Iron ore prices slipped below $67 per tonne cfr China on Tuesday March 20 following further losses in China's steel and futures markets. Metal Bulletin's 62% Fe Iron Ore Index Today: $66.94 per tonne cfr Qingdao Daily change: down by $0.51 per tonne Month-to-date average: $72.69 per tonne Metal Bulletin's 58% Fe Premium Index Today: $54.58 per tonne cfr Qingdao Daily change: unchanged Month-to-dat...Read More

Physical iron ore prices dipped further on Tuesday March 20 amid further losses in China's steel and futures markets, though some are expecting a turnaround.Key driversChina's steel and iron ore futures tanked further in the morning before recovering the losses in the afternoon, though the contracts still ended negatively compared with Monday's settlement prices. Iron ore remained the worst perfor...Read More

The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for iron ore, pig iron, direct-reduced iron and other steelmaking raw materials. Latest transaction: iron oreIron oreRio Tinto, tender, 170,000 tonnes of 61% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, sold at $65.77 per tonne cfr China,...Read More

Participants in the seaborne coking coal market continued to take a wait-and-see approach on Tuesday March 20.A top Australian brand with an approaching loading date was offered at $221 per tonne cfr China while an April-laycan cargo of premium hard coking coal was offered at $211 per tonne fob Australia during the day, according to market sources. Despite a lack of clarity over the direction of t...Read More

Glencore has reached an agreement to acquire Rio Tinto's 82% interest in the Hail Creek coal mine in Queensland, Australia, as well as other resources, for a total cash consideration of $1.7 billion, it said on Tuesday March 20.The transaction also includes adjacent coal resources, as well as Rio Tinto's 71.2% interest in the Valeria thermal coal resource in central Queensland, Australia. The rema...Read More

China's ferrous futures continued to trend downward during morning trading on Tuesday March 20, extended the losses from a day earlier when most contracts recorded big losses.Futures closing prices - morning session Shanghai Futures Exchange May rebar: 3,623 yuan ($572) per tonne, down 34 yuan per tonne May hot-rolled coil: 3,813 yuan per tonne, down 19 yuan per tonne Dalian Commodity Exchange May...Read More

Market participants say they expect mercury prices to remain elevated after over two thirds of signatories ratified the Minamata Convention, which came into force on August 16, 2017. Metal Bulletin assessed mercury prices at $2,700-3,000 per flask on an in-warehouse basis on Friday March 11, down from $2,500-3,450 per flask two weeks ago but still 54% higher than at the start of the year. Mer...Read More

Selenium prices surged last week in Europe, reaching their highest level since February 2015 on continued material tightness and healthy Asian demand.Metal Bulletin assessed selenium free market in-warehouse prices at $22-24.5 per lb on Friday March 16, steady on Wednesday's assessment when the quotation rose by 6.9% to a level last seen in February 2015. "It's the perfect storm - India's hea...Read More

AbraPlata Resource Corp. (TSXV: ABRA) has tabled a positive preliminary economic assessment (PEA) on its 80 sq. km Diablillos silver-gold project in Argentina's Salta Province, 150 km southwest from the city of Salta.The PEA features strong economics, with an after-tax net present value (NPV) of US$197 million at a 7.5% discount rate, an after-tax internal rate of return of 30.2%, and a 3-year pay...Read More

Mining companies operating in South Africa, including Anglo American (LON:AAL) and Sibanye Gold (JSE:SGL) (NYSE:SBGL), may soon have to increase their black-owned stakes to 30%, from a previous 26%, but the government is promising to deliver "policy certainty" in return.Newly appointed Minister of Mineral Resources Gwede Mantashe said the key to regain investors and miners confidence in the South...Read More

The gold price is up just 1% year to date in 2018 and has advanced 5.5% from the December 2017 low. There are some bullish signs from the chart, including a number of higher highs and higher lows following the late 2015 bottom at $1,045. But it certainly hasn't been the powerful breakout the gold bugs have been hoping to see.The late 2017 spike above the resistance trend line was also bullish, but...Read More

The company bought 85% of Worcester-based Materials Solutions in 2016, describing the business as a pioneer in the use of selective laser melting (SLM) technology for the manufacture of high-performance metal parts. The business had "grown considerably over the last two years".Siemens' new investment is expected to increase the number of engineers, metallurgists and manufacturing specialists at th...Read More

The company said an electrical technician was injured while working on an underground voltage regulator. It said he was immediately transported to hospital, where he later passed away.Capstone said it was committed to the highest safety standards at its operations and sincerely regretted those efforts did not prevent the incident."Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to our miner's family and our entir...Read More

Mar 21, 2018 Guest(s): Joe Foster Portfolio Manager The bull market run that started in 2009 may soon be coming to a halt, meaning investors will rush back into safe havens like gold, said Joe Foster, portfolio manager at VanEck."There's many signs in the economy that we are towards the end of the cycle. So I think in the next 12 to 18 months, you're going to see an economic slowdown, probably a...Read More

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Aim-listed BlueRock Diamonds has raised about £500 000, before expenses, through the issue of 33.33-million shares of 1p each. Each new share issued will be accompanied by a warrant to subscribe for a further new share at a price of 3p.AdvertisementBlueRock will use the larger part of the proceeds to develop and expand its mining activities, which...Read More

RAPAPORT... Mountain Province's March tender achieved the miner's highestaverage selling price to date, driven by a bigger-than-usual selection of largeand high-value diamonds, the company said. The miner sold 177,000 carats of rough from its Gahcho Ku?(C)mine at an average price of $142 per carat, for a total of $25.1 million, itreported in a statement last week. Production from the end of last y...Read More

The 12 Apostles of the Keynesian faith huddled in prayer today, beseeching the Almighty for light... and guidance.New Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell is leading the business.Should they raise the federal funds target rate another quarter point, to 1.75%?Or should they leave it be - and abet further the deadly sin of greed?Tomorrow at 2 p.m. EDT the holy bell will ring... and the announcemen...Read More

Mar 22, 2018 Guest(s): Kevin O'Leary Despite avoiding an imminent trade war with the U.S. over steel and aluminum tariffs, Canada should not be breathing easier, this according to Shark Tank star Kevin O'Leary."I don't think the long-term outcome of the negotiations is going to be better for Canada," O'Leary told Kitco News. "For example, on steel, what will probably end up in the NAFTA negotia...Read More

Mar 22, 2018 Guest(s): Joe Foster Portfolio Manager The mining industry is not seeing a steady discovery rate and gold supply is shrinking, warned Joe Foster, portfolio manager for VanEck's International Investors Gold Fund (INIVX). "Mine supply of gold is peaking out right now - I expect to see a gradual decline for the foreseeable future," Foster said. He underlined that there are some big pro...Read More

RAPAPORT... Swiss watch exports increased in February, driven by thestrongest monthly growth in shipments to Hong Kong and the US in six years. Worldwide shipments of Swiss timepieces climbed 13% year onyear to $1.78 billion (CHF 1.69 billion) last month, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry reported Tuesday. Exports to Hong Kongjumped 36% to $268.1 million (CHF 255.2 million), while th...Read More