RAPAPORT... It may surprise many, but the diamond industry has emerged as quite tech-savvy in the past few years, says Alexey Tikhonov, Alrosa's head of projects for strategy and analytics.Rapaport Senior Analyst Avi Krawitz spoke with Tikhonov in episode 23 of the Rapaport Diamond Podcast about how the mining company is using data to improve efficiency in the rough-sales process. Captur...Read More

Auto bundle scrap prices in the Turkish domestic market dropped over the past week on the strength on the local currency against the US dollar, while ship scrap prices were stable, sources said on Monday March 9.The Turkish lira has regained some ground against the US dollar, following the news that Turkey and Russia had agreed a ceasefire in Idlib, Syria, which took effect on Thursday March 5, ac...Read More

Futures prices on the Dalian Commodity Exchange and the Singapore Exchange were downon Monday March 9, with physical seaborne market trading muted while buyers take a wait-and-see approach. Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $87.96 per tonne, down $2.23 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $89.27 per tonne, down $2.01 per tonne.58% Fe fines high-grade prem...Read More

Seaborne coking coal market saw little trading activity on Monday March 9, with Chinese participants expecting prices to retreat.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $158.65 per tonne, up $0.24 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $169.44 per tonne, down $1.11 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $144.01 per tonne, up $2.50 per tonneHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $15...Read More

(IDEX Online)  - Pionnering tech firm Sarine says it will revolutionize the diamond industry with the introduction of the first ever in-house grading system.Its AI-driven cloud-linked technologies will allow manufacturers, wholesalers and even retailers to automatically grade stones for the 4Cs on the premises, ending the need to send them to a third-party lab.The eGrading system then uploads...Read More

(IDEX Online) - The president of The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) today warned that smaller businesses may struggle to survive the coronavirus outbreak.In a statement from his home in Milan, where he and his family are currently quarantined, Dr Gaetano Cavalieri calls for mutual help and co-operation within the jewelry industry at this time of crisis.He writes: "Many of the technology-bas...Read More

Global ferrous scrap prices largely edged up in the week to Friday February 28, with the exception of Turkey, as a result of mainly increased freight rates. Many market participants reported weak trading activity during the week.Limited purchases by TurkeyExport prices in United States West Coast fall, but East Coast quietSentiment deteriorates in Asia on ample Japanese supplyImport prices in Indi...Read More

(IDEX Online) - A shopper splashed out more than $600,000 on a diamond engagement ring at Costco.The company said it was a cushion-cut 10-carat solitaire, according to New York Daily News, but didn't give further details. Costco, the world's second largest retailer after Walmart, is better known for selling groceries and household items in bulk, rather than high-value jewelry.But it...Read More

RAPAPORT... Botswana's economic growth slowed last year due to lower rough production, further aggravated by weakness in its diamond-manufacturing sector, the nation's central bank said last week.Gross domestic product (GDP) increased 3.7% in the 12 months to September 2019, compared with a 5% rise in the previous year. The main factor was sluggish diamond-mining output, which increased 2.1%,...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices dropped on Monday March 9 due to selling pressure and early losses in the futures market, though sentiment remained positive with more construction projects restarting work after an extended break after the Chinese New Year.Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,370-3,400 yuan ($486-490) per tonne, down 40 yuan per tonne Northern China (Beijing): 3,260-3,300 yuan per tonne, down...Read More

China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices dropped on Monday March 9, with sellers making attempts to destock.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,490-3,500 yuan ($503-505) per tonne, down 20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,280-3,300 yuan per tonne, narrowed downward by 10 yuan per tonneWith inventories at high levels, sellers lowered their prices to generate buying interest to draw down on...Read More

Key data from the March 9 pricing session in LondonKey driversThe price for standard-grade cobalt increases on the top end of the range; sellers hold firm with offers and are in little rush to drop them for low-volume inquiries. The alloy-grade price holds firm, with several sellers citing market tightness on good demand being reported in the aerospace, medical implant and other downstream ma...Read More

Key data from the Friday March 6 pricing session in Shanghai.Key drivers Export price for China-origin electrolytic manganese flake plunges after exporters lower their offer prices in a quiet market. Overseas...Read More

German chemical conglomerate BASF, Russian miner Nornickel and Finnish state-owned energy company Fortum have signed a letter of intent for a battery recycling cluster in Harjavalta, Finland, serving the electric vehicles (EV) market. The joint venture aims to foster the production and use of responsibly produced recycled raw materials in the battery market, using closed-loop recycling to re-use t...Read More

Key data from the pricing sessions in Asia, Europe and the United States for the week ending Friday March 6. China  The UG2 chrome ore price hit its lowest level since April 2016 in its third consecutive week of decline.  Spot Chinese ferro-chrome prices steady due to the market awaiting March tender prices from...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were sharply lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 145 points to its daily limit in pre-opening trade before trading was halted. Index futures responded to increasing coronavirus concerns and failure by OPEC and Russia to reach an oil production quota agreement. Saudi Arabia slashed prices for its crude oil and announced intentions to increase production. WTI...Read More

Cardinal heading down familiar gold roadSPONSOREDcardinal resourcesSarama right in the middle of big exploration, corporate build-upSPONSOREDsarama resources Exore excels in Cote d'IvoireSPONSOREDexore resourcesMICROMINE STRENGTHENS DATA MANAGEMENT SOLUTION WITH Geobank 2020SPONSOREDmicromineThe measures include amendments to the environmental protection regulations related to mineral explorat...Read More

Artemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesIf the bill is passed, the royalty would apply to mines that produce more than 12,000 tonnes per year of copper and more than 50,000t of metallic lithium.Read More

Cardinal heading down familiar gold roadSPONSOREDcardinal resourcesSarama right in the middle of big exploration, corporate build-upSPONSOREDsarama resources Exore excels in Cote d'IvoireSPONSOREDexore resourcesMICROMINE STRENGTHENS DATA MANAGEMENT SOLUTION WITH Geobank 2020SPONSOREDmicromineNew York-based Jefferies, which also highlighted MMG's operational risks in a weekend note on the 75%-C...Read More

US non-ferrous scrap export volumes in January increased by only 1% compared with a year previous, according to data from the US Department of Commerce. Volumes totaled 233,878 tons in January, up from 231,593 tons in January 2019.Of the six scrap metal categories tracked by Fastmarkets - aluminium, used beverage cans (UBCs), copper, lead (other than lead-acid batteries), nickel and zinc - UB...Read More