Polished business slow. Fewer foreign buyers in the market. Some Chinese demand ahead of Lunar Festival. Local jewelers focused on gold products during wedding season. Rough sector seasonally quiet. Manufacturers cautiously raising polished production in anticipation of better orders in 1Q. RoundRead More

RAPAPORT... Jewelry sales in the US rose 1.8% during the holiday period, amid strong growth in e-commerce purchasing. Online sales of jewelry rose 9% during the two-month period, according to data from Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracked purchases made from November 1 through Christmas Eve. Retail sales for all divisions - excluding automobiles - rose 3.4% year on year. Total online buyin...Read More

RAPAPORT... Tiffany & Co. noted a "momentum shift" in the Americas during the holidays, as growth in the region contributed to an overall increase in sales for the season.Company-wide revenue climbed by 1% to 3% year on year for the period from November 1 to December 24, the retailer reported Thursday. Sales in the Americas rose 2% to 4%, representing a turnaround from the decline Tiffany repo...Read More

RAPAPORT... HRD Antwerp has hired Ellen Joncheere as its CEO in the middle of a process to sell the company.Joncheere currently holds the same position at Fremach International, a supplier of car parts to the automotive industry. She will join HRD on January 20, succeeding interim CEO Michel Janssens, who will retire in mid-2020, a spokesperson for the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) said...Read More

The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for rebar, wire rod, steel beams and other long steel products. Latest transaction: rebarRebarEast China, domestic, grade III...Read More

RAPAPORT... The USdiamond trade continued to slow in October. Polished imports fell 38% to $1.45billion for the month, marking the steepest year-on-year drop since 2009 andthe seventh consecutive month of decline, according to Rapaport records. Polished exports dropped 35% to $1.07 billion, government data showed.  US Trade Data for October 2019Read More

RAPAPORT... The past decade might be known for superheroes, Netflix and memes, but for Sotheby's it was all about record-breaking jewels, as worldwide sales for the divisiontotaled more than $4.7 billion. The auction house sold 40,353 items during the decade, including683 for more than $1 million and 41 topping $10 million, Sotheby's said lastweek. The 10 most valuable jewels ever sold at the...Read More

Two steel mills in northern China have sold 2.21 million tonnes per year of iron-making capacity and 1.52 million tpy of crude steel capacity to mills in the southern region, according to local government notices released earlier this week.Seller: Hebei Chengde Shengfeng SteelLocation: Chengde city, Hebei provinceCapacity sold: 1.48 million tpy of iron-making capacity, 1.52 million tpy of crude st...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Alorsa and Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) have signed a number of agreements to finalize the creation of a joint venture for prospecting and exploration works for primary diamond deposits in the Republic of Zimbabwe.According to the agreements, Alrosa owns 70 percent of Alrosa (Zimbabwe) Limited JV, with state-owned ZCDC getting 30 percent. The Russian mining com...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Tiffany & Co. have reported an increase of 1-3 percent (unaudited) in net sales for the period between November 1-December 24. The company said sales in the Chinese Mainland continue to drive overall sales growth, which saw a strong double-digit increase. However, this was offset by continuing sales declines in Hong Kong and, to a lesser degree, Japan, which has been affec...Read More

The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for steel billet, steel slab and bloom. Latest transaction: billetBillet China,...Read More

Export prices for Chinese plate rose over the past week after a mill in the northern region raised its offers.Fastmarkets' price assessment for January/February shipments of steel heavy plate export, fob China main port was $470-475 per tonne for the week ended Tuesday December 24, narrowing upward by $5 per tonne from $465-475 per tonne fob a week earlier.Most sources reported transactions being...Read More

Gold equities and related ETFs/stocks are leading equity market advances this morning. Nice breakouts above intermediate resistance by $GDX $GDXJ $XGD.CAWheaton Precious Metals $WPM $WPM.CA, a TSX 60 stock moved above $28.64 U.S. and $38.14 Cdn. extending an intermediate uptrend.First Majestic Silver $AG $FR.CA moved above $11.62 U.S. extending an intermediate uptrend.Another precious metals equit...Read More

Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in China on Wednesday December 25.Key drivers Cobalt sulfate prices ticked up on Wednesday amid increased inquiries from consumers who need to restock ahead of a temporary suspension of logistics services, which will take place around mid-January, a week before the Chinese New Year holiday (January 24-30).Meanwhile, producers have broadly...Read More

Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in China on Wednesday December 25Key drivers After declining for six weeks, Fastmarkets assessed the price of antimony, MMTA standard grade II, ddp China as flat week on week at 36,500-37,000 yuan ($5,219-5,291) per tonne on Wednesday December 25.Many suppliers had kept their offer prices unchanged over the past week.Some consumers had re-entered the mark...Read More

China's stainless steel prices were unchanged over the past week with markets winding down toward the year-end. DomesticFastmarkets' weekly price assessment for stainless steel cold-rolled coil 2mm grade 304 domestic, ex-whs China in the country's major market of Wuxi was 14,300-15,100 yuan ($2,047-2,161) per tonne including value-added tax on Wednesday December 25, unchanged from a week earlier.S...Read More

The Nasdaq Composite is now up for the 11th day in a row and just topped 9,000 for the first time ever...Read full newsRead More

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