RAPAPORT... Stable demand for Botswana's rough diamonds resulted in flatexports in the first quarter of 2018, according to recent data. Outbound shipments for the January-to-March period slid lessthan 1% to $911 million, from $912.6 million last year, the Bank of Botswanasaid. In January, rough exports totaled $339.7 million, whileshipments for February came to $229 million, and March results were...Read More

Holidays in Turkey and across much of Europe for the traditional May 1 Labor Day meant that there was little change in prices for Turkish imports of deep-sea scrap from European and US suppliers, sources said on Tuesday May 1.Renewed business activity is expected later in the week when traders return to work, they added.Market sentiment is cautious about how much more prices may increase in the ne...Read More

(IDEX Online) -The Bonas Polished Diamond Tender at the May 6-8 CARAT+ show at Antwerp Expo will feature 163 lots with a total weight of more than 1,700 carats. Of the lots, 133 are GIA-certified stones, while the remaining 30 are parcels of white diamonds.   Highlights include 14 fancy-colour diamonds and 119 white diamonds, with weights ranging from 1.00 carat to 5.00 carats. Two diam...Read More

SHANGHAI, May 2 (SMM) – Spot copper in the Shanghai market was offered at a discount of 20 yuan/mt to a premium of 20 yuan/mt against the SHFE 1805 contract on the morning of Wednesday May 2, SMM learned.  For editorial queries, please contact Daisy Tseng at daisy@smm.cn For more information on how to access our research reports, please email service.en@smm.cn Read More

Speaking in Perth this week, BlueBird's president Alf Stewart and CEO Peter Ball said they were keen to pick up more assets, while emphasising they had the backers to transact promising deals when required.Read More

Carl Data Solutions Inc.'s (CSE:CRL | OTC:CDTAF | FSE:7C5) LOI to acquire a niche Industrial IoT player highlights strategic shiftSmallCapPower | May 2, 2018: Another Accretive Deal in the Works. On May 1, 2018, Carl Data Solutions Inc. (CSE:CRL | OTC:CDTAF | FSE:7C5) announced it has entered into a letter of intent ("LOI") to acquire Astra Smart Systems Inc. ("Astra"), a technology company tha...Read More

Prices for Iranian exports of steel billet and slab decreased somewhat in the week ended Wednesday May 2 with customers targeting lower prices because of the unstable conditions in the global billet market.Metal Bulletin's weekly price assessment for Iranian billet exports was $480-500 per tonne fob on May 2, against $495-505 per tonne fob a week earlier.Recent bookings of Iranian billet were repo...Read More

RAPAPORT... Texas jeweler James Avery, creator of a popular brand thatbears his name, has died at 96. "We are forever grateful to Mr. Avery for giving us theopportunity to be a part of his dream," the retailer said in a Twitter post on Monday."He was a dynamic, creative and generous man who touched the lives of manypeople during his lifetime through his work, his art and his giving spirit. Hiscont...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Borsheims Fine Jewelry is the latest company to share its positive social impact stories through the Diamond Empowerment Fund's Diamonds Do Good initiative. Borsheims, based in Omaha, Nebraska and owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Group, is spreading its community development efforts to Botswana, from where its Kalahari Dream Diamonds are sourced. In two of the drought...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were for the most part firmer on the morning of Wednesday May 2, with five of the six base metals showing gains averaging 0.6%, while tin bucked the trend with a 0.1% decline. Copper led on the upside with a 1% gain to $6,816 per tonne. Volume on the LME has rebounded with the return of Chinese participants following public holidays in China on Monda...Read More

SHANGHAI, May 2 (SMM) –Copper: LME copper fell under the pressure of stronger US dollar during the Labour Day holiday. Technically, it now stands below all moving averages and without support. We expect it to trade at $6,740-6,800/mt today with the SHFE 1806 copper at 51,000-51,500 yuan/mt. Spot discounts are seen at 100-50 yuan/mt with May invoices.Aluminium: LME aluminium is expe...Read More

Numis has adjusted its target price from £8 (US$10.85) to £6 on the back of "industrial unrest" at its Tongon mine in Côte d'Ivoire, a mining code upheaval in the Democratic Republic of Congo that hosts its Kibali joint venture, and "recent unrest" in Mali, where it runs the massive Loulo-Gounkoto mine complex. This is despite a company statement early this week that, while...Read More

RAPAPORT... The London Diamond Bourse (LDB) has appointed Alan Cohenpresident, succeeding Menachem Prager, it said Wednesday. "I believe [Alan] will be an effective advocate for the UK'sdiamond industry both at home and abroad," said chief operating officerVictoria McKay. "His natural gravitas along with his industry experience makehim a valuable asset." Cohen has been a member of the exchange sin...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices increased sharply on Wednesday May 2 following the rise in billet and futures. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 4,020-4,060 yuan ($634-640) per tonne, up 130 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,870-3,900 yuan per tonne, up 120-130 yuan per tonneBillet prices increased by 50 yuan per tonne over the long weekend break and by a further by...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were mixed this morning. S&P 500 futures were unchanged in pre-opening trade. Index futures were virtually unchanged following release of the April ADP employment report. Consensus for April private employment was 193,000 versus 241,000 in March. Actual was 204,000.First quarter earnings continue to pour in. Reports released since yesterday's close included ADP, Ameri...Read More

The countdown is on to GT Gold picking up where it left off as heavy winter snow set in on the alpine mountain slopes and valleys at Tatogga in October last year, temporarily freezing drilling activity that had already revealed one part of an extensive, dense vein system (Saddle South) with grades as high as 51.53 grams per tonne over 6.95m in near-surface drill intercepts, and a nearby copper-gol...Read More

SHANGHAI, May 2 (SMM) – Nonferrous metals rebounded on the afternoon of May 2, buoyed by ferrous metals. SHFE lead rose 1.58% and nickel gained close to 1%. Zinc inched up slightly. Copper closed nearly 1% lower while aluminium and tin edged down.The ferrous complex rose across the board. Rebar led the increase with a gain of 4.28%. Coke and coking coal grew about 4%. Hot-rolled co...Read More

SHANGHAI, May 2 (SMM) – Nonferrous metals rebounded on the afternoon of May 2, buoyed by ferrous metals. SHFE lead rose 1.58% and nickel gained close to 1%. Zinc inched up slightly. Copper closed nearly 1% lower while aluminium and tin edged down.The ferrous complex rose across the board. Rebar led the increase with a gain of 4.28%. Coke and coking coal grew about 4%. Hot-rolled co...Read More

SHANGHAI, May 2 (SMM) – Nonferrous metals rebounded on the afternoon of May 2, buoyed by ferrous metals. SHFE lead rose 1.58% and nickel gained close to 1%. Zinc inched up slightly. Copper closed nearly 1% lower while aluminium and tin edged down.The ferrous complex rose across the board. Rebar led the increase with a gain of 4.28%. Coke and coking coal grew about 4%. Hot-rolled co...Read More

SHANGHAI, May 2 (SMM) – Weak demand and the new, lower value-added tax (VAT) weighed down spot copper offers in Shanghai on Wednesday April 2. Spot copper with invoices for May was mostly offered at a discount of 50 yuan/mt to a premium of 20 yuan/mt over the SHFE 1805 contract. Prices fell in both the copper futures and spot market in Shanghai on the first trading day after the Labour...Read More