Jiangxi Copper plans to buy a controlling stake in major copper, silver and lead smelter Yantai Humon Group, the Chinese copper giant said in a filing to the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) on Monday March 4. If finalized, the purchase will see Jiangxi Copper regain its top position as the Chinese largest copper producer in terms of capacity - approximately 1.73 million tonnes of annual copper...Read More

SASKATCHEWAN - Canada's ALX Uranium signed a non-binding letter of intent this week with Orano Canada, a subsidiary of France's Orano Group.The letter refers to the possible acquisition by ALX of a 51% participating interest in the Close Lake uranium project located in the eastern Athabasca Basin area of northern Saskatchewan. This is the same province that hosts the Hook-Carter project, where the...Read More

The price for steel plate in the United States has slipped to the lowest point in eight months due to weak service center demand and fears that Section 232 tariffs could be removed against Canada and Mexico, market participants said.Fastmarkets AMM assessed cut-to-length plate at $47 per hundredweight ($940 per ton) on Friday March 1, down by 1.1% from $47.50 per cwt previously and off 5.1% from $...Read More

UK steel industry body UK Steel and steelmaker British Steel have both welcomed a recent government announcement that the UK will formally adopt many of the existing EU trade protection measures for the steel sector once the country leaves the trading bloc.The UK government's secretary of state for international trade, Liam Fox, announced in the House of Commons on February 25 that the UK will ado...Read More

Buying activity in the CIS export billet market was rather limited at the beginning of March amid a mismatch between producers' offers and customers' bids.CIS producers were insisting on offering at $450-460 per tonne fob Black Sea, customers in North Africa and Turkey were looking for $440 per tonne fob Black Sea and below, while customers in Southeast Asia and the Middle East were ready to pay $...Read More

European long-steel buyers resisted higher offers throughout February while demand levels continue to dawdle behind higher raw material prices that pushed some producers to raise offers across the long steel slate.Prices in March will depend on any shift in the balance of power between the high producer offers and the sluggish end-user demand. Producers were unable to affect any of Fastmarkets' Eu...Read More

Turkey's flat steel export volumes rose by 55.37% year-on-year in January, according to the latest data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). The main reason for the increase was that the local demand was weak in the country in the last quarter of 2018, when orders to be...Read More

As competition in the global steel markets remains fierce, Fastmarkets provides an update on the new, progressing and closed trade cases around the world in February 2019.The case list below includes only updates. For other continuing cases, see the update for January 2019.1. EU: 26 steel...Read More

RAPAPORT... Star Diamond Corporation has noted a large quantity of high-valueand large rough stones at its two exploration sites in Canada, sending itsstock price shooting upward. Nearly 27% of diamonds at its Star project are type IIa, acategory that represents less than 2% of all rough diamonds mined fromkimberlites, the company reported Monday. The proportion of that category at its OrionSouth...Read More

RAPAPORT... Polished-diamond imports to Hong Kong were flat in 2018,according to data from the Diamond Federation of Hong Kong, China. The averageprice rose 3%, offsetting lower volumes. Polishedimports from China increased 10%, while shipmentsfrom the US dropped 5%, and supply from the United Arab Emirates slumped 31%. Imports from India slipped 1%.Hong Kong Diamond Trade Data for Full Year...Read More

RAPAPORT... Israeli-Belgian diamantaire Ehud Laniado died Saturday at65, following a heart attack during surgery at a Paris clinic, local media reported. Laniado, the founder of Mercury Diamond, a diamond-pricing consultancy firm, was undergoing an electiveprocedure, according to French magazine Le Point. Emergencypersonnel were unable to revive him. The industry veteran began his career as...Read More

Investors flocked to Canada's Star Diamond Corporation (TSX:DIAM) on Monday after the company said its Saskatchewan-based project had an "unusually high" large quantity of high-value and large rough stones.A recent study has confirmed that about 27% of the diamonds at the company's Orion South and Star exploration sites are type IIa, a category that represents less than 2% of all rough stones mine...Read More

RAPAPORT... The president of Botswana has repudiated claims that thecountry planned to loan Zimbabwe $600 million to support its diamond industry and private sector. Last week, Zimbabwe's media quoted its secretary of foreign affairs and international trade as saying Botswana hadoffered the country $500 million to fund facilities for its diamond industry,and another $100 million for local pri...Read More

Ehud Laniado, a well-known Israeli diamantaire, died last weekend - Saturday, March 1, 2019 - in a clinic in Paris, France where he was to undergo cosmetic surgery. According to the French publication Le Point, the cause of dead was cardiac arrest following a procedural injection in the abdomen. Laniado was the owner of the Mercury Diamonds company. He spent his early years in Africa and later in...Read More

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – De Beers Group on Thursday night celebrated the successful conclusion of the first phase of its Enterprise Development Project for Diamond Beneficiators.Five black South African-owned diamond and cutting companies graduated following a three-year entrepreneurial development programme.AdvertisementFacilitated by De Beers Sightholder Sales South Africa (DBSSSA...Read More

The 63rd Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair which was held February 20 to 24, 2019 at Challenger Halls 1-3, IMPACT in the suburban Bangkok. The event welcomed over 14,000 visitors from 118 countries. According to the organizers, the number of foreign visitors was up 5.4 percent compared to 2018. Trade generated at the event was nearly 2.1 billion baht ($66 million). Thailand's Deputy Minister of Com...Read More

The Young Diamantaires group, an international networking group for young diamantaires, held a successful and well-attended get-together in Hong Kong during the recent HKTDC show. The Young Diamantaires group an initiative by Rami Baron, Chair of Promotion Committee of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) "The Young Diamantaires met for an evening of drinks and networking. The vibe was...Read More

HRD NV of Antwerp will begin will issuing laboratory grown diamond jewellery reports. In an online announcement, HRD stated that "...our laboratory has the knowledge and instruments needed to thoroughly analyse your jewellery. Every diamond of the jewellery piece is tested to determine whether it is natural or laboratory grown. If all diamonds set in the jewellery piece are found to be Laboratory...Read More

RAPAPORT... Macy's and J.C. Penney noted strong sales in their jewelry divisions in the fourth fiscal quarter, even as overall results disappointed.Macy's also said it would implement a new strategy to focus on the category, as well as other products that mattered most to its customers. "[We plan to] invest in areas where the company already has strong market share to drive disproportionate g...Read More

India's The Enforcement Directorate (ED) announced it had seized "movable and immovable properties located in Mumbai and Surat, having market value of Rs147.72 crore consisting of eight cars, plant and machinery, consignments of jewellery, paintings and immovable property, owned by Nirav Modi and his group companies, namely Firestar Diamond International Private Limited, Firestar International Pri...Read More