EVE Energy Co will construct a new nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) operation in China in a joint venture with two partners, the Chinese lithium battery producer said, to bolster its position in the upstream sector for battery raw materials.The project - to be built with Chinese battery raw materials producer BTR (JiangSu) New Material Technology Ltd and South Korea-based electric vehicle (EV) batter...Read More

(IDEX Online) - The flaws that reduce the value of a diamond are helping scientists how our planet was formed.They've developed new techniques that allow them to tell the age of a diamond from tiny "microinclusions" of fluid trapped during its formation.A team at The Earth Institute, Columbia University, USA, has examined diamonds from Africa and identified three distinct periods in which the...Read More

Sales volumes of flat-rolled steel by Brazilian distributors were up 106.69% in April from the corresponding period of 2020, amid a lower comparison basis and stronger end-user demand, national distributor association Inda said on Tuesday May 18.Distributors sold 343,100 tonnes in April, an increase from 166,000 tonnes a year before, when there was a demand crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Sal...Read More

Crude steel production in Italy jumped year on year in April, mostly driven by higher output of long steel products, Italian steel association Federacciai said on Tuesday May 18.Italian crude steel production totaled 2.06 million tonnes in April, up by 78.94% from 1.15 million tonnes in April 2019.Long steel output more than doubled year on year in April, to 1.17 million tonnes from ...Read More

European hot-rolled coil buyers face a shortage of steel and have little alternative but to accept offer prices from domestic mills, market sources said on Tuesday May 18. Since steelmakers have largely stayed out of the spot market, the number of completed deals remains small for now although demand both from end consumers and from distributors remains strong. Buyers said they have no option but...Read More

Flat-rolled steel import prices in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia increased further during the week ended Tuesday May 18, but demand has yet to improve due to limited market activity after the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, sources told Fastmarkets.The Eid holidays ended on May 17 and stock levels are low in the countries, so buying is likely to improve soon, sources added.Saudi ArabiaHot-rolled...Read More

Sentiment in the CIS steel billet export market cooled down somewhat after a sharp drop in demand from China, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday May 18.Falling rebar futures prices resulted in significant cuts in spot rebar prices in the domestic market in China, which in turn led to reduced interest in imported billet, thereby pushing down offer prices. China had been the major buyer of CIS stee...Read More

Steel billet and rebar prices increased sharply in the United Arab Emirates during the week ending Tuesday May 18 due to very good demand after the Eid al-Fitr holiday ending earlier in the week, sources told Fastmarkets. "Contractors are buying more steel, expecting big price increases," one trader told Fastmarkets. The country's biggest producer, Emirates Steel, announced its rebar price at 3,06...Read More

The Commonwealth of Independent States' flat-rolled steel export market increased again during the week to Monday May 17 due to strong demand.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel hot-rolled coil, export, fob Black Sea, CIS, was $1,055-1,075 per tonne on May 17, up by 2.65% from $1,020-1,055 per tonne a week earlier.Amid strong local market demand, the price in Turkey rose to $1,070-...Read More

Stellar metrics just the start for near-term developer Theta GoldSPONSOREDtheta gold minesPAM puts itself in the middle of Thailand 4.0SPONSOREDCopper supply struggling to match forecast demandSPONSOREDSaturn still shooting for the stars at Apollo HillSPONSOREDsaturn metalsEstablished parties lost out in local elections over the weekend to independent and left-leaning candidates, with capital Sant...Read More

Huntsman Set to Expand Nickel Sulphide Discovery at CanegrassSPONSOREDhuntsman explorationRio Tinto agreed to purchase 11.8 million shares in the junior at C$2.17 per share, a 15% premium, to take an 8% stake in the company. Western will use the proceeds to fund feasibility study and permitting work at Casino and will remain the operator.The investment will allow Rio to have one member on the Casi...Read More

Huntsman Set to Expand Nickel Sulphide Discovery at CanegrassSPONSOREDhuntsman explorationReporting initial results from the first 11 holes of its 16,500m 2021 drilling campaign, the company reported a highlight of 5.5m grading 3.46% copper, 0.25 grams per tonne gold and 8.Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange were up across the board this morning, Tuesday May 18, and once again recent dips have been short-lived and not that deep, suggesting sentiment remains robust.* Inflation concerns remain elevated, US treasury yields and gold firmer* United States Federal Reserve officials stick to their view that inflationary pressures w...Read More

Two-time Vale president Eliezer Batista diesLeadershipLook beyond market approach to project valuations: van ZylLeadershipStellar metrics just the start for near-term developer Theta GoldSPONSOREDtheta gold minesPAM puts itself in the middle of Thailand 4.0SPONSOREDThe deposit has an indicated resource of 1.96 million tonnes grading 1.31% copper, 1.44 grams per tonne gold and 27.1g/t silver for 2....Read More

Turkish steelmakers remained quiet in the seaborne scrap market on the second working day of the week amid holiday and lockdown periods, market sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday May 18.The country observed the post-Ramadan religious holiday, Eid al-Fitr from May 12 and ended during the country's full lockdown between April 29 and May 16 put in place in an attempt to halt a third wave of Covid-19...Read More

German steelmakers settled monthly contracts in May for steel scrap at higher prices due to tight supply as well as the rising price trend in the international market, sources told Fastmarkets. Availability of new scrap, included E8-grade, has been constrained by stoppages in the automotive segment, which in turn have been caused by a shortage of semiconductors , market participants said. Car manu...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 7 points in pre-opening trade. Equity index futures were virtually unchanged following release of April U.S. Housing Starts at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus was a slip to 1.710 million units from 1.759 million units in March. Actual was 1.569 million units.Home Depot advanced $7.62 to $327.63 after reporting higher than conse...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices were up across the board on Tuesday May 18, supported by falling stock levels at Chinese ports. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $224.44 per tonne, up $6.67 per tonne 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $227.77 per tonne, up $6.97 per tonne 58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $192.70 per tonne, up $6.05 per tonne 65% Fe Brazil-origin fin...Read More

Seaborne premium hard coking coal price surged in the fob market on rising activity, but cfr prices were largely stable on Tuesday on May 18, market sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $123.63 per tonne, up $2.84 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $273.15 per tonne, down $0.80 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $107.96 per tonne, down $2...Read More

China's hot-rolled coil prices rebounded on Tuesday May 18 amid news of fresh restrictions in the country's Tangshan region, its steel production hub.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 6,100-6,120 yuan ($947-950) per tonne, up by 70-100 yuan per tonneTangshan's municipal government has ordered steel mills to suspend their sinter equipment for the first 10 hours from midnight from Tuesday until Thur...Read More