Gold has big year in 2020 and outlook for this year robust. Learn about monetary expansion and gold future prices.Read More

The gold futures price reached US$1,767/ounce this week before retreating, which was the second time it has surpassed US$1,760 in the past two months, marking some of gold's highest levels in several years.Read More

The collapse in production is unlikely to change until the silver price goes much higher. Here's why...by Matt from Silver Fortune via Silver FortuneThere's just so many potential risks that make this unlikely to change until silver goes much higher. Read More

Silver will, however, be a much better buy than gold once the commodity & economic cycles bottom in 2023. Harry Dent explains...by Harry Dent via Economy & MarketsIt's no secret to you that I am still more bearish on gold than bullish. And it's no secret to me that a lot of our subscribers still like gold and feel that it is still a safe haven and a good store of value long term.Despite having...Read More

The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange closed higher on Tuesday October 29, with news of the expedited ore ban in Indonesia keeping the metal's price elevated, while lead futures also ended the day higher despite low turnover. Nickel's outright price closed at $16,830 per tonne this afternoon, up from an intraday low of $16,565 per tonne but lower than its daily high of $17,000...Read More

Discounts for nickel full-plate cathodes in the Chinese import market softened in the week to Tuesday October 29 while material became cheaper to hold amid a brief contango in the London Metal Exchange nickel cash/three-month spread.The benchmark LME cash/three-month nickel spread traded in a $32 per tonne backwardation on October 29, having snapped briefly into a $22 per tonne contango on October...Read More

The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions against producer UC Rusal was potentially deadly for a company so heavily reliant on international trade, Lord Greg Barker, executive chairman of EN+ Group said.Speaking at the LME Week seminar on Monday October 28, Barker said working to find a way for the sanctions to be lifted was 'do or die' for the company."...Read More

Copper has attempted to rebound since early September following a marked sell-off in the summer months where macro and fundamental forces have been prevalent.On the macro front, copper has benefited from a slight easing in US-China trade tensions and more monetary policy easing across the globe - including China, where copper consumption is the most exposed - that has shored up investor sentiment....Read More

Turkish steel producers continued to pause their deep-sea cargo purchases because of a public holiday in the country reducing trading activity, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday October 29.Today is a public holiday in Turkey for the Republic Day of Turkey, which has reduced trading activity to zero. No purchases have been heard booked so far this week, with Monday also a half...Read More

Discounts for nickel full-plate cathodes in the Chinese import market softened in the week to Tuesday October 29 while material became cheaper to hold amid a brief contango in the London Metal Exchange nickel cash/three-month spread.The benchmark LME cash/three-month nickel spread traded in a $32 per tonne backwardation on October 29, having snapped briefly into a $22 per tonne contango on October...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday October 29 that are worth another look.The decline in Asian hot-rolled coil prices has continued to apply downward pressure on slab prices in the region, sources told Fastmarkets.The copper market is largely shrugging off the positive price effects of supply constraints and is focusing its attention on the negative consequences...Read More

A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday October 29.Please click...Read More

Brazilian company Atlantic Nickel has resumed operations at its Santa Rita mine in the northeastern state of Bahia, and is producing concentrates at the site, owner Appian Capital Advisory said on Monday October 28.At the same time, Atlantic Nickel is finishing the drilling campaign for an underground mine phase, and is expected to update its reserve calculation statement during the first quarter...Read More

The copper market is largely shrugging off the positive price effects of supply constraints and is focusing its attention on the negative consequences on growth of the trade wars, the chief executive officer of Freeport-McMoRan has said.As long as this remains the case, copper prices appear unlikely to strengthen significantly, although a return to a more stable and positive relationship between C...Read More

Indonesian officials said on Tuesday October 29 that their country's ban on the export of nickel ore will begin in January 2020, as previously scheduled, once a review of irregular ore exporting practices is concluded.This reverses reports on October 28 that the ban would begin with immediate effect.The review is likely to be finished in a week or two, Luhut Pandjaitan, Indonesia's coordinating mi...Read More

RAPAPORT... The media tycoon who recently bought Sotheby's has appointed a senior executive from his business empire as the auction house's new CEO.Charles Stewart will assume the role with immediate effect, having served as copresident and chief financialofficer of Patrick Drahi's Altice USA since 2016. He helped lead that company's successful $2.1billion initial public offering in 2017...Read More

RAPAPORT... Luk Fook's same-store sales fell 37% in the second fiscalquarter amid a decrease in inbound tourism due to escalating Hong Kong protestsand the impact of the US-China trade war. Total same-store sales - at Luk Fook outlets open for morethan a year - in Hong Kong and Macau dropped 39% in the three months endingSeptember 30. Same-store gold sales plunged 46%, while gem-set-jewelrypu...Read More

Most flat steel import prices in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia were stable this week amid limited demand, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday October 29.Buyers were reluctant to book large tonnages due to falling prices as well as weak end-user demand, they said.UAEOffer prices for hot-rolled coil (HRC) from China were heard in the UAE at $440-450 per tonne cfr this week, wit...Read More

RAPAPORT... Gem Diamonds has recovered a diamond weighing 161carats from its Let??eng mine in Lesotho. The miner found the "high-quality" white, type IIa stone onOctober 28, it said. Including this rough, Gem Diamonds has retrieved five white stones over 100 carats this year. It also produced a further three of that size in other colors. In 2018, the mine, known for its large, high-quality st...Read More

RAPAPORT... The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has appointedMark Buntz senior vice president and chief marketing officer, to drive thefuture of the organization's brand. A marketing veteran with more than 20 years of experience inglobal brand marketing, advertising, communications, sales and broadcasting,Buntz is tasked with supporting the expansion of the GIA's education,laboratory s...Read More

RAPAPORT... US women increasingly buy engagement rings forthemselves, and spend more on them than their partners do, De Beers said Mondayin its annual Diamond Insight Report. The proportion of engagement rings financed solely by brides rose to 14% in 2017 from 11% in 2015 and 7% in 2013, accordingto the report. The trend reflects growth in female purchasing power, one ofseveral social changes impa...Read More

Import prices for steel billet in the United Arab Emirates increased over the past week, while domestic and import rebar values decreased, market sources said on Tuesday October 29.Domestic prices for rebar for the month were announced by the country's producers on October 21. Both Emirates Steel and Conares Steel kept their prices unchanged.Billet importsOne billet booking was made from Oman at a...Read More