RAPAPORT... Gem Diamonds has recovered a diamond weighing 123.5carats, its third white stone over 100 carats this year, and its second thismonth. It found the high-quality, type II stone at its Let??eng minein Lesotho on July 20, the company said Tuesday. The miner also unearthed a140-carat white diamond from the deposit on July 6, and a 161-carat stone inMarch. In total, the company has ret...Read More
RAPAPORT... Luk Fook's same-store sales decreased 10% year on year inthe first fiscal quarter amid an unfavorable comparison with last year and the impact of the US-Chinatariff war. Total same-store sales - at Luk Fook outlets open for morethan a year - in Hong Kong and Macau dropped 10% in the three months ending June 30. Same-store gold sales plunged 20%, while gem-set jewelry purchasesgrew...Read More
RAPAPORT... US retail sales rose in June, amid improved consumersentiment and a healthier economic outlook, according to the National RetailFederation (NRF). Total purchase value grew 2.3% year on year in June, withthe three-month moving average, which includes April, May and June sales, up3.7% over the same period a year ago. The moving average for the three monthsto May rose 3.3% over the y...Read More
RAPAPORT... Shares in Petra Diamonds slipped 6% in early trading Monday after the minerreported it would lower its production for fiscal 2020. The company expects to produce about 3.8 million carats inthe financial year ending June 2020, as opposed to 3.9 million caratsin fiscal 2019, it said Monday. While run-of-mine production is expected toremain flat, the decrease will come from lower pro...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices were rangebound on Tuesday July 23, while the ongoing environmental restrictions have limited iron ore demand.Fastmarkets' index for iron ore 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $117.82 per tonne, down $0.51 per tonne. Fastmarkets' index for iron ore 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines, cfr Qingdao: $117.74 per tonne, down $0.51 per tonne. Fastmarkets' index for iron ore 62% Fe low alumina...Read More
In an interview with IGTV, Stuart Brown, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Mountain Province Diamonds (MPD) said that "over the last five years we've probably seen too much supply of rough going into the market." Brown came to MNPD after a long career in the diamond mining industry. He spent most of his career with De Beers. De Beers is responsible for the mining side of the joint venture. In...Read More
In his first -ever blog, Ernest Blom, president of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses, argues that the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is slow because one of the most hot potatoes is ignored.The KPCS, he wrote,is one of the great accomplishments of the worldwide diamond community of the last two decades, as more than 99.5 percent of the diamonds produced fall under a certificati...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices were steady to slightly lower on Tuesday July 23 amid a lack of offers in the spot market. Offers on premium category cargoes with a laycan date in August were around $173-174 per tonne fob Australia on the Global Coal platform, sources said. Buyer sources in China indicated that premium low-vol materials would still fetch a price of around $190 per tonne cfr Jingtang i...Read More
BlueRock Diamonds PLC, a diamond miner listed BlueRock Diamonds plc, listed on the AIM in London, reported it had sold a 12.2 carat diamond for $105,000. The price per carat realized stood at $8,584. BlueRock Diamonds owns and operates the Kareevlei Diamond Mine in the Kimberley region of South Africa. Blue Rock said that this diamond is the second most valuable diamond the firm had recovered to d...Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices were unchanged on Tuesday July 23, with the opposing factors of production curbs and relatively weak demand cancelling out each other.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,880-3,900 yuan ($564-567) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,850-3,860 yuan per tonne, unchangedSpot prices were stable across the country amid moderate trading.Buyers comprised...Read More
Bad weather is weighing on domestic rebar demand in China, but prices were unchanged on Tuesday July 23 with the strength in the futures market being sustained.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,970-4,000 yuan ($577-581) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Beijing): 3,900-3,930 yuan per tonne, unchangedVarious parts of northern and southeastern China were inundated with heavy rain in the last co...Read More
China's stainless steel prices are set to come under pressure from rising supply, but with the Shanghai Futures Exchange set to launch its futures for this segment, the spot market could be in store for more liquidity as well as fluctuation.Rising capacity China's stainless steel mills are making more investments in infrastructure amid an outlook for steady growth of consumption in the country in...Read More
Some producers in the global manganese market successfully increased their offer prices for low-grade manganese ore in China following a fall in stocks and reports of a drop in import volumes in June. Low-grade ore price into China increases High-grade material pares previous week's gains Ore stocks in China fall SiMn in-whs China prices tick down; stable in India, US High carbon FeMn market weake...Read More
Aluminium:...ACCESS RESTRICTEDTo read the rest of this analysis please take a free sample or subscribeFREE SampleReceive a free sample of market analysis and price forecasts.Free SampleSUBSCRIBEReceive unlimited access to all current and archive content going back to 2008 including downloadable pricing data and forecasts.Plus download the latest issue as soon as it’s published...Read More
Falling dollar buoyed LME aluminium prices...ACCESS RESTRICTEDTo read the rest of this analysis please take a free sample or subscribeFREE SampleReceive a free sample of market analysis and price forecasts.Free SampleSUBSCRIBEReceive unlimited access to all current and archive content going back to 2008 including downloadable pricing data and forecasts.Plus download the latest issu...Read More
Aluminium The LME three-month aluminium price closed down...ACCESS RESTRICTEDTo read the rest of this analysis please take a free sample or subscribeFREE SampleReceive a free sample of market analysis and price forecasts.Free SampleSUBSCRIBEReceive unlimited access to all current and archive content going back to 2008 including downloadable pricing data and forecasts.Plus down...Read More
Tighter refined market conditions in H1...ACCESS RESTRICTEDTo read the rest of this analysis please take a free sample or subscribeFREE SampleReceive a free sample of market analysis and price forecasts.Free SampleSUBSCRIBEReceive unlimited access to all current and archive content going back to 2008 including downloadable pricing data and forecasts.Plus download the latest issue a...Read More
Supply deficit expanded to 42,000...ACCESS RESTRICTEDTo read the rest of this analysis please take a free sample or subscribeFREE SampleReceive a free sample of market analysis and price forecasts.Free SampleSUBSCRIBEReceive unlimited access to all current and archive content going back to 2008 including downloadable pricing data and forecasts.Plus download the latest issue as soon...Read More
Bullish news flow continues We have noted in...ACCESS RESTRICTEDTo read the rest of this analysis please take a free sample or subscribeFREE SampleReceive a free sample of market analysis and price forecasts.Free SampleSUBSCRIBEReceive unlimited access to all current and archive content going back to 2008 including downloadable pricing data and forecasts.Plus download the latest is...Read More
LME tin prices under accelerating selling...ACCESS RESTRICTEDTo read the rest of this analysis please take a free sample or subscribeFREE SampleReceive a free sample of market analysis and price forecasts.Free SampleSUBSCRIBEReceive unlimited access to all current and archive content going back to 2008 including downloadable pricing data and forecasts.Plus download the latest issue...Read More