Gold has big year in 2020 and outlook for this year robust. Learn about monetary expansion and gold future prices.Read More

The gold futures price reached US$1,767/ounce this week before retreating, which was the second time it has surpassed US$1,760 in the past two months, marking some of gold's highest levels in several years.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 most important driver of the zinc market in 2020 will be the performance of the world’s zinc smelting industry, according to Wood Mackenzie.The easing of trade tensions between the US and China, the struggling manufacturing...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 coronavirus pandemic has had a massive impact on every part of the global economic system. In response, unprecedented stimulus measures have boosted many countries’ debt-to-GDP ratios to levels not seen since WWII. But even...Read More

Shipping problems faced by commodity market participants are likely to get worse ahead of Chinese New Year on February 12, 2021, sources told Fastmarkets.Freight rates for both bulk vessels and containers have soared to record highs in recent months amid a perfect storm of higher global shipping demand and rising crude oil costs.Those involved in the container trade have been particularly hurt, fa...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.Why is zinc expected to see significantly higher zinc prices later this decade?A spate of scheduled mine closures, an underdeveloped project pipeline and steady demand growth is expected to provide the basis for significantly higher z...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.Back before coronavirus knocked “normal” out cold, the key issues for miners were sub-investment prices, rising requirements for ESG and decarbonisation. How things change. So while our base case view is that the recession...Read More

The Turkish deep-sea scrap import market continued its upward trend with news of a fresh cargo from the Baltic Sea region, sources said on Tuesday December 22.Late on Monday, a steel mill in northern Turkey booked the cargo, comprising 12,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20), 6,000 tonnes of plate & structural scrap (P&S) and 5,000 tonnes of a mixture of busheling and oxy plates at an average price...Read More

RAPAPORT... The Rapaport News team looks back at a tumultuous year in our final podcast of 2020, highlighting the most significant stories and trends that shaped our industry. Publisher John Costello, News Editor Avi Krawitz, and reporters Joshua Freedman and Leah Meirovich discuss the success with which the industry pivoted to digital and the impact the "new normal" is having on diamond trading a...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 New York Harbor Product Storage report is the first of its kind and relies on the same highly calibrated infrared camera, aerial diagnostic and proprietary technologies we use to measure and deliver our industry standard Cush...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.Rising stocks of concentrate, high treatment charges and difficulties in selling less desirable qualities of concentrate was expected to result in mine production losses over the next few years. But coronavirus has changed this dynami...Read More

RAPAPORT... Polished-diamond imports into the US slid 8% year on year to $1.34 billion in October as a lower average price outweighed higher carat volumes, according to recent data from the US Commerce Department. The US has now seen 19 consecutive months of decline in the value of polished shipments entering the country. Polished imports slumped 45% year on year to $9.22 billion for the firs...Read More

RAPAPORT... US e-commerce sales rose on Super Saturday, with consumers steering away from buying in stores when they made their last-minute pre-Christmas purchases.Consumers shelled out $1.6 billion on the December 19 shopping day, up 30% year on year from 2019, Adobe Analytics said Monday. That led a weekend of strong digital sales, as consumers spent $1.9 billion via their laptops and smartphone...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.What does tight oil have in common with Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Alphabet's Google stocks (known as FAANG stocks)? Answer: tight oil is arguably the upstream equivalent of these tech sector leaders. It's the hot investment...Read More

(IDEX Online) - A mystery donor left an antique diamond ring, valued at over $6,000, in one of the Salvation Army's famous red collection kettles.The 1.81-ctw ring (pictured) came inside a small plastic bag with a note scrawled on a scarp of paper that simply said: "Help the poor".The Salvation Army in the Germantown area of Memphis, Tennessee, said: "We may never know the story behind the ri...Read More

RAPAPORT... The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) will scale back its Antwerp operations from January, but has decided not to shut the laboratory entirely, the organization confirmed Monday."Today, we notified clients of the GIA laboratory in Antwerp that, as of January, the laboratory will offer consolidated services with reduced staff," a spokesperson told Rapaport News. It will contin...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Customs officers in the USA seized two shipments of fake brand-name watches and jewlery, with a "genuine" vale of $9.6m.One of the intercepted packages came from Shenzen, China, and included 171 items, labeled as Versace, Michael Kors, Cartier, Salvatore Ferragamo, Dior, Tiffany, Bulgari, Armani, Hugo Boss, Burberry, Hublot, Patek Phillippe, Audemars Piguet, Louis Vuitton, Fossil,...Read More

(IDEX Online) - The World Diamond Council says 200 companies are currently trying out its newly-updated rules on responsible sourcing.It hopes to roll out its new System of Warranties (SoW) - pictured - early next year, requiring sellers at every point in the supply chain - polished as well as rough - to include a statement on B2B invoices and memos guaranteeing that the diamonds are Kimberley Pro...Read More

RAPAPORT... Mumbai's Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) is on the verge of allowing lab-grown trading, with members due to vote on the matter next week.The board of the world's largest diamond hub has recommended the move, arguing that better detection and increased awareness have made it easier to segregate synthetic stones from natural ones. The poll will take place at the annual general meeting (...Read More

Brazilian aluminium producer Companhia Brasileira de Alum?-nio (CBA) will begin 2021 with new extrusion billet capacity after two years of investments to increase it by 50%, the company said on Monday December 21.CBA announced in December 2018 that it would raise billet production capacity to 270,000 tonnes per year from 180,000 tpy. Capital expenditures totaled 30 million Reais ($7.7 million).CBA...Read More

Daily PDFs will be downloadable until Friday December 25. After that, because of the Christmas and New Year holidays, the next daily PDF will be downloadable on Tuesday January 5.Read More

Brazil's duty-free import quota for unalloyed aluminium for 2021 will be 262,000 tonnes, as decided by the executive management committee (Gecex) of the foreign trade chamber (Camex) on Monday December 21. The quota will be in effect from January 1, 2021 and expire on December 31. The country permits a limited volume of aluminium imports exempt from 6% duties due to insufficient domestic ingot pro...Read More