(IDEX Online) - The biggest diamond ever auctioned in Australia has sold for a record USD $870,000.The square emerald-cut diamond weighing 25.02 carats (pictured) went to an absentee bidder at the Leonard Joel Important Jewels auction in Sydney yesterday.It just about broke the million dollar (AUD) barrier. The hammer price was AUD $900,000, but the buyer's premium and GST (goods and services...Read More

(IDEX Online) -  Chinese police have seized diamonds worth over $6.1m and arrested 20 people suspected of smuggling them onto the mainland through Hong Kong.The customs' anti-smuggling bureau say 84 loose diamonds, 252 diamond items and more than 100 packages of smaller diamonds were hidden among goods being imported to the country.Officers believe gang members have been buying gems from...Read More

Bipartisan legislation intended to increase transparency in aluminium pricing has been reintroduced into the United States House of Representatives, a move welcomed by the country's consumer trade associations.If it is eventually approved, the legislation would provide the US regulator, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), with a clear mandate to conduct oversight of price reporting...Read More

American Zinc Products (AZP), a wholly owned subsidiary of American Zinc Recycling (AZR), has expanded its product range to include continuous-galvanizing-grade (CGG) zinc, the company said on Tuesday April 20.The company has completed two industrial-scale trials to produce CGG zinc, a zinc-aluminium alloy. The initial trial volume is seeing favorable market acceptance and cleared the way for...Read More

Tin premiums rose again in the week to Tuesday April 20 to new all-time highs in all regions as a result of the constrained supply situation that the tin market is facing globally, together with increased demand.Most premiums assessed by Fastmarkets in the United States, Europe and Taiwan were now around or above $1,000 per tonne, with deals in the US at more than $2,000 per tonne becoming common....Read More

Spot trading of zinc ingots in Taiwan was more active in the two weeks to Tuesday April 20, in contrast to other markets around the world where minimal activity kept premiums stable. Both London Metal Exchange zinc and lead spreads were in contango.  LME's on-warrant lead stocks dropped by 5,125 tonnes from a week ago to 93,825 tonnes on Wednesday, while it was little changed in zinc.  U...Read More

A summary of BHP's copper and nickel production review for the nine months to March 31, 2021, as released on Wednesday April 21.In brief Total BHP copper production decreased by 6% year on year because of the substantial reduction in operational workforce at the company's Chilean assets due to the continued effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. The company expects the reduced workforce to...Read More

Galvalume prices in the United States rose to a record high for a fourth month in a row, with consumers struggling to find material amid an ongoing shortage."We are maintaining a disciplined approach to order entry with the goal of on-time delivery to better serve our customers," a Galvalume producer said. "The end markets for Galvalume remain strong. Galvalume buyers in general are somewhat more...Read More

Huntsman Set to Expand Nickel Sulphide Discovery at CanegrassSPONSOREDhuntsman explorationWhile Q1 copper volumes of 183,000 tonnes also represented a 5% drop quarter-on-quarter, the figure was in line with guidance and analyst expectations.Read More

Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States breached the $70-per-hundredweight ($1,400-per-short-ton) threshold on Wednesday April 21, even as some sources said mills were working through the supply backlog and some spot tonnages appeared on the market.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $70.53 per cwt ($1,410.60 per ton) on Wednesday, an increase of 1.15%...Read More

Are mining companies being held back by their board composition? SPONSOREDswannEmmerson's premium offeringSPONSOREDemmerson plcAlto emerging on song at SandstoneSPONSOREDalto metalsReady for development copper-gold projectSPONSOREDjosemaria resources incWhile March quarter attributable iron ore shipments fell 4% to 59.9 million tonnes, sales for the first nine months of the financial year rose...Read More

Sentiment in the European cold-rolled coil market has remained bullish due to material shortages at domestic mills and limited oversea alternatives, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday April 21.As a result of the tight supply, buyers have been ready to accept higher prices for CRC materials, but the number of deals has been nominal because mills were either holding back from offering in the spot...Read More

Base metals prices on London Metal Exchange were up across the board this morning, Wednesday April 21, but those on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mainly weaker, as were broader markets, while haven assets were bid for.* The spread of the Covid-19 pandemic is becoming polarized on a regional basis...* ...this could threaten the global recovery and travel* Tension rises on Russia-Ukraine border...Read More

European steel H-beam prices were unchanged week on week on Wednesday April 21, with producers starting a new push for increases, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets assessed the weekly price for steel beams, domestic, delivered Northern Europe, at ?,?750-780 ($903-940) per tonne on Wednesday, unchanged week on week."Exports from the European mills are at a good level. There is currently no...Read More

Disney (DIS), a Dow Jones Industrial Average stock moved below $181.01 completing a Head & Shoulders pattern.Exxon Mobil (XOM) moved below $54.45 completing a double top pattern.Citigroup (C), an S&P 100 stock moved below $74.73 completing a double top pattern.JP Morgan (JPM), a Dow Jones Industrial Average stock moved below $148.09 completing a double top pattern. Boeing (BA), a Dow Jones...Read More

Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices have rebounded once again with fresh bookings done following successful Turkish export rebar and billet sales, market participants said on Wednesday April 21. A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a European cargo, comprising 22,500 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) and 12,500 tonnes of a mixture of plate and structural (P&S) and HMS 1 at an average price of $42...Read More

Iron ore seaborne prices dipped on Wednesday April 21 due to limited trading activity, while prices at Chinese ports gained on better demand, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $188.23 per tonne, down $1.38 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $188.67 per tonne, down $1.36 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $161.23 per tonne, down $3....Read More

Offer prices for ferrous scrap imports into China increased sharply on Wednesday April 21 amid bullish sentiment in the key supplier, Japan.The highest offers heard were at $520-530 per tonne cfr north China, equivalent to $510-520 per tonne cfr east China.Bid prices were heard at $495-500 per tonne cfr north China, equivalent to $485-490 per tonne cfr east China.Sentiment in the Japanese market h...Read More

The seaborne premium hard coking coal price in the cfr China was relatively flat and fell in the fob market on Wednesday April 21.The low offer level and combined sale of two cargoes in one deal attracted some buying interest in the fob market while buyers in the cfr market were cautious amid the high offers, market sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBC...Read More

Over July 2020 to March 2021, BHP's metallurgical coal production volume came to 29 million tonnes, down by 2% year on year, BHP's latest quarterly report on April 21 shows.BHP adjusted its production guidance for metallurgical coal in its 2021 financial year to 39-41 million tonnes, down from 40-44 million tonnes, as a result of significant wet weather during December 2020 and the first quarter o...Read More