(IDEX Online) - GIA will open a new laboratory in Surat, India, and expand its long-term presence in Antwerp, Belgium, in the second quarter of 2018 to meet the needs of the global gem and jewelry industry.   The GIA said that it has secured premises for both locations.   "Expanding our facility in Antwerp and opening a new location in Surat continues GIA's mission-driven effort to bring...Read More

(Rewrites throughout with comments from Microsoft blog post)By Eric AuchardFRANKFURT, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said on Tuesday the patches released to guard against Meltdown and Spectre security threats slowed down some personal computers and servers, with systems running on older Intel Corp processors seeing a noticeable decrease in performance.The security updates also froze some comput...Read More

RAPAPORT... India's Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC)has called for clearer tax rules, an official said, after authorities raided diamond couriers whowere transporting finished goods back to their owners in Mumbai on Saturday.The preventive wing of the excise division, a branch ofthe Goods and Services Tax (GST) department, carried out the raid. Officialsfrom GST were not fully...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Environmental responsibility in the jewelry sector will be the focus of a seminar scheduled for January 22, the fourth day of VICENZAORO January 2018, organized by the Italian Exhibition Group and CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation.   "Environmental sustainability, which refers to the ability of biological systems to remain diverse and productive over the course of time,...Read More

Zvi Moram, CEO at BATM Advanced Communications Limited (LON:BVC) tells Proactive about the large-scale cyber security monitoring/encryption technology that has just seen BATM awarded a significant new contract. BATM will now supply cyber security technology solutions to a governmental defence department....with further possible orders coming from the same source.BATM said this is the fourth such c...Read More

* Germany, Netherlands and Austria sell bonds on Tuesday* Yields on all three well up from mid-December* BoJ buying pattern pushes U.S. Treasury yields up* Euro zone periphery govt bond yields (Recasts with rise in yields)By Abhinav Ramnarayan and Fanny PotkinLONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Euro zone government bond yields rose on Tuesday, following a wave of new debt issuances from the bloc's top-rated...Read More

High zinc prices could eventually lead to an irreversible dent in consumption of the metal, specifically in the form of zinc alloys in electric vehicles, market participants told Metal Bulletin.Substitution out of zinc is likeliest in the alloys sector, a zinc producer told Metal Bulletin, estimating that up to 3-5% of usage of metal at current levels could be at risk - albeit over a matter of yea...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Stuller, Inc. has announced the acquisition of B&D Sales Corporation, a laser welder and engraver company, located in Cranston, Rhode Island.   "We are thrilled to be adding additional equipment and service options to our existing selection," said Tammy Lail, vice president of tools and supplies. "Customers will be able to purchase the machine that fits not only their budg...Read More

JAKARTA, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Indonesia's retail sales rose 2.5 percent in November from a year earlier, mainly supported by the sales of food, beverages and automotive fuels, a central bank survey showed on Tuesday.On a yearly basis, retail sales growth was 2.2 percent in October, when sales of ready-to-consume foods and tobacco bolstered growth.The survey of 700 retailers in 10 major cities project...Read More

Solo Oil PLC (LON:SOLO) Executive Chairman Neil Ritson describes himself himself as ' really happy' with forward progress for the group's 25% owned Ntorya gas project, onshore Tanzania.Aminex, project operator and 75% owner of Ntorya, this morning told investors that it is "actively engaged" with the Tanzanian authorities and with third-party engineering firms, in the advanced stages of planning f...Read More

(IDEX Online) - The Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE), organizers of the 7th International Diamond Week in Israel (IDWI), reports that hotel rooms for participating buyers are rapidly running out. As a result those registering late for the event will not be guaranteed free hotel accommodations, the IDE said.    This year's event has attracted buyers from more than 20 countries, including th...Read More

BRUSSELS, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Euro zone unemployment fell to a new nine-year low in November thanks to strong economic growth, data showed on Tuesday, but the jobless rates differ widely across the single currency bloc.The European Union's statistics office Eurostat said the jobless rate in the 19 countries sharing the euro was 8.7 percent in November, down from 8.8 percent in October and the lowest...Read More

Aaron LeBlanc, COO of oil and gas company Aminex (LON:AEX) talks Proactive through developments at the Ntorya 1/2/3 wells in Tanzania. The new operations, Aaron explains, will enable Aminex to exploit further multiple leads and assets there in the very near future. See Kiliwani North well updates here too, particularly on a significant recharge happening at the reservoir close to the well bore. Aa...Read More

By William SchombergLONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Britain is expected to choose a new central bank chief this year to succeed Canadian Mark Carney, who will step down in June 2019, three months after the country's scheduled exit from the European Union.Following is a summary of possible contenders to run the Bank of England (BoE), which oversees the world's sixth-biggest economy and Britain's huge fin...Read More

ISTANBUL, Jan 9 (Reuters) - The Turkish Treasury sold a net 657.8 million lira ($175 million) in a tap of its two-year benchmark bond at an average compound yield of 13.44 percent on Tuesday, central bank data showed.Earlier in non-competitive bids, it sold a net 1.22 billion lira to primary dealers and public institutions, data showed. ($1 = 3.7634 liras) (Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Davi...Read More

INTL FCStone has merged its London Metal Exchange and precious metals departments, with the new unit headed by Barry Canham, the company said. In an email to the company's global metals team and seen by Metal Bulletin, INTL chief executive officer (CEO) for EMEA and Asia Philip Smith said that the move was made following the decision by Malcolm Leonard to retire after 46 years working in LME metal...Read More

STOCKHOLM, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Sweden's bond market is functioning satisfactorily, but further reductions in issuance could worsen already strained liquidity, the Head of Debt Management at the Debt Office said on Tuesday."Naturally, it would not be good if we were forced to reduce borrowing further," Goran Robertsson said. "But .. I don't think that one should make too much of a dram...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower at the close on Tuesday January 9, with only nickel trading in positive territory. The three-month nickel price climbed $160 per tonne higher while the cash/January-2018 nearby spread moved into a $3 per tonne backwardation. "The LME nickel market has tightened slightly since the start of the year, judging by the contraction in the...Read More

The fact that gold pricing is trading under pressure is not a big surprise, and actually can be viewed as a well-needed pause in the rally currently underway. After trading to $1238 per ounce in mid-December of last year, gold prices have gained almost $90 before hitting resistance at $1327 late last week.Historically speaking, rallies in the precious yellow metal will move pricing roughly $100 du...Read More

(The opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.)By Jamie McGeeverLONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - U.S. and UK interest rates are rising, the European Central Bank is cutting back its bond purchases and even the Bank of Japan is hinting it will turn off the stimulus taps one day. With rates rising and central banks no longer expanding their balance sheets, monetary policy a...Read More