Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday September 5 that are worth another look.Aluminium prices on the London Metal Exchange remain at historically low levels despite low stock levels, high premiums and sustained elevated raw materials costs.While US interest in flat steel imports picked up somewhat in August, spurred by expectations of price increases for domestic...Read More

The three-month tin price on the London Metal Exchange has rebounded by more than 14% during morning trading on Thursday September 5, prompted by the announcement of planned refined tin smelter production cuts by a group of 14 smelters in China. Tin's outright price reached an intraday high of $17,740 per tonne this morning, its highest level since July 26 and up by more than 12% from the end of A...Read More

Tin's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange was up by more than 2% during morning trading on Thursday September 5, climbing to its highest level since late-July amid news of planned smelter production cuts in China, while a 2.5% downturn in nickel has prompted another switch between the two metals. Three-month tin futures were recently seen trading at $17.460 per tonne, while an intra-mor...Read More

Concerns about Hong Kong show remain as protestscontinue despite withdrawal of extradition bill that sparked them. Luxuryjewelers developing China strategy to focus on high-end consumers, who are spendingmore at home. Weak Chinese wholesale demand weighing on diamond market, with 1ct. RAPI -0.4% in August. US jewelers considering buying opportunities butdelaying holiday stock orders. Signet Jewele...Read More

The markets have been under steady pressure for so long that the combination of good news about Hong Kong, with the withdrawal of the extradition bill, and reports that high level US-China trade talks will resume in October, have been enough to lead a relief rally. This saw the three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange rise by an average of 2.4% on Wednesday September 4.The rally...Read More

Export prices for Chinese stainless steel rose over the past week after Indonesia said it would bring forward a ban on nickel ore exports to the end of this year.Indonesia's plan to expedite the ban, which was initially scheduled for 2022, will only be finalized once re-elected president Joko Widodo is sworn into office for a second term in October.The price of nickel on the London Metal Exchange...Read More

Slow trading over Jain Paryushan festival and HinduGanesh Chaturthi holiday. High gold price and declining currency (INR 72/$1)impacting domestic jewelry demand. Jewelry manufacturers compensating byreducing diamond content. Cutters maintaining low production until October 27Diwali break, with some smaller units already closing. Polished inventorylevels went down in last month, but still higher th...Read More

With the exception of nickel and lead, base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were up during the morning trading session on Thursday September 5, with the complex buoyed by improved risk sentiment following an easing of geopolitical tensions and softer dollar.Investors' appetite for risk has grown following favorable geopolitical events overnight that saw Hong Kong withdraw a controve...Read More

@import url(https://ofc.rapaport.com:449CuteSoft_Client/CuteEditor/Load.ashx?type=style&file=SyntaxHighlighter.css);@import url(styles/editnewscuteeditor.css);RAPAPORT... Signet Jewelers has modified its full-year sales guidance forthe second time, following a drop in revenue in the three months ending August 3.Group sales fell 3.9% to $1.36 billion in the second fiscal quarter, the retailer repor...Read More

While US interest in flat steel imports picked up somewhat in August, spurred by expectations of price increases for domestic flat-rolled products in early 2020, prices for imported flat steel remained unchanged amid increased uncertainty in the overall market outlook."Interestingly, imports have come back last week, probably [because] customers are looking at something for January," one Midwest t...Read More

Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.The time is right for the mining industry to invest in new projects. The fundamentals are clear: we forecast supply gaps across a number of key commodities by 2028.Investors are understandably concerned that the mining industry will r...Read More

RAPAPORT... The Jewelry Industry Summit will present a webinar seriesdesigned to provide guidance for jewelers in practicing responsible sourcing. The first free seminar in the series, called "Tools toKick-Start Your Responsible Sourcing Journey," will debut October 11, and willgive actionable strategies for businesses to create sustainable supply chains.The launch will be followed by other offeri...Read More

Brazilian vehicle production fell by 7.3% year-on-year in August 2019, with export volumes to Argentina continuing to decline and the domestic market weakening, automotive manufacturers' association Anfavea said on Thursday September 5.The country produced 269,809 units during the month, compared with 291,099 units in August last year, when there was one more working day in the month. Volumes rose...Read More

RAPAPORT... Jewelers of America (JA) has partnered with the Jewelers Board of Trade (JBT) to launch the Retail Jewelers Benchmarking Study, replacing the JA's Cost of Doing Business Survey last published in 2015. The resulting report will serve as a financial benchmarking tool that allows jewelry retailers to input their data and run reports that will provide comparative information they can...Read More

RAPAPORT... Gem Diamonds' profit fell in the first half of the year, asthe volume of large stones unearthed at its Let??eng mine in Lesotho hassignificantly declined from last year. Profit plunged 75% to $6.6 million for the six months endingJune 30, the company reported Thursday. The miner recovered three stonesweighing more than 100 carats during the period, versus 10 of that size lastyear,...Read More

The Jewelers' Security Alliance has joined with Jewelers of America JA) and the American Gem Society (AGS) to endorse a health insurance program for the jewelry industry sponsored by MJM Global Insurance Brokerage Group (JewelersHealthCare.com). This program is designed to provide cost savings, a simplified enrollment process, flexible benefits and wellness solutions for its member firms. The...Read More

The Women's Jewelry Association (WJA) has moved its headquarters back to New York City and appointed a new executive director, Jennifer Markas. Bernadette Mack, the outgoing executive director, will work with Markas during her transition until the end of the month. Markas was most recently responsible for sustainability reporting and communications at Tiffany & Co. Her role focused on de...Read More

Russian diamond miner Alrosa says one of the motivations behind signing the $12-million joint venture (JV) agreement with national diamond miner Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) is to develop cooperation between Alrosa and its Zimbabwean partners and increase Alrosa’s presence in African countries. “Alrosa has started looking for exploration projects to create new diamond m...Read More

Trans Atlantic Gem Sales (TAGS) will be holding a rough diamond tender at the Dubai Diamond Exchange, Almas Tower, in Dubai later this month, September 20-27, 2019. The tender concerns two productions from South Africa and Angola. The rough is of high quality and high colors and contains a significant number of large single stones and specials. TAGS expects about 20,000 carats of South African go...Read More

Prices in Southeast Asia's steel billet market fell to their lowest level since June 2017 on Thursday September 5, in response to plunging ferrous scrap prices in the bellwether Turkish market.Fastmarkets' daily index for steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), North Europe origin, cfr Turkey, was $250.21 per tonne on September 4, its lowest since February 2017. The index was down by $12.30 per tonne da...Read More