The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.In a webinar we conducted on Asian ferro alloys, our research team discussed the Chinese authorities' announcing some major infrastructure investments that will increase demand for steel and steel raw materials, including iron ore. Our research shows that the recent infrastructure investment announcements are equal to about...Read More

When it comes to retirement investing — whether you’re buying stocks to add to a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) or packing out a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) — it helps to have a thesis. No matter if you’re a retiree or a young portfolio owner looking ahead, buying shares for a comfortable retirement should follow a set of rules.There are three broad themes fo...Read More

In late May, Nornickel also reported a fuel spill near Norilsk, in north-central Russia. (Image courtesy of Nornickel). Russian mining company Norilsk Nickel reported that a pipeline belonging to Norilsktransgaz, which is part of the Norilsk Nickel Group, depressurized during the transfer of aviation fuel in the vicinity of ?EURRead More

This Hubble Space Telescope image shows stars at various stages of their lives, from young blue-hot stars to cooler red giants. (Image by NASA, ESA, and T. Brown [STScI]).The Sun is likely to produce lithium in the future, according to a new study by scientists at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.In a paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the r...Read More

Mexico's Undersecretary of Mining Francisco Quiroga Fern??ndez. (Image courtesy of the Economy Secretariat, Facebook). Mining companies operating in Mexico have continued to invest in their operations, according to the Economy Secretariat's Undersecretary of Mining Francisco Quiroga Fern??ndez.Talking at the virtual conference "Mining Reactivation in the Face of the New Normal," organized to cele...Read More

Back in 2019, Japan increased its hold on Lynas' rare earths output. Pictured here is a rare earth production line at the company's plant in Malaysia. (Image taken from Lynas' presentation.) In the wake of supply disruptions of certain metals caused by the covid-19 pandemic, Japan has decided to launch a series of measures to address potential supply risks from geopolitical instability or future...Read More

Oil is a commodity that plays anindisputable role in the global economy. At the start of the 20th century,the oil industry went into mass production, thus giving birth to what we referto as the modern era of oil consumption. Gradually, coal was starting to take abackseat to it and oil became the world’s #1 fuel source and the undisputedking of commodity trading.To this very day, this remains...Read More

RAPAPORT... Birks Group's sales increased sharply in the latest fiscal year as three of its major retail stores reopened following renovations.The Canadian jeweler resumed trading at flagship sites in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal during the 12-month period ending March 28. Group revenue climbed 12% to CAD 169.4 million ($124.7 million) for the year, while comparable-store sales - at branch...Read More

RAPAPORT... The Indian government has granted diamond companies extra time to ship polished goods back to the country after grading without incurring customs duty.At present, reimports are subject to the 7.5% levy once the diamonds have been outside India for three months. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has extended the deadline by a further three months for all parcel...Read More

RAPAPORT... Two fancy-colored, heart-shaped diamonds led the Magnificent Jewels sale at Sotheby's in Hong Kong, fetching a combined $18.7 million.The first, a 5.04-carat, fancy-vivid-blue, type IIb diamond, flanked by white diamonds, brought in $10.6 million, or $2.1 million per carat, beating its $9.7 million upper estimate. The 4.49-carat, fancy-vivid-pink, internally flawless diamond ring,...Read More

 RAPAPORT... A fancy-intense-blue diamond ring was the top seller at Christie's in Hong Kong, crushing its high estimate at the first live Magnificent Jewels auction since the coronavirus pandemic began.The piece, featuring a marquise-cut, 12.11-carat, internally flawless stone, went for $15.9 million at the July 9 sale, against its high estimate of $12.3 million. The diamond sold follow...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Alrosa reported another poor trading month in June, with sales of rough and polished totaling just $31.3m.That compares with $222.4m of like-for-like sales in June 2019.The Russian state-owned miner has revised down its production forecasts, postponed its July and August sales, suffered an 87 pr cent drop in profits and is pursuing a price-over-volume strategy as the COVID-19...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Diamond-studded face masks are becoming the latest fashion craze in Covid-hit India.They're popular with wedding couples, who will pay up to $6,000 for a washable N95 mask encrusted with real diamonds, according to Indian media reports. Masks with lab-grown diamonds start at around $800.Lockdown means the number of guests is limited, so there's more money available to add...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Almost two thirds (62 per cent) of jewelry buyers say they'd rather buy a diamond from a bricks-and-mortar shop than online, says new research for De Beers.Even the digital-savvy Millennial and Gen-Z (those aged up to 40) still opt for in-store purchases (59 per cent), according to the Diamond Insight Flash Report, documenting the impact of COVID-19 on retail sales.Research am...Read More

RAPAPORT... Alrosa's diamond sales fell 86% year on year to $31.3 million in June as contract customers continued to delay buying rough allocations."For the third time in a row, we offered our long-term customers unprecedentedly flexible sales conditions, including the opportunity to defer purchasing contracted volumes," Alrosa deputy CEO Evgeny Agureev said Friday. "Alrosa will use all its a...Read More

Dark Horse Resources Limited (ASX: DHR) is a project generator company focused on tier 1 Gold exploration projects. We learned from David Mason, Managing Director and CEO of Dark Horse Resources, that they have been working in Argentina for several years, and recently have decided to implement a new corporate strategy to find new gold projects in alternative jurisdictions. As a result of their sea...Read More

Oil is a commodity that plays anindisputable role in the global economy. At the start of the 20th century,the oil industry went into mass production, thus giving birth to what we referto as the modern era of oil consumption. Gradually, coal was starting to take abackseat to it and oil became the world’s #1 fuel source and the undisputedking of commodity trading.To this very day, this remains...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Alrosa reported another poor trading month in June, with sales of rough and polished totaling just $31.3m.That compares with $222.4m of like-for-like sales in June 2019.The Russian state-owned miner has revised down its production forecasts, postponed its July and August sales, suffered an 87 pr cent drop in profits and is pursuing a price-over-volume strategy as the COVID-19...Read More

LONDON, 12 July 2020 - Comment and data from BullionVault feature heavily today in a report on the rising price of gold in The Observer, the world's longest-running Sunday newspaper.Now part of the Guardian Media Group, "Basically gold does well when other stuff does badly in the historical sweep of things," says The Observer, quoting Adrian Ash, director of research."BullionVault has reported a r...Read More

LONDON, 12 July 2020 - The Sunday Times today reports a surge in demand for gold at BullionVault, making its clients' holdings larger than most central banks gold in reserve.The UK's best-selling 'quality' Sunday paper, "Net inflows between March and June of 4.5 tonnes, worth ?195 million, beat the previous four-month record in the autumn of 2011," says The Times."[BullionVault] is now holding a...Read More