Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday May 13 that are worth another look.China's Sichuan province is to implement an inspection regime to ensure steelmakers comply with the nationwide policy requiring the increased use of alloys to improve the quality of any rebar produced in the region.Glencore, Anglo American and Vale have been excluded from Norway's oil fund while...Read More

Trading volume on the COMEX, however, remains extremely low...by Harvey Organ of Harvey Organ BlogMAY 12//GOLD UP $6.60 TO $1703.60//SILVER UP 5 CENTS TO $15.48//CORONAVIRUS UPDATE//OBAMAGATE REPLACES RUSSIAGATE AS OBAMA IS PLACED AT THE CENTRE OF THE SCANDAL//JIM SINCLAIR AND JOHN KIM..MUST VIEWS FOR TONIGHT//WAR OF WORDS ESCALATING BETWEEN CHINA AND THE USA//MANY SWAMP STORIES FOR YOU TONIGHT//G...Read More

The three-month lead price on the London Metal Exchange was the underperformer at the close of trading on Wednesday May 13, slipping below nearby support levels against broad risk-off sentiment, while zinc futures similarly struggled over the afternoon.Lead's underlying price on the LME closed at $1,599.50 per tonne on Wednesday afternoon, falling from an intraday high of $1,632 per tonne, while t...Read More

Zinc premiums in Shanghai and Northern Europe were on an uptrend in the week to Tuesday May 12, driven by an open arbitrage window and increased liquidity in both markets, while the market in the United States remained subdued amid a continued slump in the country's automotive sector.SHFE import arbitrage window opensEasing of lockdown measures boosts European liquidityUS buyers reluctant to commi...Read More

A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums from across the globe for the week to Wednesday May 13.Please click...Read More

NexGen Energy's Rook 1 project in Saskatchewan, Canada. Credit: NexGen Energy.NexGen Energy (TSX: NXE; NYSE: NXE) has signed a US$30 million financing agreement with Queen's Road Capital Investment (TSXV: QRC) and plans to use the funds to advance work at its flagship Arrow deposit, part of the company's Rook 1 project in Saskatchewan."Warren Gilman, chairman and chief executive officer of Queen's...Read More

RAPAPORT... Delgatto Diamond Finance Fund (DDFF) will provide presale financing for rough from BlueRock Diamonds' Kareevlei mine in South Africa to help boost liquidity until diamond prices recover.BlueRock will sell its monthly parcel of diamonds to DDFF at 70% of a stipulated value agreed by both parties, and pay 1.25% interest per month, BlueRock said Wednesday. The miner will then ha...Read More

RAPAPORT... Alrosa is in talks to sell a considerable volume of diamonds to Gokhran, Russia's precious metals and gems repository.The Yakutia municipality, which holds a stake in Alrosa, has proposed that Gokhran buy diamonds worth $1.7 billion from the mining company this year, Reuters and Russia-based Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday. A spokesperson for Alrosa confirmed the parties...Read More

RAPAPORT... Sotheby's will offer a selection of items from its New York Magnificent Jewels auction at a special online sale in June, after the coronavirus put the live event in jeopardy.Some pieces originally consigned for that sale, as well as for the New York Fine Jewels auction, are now set to go under the hammer from June 9 to 16. They will feature in the Important Jewels online auction t...Read More

Domestic prices for cold-rolled coil in Europe have fallen further over the week despite limited trading activity, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday May 13.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel CRC, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was ?,?500-520 ($542-563) per tonne on May 13, compared with ?,?500-525 per tonne a week earlier. The assessment, however, was down by ?,?30-40 per tonne sin...Read More

RAPAPORT... Belgium's diamond trade fell to its lowest level on record in April as US orders dried up and the shutdown of the aviation industry made transporting goods almost impossible.Total diamond shipments in and out of Belgium slumped 89% year on year to $387.1 million as a collapse in trading in the first half of the month outweighed a slight revival in the second, according to the Antw...Read More

RAPAPORT... Christie's will auction a 28.86-carat diamond ring at its next Jewels Online sale, the largest D-color diamond ever offered online, the auction house said Wednesday.The emerald-cut, VVS1-clarity, type IIa stone is also the highest-priced lot ever offered for sale online at Christie's. The piece, which has a presale estimate of $1 million to $2 million, is set to go under the hamme...Read More

Glencore, Anglo American and Vale have been excluded from Norway's oil fund while BHP has been placed on an observation list as the $1.1 trillion fund tightens up its environmental, social and governance (ESG) requirements. Glencore and Anglo American have been removed due to the fund's product-based coal criteria, which were made stricter last year, while Vale has been barred due to environmental...Read More

Lucapa Recovers 171-carat Diamond(IDEX Online) - Lucapa has recovered the fourth largest diamond since it started mining at Lulo, Angola, five years ago.The gem-quality white stone weighs 171-carat and is the 15th diamond over 100-carats from the mine.In February 2016, Lulo yielded an enormous 404.2-carat white diamond, the biggest ever recovered in Angola, and the biggest in the history of Austra...Read More

RAPAPORT... Rapaport is launching a new podcast dedicated to estate jewels as the sector gains popularity among consumers. Hosting the biweekly Jewelry Connoisseur Podcast is Editor in Chief Sonia Esther Soltani, with guests including estate dealers, historians, and best-selling authors. They will cover subjects ranging from eras such as Art Deco and Victorian to specific designers whose crea...Read More

(IDEX Online) - India's diamond industry is resuming limited production and is poised to clear an estimated $1bn inventory for export.Retailers have also begun a phased re-opening of a very small number of stores, with strict sanitizing rules.  The current lockdown is in place until 17 May.A relaxation of rules by the regional government of Maharashtra state allows a limited return to wo...Read More

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Twenty seven of the world's leading mining and metals companies and 36 associations are committed to climate change solutions through their membership of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), Mining Weekly can today report.The ICMM is an international organisation dedicated to a safe, fair and sustainable mining and metals industry and t...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Christie's is auctioning its most valuable ever lot online- a spectacular type IIa 28.86-carat diamond with a guide price of up to $2m.The incredibly rare, near-flawless, emerald-cut stone is VVS1 clarity, and the largest D-color stone Christie's has ever offered in an online-only sale.The auctioneers say increased online interest has encouraged them to offer more valuabl...Read More

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – How Anglo American is "delivering through volatile times" was outlined on Tuesday at Bank of America’s virtual global metals, mining and steel conference, where it reiterated its strong liquidity position of $14.5-billion, made up of $6.9-billion in cash and $7.6-billion in undrawn committed financial facilities.Anglo American CE Mark Cu...Read More

Car manufacturer Ford has announced that it intends to restart initial production at two plants in the UK and one in Valencia, Spain, from May 18, which will complete the restart of all its European units, it said on Wednesday May 13.The UK production sites at Dagenham and Bridgend will restart from May 18, as will the Valencia Engine Plant. These will be the last of the Ford sites to restart, wit...Read More