Seaborne iron ore prices experienced a slight uptick on Thursday December 19 amid ferrous futures gains in China.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $93.77 per tonne, up $0.57 per tonne.62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $92.86 per tonne, up $0.57 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $93.66 per tonne, up $0.54 per tonne.58% Fe fines high-premium, cfr Qingdao: $...Read More

Nickel broke above $14,000 per tonne again in the morning trading session on the London Metal Exchange on Thursday December 19 despite further stock inflows.The three-month nickel price has traded at an intraday peak of $14,115 per tonne, up around 1.6% on the previous day's close despite stocks in LME-listed warehouses rising by a net 3,324 tonnes to 136,770 tonnes - they have more than doubled t...Read More

Base metals prices other than lead closed higher on the London Metal Exchange on Thursday December 19, bolstered by an injection of liquidity into China's open markets, while a weaker US dollar index also proved supportive.Three-month prices trading mixed this morning but ultimately gathered upward momentum after the People's Bank of China (PBoC) injected 30 billion yuan ($4.3 billion) into financ...Read More

All Fastmarkets prices and premiums due to be published at 4pm London time on Thursday December 19 were delayed due to a technical error. The prices were published six minutes late; the Fastmarkets pricing database, MInD, for all prices has now been updated. The prices affected by the delay include: Aluminium P1020A premium, in-whs dup Rotterdam, $/tonne Alumina index, fob Australia, $/tonne ...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday December 19 that are worth another look.What's in store for the steel and scrap markets in 2020?Most copper scrap discounts in the United States increased as the Comex copper price continued to strengthen week on week.Spot market prices for alloy-grade and standard-grade cobalt diverged in the first half of the week.Two weeks o...Read More

Nickel broke above $14,000 per tonne again in the morning trading session on the London Metal Exchange on Thursday December 19 despite further stock inflows.The three-month nickel price has traded at an intraday peak of $14,115 per tonne, up around 1.6% on the previous day's close despite stocks in LME-listed warehouses rising by a net 3,324 tonnes to 136,770 tonnes - they have more than doubled t...Read More

China's stainless steel market strengthened over the past week amid higher nickel prices on the London Metal Exchange, though a pick-up in trading activity eased selling pressure among steelmakers. The three-month nickel contract on the London Metal Exchange ended Wednesday's trading session at $13,895-13,900 per tonne, up $260-265 per tonne from $13,630-13,640 per tonne a week earlier. DomesticFa...Read More

Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mostly in positive territory at the end of the morning trading session on Thursday December 19, with the complex buoyed by news earlier today that China's central bank had injected another round of cash into the country's financial system.The People's Bank of China (PBOC) on Thursday injected 30 billion yuan ($4.3 billion) into the market vi...Read More

Activity downsince US and European buyers completed their orders for the season. Focus nowon China for Jan. 25 Lunar New Year. Caution still surrounds Hong Kong market.Manufacturers raising production but careful not to build up too muchinventory. Shortages supporting prices, as new polished has not yet come tomarket in large quantities. RoundRead More

Positive sentiment in finalweek before Christmas. Retail emphasis on omni-channel and improving in-storeshopping experience. Brands using pop-up stores to boost customer interaction, testinnovations and showcase new products. Strong online sales. Chinese demanddriving polished market ahead of Jan. 25 lunar festival as US and China edgetoward trade deal. Alrosa positions itself in China with WeChat...Read More

RAPAPORT... Martin Siegel, the chairman of Hamilton Jewelers who wasinstrumental in growing the US retailer's brand, died on December 17, thecompany announced. He was 86. Born in New Jersey, Siegel joined his father'sfine-jewelry business on leaving the army in the 1950s. He became president in1968, and served as chairman from 1994 until his death. The company now hasstores in Princeton, New Jerse...Read More

RAPAPORT... Lucara Diamond Corp. achieved higher sales than itexpected at its final tender of the year as market stabilization drove anincrease in rough prices. The owner of the Karowe mine in Botswana brought in $52.9million, 16% above its prediction, capping off a year of revenue growth, itsaid in a statement Wednesday. "Though it is too early to call a trend, prices achievedin our final sale of...Read More

Turkish billet prices have gone up this week in response to rising imported scrap costs, sources said on Thursday December 19.Suppliers in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region have raised their offers for billet to $425-430 per tonne cfr Turkey, from last week's $420-425 per tonne.Customers in Turkey, however, are still seeking prices of $410-415 per tonne cfr.Fastmarkets'...Read More

RAPAPORT... Italian luxury-goods industry group Altagamma has appointedPomellato CEO Sabina Belli as vice president of its jewelry division. Belli will take on the role in addition to her responsibilities at Pomellato. She has been with the Kering-owned brand since 2015,starting out as managing director. She previously worked as managing director of brand and communications at Bulgari. The g...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Martin R. Siegel, chairman of Hamilton Jewelers, passed away on December 17 in Florida. He was born in Trenton, N.J. and served in the US Army Artillery in Germany in 1953-54. Upon his return from the armed services, he joined his father as the second generation of his family to work at the heritage fine jeweler, Hamilton Jewelers. He was elected president of Hamilton in 1968...Read More

Turkish rebar and wire rod prices have gone up over the past week on improving demand and higher imported scrap costs, sources said on Thursday December 19.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar) export, fob main port Turkey was $445-450 per tonne on Thursday, up from the $435-440 per tonne of last week.Turkish steel producers have raised their offers for rebar expor...Read More

RAPAPORT... Pandora has hired Carla Liuni as chief marketing officer as the jeweler continues it efforts to reignite consumer demand. Liuni was general manager of Procter & Gamble's luxury personal-care division, Prestige, for 20 years. She joined Bulgari in 2015 as worldwide head of marketing and communication. "As part of our turnaround program, we are significantlystepping up our mark...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Alrosa's supervisory board has approved a three-year strategy to develop its cutting and polishing complex and for integrating the Smolensk diamond factory Kristall into the Alrosa Group. Alrosa acquired Kristall in October.The plan includes measures to improve efficiency, production cycle optimization and the creation of a consolidated sales system for polished diamonds.Alros...Read More

(IDEX Online) - MJSA (Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America) has re-elected current chairman Steven Cipolla for a one-year term as chair of the organization's board of directors. The jewelry making and design association also announced the addition of five new directors to the board. Cipolla is the president of National Chain Group, a full-service contract manufacturer and su...Read More

Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.So this is Christmas, as John Lennon sang: another year over, and a new one just begun. It is the time of year for taking stock and looking to the future, and in that spirit, I have collected a selection of predictions for 2020 from 1...Read More