Changes in the purchasing habits of some Chinese alloy smelters are partly to blame for the weakness in the low-grade manganese ore market, sources told Fastmarkets.Prices for the low-grade manganese ore, also called semi-carbonate, in both seaborne and portside markets have generally trended downward since hitting year-to-date highs in late April on supply concerns after South Africa implemented...Read More

Not only are the Perth Mint's silver bullion sales up significantly this year, but gold bullion sales are also up a stunning... by Steve St Angelo of SRSrocco ReportWith the newest update just released, Perth Mint silver bullion sales surged in the first three quarters of 2020. And, for the first time in many years, the Perth Mint sold more than two million oz of silver bullion in a single mont...Read More

The three-month price of tin on the London Metal Exchange lagged behind at the close of trading on Thursday October 29, showing the greatest daily losses at 1.1% and slipping below nearby support levels.Meanwhile, a large cancelation in the morning meant that LME lead futures remained elevated over the day.Tin's outright price on the LME closed at $17,822 per tonne on Thursday afternoon, falling f...Read More

Seaborne premium hard coking coal prices in the cfr and fob markets moved in reverse directions on Thursday October 29 amid a distorted spot market, sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $107.74 per tonne, down $7.61 per tonne Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $135.26 per tonne, up $15.43 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $95.52 per tonne, down $0.25 per tonn...Read More

The London Metal Exchange three-month nickel price was the under performer during morning trading on Thursday October 29, with its price action largely subdued against a continued upsurge in the US dollar index, while a fresh cancelation of some 18,525 tonnes kept the LME lead price elevated.LME nickel's outright price was recently trading at $15,515 per tonne on Thursday morning, falling by some...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Approaching the end of the calendar year, steelmakers and consumers enter a busy period of contract negotiations for supply for 2021 or at least the first quarter or half year.With the sharp increases in spot market steel prices during recent months, steelmakers are understandably looking to take advantage and secure higher c...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.US ERW OCTG edges higher, seamless could followRising substrate costs helped support US ERW OCTG prices this month, especially at the upper end of the range of offers. Seamless OCTG and linepipe prices, meanwhile, held firm compared with September prices. The fundamentals remain weak, with rig counts going up...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:US domestic prices for hot-rolled coil (HRC) moved sharply higher in September, in line with our expectations, but the magnitude of the rise exceeded our predictions. Domestic HRC prices averaged $566 per ton in September, exceeding our $540 per ton forecast price.A c...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Although we correctly forecast a significant rise in hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices in the United States in September 2020, our price forecast proved too conservative.An impressive V-shaped recovery in key economic fundamentals critical to steel consumption is driving stronger demand for steel at the start of the fourth quarte...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Prices for most ferro-alloys maintained their upward momentum into October, solidifying previous gains and reflecting the improved demand from steelmakers, the rebuilding of depleted inventories, and the supply-side concerns following both planned and unplanned outages. Gains were noted for ferro-silicon, silicon metal, mang...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloys forecast highlights:Prices across most ore and alloy markets trended higher in September, buoyed by improving demand from steelmakers with the end of the summer holiday season in Europe and the United States, as well as maintained demand from Chinese steel mills. Tightening of alloy inventories...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Iron ore remains the most bullish commodity of the year, with prices fuelled by Chinese demand and supply disruptions in Brazil, along with bullish sentiment. But prices are expected to come down because Brazilian exports have begun to recover, and have reached their highest level since the Brumadinho dam disaster in 2019. W...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.In the iron ore market, supply issues including heavy rains at the start of the year, followed by staffing problems during the Covid-19 pandemic, have affected exports from Brazil. This has helped Australia gain a larger market share, but since June, Brazilian export volumes have returned to levels last seen before the...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Chinese blast furnace (BF) utilization rates have stagnated and iron ore port stock volumes are rising, reaching their highest levels since March, which suggests that iron ore supply is becoming excessive while demand is not growing. Unsurprisingly, prices dropped last week and we expect the trend to continue. The market has...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.We do not consider the average iron ore fines price for September so far above $125 per tonne cfr Qingdao to be sustainable. The bullishness is not likely to last in the long term as we expect Chinese demand growth to slow down. A key factor boosting Chinese steel demand so far has been the stimulus policies from the authori...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Having found it easier to increase prices than their counterparts in Europe and the United States during the past few months, Asian stainless steelmakers now face a number of concerns.In the short term, Asian prices have moved down in recent weeks while those in Europe and the US are on the up. This is mostly a reflection of...Read More

Sentiment mixed as Nov.-Dec. holiday season begins amid continued rise in Covid-19 cases. Dealer trading slow as manufacturers focus on direct supply to jewelers. E-commerce supporting retail market. Adobe predicts online holiday sales +33% to $189B. LVMH takeover of Tiffany back on at lower price of $131.50 per share ($15.8B). Blue Nile debuts synthetics with De Beers' Lightbox brand. Sotheby's N...Read More

RAPAPORT... Sales at Sarine Technology improved in the third quarter as diamond-manufacturing levels increased following a lockdown in India, the equipment producer reported Wednesday.Revenue rose 25% versus the previous quarter to $7.4 million in the three months ending September 30, reflecting an increase in diamond scans using its Galaxy machines, Sarine noted. However, the figure was stil...Read More

RAPAPORT... Blue Nile has launched an exclusive line of Lightbox lab-grown diamond jewelry, its first foray into synthetics in its 21-year history.De Beers-owned Lightbox seemed like the obvious choice for a partner, given the alignment of the two companies' perspectives, Blue Nile CEO Sean Kell told Rapaport News Thursday."We've been watching the lab-grown diamond market for some time. We th...Read More

RAPAPORT... Tiffany & Co. and LVMH have settled their public dispute, agreeing to a reduced price for their takeover deal after the French luxury group walked away last month. LVMH will pay $131.50 per share for Tiffany, rather than the $135 to which the companies agreed in late 2019, they announced in a joint statement Thursday. That shaves around $420 million off the original deal's val...Read More