SD Midweek Update: Shifting its focus to silver, the cartel is making its last stand in The Battle For Seventeen...Editor's Note: In addition to all of the fast-paced news to discuss in today's live-stream at 12:00 p.m. EST, please know that I have lived in El Paso, Texas for many years, I was a soldier in the US Army stationed at Fort Bliss, and I have been to that Walmart and Cielo Vista Mall fo...Read More

There is plenty of controversy about what drives the gold price - global tensions, portfolio diversification, production costs, demand from China or central banks, etc. - all these factors matter.It was not until the Fed let it be known that it was going to halt its relentless step-wise rate-rise program back in late 2018 that gold moved from $1,200 to $1,300.Global tensions still matter for gold,...Read More

An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More

Two former employees of Gerald Group have filed a lawsuit in the United States alleging wrongdoing and misconduct by the commodity trading company's senior management - accusations that Gerald denies.Guoliang Zhao and Fabio Calia allege in the lawsuit that a share-dilution scheme was created that allowed senior management to misappropriate almost $300 million in shareholder value from Metals Tradi...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday August 7 that are worth another look.Rising trade tensions between Japan and South Korea threaten to disrupt the lithium-cobalt battery market in East Asia in a rapidly developing sideshow to the United States-China face-off.Glencore's decision to shut its Mutanda copper-cobalt mine and reduce the production guidance for...Read More

Australian Mines has signed a seven-year offtake agreement giving South Korean energy and petrochemicals company SK Innovation 100% offtake rights to its battery-grade materials production, the company said on Tuesday August 6. Under the terms of the agreement, SK will have 100% rights to downstream nickel and cobalt sulphate output from Australian Mines' Queensland-based Sconi nickel-cobalt-scand...Read More

The weaker aluminium premium in the US Midwest reduced the arbitrage opportunities between Southeast Asian warehouses over July, Fastmarkets learned.The aluminium premium in the United States continued to dip into August as well, hitting its lowest since last March.Fastmarkets' assessment of the monthly average midpoint for the aluminium P1020A premium, ddp Midwest US was at $401.02 per tonne...Read More

The United States' nickel briquette premium widened in the week to Tuesday August 6 with regional premiums on material offered in a greater range, while China's nickel premium market declined on a lack of import incentive and Europe remained quiet amid summer slowdowns. US briquette premium widens with business concluded at a variety of levels Chinese premiums down on widened arbitrage loss and go...Read More

Secondary lead premiums dipped in the Indian market in the week ended Tuesday August 6, on a decline in the value of the rupee and a rebound in the price of lead, while zinc premiums edged higher in Northern Europe. Rupee depreciation, lead price rebound weigh on spot demand in India for secondary leadNorthern European premiums higher on easing spreadsShanghai zinc premiums remain low due to persi...Read More

Glencore has further cut its copper guidance for 2019 amid a slide in the red metal price, citing a slower-than-expected ramp-up in African copper operations, the trader-miner said on Wednesday August 7. Glencore has reduced its 2019 full-year copper guidance to 1.4 million tonnes, according to its half-year results report released on Wednesday. The reduction comes from a 50,000-tonne cut in the o...Read More

The price of rebar produced and delivered in Northern Europe has remained stable over the past seven days because of limited summertime demand, sources said on Wednesday August 7.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?500-520 ($560-583) per tonne on Wednesday, unchanged since July 10.The market was very slow because of ho...Read More

The price for rebar produced and delivered in Southern Europe was stable in the week to Wednesday August 7 because of limited market activity during the typically slower summer months. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for rebar, domestic, delivered Southern Europe, was unchanged week on...Read More

The prices for domestic mesh-quality wire rod in both Northern Europe and Southern Europe were unchanged over the past week due to the summer slowdown, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday August 7.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel wire rod (mesh-quality), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?495-500 ($555-560) per tonne on Wednesday, unchanged week on week.Many market partici...Read More

The price paid for steel billet exported from Iran weakened in the first week of August following the drop in the global iron ore market.Iranian producers were offering billet scheduled for October shipment at $400-405 per tonne fob Iranian ports, sources told Fastmarkets, but this price was rejected by customers in the major sales outlets in Asia and the Middle East."The slump in iron ore prices...Read More

A Swiss unit of HSBC has agreed to pay a record EUR 294.4 million ($330 million) to settle fraud claims against its Belgian business, which mainly serves members of the Antwerp diamond trade.In 2014, a Belgian judge charged HSBC Private Bank (Switzerland) with crimes including organized tax fraud, money laundering and forgery of documents. The bank is also suspected of having deliberately encourag...Read More

Domestic market activity for hot-rolled coil (HRC) in the EU has remained slow over the past week, with no change in prices, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday August 7.Demand was expected to be almost nil in August due to the seasonal slowdown.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel HRC, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was stable at...Read More

Pessimism continued to dominate the CIS export market for steel billet in the first week of August amid the weakening of the finished long steel markets both in the CIS and in customers' domestic territories.Another reason for the dullness of sentiment was the recent sharp drop in global iron ore prices, following the lack of demand from China, which is the largest global iron ore importer. This p...Read More

RAPAPORT... Tiffany & Co. will open its doors in India in an effort to capitalize on its already strong image and brand awarenessin the country, the company said Wednesday. The luxury jeweler will partner with Reliance BrandsLimited, which is part of the Reliance Industries conglomerate owned by Mukesh Ambani, recentlyranked by Forbes as the richest man in Asia. Tiffany will open stores i...Read More

RAPAPORT... Stuller has promoted Alix Gonsoulin to vice president of itsbridal, fine-jewelry and findings division, it said Tuesday. Gonsoulin started as director of diamond-and-gemstonefashion with the US-based jewelry manufacturer in 2012, and was most recently it executive director of product development. "Alix has shown an exceptional ability to workcross-functionally throughout the organ...Read More

Steel H-beam prices in Northern and Southern Europe were flat week on week ahead of the expected seasonal slowdown in August, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday August 7.Fastmarkets assessed the price for steel beams, domestic, delivered Northern Europe, at ?,?570-600 ($639-672) per tonne on August 7, unchanged from the previous week.Prices and demand have remained firm with the market heading...Read More