Plans for a London Metal Exchange spot trading platform have sparked intense debate within the aluminium industry. But opponents and supporters don't necessarily fall into the camps that one might expect. For starters, a decision by the LME not to change its futures contract, establish a new green aluminium contract or set thresholds to define what constitutes low-carbon metal is proving key in st...Read More

Has silver had its run? Not by a long shot!by David Morgan of The Morgan ReportSilver Could Pass Its All-Time High | https://www.themorganreport.comIf silver had the same kind of performance as the Dow since around the creation of the Federal Reserve in 1913, then it would have topped out at around $225oz. Yet, it only topped out around $50 in 1980 and 2011.So that begs the question... has silver...Read More

Why have the miners lagged bullion prices, and will we see mining stock 10-baggers again?Gwen Preston with Chris Marcus of Arcadia EconomicsMany mining stock investors have heard the stories of how in past precious metals rallies, some of the stocks were 10-baggers, 20-baggers, or even 50 or 100-baggers. Meaning the stock value went up many multiples throughout the course of the rally.To find out...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.These include an increase in our copper mine disruption estimates, upgrades to our production outlook for Indonesian nickel pig iron (NPI), a smaller refined zinc surplus, and an upgrade to our zinc price forecasts.Aluminium: Big disconnect between price and fundamentalsAluminium has extended its uptrend on the London Metal...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.US market under pressureUS prices for welded pipe products were under pressure because market participants, especially distributors, have started to take steps to generate cash and were moving material if they were able to do so, even if it meant selling at low prices.We expect more such "fire sales" in the coming months, bu...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.August 2020 has seen the prices of most steel products move up in tandem around the world, in contrast to recent months when steel prices have moved in different directions depending on the market.This dynamic has been seen in most coated steel markets as well, with the prices for hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG), pre-painted...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.US market at risk of slidingPrices for pipe products were at a floor in the United States in mid-August, and have been broadly stable at that level since the start of the second quarter, but they are at risk of declining further in the coming months.Drilling rig counts have yet to find a floor and have fallen below most esti...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 moved down in line with our expectations, averaging $461 per ton in July versus our forecast price of $460 per ton. Although domestic HRC prices slipped to less than $450 per ton in late July/early August, we maintain the view th...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.In the year 2020 to date in late August, the Fastmarkets 62% Fe iron ore benchmark has powered along and reached six-year highs, supported by Chinese demand, and despite the global economic uncertainty created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Iron ore demand has weakened almost everywhere except in China, where it has continued to...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.There has been an increasing bullishness in Chinese steel market sentiment recently, with rising post-Covid-19 optimism about the country's economy for the second half of 2020, especially after the government announced an infrastructure spending boost. Although we believe that high prices are justified, they remain far from...Read More

RAPAPORT... Belgium's diamond shipments continued to fall in July, but the rate of decline slowed as markets reopened following coronavirus shutdowns. The country's polished exports dropped 35% year on year for the month, compared with a 44% slump in June, according to recent data from the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC). Belgium trade data for July 2020Read More

RAPAPORT... Jeweler Chow Sang Sang will open more than 40 new stores in China by the end of the year, while closing a number of locations in Hong Kong."Despite all the uncertainties brought on by the pandemic and geopolitical strife, we are optimistic about the China market with its huge middle class," the Hong-Kong based company said last week. As such, "we will continue to build our store networ...Read More

RAPAPORT... The first Christie's online auction dedicated solely to diamonds achieved $1.5 million, with a Graff necklace coming in as the top lot.The piece features a detachable pendant with a pear brilliant-cut, 20.21-carat, fancy-deep-yellow-brown, VS1-clarity diamond and 47.29 carats of white diamonds. It brought in $325,000, falling within its presale estimate range, Christie's announced last...Read More

RAPAPORT... The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) plans to close or heavily scale back its Antwerp operations following a review of its business in the Belgian city."Based on global and local market conditions and activity, and the impact of the global pandemic, the GIA conducted an evaluation of the long-term viability of GIA Belgium," a spokesperson for the organization told Rapaport N...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Fears that online diamond trading in India would be hit by the country's new e-commerce tax have been allayed.The two per cent levy introduced in April applies to consumer sales only, not B2B transactions, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman (pictured) told trade bodies.The clarification came after she met a delegation from the GJEPC (Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Counci...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Alrosa has reportedly followed De Beers by discounting rough prices in response to the coronavirus slump in demand.Last week De Beers was reported to have lowered the price of larger stones at Sight 7 by as much as 10 per cent.Both miners have held firm with sales-over-volume policies until now, despite smaller rivals offering discounts of up to 25 per cent.  De Beers and...Read More

88 Energy (ASX:88E) Prepares for Billion Barrel Farm OutSPONSORED88 energyAVZ closes on financing for tier-one lithium projectSPONSOREDavz mineralsLithium no quiet place for AVZSPONSOREDavz mineralsElement 25's Butcherbird on songSPONSOREDelement 25The gold production guidance improved by about 50,000oz to 500,000-550,000 ounces in 2021, from the 450,000-500,000oz expected previously. The impr...Read More

Artemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesUpdated production guidance resulted in a forecast output reduction of 885,000 tonnes to 11.8 million tonnes, down from 12.7Mt prior to COVID-19, according to the analysis of 15 copper producers.Read More

Canada's Barrick Gold says it will challenge an apparent move by the PNG government to grant a 20-year lease for the Porgera gold mine to a state-backed firm.Read full newsRead More

Aug 28, 2020 (Baystreet.ca via COMTEX) --When insiders like Warren Buffett make investments in sectors like gold/precious metals, that have previously been...Read full newsRead More