(IDEX Online) - Petra Diamonds is seeking a buyer as debts mounts and revenue slumps.The UK-listed company operates the world-famous Cullinan mine in South Africa, source of the largest rough gem-quality diamond ever - the 3,106.75-carat Cullinan Diamond that became part of the British Crown Jewels. In addition, it operates the Finsch and Koffiefontein mines, also in South Africa, and the Wil...Read More

(IDEX Online) - A visitor to one of the world's only dig-your-own-diamond attractions has walked away with a 2.23-carat stone.Beatrice Watkins, 56, was sifting soil at the Crater of Diamonds State Park, Arkansas, USA, a former commercial mine turned visitor attraction that now admits amateur miners for $10-a-day.She unearthed the biggest diamond this year and is allowed to keep it under rules...Read More

The London Metal Exchange three-month copper price closed above $6,000 per tonne for the first time since January 23 on Tuesday June 30.The price was buoyed by high-volume trading amid supply concerns brought on by the closure of Codelco's Chuquicamata smelter in Chile amid the Covid-19 infection in the country.The LME three-month copper price closed up by a fairly modest 0.8% at $6,015 per tonne...Read More

Solgold is set to take 100% control of its Ecuador copper-gold mine named Alpala, with the latest buy-out attempt from a company that holds a minority stake in the project, Fastmarkets understands.Solgold commenced an offer to buy all shares of Cornerstone Capital Resources, which holds a 15% stake in the Alpala project, Solgold said on Tuesday June 30. Alpala, located in the...Read More

RAPAPORT... Gem Diamonds has recovered a 163-carat, type I yellow diamond at its Let??eng mine in Lesotho, the third over 100 carats the company has found this year.The unbroken stone, which the miner unearthed on Wednesday, follows the retrieval of a 114-carat, "high-quality," D-color diamond in March, and a 183-carat, type IIa, "exceptional" stone in February.In May, following the coronavirus lo...Read More

Swiss metal merchant MRI Trading has appointed Markus Nunnenmacher as its new chief executive officer, with longstanding head Iain Paterson stepping down from the role effective from July 1."This change represents an agreed retirement transition process whereby Iain Paterson will continue to serve as the President of the Board of Directors of MRI for...Read More

The London Metal Exchange three-month copper price rose during morning trading on Tuesday June 30, surpassing resistance at $6,000 per tonne against a narrowing forward curve, while nickel futures maintained gains made on Monday. LME copper's outright price was recently at $6,001 per tonne, up from Monday's closing price of $5,961.50 per tonne, while turnover was moderate at just over 6,200 lots a...Read More

Artemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesThe all-stock transaction, valued at about C$140 million, offers 11 SolGold shares per Cornerstone shares and values Cornerstone at $3.90 a share, representing a premium of about 22% over Cornerstone's June 29 closing price."This is an exciting value enhancing opportunity, providing Cornerstone shareholders with a premium over the...Read More

Chinese non-ferrous scrap importers largely stayed on the sidelines during June, with a lack of detail surrounding China's renaming of certain scrap metal as renewable materials causing participants to refrain from making any purchases. "Today is the last day of June and nothing new on customs codes and inspection procedures has been released from Chinese customs yet," an industry source said. The...Read More

Artemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesLike its global peer group that includes Freeport-McMoRan and First Quantum Minerals, Antofagasta is viewed by generalist investors as a bet on global GDP, a way to gain exposure to the economicRead More

Asian-Pacific equities and pre-market major western equity index futures were stronger this morning, Tuesday June 30, while base metals prices were for the most part firmer too - this despite Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell saying the US economy faces "extraordinary uncertainty". China's manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) climbed to 50.9 in June, from 50.3 in May, but Japan's in...Read More

Artemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesIt said trunk hole KM-20-10 at the South Zone had hit 4.9m at 6.2% copper-equivalent from 480m, 0.6m at 9.6g/t gold-equivalent from 491m and 1.6m at 3.1% Cu-eq from 494m.It said the drillhole was being used as a trunk hole to wedge a number of branch holes aimed at the 1500-foot level previously described by Exxon Minerals.Artemis...Read More

Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) export slab prices remained stable in the week to Monday June 30 amid scarce offers and generally weak demand globally, sources said.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab, export, fob Black Sea, CIS was $370-375 per tonne on June 30, unchanged week on week.Mills shipping material from the Black Sea basin preferred to wait and see to asses...Read More

Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe increased day on day on Tuesday June 30, despite the slow pace of demand recovery, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was calculated at ?,?396.88 ($446.38) per tonne on Tuesday, up by ?,?1.88 per tonne from ?,?395.00 per tonne on June 29.Tuesday's index was based on "wor...Read More

Asian-Pacific equities and pre-market major western equity index futures were stronger this morning, Tuesday June 30, while base metals prices were for the most part firmer too - this despite Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell saying the US economy faces “extraordinary uncertainty”. * China’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) climbed to 50.9 in June, from 50.3...Read More

The prices paid for steel rebar and billet in the United Arab Emirates were mostly stable this week but demand is still moderate, market sources said on Tuesday June 30.Some steel rebar import deals were heard from Oman during the week, with the price for rebar imports rising in the country, sources said.Domestic rebarLocal mills in the UAE were offering rebar at 1,770-1,774 dirhams ($482-483) per...Read More

Hot-rolled coil import prices in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have decreased this week while hot-dipped galvanized coil prices have widened upward, with demand better than in previous weeks, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday June 30.Some deals for hot-rolled coil (HRC) were heard from India to the UAE.UAEOffer prices for HRC from China were heard in the UAE at $470 per tonne cfr, bu...Read More

The European Commission (EC) has toughened the existing safeguard measures on imports of steel products in the second review of the matter, it said on Tuesday June 30.The reviewed measures will come into force from July 1, 2020, and will remain in place for one year.The EC introduced two general adjustments to the quota system, intended to guarantee an orderly return to the market of all suppliers...Read More

Most major foreign buyers of cut flat steel imports from China in May due to non-competitive prices, but a few buyers of rebar have signed direct supply contracts in large tonnages with Chinese mills. China's major steel exportsFlat steel: 2.46 million tonnes, down by 27.5% year on year, down by 39.6% from April, China Customs data shows. Steel bar: 690,000 tonnes, down by 11.5% year on year and d...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were mixed this morning. S&P futures were unchanged in pre-opening trade.The Canadian Dollar was virtually unchanged at US73.07 cents following release of Canada's April GDP report at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus was an annualized drop of 12.2% versus a drop of 7.2% in March. Actual was s drop of 11.60%Lululemon gained $12.04 to $304.55 after announcing purchase of Mirror,...Read More