The three-month zinc price on the London Metal Exchange tumbled at the close of trading on Thursday May 21, losing some 3.6% in an afternoon downturn, while a fall in US unemployment claims failed to boost market sentiment.Zinc's outright price on the LME closed at $1,983.50 per tonne on Thursday afternoon, falling from an intraday high of $2,048 per tonne, while turnover was strong at more than 9...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices rebounded on Thursday May 21 with active trading driven by improving steel production and demand, despite renewed concerns over supplies from Brazil. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $98.26 per tonne, up $1.31 per tonne. 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $101.63 per tonne, up $2.09 per tonne. 58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Q...Read More

By far the most important point to observe is that the unprecedented massive bull market that is now incubating HAS NOT EVEN OFFICIALLY...by Clive Maund of Streetwise ReportsWe are now entering the final part of the endgame of the latest fiat experiment and the actions of the Fed and other central banks virtually guarantee that most currencies, including and especially the dollar, will end up tota...Read More

Although it seems quite likely the top is in, here's what silver price will make it crystal clear...by Przemyslaw Radomski via Sunshine ProfitsThe gold to silver ratio is one of key precious metals metrics to watch. Sometimes, the yellow metals outperforms the white one, and vice versa. How is the relative value of both metals measured against each other doing currently?The gold to silver ratio ba...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.US flat product prices outperformed our expectations over the past month. In an attempt to lend the market confidence that sheet prices had reached a floor, US steel mills announced price increases of $50-60 per ton at the end of April. In the announcement, mills cited the expectation of higher scrap prices, tight domestic s...Read More

Are we looking at a Force Majeure in Silver on the COMEX?by Bix Weir of Road to RootaTed Butler published an article pointing out that the 8 concentrated Silver Shorts are TRAPPED and are currently sitting on $7.8B in losses with NO HOPE of covering...are we looking at a Force Majeure in Silver on the COMEX?Read More

Are institutions and funds waking up to silver?Keith Neumeyer interviewed on Palisade RadioCollin welcomes returning guest Keith Neumeyer to the program to discuss all-things silver. Keith is the President and CEO of First Majestic Silver Corp.Keith is seeing an increase in inquiries from big institutional funds regarding silver. It seems the high silver to gold ratio has caught the attention of m...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

Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe have moved down slightly due to poor trading activity, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday May 21.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was ?,?409.17 ($448.48) per tonne on Thursday, down by ?,?0.83 per tonne from ?,?410 per tonne on Wednesday.Thursday's index was calculated based on "workable" prices...Read More

Turkish steel producers resumed their deep-sea scrap bookings as expected on Thursday May 21, but prices rapidly increased because of the improving demand, sources told Fastmarkets.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a US cargo, comprising 20,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (95:5) at $254.50 per tonne, 7,000 tonnes of shredded at $257.50 per tonne and 3,000 tonnes of bonus at $262.50 per tonne cfr....Read More

The United States is uniquely positioned to keep a leadership role in energy independence while it transitions to a low-carbon footprint, the chief executive officer of Enertopia Corp (ENRT) has said.According to Robert McAllister, the large landmass of the United States is ideal for wind-power generation and for high solar isolation, a requirement for peak solar photovoltaics production.These geo...Read More

Diamond trading remains at historic lows due to reduced demand and continued lockdown in important US market. Service providers resume operations. GIA opens five global labs. Israel Diamond Exchange to unlock trading floor on May 24. Focus shifting to marketing strategies to stimulate recovery, with emphasis on digital channels. Diamonds as symbol of values and emotional connection to be central t...Read More

A summary of the financial performance of Brazilian aluminium producer Companhia Brasileira de Alum?-nio (CBA) in the first quarter, as reported by parent company Votorantim on Thursday May 21. In brief The Covid-19 pandemic affected aluminium demand in Brazil, particularly from the transportation and construction sectors, during the first quarter, CBA said. Sales volumes from the downst...Read More

RAPAPORT... Sotheby's will hold its Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels auction in Geneva in June, its first live sale since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.The auction will be held in two parts, Sotheby's told Rapaport News Wednesday. The first portion, an online sale, will run from June 16 to 24, and will include jewelry from the 19th century through the present day, from jewelers suc...Read More

The LME three-month zinc price fell 1.8% on moderately high turnover in morning trading on Thursday May 21, while the fresh cancelation of 21,775 tonnes in LME copper kept the red metal's outright price elevated. Zinc's underlying price on the London Metal Exchange was recently seen at $2,006.50 per tonne on Thursday morning, falling from an intra-morning high of $2,048 per tonne, while turnover w...Read More

RAPAPORT... The Jewelers Board of Trade (JBT) has chosen Ann Arnold, chief strategy officer for Buyers Intelligence Group (BIG), to head its board of directors.Arnold, who was appointed at the company's April 30 board meeting, has volunteered with the JBT for nearly 12 years, and has previously served as vice chairman. She will succeed outgoing chair Mike Kaplan, the JBT said Wednesday.An ind...Read More

Global refined zinc production exceeded consumption by 240,000 tonnes in January-March this year in large part due to a rise in Chinese smelting of the metal, the International Lead & Zinc Study Group said in its latest market roundup. Refined zinc production the world over rose to 3.314 million tonnes in the first quarter, up from 3.212 million in the same period of 2019. Meanwhile, usage for the...Read More

RAPAPORT... The Indian government has allowed diamond businesses in Surat to reopen with limited staff numbers following concerns the shutdown was causing an exodus of workers.Companies can now employ 50% of workers in factories and 33% in offices, Surat Diamond Association (SDA) president Babubhai Kathiriya told members in a note Wednesday, seen by Rapaport News. Previously, only eight diamo...Read More

Fastmarkets has corrected the LME copper and lead cash and 3 month settlement ? per tonne prices, which were published incorrectly on Monday May 18 due to an input error.The figure were previously published as:Copper LME Cash ? per tonne: ?4,195.482Copper LME 3 Months Settlement ? per tonne: ?4,218.375Lead LME Cash Settlement ? per tonne: ?1,301.918Lead LME 3 Months Settlement ? per tonne:...Read More

Total sales of watches and jewelry in the USA plunged in March, compared with same month last year, down by 27.2 per cent. It is an unprecedented fall, driven by unprecedented events. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were reflected to some extent in February's year-on-year figure, which saw a slowdown, but still some positive growth (up 3.4 per cent).The disastrous figure for March is the...Read More