The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Lockdowns and restrictions of movement in several cities in Brazil have increased worries about the potential impact on iron ore export volumes. The situation has already had an impact on the market sentiment. These concerns, combined with strong demand from China, have boosted iron ore prices. The fall in shipments from Bra...Read More
Gold-backed exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and similar products account for a significant part of the gold market, with institutional and individual investors using them to implement many of their investment strategies without considering the true risk associated with many aspects of holding non-tangible assets. Gold ETFs are units representing physical gold in paper or dematerialized form, which is...Read More
The stock market has had a great run duringthe last decade. It has made some people a good stack of money.However, the March crash has many wonderingwhat it will do next. Will it continue to crash, or will it continue the bullmarket?Is it really worth spending time and effortcontemplating its next move? I think not.The market is currently presenting a greatopportunity to lock in those stock market...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Activity in China has picked up, and although the impact from the Covid-19 did not spare the country with its gross domestic product contracting at its largest rate since recording began in the 1990s, the latest crude steel output figures for April from China's National Bureau of Statistics show a strong recovery, albeit sti...Read More
Half the US States and countries like Italy and Germany are gradually easing lockdowns. Taking measured steps, the moves are broadly cheered. Rightfully so? And what does the reopening mean for the gold market?Epidemics: Bad, Good, and UglyBy May 6, 2020, more than total 3.6 million of confirmed cases have been reported in the world and more than 250,000 have already died from the COVID-19. In the...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.The first quarter continued the trend of 2019 - for China to actively import relatively cheap metallics and semi-finished steel - but can this be sustained? The answer to this question will come down to the price competitiveness of the products, we believe. One additional incentive to continue to import metallics this year -...Read More
Both Gold and Silver Futures have been struggling to rallyabove recent high levels since the start of the global stock market collapserelated to the COVID-19 virus event. Yet, the Junior Gold Miners appear to be telling us the Precious Metalsmarket is boiling hot.Gold, the bell-weather safe-haven asset, initially collapsedwhen the US stock market started the massive selloff in late February 2...Read More
Most resource sector writers (including me) have for a long timebeen "wrong" about gold and silver. When they ran from $250 and $5 an ounce, respectively, to $1,920and $49 in 2011, those who listened, acted, and sold a bit did quite well. Weargued the "longer time bullish case" as these metals dropped intotheir final cyclical bear market graves in late 2015.But that was then&he...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Stainless steel prices are on the increase in June. As far as this market is concerned, it appears as though the Covid-19 pandemic has had little impact so far, with prices on the most common grades of stainless steel just 2-4% lower than they were at the turn of the year in most markets.Even in Asia, a region often talked ab...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Stainless steel prices have fared relatively well over the past couple of months in the face of the threat from the Covid-19 pandemic.In grade-304 material, the most common grade of stainless steel, prices were down by about 5-7% since the turn of the year - not bad, when compared with the falls in prices of other assets so f...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Having first hit Asia during early 2020, the Covid-19 viral outbreak is now having an even bigger impact on European countries and the US. Widespread lockdown measures have been put in place on people and industry, and economic activity has slowed markedly.For now, stainless steel markets in Europe and the US are yet to show...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Europe have inched down over the past week due to a lack of buying activity, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday June 3.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was calculated at ?,?402.00 ($448.48) per tonne on Wednesday, down by ?,?1.00 per tonne from ?,?403.00 per tonne on Tuesday.Wednesday's index was calculated bas...Read More
Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.Rising stocks of concentrate, high treatment charges and difficulties in selling less desirable qualities of concentrate was expected to result in mine production losses over the next few years. But coronavirus has changed this dynami...Read More
RAPAPORT... The Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF) has introduced a service that determines a pearl's species using DNA fingerprinting.The Basel-based laboratory has substantially expanded its database and capabilities, enabling it to identify each of the eight oyster species that account for the vast majority of gems available in the natural- and cultured-pearl trade, it said Tuesday. It ac...Read More
RAPAPORT... Lucapa Diamond Company has completed a rights issue that successfully raised AUD 5.25 million ($3.6 million) to fund its search for the kimberlite source of its high-value alluvial stones.The proceeds will help the miner excavate and process the first kimberlite samples from the Lulo area in Angola, where the company's alluvial mine has produced several large diamonds in recent ye...Read More
Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.Different markets, different cycles. Mining companies suffered for their sins in the downturn a little earlier than the oil and gas sector. Now they are emerging into a new upturn, also ahead of the game. What challenges do...Read More
Domestic prices for cold-rolled coil have moved down over the past week in Northern Europe due to poor trading activity in the region, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday June 3.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel cold-rolled coil, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was ?,?490-500 ($547-558) per tonne on June 3, down by ?,?10 per tonne week on week from ?,?500-510 per tonne ex-works.The a...Read More
Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.What have I got to do to make you love me? What have I got to do to make you care?You can imagine the Majors' CEOs musing over Elton John's lyrics, wondering what it takes to win over investors after the stock market's dismissive rece...Read More
RAPAPORT... Alrosa sold 102 large rough diamonds at its latest digital tender, noting that there was still demand for its goods despite the coronavirus crisis."The results of the digital tender's first round show that demand for rough diamonds persists [in] the market, and our clients are ready to buy diamonds through the online channel," Alrosa deputy CEO Evgeny Agureev said in a statement...Read More
Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.As electric vehicles have grown in popularity, increasing attention has been placed on raw materials such as lithium, cobalt and nickel for batteries, but the story extends further.Fully electric vehicles will require four times...Read More