The latest forecast from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Aluminium: Downside momentum maintainedThe aluminium price has continued to decline, with LME cash even falling below the $1,500 per tonne mark at the start of this week. Downside pressure and momentum remains in the short term while ex-China demand plummets amid auto production line closures and while smelters resist capacity...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.As oil price stumbles, outlook for welded markets weakensIn February, oil prices, already hit by the economic slowdown in Asia, turned lower on the failure of OPEC+ to reach an agreement on production cuts. This was enough to shake oil markets, but the collapse of global demand due to the pandemic has driven Brent below $30/...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloy forecast highlights:While the ferro-alloy industry's initial response to the Covid-19 outbreak was marked by rising prices primarily in response to supply-side concerns, focus has now shifted somewhat. As Chinese activity slowly returns to more normal levels, for alloys with a strong Chinese prod...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.A 6% decline in the daily average 62% Fe iron ore fines benchmark last week contributed to the lowest quarterly price rise for the first quarter in five years, in spite of clear evidence of supply-side constraints. Although there were clear demand-related obstacles to iron ore suppliers raking in more typical, seasonal price...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Coronavirus continues to shape scrap markets but tighter supply may partly offset lower demandWe have downwardly revised our ferrous scrap price forecasts for the following few months and, as a result, for the whole year of 2020, with the Covid-19 outbreak outside China stalling the markets. The Fastmarkets' daily benchmark...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Although China is slowly returning to pre-outbreak activity, the same cannot be said for the rest of the world, which is grappling with the Covid-19 outbreak, with a fifth of the global population and counting under lockdown. Average blast furnace activity in China is recovering but iron ore demand from outside China is expec...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Having first hit Asia during early 2020, the Covid-19 viral outbreak is now having an even bigger impact on European countries and the US. Widespread lockdown measures have been put in place on people and industry, and economic activity has slowed markedly.For now, stainless steel markets in Europe and the US are yet to show...Read More

RAPAPORT... The recent declines in diamond trading and pricing follow a rise in supply and a severe drop in demand, Rapaport Senior Analyst Avi Krawitz explained in a webinar last week. The presentation, titled "Understanding the Impact of the Coronavirus on the Diamond Market," highlights some of the ways the pandemic is changing the trade, along with an opportunity to ensure a return to growth w...Read More

RAPAPORT... The Kimberley Process (KP) is trialing the use of digital certificates for rough-diamond shipments, claiming the method will increase efficiency and reduce fraud.Russia, which is chairing the global certification scheme this year, will test the idea with exports to select countries, a spokesperson for the country's KP operation told Rapaport News. Participating nations will identify of...Read More

RAPAPORT... Alrosa CEO Sergey Ivanov has sold a portion of his stake in the company to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.Ivanov offloaded half of his shares in the Russian mining company for RUB 18.5 million ($241,670), Alrosa said last week. The proceeds of the sale will be donated to help stem the spread of the coronavirus in the Mirny district of Yakutia, where Alrosa operates."All proceeds...Read More

RAPAPORT... Tse Sui Luen (TSL) has warned it will report a loss for the fiscal year, with sales hampered by a sluggish retail environment in greater China.The Hong Kong-based jeweler expects a loss of at least HKD 80 million ($10.3 million) for the year ending March 31, it said last week. That compares with a profit of HKD 54 million ($7 million) the previous year. The company based the proje...Read More

The IDEX Polished Diamond Price Index slid 1.6% in March as coronavirus effectively brought trading to a standstill. The previous month had seen an overall drop of 1.27%, also impacted by Covid-19.  During the first half of March there was a steady decline, followed by some fluctuations which saw prices bottom on the 25th, followed by a slight rally.IDEX Online members please click here for t...Read More

(IDEX Online) - The American Gem Society (AGS) is to hold its first virtual Conclave after coronavirus forced the cancelation of the actual event in Denver, Colorado.It will feature up to eight hours of online education over two days, April 27-28, plus a social event -  a video dance party.  The virtual Conclave will be free to AGS members.The annual education, social and networking even...Read More

(IDEX Online) - The CEO of Russian mining giant Alrosa has sold half his stake in the company and donated the proceeds to fighting coronavirus. The sale of Sergey Ivanov's shares raised RUB18.5m ($240,000) and will help counter the spread of Covid-19 in the Siberian town of Mirny. Most of the town's 35,000 residents work for Alrosa, the state-owned mining company which is the world'...Read More

(IDEX Online) - The sister of former De Beers diamond boss Nicky Oppenheimer has matched his billion-rand ($52m) donation to South Africa's coronavirus battle.Mary Oppenheimer's money will help the Solidarity Fund diagnose, treat and support those with Covid-19.In a joint statement with her daughters, she said: "We join all South Africans in expressing our profound hope that, together, w...Read More

(IDEX Online) -  A British jeweler died in hospital 12 days after he was diagnosed with coronavirus. Tributes have been paid to father-of-two Kelly Dunning, 48, who ran a family-owned jewelry store in Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, 20 miles from London. He suffered no underlying health issues and had boxing sessions twice a week with his personal trainer.He was rushed to hospital by...Read More

(Kitco News) - Torex Gold Resources Inc. (TSX: TXG) late Thursday announced that operations will be temporarily suspended at the company's El Lim??...Read full newsRead More

Alamos Gold Inc. (TSX:AGI; NYSE:AGI) ("Alamos" or the "Company") today announced that it will be suspending operations at its Mulatos mine until April 30, 2020 and extending the suspension of operations at Island Gold for an additional two-week period.The temporary suspension of operations at MulatosRead full newsRead More

"We asked our followers this week if #mining operations should stay open or close amid #COVID19 - find out what they said. https://t.co/dVo0kLir1v #investing #coronavirus"Read full newsRead More

GFG Resources' core shack near Timmins, Ont. Credit: GFG Resources GFG Resources has hit 8.5 metres at 71.27 g/t gold in drilling at the Nib prospect, part of its Pen gold project, 40 km west of the Timmins gold camp in Ontario.The high-grade interval in hole PEN-20-47, which includes 1.2 metres of 511 g/t gold, was intersected at a vertical depth of about 50 metres.The hole intercepted several...Read More