Gunnar Groebler has taken over the position of chairman of the executive board and chief executive officer of German steelmaker Salzgitter, the company said on July 1.He replaces Heinz J??rg Fuhrmannm, who has retired.Groebler intends to further the development of Salzgitter as a future-oriented steel and technology group, with a focus on the company's...Read More
Kalidas Madhavpeddi has been appointed as the new chairman at Glencore, the commodities company announced on Monday July 5.Madhavpeddi will take over from retiring chairman Tony Hayward on July 30. Currently non-executive director of Novagold Resources Inc, Trilogy Metals Inc and Dundee Precious Metals Inc, Madhavpeddi has more than 40 years of experience in the international mining...Read More
The bullish momentum in China's stainless steel market in the first half of 2021 will likely extend into the third quarter, which would underpin prices for upstream products such as nickel pig iron (NPI) and ferro-chrome, market participants say.But several mills' plan to put new capacity into operation could weigh on prices in the fourth quarter, which would affect the upstream market for these r...Read More
Base metals price movements on the London Metal Exchange were mixed during trading on Monday July 5, with copper and tin making the best showings among the complex.Copper's three-month price rallied upward by more than $130 per tonne during Monday's trading, to $9,511 per tonne at the 5pm close, from $9,376.50 per tonne on Friday, despite only 12,404 lots being traded during the day.While the stro...Read More
Iron ore prices were up on Monday July 5 with market sentiment improving because of the easing of restrictions in China's steelmaking hub of Tangshan, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $221.82 per tonne, up by $3.84 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $223.14 per tonne, up by $3.57 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $184...Read More
Base metals, iron ore, rebar and precious metal prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were up across the board this morning, Monday July 5, with all the base metals, apart from lead, also higher on the London Metal Exchange.Markets taking comfort from Friday's US employment report. Markets likely to be quiet with the United States celebrating Sunday's Independence DayBase metalsLME three-month l...Read More
Stainless steel prices continue to register new highs around the end of the first half of 2021 and steelmakers continue to enjoy outsized margins.They have responded in recent months by increasing their output, which has now pushed above pre-pandemic levels and will eventually restore balance to the market.For now, though, supply gaps are still being filled and buyers find themselves competing aga...Read More
RAPAPORT... Canada-based jewelry retailer Birks Group saw sales slump for the full fiscal year as the coronavirus pandemic shut many of its stores.Revenue slid 16% to CAD 143.1 million ($115.9 million) in the 12 months ending March 27, the company reported recently. Comparable-store sales - at branches open for more than a year - fell 14%. All of the retailer's locations were closed during the fir...Read More
RAPAPORT... Regional health authorities for Canada's Northwest Territories have declared the coronavirus flare-up at the Ekati mine to be over.The Office of the Chief Public Health Officer (OCPHO) announced an outbreak at the site on May 31, after two employees were confirmed positive for the virus during regular testing, it said last week. The Northwest Territories defines an outbreak in a closed...Read More
RAPAPORT... Belgium's polished-diamond exports more than doubled year on year to $555 million in May as the country's trade bounced back from last year's pandemic-induced slump. A sharp rise in export volume outweighed a drop in the average price per carat, according to recent data from the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC).Belgium trade data for May 2021 Read More
RAPAPORT... A recent global meeting of the Kimberley Process (KP) ended in controversy as Chinese delegates allegedly clashed with a representative of nonprofit organizations on the issue of conflict diamonds.Attendees from China interrupted a closing statement by Shamiso Mtisi, the coordinator of the Civil Society Coalition, after he criticized the country's approach to the matter, Mtisi cla...Read More
(IDEX Online) - The IDEX Polished Price Index was up 2.20 per cent in June, as the rate of recovery speeds up and exceptional consumer spending shows no sign of slowing down. This inevitably fuels fears of a bubble that might, at some point, burst. But there's more to this than just pent-up demand. Consumers have been spending more for a year now since the first lockdowns were eased, and a bu...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Alrosa is merging the management teams for its remote Mirny mine with that of its Nyurba mining and processing division.Both teams are already based at Mirny (pictured), in the subarctic Russian republic of Sakha. The joint operation will improve efficiency, says the state-owned Russian miner, but will "free up part of the management staff". Mirny yields some of the world'...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Firestone Diamonds has finally managed to offload its Botswana operation after six years and two failed bids.The UK-based miner accepted a a one-off upfront payment of just $50,000 from Botswana-based Visionary Victor Resources Proprietary Limited. The new owners will acquire the BK11 kimberlite diamond mine in the Orapa/Letlhakane kimberlite district, as well as Firesto...Read More
Base metals price movements on the London Metal Exchange were mixed during trading on Monday July 5, with copper and tin making the best showings among the complex.Copper's three-month price rallied upward by more than $130 per tonne during Monday's trading, to $9,511 per tonne at the 5pm close, from $9,376.50 per tonne on Friday, despite only 12,404 lots being traded during the day.While the stro...Read More
CIS export billet prices fell on Monday July 5, with customers pushing for lower rates because Russian mills are now looking to sell volumes ahead the introduction of an export duty in August.On Friday June 25 the Russian government approved a temporary export duties on 340 steel and non-ferrous metals sold outside the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). The duties will apply from August 1 through to...Read More
Tina Litzinger has been appointed as Vale's head of nickel sales west.Litzinger will be responsible for the company's sales of nickel and cobalt...Read More
Base metals production in Peru increased significantly year-on-year during May due to the strong effects of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, but figures were also up on a monthly basis on better performances by the largest mines, the country's ministry of energy and mines, Minem, said on Friday July 2.Copper output totaled 195,999 tonnes in May, up by 52.63% from 128,412 tonnes in the corresponding...Read More
Market sources in Asia were still weighing the news of Russia's plan to impose an export tax on ferrous and non-ferrous products, but there were growing expectations on Monday July 5 that the fourth-quarter premium for aluminium imports on a cif main Japanese ports (MJP) basis would rise even higher than the current level.Russian aluminium will carry an export duty of 15% plus $254 per tonne from...Read More
Kalidas Madhavpeddi has been appointed as the new chairman at Glencore, the commodities company announced on Monday July 5.Madhavpeddi will take over from retiring chairman Tony Hayward on July 30. Currently non-executive director of Novagold Resources Inc, Trilogy Metals Inc and Dundee Precious Metals Inc, Madhavpeddi has more than 40 years of experience in the international mining...Read More