Physical iron ore prices strengthened on Thursday September 26 following gains in the futures market.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $90.91 per tonne, up by $0.57 per tonne.62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $91.30 per tonne, up by $0.57 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $89.45 per tonne, up by $1.79 per tonne.58% Fe fines high-premium, cfr Qingdao: $80....Read More

Steel billet prices in the CIS region decreased slightly in the week ended Thursday September 26 after last week's rebound, because of the resumed softening of scrap prices in Turkey.Several billet cargoes were reported sold to Asia and Egypt at prices of less than $360 per tonne fob Black Sea, Fastmarkets learnt.Fastmarkets' daily steel billet index, export, fob Black Sea, CIS, was $357 per tonne...Read More

Turkish rebar and wire rod export prices have gone down further over the past week amid falling imported scrap values and limited demand, sources said on Thursday September 26.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar) export, fob main port Turkey was $395-402 per tonne on Thursday, down from $400-410 per tonne fob on actual weight basis last week.The steel producers in...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday September 26 that are worth another look.Traded volumes and open interest have remained high for the CME's aluminium premiums futures contracts even after spot market volatility eased this year, Sean Kessler, manager of metals products at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange said on Wednesday September 25.China's domestic stainless...Read More

Global lead producer and recycler Eco-Bat Technologies announced a slew of promotions on Thursday September 26, including naming Jimmy Herring as both the president and chief executive officer. Prior to this new appointment, Herring was Eco-Bat's chief financial officer and managing director of the Germany office. Herring will continue to hold the post of managing director in Germany when he takes...Read More

Alumina prices are at a two year low and market participants at Fastmarkets' International Aluminium conference in Athens, Greece, are downbeat for the rest of the year, adding that the price floor had been lowered for alumina. Market sources gathering at the annual event on September 23-25 have reported continued offers for significant volumes of alumina they "just don't need" and expect demand b...Read More

Major aluminium producers and Japanese buyers are closer to reaching a premium settlement for their fourth-quarter aluminium supply after further deals were concluded at a premium of $97 per tonne to main Japanese ports (MJP), Fastmarkets learned on Thursday September 26. Confirmed deals amounting to just above 16,000 tonnes have been reported to Fastmarkets as of Thursday following some initial d...Read More

The three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange consolidated during morning trading on Thursday September 26, trading just below the $5,800-per-tonne resistance level despite more than 65,000 tonnes of LME-registered cathode booked for removal this week. Volumes traded in the red metal were moderate over Asian trading hours, with just over 2,100 lots exchanged as at 9am London time. Pric...Read More

Primary aluminium stocks at the three main Japanese ports (MJP) of Osaka, Nagoya and Yokohama rose by 5.6% month on month in August, according to data released by major Japanese trading house Marubeni Corp on Thursday September 26.Total aluminium stocks at the three ports totaled 326,100 tonnes at the end of August compared with 308,800 tonnes at the end of July. It is the third consecutive monthl...Read More

European domestic prices for heavy steel plate have moved down across the region over the past week due to low buying activity, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday September 26."The market is slow and buyers expect prices to decline further," a representative of a European mill said. "Generally, the outlook is gloomy, because the situation in coil products across Europe is also pessimistic."Price...Read More

Hong Kong showsignals shift to lower price points. Chinese dealers and consumers focused ondomestic spending, with cautious Far East demand affecting sentiment. Steadyinterest in 0.30 to 1.99 ct., G-I, SI-I1, RapSpec A3+ diamonds, and reducedsupply supporting price levels. 3 ct. and larger, D-F, VVS+ weak. Improvedliquidity for inexpensive melee as Rapaport Melee Auction sells $6M (84% byvalue, 76...Read More

Import prices for steel billet in Egypt fell in the week ended Thursday September 26, amid lower offer and deal prices from the Commonwealth of Independent States.Buyers were reluctant to book material because of uncertainty about the possible imposition of safeguard duties.The Supreme Administrative Court of Egypt has repeatedly postponed its decision on the possible re-imposition of safeguard du...Read More

Trade cautious, butsales improving in lower price categories. Dealers saw limited sales at HongKong show due to slower traffic and drop in Chinese demand. Decrease in supplysupporting the market as manufacturers reduce polished output. More cuttersentering lab-grown as they seek to improve profit margins and liquidity. RoundRead More

RAPAPORT... Jewelers of America (JA) will honor individuals and brandswhose work raises the visibility and status of fine jewelry and watches at its2020 GEM Awards. Nominees for the media excellence category include Anthony DeMarco, a frequent contributor to Rapaport Magazine. JA will also choose winners in jewelry design and retail innovation. The recipients will beannounced during the award...Read More

The price of billet produced in Turkey has gone down over the past week in line with falling seaborne scrap costs, while import billet prices remain stable, sources said on Thursday September 26.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel billet export, fob main port Turkey was $355-360 per tonne on Thursday, down from $370-380 per tonne fob last week.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region was h...Read More

RAPAPORT... A technology provider part-owned by De Beers has unveiled anautomated cutting machine that, it claims, will significantly speed up diamondmanufacturing and reduce costs. Synova's DaVinci system is the market's first automated instrument that can produce all 57 facets of a round brilliant diamond in one process, the Swiss company saidThursday. The user only needs to perform one final po...Read More

RAPAPORT... Alrosa is set to finalize its acquisition of diamondmanufacturer Kristall in a $29 million deal in October, following approval fromits supervisory board. Alrosa expects the RUB 1.89 billion sale-and-purchaseagreement to be signed by the end of the month, with a concrete plan for themanufacturer's integration into the company to be in place by the end of the year, it noted. Krista...Read More

The United Arab Emirates' biggest producer Emirates Steel and second biggest producer Conares Steel have both decreased their rebar prices, effective from Thursday September 26, Fastmarkets has learned.Emirates Steel is now offering rebar at 1,737 dirhams ($472) per tonne ex-works, down from 1,953 dirhams...Read More

RAPAPORT... Nemesis International on Thursday unveiled a 313-carat diamond that has been certified as the largest D-color polished stone in history. The emerald-shape, VVS1-clarity diamond, known as Constellation 1, is one of eight stones that make up a collection manufactured from the 813-carat Constellation rough, which Nemesis bought in partnership with Swiss jeweler de Grisogono for...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Botswana Diamonds and Vutomi, in which it holds a 40 percent interest, has signed a contract mining and processing agreement with Eurafrican Diamond Corporation (EDC) to mine and process the diamond-bearing gravels and residual stockpiles on a portion of the Marsfontein farm."Partnering with Eurafrican Diamond Corporation paves the way for commercial production to restart on Marsfo...Read More