Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday August 19 that are worth another look.Brazil's Vale and Luxembourg-based steel producer Ternium signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to seek low-carbon steelmaking solutions in an attempt to cut emissions, the Brazilian mining company said on...Read More

Will the manipulation ever end?Dave Kranzler and Andrew Pollard with Chris Marcus of Arcadia EconomicsIt's another day and another silver price smash down, and I'm happy to be joined by Andrew Pollard from Black Rock Silver and Dave Kranzler of Investment Research Dynamics to shed some light on what is going on with the silver price. So if you're wondering whether the silver manipulation is ever g...Read More

Commodity trading company Traxys has expanded its metal concentrates business with the appointment of a team that previously handled tin, tungsten, tantalum and niobium concentrates trading for commodity trading Noble Group.Theteam will be headed by Ioannis Kallinikos, previously head of industrial minerals and metals at Noble Group for more than six years. From 2010 to 2014, he was general manage...Read More

Tin was the most affected metal on Thursday's sell-off on the London Metal Exchange, while all metals fell further with risk-off sentiment spreading across commodities and exchanges while Covid-19 continues to dent demand expectations. Tin's three-month price fell 6.4% at the 5pm close to $33,118 per tonne, despite falling by as much as 11% during early trading to $31,500 per tonne on Thursday for...Read More

Iron ore prices continued to fall on Thursday August 19, with sentiment turning negative due to the bearish demand outlook, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $132.66 per tonne,down $20.73 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $133.30 per tonne,down $20.77 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $103.46 per tonne,down $20.02 per tonne65% F...Read More

Domestic hot-rolled coil prices in China extended their losses, falling to their lowest in about six weeks on Thursday August 19; futures prices continued their decline on demand concerns and waning cost supports.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,600-5,620 yuan ($863-866) per tonne, down by 90 yuan per tonne.The most-traded HRC contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange weakened for a second stra...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.Sentiment surrounding coronavirus (COVID-19) has dominated markets and copper price movements so far in 2020.  As a result of the virus, near-term global demand is softening, and the copper market is facing oversupply as a period...Read More

Dealers optimistic about US market ahead of next week's Las Vegas shows. Low visitor traffic expected. Buyers who do attend will be looking for goods and testing price levels. Foreign suppliers unable to go but watching for signals about trends and holiday prospects. Polished prices stable despite seasonal slowdown. Buyers resisting higher prices; sellers holding prices firm due to steep rough cos...Read More

RAPAPORT... Jewelry retailers across the country have been reporting record traffic and sales numbers. Even with restaurants and travel destinations reopening, store owners said consumers were still spending, with no signs of stopping. Engagement, bridal and repairs made up most of the business, while smaller celebrations such as graduations had little impact. There may be a slowdown by the e...Read More

RAPAPORT... A new consumer campaign by the Natural Diamond Council (NDC) and the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) is emphasizing the positive impact of mined stones.Under the tagline "Thank You, By the Way," the program - which the NDC announced Wednesday - highlights the industry's sustainability efforts by explaining how consumers' diamond purchases have benefited producing countries and...Read More

RAPAPORT... The added value of a business is no longer just the product and service it provides, asserts Anish Aggarwal, a partner at diamond-industry consultancy Gemdax. His company has been helping businesses navigate the ever-evolving diamond market for the last two decades. While diamond companies now understand that they need a strategic plan to stay ahead of the changes affecting the in...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Petra hopes to finally re-open its Williamson mine, in Tanzania, after what is likely to be almost a two-year closure.It was put on care and maintenance in April 2020 as the global pandemic hit, resulting in what the UK miner described as an "unprecedented depressed market environment".Chief executive Richard Duffy said the company aims to restart operations to in the first quarter...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Bluerock has recovered its largest ever rough gem at its Kareevlei mine, in Kimberley, South Africa. The 58.6-carat stone is a D-color makeable stone - colorless but with spotted black sulphide intrusions.The London-based miner has also reported two other high-value recoveries this month - stones weighing 21.6-carat and 14.3-carat.Mike Houston, executive chairman, said: "This...Read More

Sales of watches and jewelry in the US have remained steady since March, despite the huge percentage rises shown in the graph below. Total sales in June were $116.9m, up only marginally on May's figure of $116.2m.  The dramatic year-on-year changes are largely down to the impact of the global pandemic last year. May 2020 was one of the worst-hit months, with sales of just $53.5m, which e...Read More

The Turkish deep-sea scrap import market was quiet on Thursday August 19, with the mills keeping their purchases limited for September-shipment cargoes, Fastmarkets was told.The most recent trade was recorded on Wednesday August 18, when a steel producer in northern Turkey booked a European cargo comprising 25,000 tonnes of heavy melting scrap 1&2 (80:20), 7,500 tonnes of shredded and 7,500 tonnes...Read More

Domestic long steel prices in Turkey have continued to go down over the past week, in line with the falling deep-sea scrap import costs, market participants told Fastmarkets on Thursday August 19.Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices have been falling over the week while the country's producers were limiting their purchases.Fastmarkets' daily index for steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), US origin, c...Read More

The premium on copper cathodes imported into China shot up on Thursday August 19 to its highest level since May 2020, buoyed by the opening of an arbitrage window between London and Shanghai.Fastmarkets assessed the benchmark copper grade A cathode premium, cif Shanghai, at $75-100 per tonne on Thursday, up by $10-20 per tonne from $65-80 per tonne on Wednesday, and the highest since late May last...Read More

Fastmarkets invited feedback from the industry on the pricing methodology for secondary aluminium, via an open consultation process which lasted from July 22 to August 18.The secondary aluminium prices included in this consultation were MB-AL-0005 aluminium pressure diecasting ingot DIN226/A380, delivered Europe, and MB-AL-0040 aluminium alloy A380.1, delivered Midwest.No feedback was received dur...Read More

Commodity trading company Traxys has expanded its metal concentrates business with the appointment of a team that previously handled tin, tungsten, tantalum and niobium concentrates trading for commodity trading Noble Group.Theteam will be headed by Ioannis Kallinikos, previously head of industrial minerals and metals at Noble Group for more than six years. From 2010 to 2014, he was general manage...Read More

Antofagasta recorded a 68% rise in its revenues for the first half of 2021 compared with last year's earnings, despite lower copper sales. It cut its copper production guidance, however, due to a lack of rainfall in central Chile, the company said on Wednesday August 18.Financial results - in brief: Antofagasta's revenue rose by 67.9% to $3.6 billion in the first half of this year, compared with e...Read More