Struggling Polish steel platemaker ISD Huta Czestochowa has been recommended for sale by tender, Fastmarkets learnt on Tuesday March 31.The board of creditors of the bankrupt steel mill recommended the plant's sale at the earliest possible opportunity, with bids invited at a starting price of 250 million Polish zloty ($61 million)."The [bankruptcy] trustee has filed a motion for [judicial] approva...Read More

Flat steel import prices in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have fallen by around $10-20 per tonne over the past week, with the market very slow because of concerns about the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday March 31.Only one booking for hot-rolled coil was heard, with buyers saying that nobody wanted to place new orders because of the restrictive meas...Read More

The prices for steel rebar and billet in the United Arab Emirates have decreased sharply over the past week, with demand very weak amid concerns about the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, market sources said on Tuesday March 31.Local rebar producers announced new domestic prices last week.Emirates Steel is now offering rebar at 1,690 dirhams ($460) per tonne ex-works, down from 1,853 dirhams per t...Read More

ArcelorMittal will temporarily stop production at its Romanian facility to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, Fastmarkets heard on Tuesday March 31.ArcelorMittal Hunedoara will stop production from April 1 until April 12 inclusive, a company spokesman said."Production will be stopped, for sure," the spokesman said. "We don't know yet if we are going...Read More

RAPAPORT... Gemfields has closed the majority of its business amid the coronavirus pandemic, and is unsure when it will hold its next tender."The turmoil stemming from COVID-19 [will have] a significant impact on [our] operations, revenues and business during 2020, and possibly beyond," the company said Monday.The miner has shut all but critical operations at its Kagem emerald mine in Zambia...Read More

RAPAPORT... Diamcor Mining has shut its South African mine amid the government-imposed 21-day lockdown to stem the spread of COVID-19.The company has put the Krone-Endora at Venetia deposit on care and maintenance until April 16, it said Monday. It has also implemented cost-saving measures wherever possible, and has limited or canceled all rough-diamond tenders."During these unprecedented tim...Read More

RAPAPORT... Sales of jewelry and other hard-luxury items in Hong Kong slumped to an all-time low in February due to the coronavirus, according to government data.Revenues from jewelry, watches, clocks and other valuable gifts dropped 79% year on year to HKD 1.56 billion ($200.6 million) for the month as tourists stayed away and local demand fell. Sales in all retail categories declined 44% to...Read More

RAPAPORT... Signet Jewelers has agreed to a $240 million settlement relating to a lawsuit filed by shareholders. The suit claims the company misled investors regarding allegations of sexual discrimination against its executives and the health of its credit program. Under the settlement agreement, Signet - which owns the Kay, Zales and Jared banners, along with online jeweler James Allen - wil...Read More

 (IDEX Online) - Petra saw rough prices slump by almost a quarter at tenders in South Africa and Antwerp earlier this month, as demand evaporated. Bidding, especially for larger stones was "severely depressed and opportunistic," said the mining company, which operates in Botswana and Tanzania, as well as South Africa. The vast majority of the goods were sold, with only a few strategic, higher...Read More

TSX-V-listed Diamcor Mining has made several short-term operational changes in response to the events unfolding owing to the global Covid-19 crisis.The company has suspended its activities in South Africa, placing its Krone-Endora at Venetia surface mining operation, adjacent to De Beers’ Venetia mine, in the Limpopo province, on care and maintenance for the duration of the national lockdown...Read More

Tiny diamond particles could be used in a new generation of virus-killing face masks. Researchers believe a coating of salt crystals and nano-diamonds will actually destroy viruses and micro organisms, rather than simply filtering them out. Master Dynamic Limited (MD), a leading Hong Kong material analysis and nanotechnology company is developing the ant-viral mask as coronavirus demand soars. "Wh...Read More

(IDEX Online) - De Beers has canceled its third Sight of the year and is allowing buyers to defer 100 per cent of their purchases. The move was announced yesterday (Monday 30 March), the day the Sight had been due to start in Gaborone, Botswana.    Earlier this month world's largest producer of rough diamonds indicated it was hopeful the Sight would go still ahead, saying "customers...Read More

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) is petitioning the US Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) to include metals transport in its expanded national emergency declaration, which provides regulatory relief to commercial vehicle drivers amid the Covid-19 outbreak."ISRI is requesting emergency relief for the transportation of ferrous and no...Read More

Nationwide lockdowns and restrictions on activity to contain the Covid-19 pandemic could reduce the supply of iron ore in the seaborne market by around 18 million tonnes this year, according to mining company Vale.The Brazilian company gave its estimate in a presentation filed with the country's securities commission, CVM, on Tuesday March 31.Government actions intended to limit the spread of the...Read More

The Turkish steel mills have gone quiet in the deep-sea scrap markets after the recent sharp fall in prices, with more mills shutting down their operations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, sources said on Tuesday March 31.Two steel mills booked Baltic Sea cargoes late last week at around $206-207 per tonne cfr for HMS 1&2 (80:20), which sent the daily scrap indices down by $23.42 per tonne at the beg...Read More

The seaborne iron ore market stabilized on Tuesday March 31 after the prior day's loss of more than $3 per tonne, attributed to a rebound in China's official manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) and a slight boost in trading volumes. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $83.32 per tonne, up $0.34 per tonne 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $84.08 per tonne, up $0....Read More

Seaborne coking coal prices fell across the board on Tuesday March 31, with market participants expecting further price declines due to weak demand outside China. Fastmarkets Indices Premium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $146.17 per tonne, down $1.56 per tonne Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $154.25 per tonne, down $1.29 per tonne Hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $131.01 per tonne, down $3 per to...Read More

Vietnam will come under a 15-day lockdown from April 1, the country's health ministry said on Tuesday March 31. "The situation is very fluid now and there is no telling what may happen from now on," a ferrous scrap trader in the country told Fastmarkets on Tuesday.All cities in Vietnam will stop public gatherings and shut non-essential public services until April 15. Inbound flights have also been...Read More

China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices continued to fall on Tuesday March 31, leaving market participants with the expectation that some flat steel producers would be making losses for some time.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,280-3,290 yuan ($462-463) per tonne, down 10-20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,250 yuan per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonnePrices fell further during the day...Read More

China’s official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rebounded to 52 in March, after 35.7 in February, which means 52% of purchasing managers reported conditions were “better” in March than they were a month earlier. This has provided some support to the base metals this morning, Tuesday March 31.* Asian-Pacific equity indices and pre-market western futures were mixe...Read More