For silver to enter into a new bull market, certain signs and indicators on the charts need to take place. Steve St. Angelo explains...by Steve St Angelo of SRSrocco ReportAfter waiting for seven years since the silver price traded above $30, precious metals investors are wondering if 2019 will be the year that shiny metal finally enters into a new bull market. However, for silver to enter into...Read More

Investing.com - Gold prices were near flat on Monday in Asia as traders await the upcoming U.S. Federal Reserve meeting this week. Gold futures for August delivery, traded on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, was unchanged at $1,419.65 by 1:28 AM ET (04:28 GMT). The yellow metal fell 0.5% last week after suffering its sharpest one-day slide in three weeks on Thursday when the...Read More

James HyerczykJul 28, 2019 11:18 PM GMTGold futures also posted a tight range last week that fell inside the previous week’s range. This type of price action tends to indicate investor indecision and impending volatility. There was no follow-through to the upside after the market hit a multi-year high during the week-ending July 19. However, the selling wasn’t strong enough either to...Read More

Gold futures finished Friday in positive territory, following the first estimate of second-quarter U.S. gross domestic product, which indicated the economy was healthy but slowing and might still warrant an interest-rate cut by the Federal Reserve. August gold on Comex GCQ19, +0.16% added $4.60, or 0.3%, to settle at $1,419.30 an ounce, after the metal finished 0.6% lower on Thursday, marking its...Read More

Citic Metal, the exclusive sales agent in China for ferro-niobium from Companhia Brasileira de Metalurgia e Minera????o (CBMM), surprised the market by keeping its third-quarter price unchanged from the previous quarter, sources told Fastmarkets.The market had been expecting CBMM to lower its ferro-niobium price, which has gradually lost its allure compared with vanadium products because of the de...Read More

The uncertainty created by trade tensions, including the potential for US tariffs on the automotive sector, is deterring investment decisions in the industry and leading to reduced forecasts for growth, according to Norsk Hydro's chief executive officer. One of the key reasons why the Norwegian aluminium producer lowered its demand growth expectations for the metal in 2019 was the insecurity...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday July 29 that are worth another look.The Peruvian federal government is drafting a new mining code to ensure legal certainty and social responsibility in the development of projects in the country, national president Mart?-n Vizcarra said on Sunday July 28 during the country's independence day festivities. The announcement wa...Read More

The Peruvian federal government is drafting a new mining code to ensure legal certainty and social responsibility in the development of projects in the country, national president Mart?-n Vizcarra said on Sunday July 28 during the country's independence day festivities.The announcement was made following almost two weeks of public demonstrations and street blockades in the Arequipa region against...Read More

Base metals prices other than tin and lead had rebounded by the kerb close on the London Metal Exchange on Monday July 29 despite thin trading volumes and a stronger US dollar index.After a cautious start to the day, most of the base metals made gains in anticipation of tomorrow's trade meeting between the United States and China, the release of Chinese economic data and a Federal Open Markets Com...Read More

Consumers are starting to pay a premium for aluminium produced with lower carbon emissions and a limited environmental impact, according to the chief executive officer of Norsk Hydro. The Norwegian aluminium producer is starting to see traction for its green aluminium products, which include brands Hydro 4.0 and Hydro 75R, Hilde Merete Aasheim told Fastmarkets."We'd really like to build on this go...Read More

The continued closure of the import arbitrage window to China and the lingering absence of Nyrstar's Port Pirie from the market triggered a rise in treatment charges for lead concentrates over July, while TCs for zinc concentrates also rose.Fastmarkets assessed low-silver spot lead concentrate TCs at $30-50 per tonne cif China on July 26, up from $20-30 per tonne a month earlier. Spot TCs for high...Read More

The discount for No2-grade copper scrap in China widened this month on higher availability because Chinese buyers have quickly used up the import quotas granted by the government.The value for copper scrap No2 copper (birch/cliff), imported into China, 94-96%, LME/Comex discount, cif China, was $0.32-0.36 per lb on Monday July 29, compared with $0.29-0.35 per lb on June 24.Scrap material from Sout...Read More

Merchant bar quality (MBQ) steel prices in the United States remained flat month over month, although some sources reported seeing improved market activity in certain regions of the country.Fastmarkets monthly assessment for steel bar 2 x 2 x 1/4 -inch angle merchant products, fob mill US, remained at a 16-month low of $33.80 per hundredweight ($676 per short ton) on Friday July 26 after falling...Read More

Mexican integrated steelmaker Altos Hornos de Mexico (Ahmsa) posted a 22.9% year-on-year decline in second-quarter steel sales volumes, while its average selling price fell by 13.3% in the same comparison.Steel sales volumes totaled 759,205 tonnes in the second quarter compared with 984,524 tonnes in the same period last year, Ahmsa said in its quarterly earnings report on Friday July 26. Its...Read More

The Saudi Arabian government is planning to impose a new export duty on steel rebar, market participants told Fastmarkets on Monday July 29.No official announcement about a new duty had been made before the story was published in a local newspaper, which quoted a spokesperson from the Ministry of Commerce & Investment saying that the government will impose the duty soon.The...Read More

Slower buying activity and lower bids from customers have forced CIS wire rod suppliers to reduce their export offer prices at the end of this month, Fastmarkets learnt on Monday July 29.Russia-origin wire rod was available to foreign customers at $490 per tonne fob Black Sea, down by $10 per tonne week on week. A European trader was bidding around $485 per tonne fob. But this price was rejected b...Read More

RAPAPORT... Robyn Hawk, who authored a number of blogs on the jewelryindustry, passed away on July 16 at the age of 63 following a stroke.  Dubbing herself a "serial blogger," Hawk, who graduated fromthe Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in 2009 with a degree in gemology,diamonds, colored stones and pearls, wrote for the Tucson Gem Show and postedarticles on the jewelry industry in...Read More

RAPAPORT... The war on conflict diamonds will remain at a standstilluntil the industry can agree on what constitutes systemic violence, accordingto World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) president Ernie Blom. The lack of agreement on the matter is preventing Africanproducing nations from accepting a broadened definition of conflict stones, asthey fear it might fuel unfair treatment agains...Read More

RAPAPORT... Alex and Ani has filed a $1.1 billion lawsuit against Bankof America, claiming its gender bias and greed have driven the jewelry company toward bankruptcy. Last year, the bank declared the company had defaulted on its revolvingloan, even though it was meeting all the terms of its line-of-credit agreement,Alex and Ani alleged in the suit, filed in a New York district court July 25....Read More

RAPAPORT... The Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE) will soon unveil its renovated center for rough and polished diamond tenders, the bourse reported Saturday."The DDE is currently under renovation," the exchange said. "Once complete, it will be one of the biggest tender floors in the world with 40 tables, fully secured with cameras and specialist lighting for buyers to examine diamonds and precious...Read More