The European titanium markets look set to remain buoyant through 2021 and well into 2022, with a shortage of titanium scrap underpinning both feedstock and alloy prices, according to industry sources.The titanium scrap market may be in deficit until at least early 2022, sources said, and aerospace - a key supply sector - is expected to struggle to recover output after the Covid-19 p...Read More
The Cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lbtrade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process it...Read More
The Cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies. Fastmarkets assessed Cobalt standard grade,...Read More
There are tremendous opportunities for manganese and vanadium in the global trend of electrifications, and the battery sector will outpace the steel industry in terms of boosting demand growth for those materials, delegates heard at Fastmarkets' International Ferro-alloys virtual conference on Tuesday November 10. Competitive cost and comparatively diverse supply are likely to dictate the shift in...Read More
Seaborne prices for high-grade manganese ore were unlikely to spend much time at levels below $4 per dry metric tonne unit (dmtu) based on today's cost curve, an analyst said on Tuesday November 10.Speaking during Fastmarkets' International Ferro-alloys Conference, when asked about the floor price for manganese ore, Kevin Fowkes of AlloyConsult said that high stocks could continue to put pressure...Read More
The implementation of a proposed export tax on South African chrome ore could prompt China to impose a tax on imports of the country's ferro-chrome into the East Asian nation, according to David Kovarsky, senior vice president at chrome ore producer Sibanye Stillwater.Speaking at Fastmarkets' International Ferro-alloys Conference, which is being held online, Kovarsky was critical of the proposed S...Read More
Ferro-alloy markets should pick-up in early 2021 following the recovery in the global downstream steel industry, delegates heard at the International Ferroalloys Conference 2020 on November 9.Amy Bennett, principal consultant at Fastmarkets, expects global ferro-alloys markets to find support early next year amid the recovery in global steel markets, though there has been some disparity in regiona...Read More
Gold stocks have done remarkably well this year during the COVID-19 pandemic. The price of gold hit 10-year historic highs earlier this year. Not only are investors attracted to the safety of gold during uncertain economic times, but central banks are committing to low interest rates.Low interest rates drive concerns about inflation, further sparking interest in gold to protect the store of value...Read More
Many investors may naturally avoid crashing shares when deciding where to invest their retirement portfolios. Their uncertain near-term outlooks and unpopularity among other investors may mean that assets such as Bitcoin and gold have more appeal following their recent price rises.However, ignoring other investors and focusing on high-quality businesses that trade at low prices could be a sound re...Read More
It’s earnings season and a great opportunity to pick up stocks after evaluating them on how well they have managed to weather two quarters of businesses getting impacted by the pandemic. There is a very real danger of the second wave of the pandemic keeping the whole world locked indoors for another round, and it makes sense to look at companies that are well placed to weather the second sto...Read More
Gold stock Barrick Gold Corp. (TSX:ABX)(NYSE:ABX) is not the stock to buy when the economy is booming and/or recovering. So as the market soared as it digested the exciting coronavirus vaccine news out of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer on Monday, gold stocks like Barrick got hit hard.Down 12% in the last few days, is Barrick Gold stock headed even lower? Is it time to abandon the safety of gold stock...Read More
In conversation with Maurice Jackson of Proven and Probable, Michael Rowley, the CEO of Group Ten Metals, outlines the latest developments at the company's flagship project. Image Taken from Stillwater WestMaurice Jackson: Joining us for a conversation is Michael Rowley, the CEO of Group Ten Metals Inc. (PGE:TSX.V; PGEZF:OTCQB; 5D32:FSE). Mr. Rowley, glad to speak with you, sir, to get us up to d...Read More
We last wrote to you roughly ten days ago.We concluded, “It appears GDX and GDXJ will test their September lows at $37 and $52 reasonably soon. Should GDX & GDXJ break those lows to the downside, then we should get ready to buy.”GDX and GDXJ did break their September lows but only for a day. They closed below those levels on October 29 and then gapped down the next day. But as...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Christie's Magnificent Jewels sale in Geneva garnered $36.8 million, with a fancy-purplish-red diamond selling for a record price, the auction house reported Wednesday. The sale, which took place the previous day at the Four Seasons Hotel, saw 89% of the 156 lots sold, representing 95% of the auction's total value. An online sale was still taking place at press time."Despite t...Read More
RAPAPORT... Debswana, De Beers' joint venture with Botswana, will pause mining at the Damtshaa deposit for an indefinite period, citing a lack of financial viability given market conditions."In the current environment, the marginal cash flow produced by the mine is outweighed by operational costs," a De Beers spokesperson said Wednesday in an email to Rapaport News. "Placing Damtshaa mine int...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Karowe mine has produced a 998-carat diamond, the latest in a string of large rough stones from the lucrative deposit in Botswana.Lucara Diamond Corp., which owns Karowe, will work with manufacturing partner HB Antwerp to assess how to maximize value from the rough, the miner said Wednesday. The unbroken, high-white, clivage stone - meaning it needs to be split before further...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Lucara has recovered yet another huge diamond from its Karowe mine, in Botswana.The 998-carat high white clivage diamond (pictured) is reckoned to be the fourth largest stone found in the country.It follows several remarkable finds. In February the same mine yielded the 549-carat Sethunya diamond. In April 2019 the 1,758-carat Sewelo was recovered. And in 2015 the mine announced th...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Botswana's president says he expects diamond production to bounce back after exports were almost halved by COVID-19 and the resulting travel restrictions.Exports fell 42 per cent to $1.49bn in the first nine months of 2020 as production fell 29 per cent to 12.3m carats," said Mr Masisi during the state of the nation address on Monday.But he said there were signs of a recovery...Read More
American specialty jewelers' revenues have been hard-hit this year by mandated store closings due to Covid-19. As a result, producers, suppliers, and retail jewelry merchants have faced greater-than-normal uncertainties about the market.In an effort to provide the diamond and jewelry industry with benchmarks to measure sales levels over the past several months, IDEX Research has summarized th...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Consumers are adapting to the "new normal" and are still buying diamonds, says De Beers in its 2020 Diamond Insight Report.In spite of the pandemic, diamonds retain broad appeal across consumer segments, it concludes."For many consumers, the purchase of a diamond and all it stands for has taken on even greater meaning, due to the impact of lockdowns and an increased desire to show...Read More