By: Stewart Thomson, Graceland Updates1. The weak physical demand season continues to cause gold to drift with a clear but modest downside bias. 2. Despite the swoon, most top bank analysts are extremely positive in their outlook for gold in the second half of the year. 3. Please click here now. Standard Chartered analyst Suki Cooper notes a high correlation between the Fed's a...Read More
The bull market has gone vertical, suggesting stocks are in a blowoff phase. Where will it end? We'll hazard a guess simply because it's irresistible fun, and because one of these days we're going to get it right. Let me therefore offer 2953.50 for the June contract, or 2974.25 if any higher. Both seem likely to show stopping power, even if equally compelling rally targets got bulldozed on...Read More
By: Ira EpsteinDaily gold market showing it falling apart...Read More
I believe that the fall in gold prices is good for gold jewelry demand in Asia. Prices are still very high in my view all over Asia. The more the correction in Asian gold prices, the more the demand in Asia. There will be a slight dip in gold demand around 6th May in Islamic nations as the fasting month of Ramadan begins. The factors driving down gold are the same (a) Positive view on global e...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) has updated its Code of Practices (COP) to include silver jewelry and color gemstones, significantly expanding the reach of the standards organization.The code, which defines due-diligence and social-responsibility requirements for the industry, also outlines new requirements for the detection of laboratory-grown diamonds, the group announce...Read More
RAPAPORT... Luk Fook's same-store sales dropped 6% in the fourth fiscalquarter amid a higher number of purchases for lower-priced products. The Hong Kong-based jeweler sold higher volumes during the period, but not enough to negate the drop in its average selling price. Improved market conditions helped ease the decline compared to the third quarter, it noted last week."Same-store sales of the gro...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Natural Color Diamond Association (NCDIA) has appointedthree members to its 2019 advisory board. They will be responsible for supporting and guiding the organization'sexecutive committee, NCDIA said last week. The new advisory board members are: Henry Ho, founder and chairman emeritus of the AsianInstitute of Gemological Sciences (AIGS). He also operates a gemological schooland la...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Women's Jewelry Association (WJA) has announced thehonorees for its Awards for Excellence, with its mentorship prize going to aman for the first time. Its Visionary Awards recognize females who have taken on aleadership role within the industry. The ceremony takes place in New York inJuly. "Our Visionary Awards will go to women who have beentrailblazers, and the driving forces of...Read More
The Bharat Diamond Bourse BDB is considering the lifting of a ban on the trade of lab-grown diamonds LGDs). "We have received representations from a number of our members...and we will discuss this [request] at the board level," said BDB President Anoop Mehta. The BDB banned the trade in LGDS four years ago, to prevent the mixing of LGDS with natural diamonds by unscrupulous diamond merchants. Thi...Read More
The International Diamond Council (IDC) has elected Julien Drybooms as its new Chairman. Paul van der Steen, also of Antwerp, is the new Vice-Chair. "I am very pleased to take on this important position." said Drybooms. He expressed his gratitude to the IDC and its founding member organizations, the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) and the International Diamond Manufacturers Associ...Read More
GemFair, a pilot project developed by De Beers Group, that aims to create a secure and transparent route to market for ethically sourced artisinal and small-scale mined (ASM) diamonds, is scaling up its operations in Sierra Leone to give more miners the opportunity to benefit from the opportunities the program offers. The GemFair pilot provides ASM diamond miners with access to De Beers Group's i...Read More
PERTH (miningweekly.com) – Mining major Rio Tinto has recovered a 28.84 ct gem quality white diamond from its Argyle diamond mine, in Western Australia, marking one of the largest gem quality white diamonds in its 35-year history.Named Argyle Octavia™ in recognition of its octahedral shape, this rough diamond will be sold by tender in Antwerp later this year.Advertisement“We are...Read More
The Women's Jewelry Association (WJA) has announced its 2019 honorees for the association's annual Awards for Excellence gala, to be held Monday, July 29, 2019. On the occasion, it will honor Carol Pennelli, president, David Yurman; Stellene Volandes, editor in chief, Town & Country magazine; and Mark Hanna, chief marketing officer, Richline Group. "Our Visionary Awards will go to wo...Read More
The US Commerce Department reported that in March, retail sales had increased by with 1.6 percent, indicating that this was the biggest increase since September 2017. In February, retail sales had dropped 0.2 percent Economists that were polled by Reuters had forecast that retail sales would accelerate only 0.9 percent in March. The growth in retail sales was 3.6 percent compared to March 2018....Read More
The Natural Color Diamond Association (NCDIA) announced it will stage a seminar and panel discussion about "Diamonds from Canada's Arctic Circle" at the upcoming JCK Show in Las Vegas. The NCDIA seminar's panelists will be Jim Pounds, Executive Vice President of Dominion Diamond Mines and Reid Mackie, Vice President of Mountain Province Diamonds. Rob Bates, Senior Editor of JCK Mag...Read More
Eastern promise for PolarXSPONSOREDpolarxThe miner produced 188,600 tonnes of copper during the quarter, 22.6% higher than the same 2018 period, although it was 14.Read More
Eastern promise for PolarXSPONSOREDpolarxThe Sandfire CEO's attention had turned to business development and the status of the opportunity Sandfire has had on its books since 2014 - the Black Butte copper project in Montana.Read More
Trading across most of the base metals is leading to price weakness – this despite record-setting levels seen in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite on Tuesday. The exception is aluminium, where prices have been edging higher in recent days.Base metals Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were for the most part little changed during morning trading on Wednesday April 24, w...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were mixed this morning. S&P 500 futures were unchanged in pre-opening trade.U.S. equity indices are testing their all-time highs. All-time inter-day high for the S&P 500 Index is 2940.91. All-time inter-day high for the NASDAQ Composite Index is 8,133.30.Caterpillar slipped $2.21 to $139.82 despite reporting higher than consensus first quarter sales and earnings....Read More
Free college tuition. It became famous as one of Bernie Sanders' biggest campaign promises last time around.And now the same idea is starting to rear its head again ahead of 2020... Only this time it's starting with Elizabeth Warren and a new plan to forgive up to $50,000 in student loan debt for every man, woman, and child. (Just about.)In case you have any doubt, I'll be taking the other side of...Read More