The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view. We also review our price forecasting accuracy for the second quarter 2020.Q2 2020 price forecast performance review According to the results of Fastmarkets' Apex for the second quarter of 2020 published this week, Fastmarkets' base metals research team was the second most accurate price forecaster for nickel (99.06%), lead...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.US hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices performed in line with our expectations in August, with US domestic HRC prices finding a floor in July as forecast before they rose in August. US HRC prices averaged $522 per tonne in August, which compares with our forecast price of $518 per tonne. Based on an improving demand outlook and ris...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.US market under pressureUS prices for welded pipe products were under pressure because market participants, especially distributors, have started to take steps to generate cash and were moving material if they were able to do so, even if it meant selling at low prices.We expect more such "fire sales" in the coming months, bu...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.August 2020 has seen the prices of most steel products move up in tandem around the world, in contrast to recent months when steel prices have moved in different directions depending on the market.This dynamic has been seen in most coated steel markets as well, with the prices for hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG), pre-painted...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.US market at risk of slidingPrices for pipe products were at a floor in the United States in mid-August, and have been broadly stable at that level since the start of the second quarter, but they are at risk of declining further in the coming months.Drilling rig counts have yet to find a floor and have fallen below most esti...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloy forecast highlights:Prices across most ferro-alloy markets trended stable to lower in August as demand remained subdued in major markets, apart from China where steel output continues to rise at a rapid pace, supporting demand for ferro-alloys. As alloy makers seek to remedy supply/demand imbalan...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloy forecast highlights:Numerous ore and alloy markets enjoyed upward pricing momentum in the first half 2020, with supply-side constraints supporting prices despite collapsing demand from steelmakers and other key end users. While supply side issues related to Covid-19 lockdowns have been resolved,...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.In the year 2020 to date in late August, the Fastmarkets 62% Fe iron ore benchmark has powered along and reached six-year highs, supported by Chinese demand, and despite the global economic uncertainty created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Iron ore demand has weakened almost everywhere except in China, where it has continued to...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.There has been an increasing bullishness in Chinese steel market sentiment recently, with rising post-Covid-19 optimism about the country's economy for the second half of 2020, especially after the government announced an infrastructure spending boost. Although we believe that high prices are justified, they remain far from...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This year has come with several unexpected events which increased the bullish case for iron ore prices, while the Chinese government's spending on infrastructure is likely to boost iron ore demand and add upside support to prices. But supply disruptions and a demand surge which caused price spikes are now easing. We do not e...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view. A look at stainless steel price movements through August reveals the ongoing battle being faced by stainless steelmakers in Europe and the United States while they try to pass on rising costs to consumers. In these regions, prices on most grades of stainless steel are little changed from July, rising by around 2% at most -...Read More

The latest forecast from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.As we enter the summer season across the northern hemisphere, almost half a year has passed since the Covid-19 pandemic began to seriously affect Europe and the United States.One would not really be able to tell that such a dramatic event had occurred by looking at stainless steel prices, however, because they are more or less...Read More

RAPAPORT... The VicenzaOro International Community Event (VOICE) takes place in Italy this week under strict health guidelines, with organizers expecting more than 370 exhibitors to attend despite the pandemic.The fair began Saturday and runs through Monday under strict health guidelines, the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) said last week. The show will be one of the few to occur in physical f...Read More

RAPAPORT... Nonprofit group Gem Legacy will launch an auction of donated jewelry and loose gems to celebrate its second anniversary, with the proceeds going to fund new tool kits for artisanal miners in Africa."Tools are absolutely essential to small gem miners' success," Rachel Dery, director of communications and outreach for Gem Legacy, said last week. "The tool kit will provide them with more...Read More

RAPAPORT... HB Antwerp has acquired the manufacturing facility of AMC Diamonds, a Belgian large-stone specialist and De Beers sightholder, bringing with it 13 employees as well as the company's machinery and technology."With this acquisition, HB Antwerp confirms its ambition to bring the diamond-polishing process back to Antwerp in its entirety by combining the typical Antwerp savoir faire wi...Read More

RAPAPORT... Rough-diamond sales began to rebound at De Beers' August sight as demand picked up ahead of the holiday season and governments reduced Covid-19 restrictions."Diamond markets showed some continued improvement throughout August and September as Covid-19 restrictions continued to ease in various locations, and manufacturers focused on meeting retail demand for polished diamonds, part...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Police in Angola have seized a 147-carat diamond as part of Operation Transparency, its long-running crackdown on illicit diamond trafficking and illegal immigration.An Angolan citizen and a foreign national were detained in the eastern Lunda Norte province, according to the country's official news agency Angola Press. No further details about the stone were disclosed.Security...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Sotheby's is to auction an extremely rare 102.39-carat D color, Type IIa, flawless oval diamond.   It will be sold in a live online auction, with, unusually, no reserve price. There is speculation that the gem (pictured), described as "the size of a lollipop" could break the record for an online diamond auction, and fetch up to $30m, though Sotheby's would not be dra...Read More

(IDEX Online) -  De Beers announced a provisional $320m of rough sales at last month's Sight 7, the highest figure since the pandemic struck.It's almost three times more than the previous Sight ($116m) and slightly up on last year's August Sight ($287m).It results were in line with the miner's biggest rival, Alrosa, which last week revealed a similar recovery.  Combin...Read More

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) - More than 50 people are dead after landslides caused the collapse of three artisanal gold mines near the city of Kamituga in eastern Congo's South Kivu province on Friday, officials said.Read full newsRead More