know this is just the beginning of the holiday shopping season.According to Sensormatic Solutions, 8 out of the 10 busiest days for in-store foot traffic this year will take place in December:Black Friday, Nove...Read More

Before it started creating 3D visualizations of mine sites, Victoria-based LlamaZoo Interactive was helping veterinarian students virtually dissect dogs. Using technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), video game industry veterans Charles Lavigne and Kevin Oke created EasyAnatomy, the world's first virtual reality canine dissection experience, which can also help vets b...Read More