(IDEX Online) - Tributes have been paid to the legendary Willie Nagel, diamond entrepreneur, former De Beers broker and pioneer of the Kimberley Process, who died last week aged 96.He quit a career as a Cambridge University-qualified lawyer, established the W. Nagel Ltd diamond company in London, and was appointed as a De Beers broker in 1959.He became a luminary in the diamond world and beyond. T...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Stainless steel prices and margins for stainless steel producers have risen notably over the past few months in both Europe and the United States, but there are now signs that the rally is petering out.A clear reason for the halt to rising prices comes from the near 20% drop in nickel prices seen in late February/early March,...Read More

(IDEX Online) - A 2.00-ct pink has become the most expensive diamond from the iconic Argyle mine ever sold at an auction or public tender.The fancy purplish pink diamond (pictured) fetched ?, ?1.62m at the debut tender by Australian financial technology start-up yourdiamonds.com.The historic Fitzpatrick Pink diamond, acquired by the renowned Brisbane collector Di Fitzpatrick in 1988, went to an an...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.With nickel prices down by almost 20% over the space of around ten days during late February and early March, one might have been expecting us to be reporting sharply-lower prices of stainless steel, at least for the most common nickel-containing grades of stainless steel.This is not the case, at least in Europe and the Unite...Read More

Uranium Outlook: Ready for lift off at lastSPONSOREDGalan Lithium rides electric vehicle revolutionSPONSOREDgalan lithiumGlobal Atomic is shipshape and in weather for plain sailingSPONSOREDglobal atomicDenison aims for 2022 live ISR field test at PhoenixSPONSOREDdenison minesHole FSDH046 produced the longest mineralised intersection on the project to date and returned 676m grading 0.57% copper, 0....Read More

Alumina prices on an fob Australia basis were at a four-month high on Monday July 19 due to an increase in liquidity, with cargoes changing hands at higher prices.Fastmarkets assessed its daily alumina index, fob Australia, at $289.36 per tonne on Monday, the highest since March 19.Demand for cargoes has increased over the past week. But the rise in prices also related to concern in the market abo...Read More

Domestic steel rebar prices in Russia's Central Federal District around Moscow remained flat in the week to July 19 due to slower trading activity, sources told Fastmarkets.August rebar offer from key local suppliers to the region were broadly unchanged from July levels, despite an anticipated downward correction due toa temporary export duty on steel products in Russia starting  August...Read More

Century Aluminum subsidiary Nor??ur??l Grundartangi ehf has reached an agreement with the Icelandic national power company to extend the existing 161-megawatt contract at its Grundartangi aluminium smelter by three years through 2026.The contract will increase to 182MW over time to "support the most recent capacity creep requirements and future growth opportunities for value-added products...Read More

The Chinese government will increase the quantity of metal in its second batch of non-ferrous metal reserves sales at the end of July or beginning of August, sources said on Monday July 19.An estimated 230,000 tonnes of non-ferrous metal will enter the market soon, made up of 50,000 tonnes of copper, 80,000 tonnes of zinc, and 100,000 tonnes of aluminium, sources said. This quantity is more than...Read More

The London Metal Exchange launched new lithium and aluminium premium futures contracts on Monday July 19, which are cash-settled against Fastmarkets' assessments.The lithium contract will be cash-settled against Fastmarkets' price assessment for lithium hydroxide monohydrate, 56.5% LiOH.H2O min, battery grade, spot price, cif China, Japan & Korea. Fastmarkets' most recent assessment for this price...Read More

Traders in mainland China are seeking to sell stockpiled lead to Taiwan and Southeast Asia amid a worsening arbitrage for imports, which - since June - has shifted to being more favorable for exports.This comes after a noticeable gap emerged between lead prices on the London Metal Exchange and the Shanghai Futures Exchange since May, which incentivized Chinese lead traders to buy LME stock while s...Read More

Stocks of aluminium held in Major Japanese Ports (MJP) rose by 8% in June, firming to the highest level in nine months, according to data compiled by the trading house Marubeni.Total stocks were 309,100 tonnes, up from 285,600 tonnes in May 2021, but lower than the 347,300 tonnes of aluminium held in June...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange were mixed on the morning of Monday July 19, with nickel and tin the standout performers, driven higher by supply disruptions.United States 10-year treasury yields continue to trend lower, despite inflationary pressures in the country.Base metalsLME three-month base metals prices were mixed this morning, with nickel up b...Read More

Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States inched closer to the $91-per-hundredweight ($1,820-per-short-ton) mark again on Monday July 19, supported by strong demand for hot band amid lean supply.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $90.96 per hundredweight ($1,819.20 per short ton) on July 19, an increase of 0.23% from $90.75 per cwt on Friday July 16 and...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 50 points in pre-opening trade. Weakness reflects drops by international equity market indices related to a surge in COVID 19 cases.Yield on 10 year U.S. Treasuries fell to 1.2263 % The Canadian Dollar dropped 0.93 to US78.35 cents in overnight trade.Crude oil plunged $2.60 to $69.21 after OPEC + reached an agreement...Read More

European steel association Eurofer is demanding stronger carbon emissions measures to guarantee a balanced approach that will enable a decarbonization of the region's steel industry, it said on Thursday July 15.On July 14, the European Commission adopted a package of proposals to make the EU's climate, energy, land use, transport and taxation policies fit to meet its greenhouse gas emissions targe...Read More

Market activity in the European Union's hot-rolled coil sector has been limited due to the seasonal slowdown and long lead times, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday July 19.In addition to seasonal factors, buyers have shown limited interest in acquiring flat steel due to sufficient stocks and long lead times from domestic and overseas suppliers.Credit lines for buyers have also been exhausted over...Read More

Slab export prices from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) continued to decline in the week to Monday July 19, amid falling finished flat steel values in the region's main destination markets.In Turkey, hot-rolled coil prices dropped in the week to Friday July 16 on low activity in the key export outlets for that product. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel HRC, export, f...Read More

Flat steel prices in Russia's Central Federal District around Moscow weakened during the week to Monday July 19 amid slow trading activity, with most producers holding back August offers while assessing the market, sources told Fastmarkets.Hot-rolled sheetTrading activity in the HR sheet market was muted over the past week, with most buyers abstaining from making purchases on expectations that dom...Read More

Turkish steel mills stayed away from making any deep-sea scrap deals on Monday July 19, due to the start of the week-long Eid al-Adha public holiday, sources told Fastmarkets.Regular trading is not expected to resume until Monday July 26, they added.One market participant said the Turkish market for finished steel products and the scrap market...Read More