Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday March 8 that are worth another look.It is "inevitable" that secondary lead will be listed on the Shanghai Futures Exchange in the future, given the material's rapid growth in supply and increasing market share in China's lead industry, Fastmarkets heard at the Consortium For Battery Innovation 2019 China Technical Workshop i...Read More

Ahead of Fastmarkets' Battery Materials 2019 conference in Shanghai, Fastmarkets looks at use of lithium in next-generation vehicles and other battery uses, as well as soaring prices, which have spurred interest in lithium and boosted its importance in recent years as a battery material. In June 2016, the spot price in China peaked at $27 per kg, more than three times the global contract price, ac...Read More

In contrast to the clear skies outside, a cloud hung over discussions among Indian scrap traders attending the opening session of the annual conference of the Material Recycling Association of India (MRAI) earlier this month in Kochi, southern India.Secretary-general Amar Singh praised the superior air quality in the host city, compared with the metropolises of New Delhi and Mumbai. But delegates...Read More

Section 232 tariffs on aluminium and steel raised $3.6 billion in their first nine months, and revenues for the last two months are likely to push that figure up by around another $1 billion, US government data shows.That figure would be enough to cover the shortfall in funding sought by United States President Donald Trump for border security. In other words, aluminium and steel tariffs could fun...Read More

Haven gold climbed by 1% on Friday to notch a slight gain for the week, boosted by losses in global stock markets on the heels of weak Chinese export and U.S. jobs data. April gold GCJ9, -0.16% added $13.20, or 1%, to settle at $1,299.30 an ounce after briefly trading as high as $1,301.30. After a back-and-forth week, including the lowest settlement on Tuesday since late January, prices for the mo...Read More

Iron ore prices fell sharply in the second half of November after climbing through October, with prices for higher-grade material pioneering the decline.Fastmarkets MB daily benchmark for 65% Fe fines dropped by 22% by Monday November 26 after peaking on October 29. The 62% Fe iron ore index declined by 16% over the period, as some Chinese steelmakers started to seek larger volumes of cheaper ores...Read More

   •  Extends the recent consolidative price action for the third consecutive session.   •  Bulls seemed rather unimpressed by a subdued USD price action/cautious mood. Gold quickly reversed an early European session dip to fresh one-month lows, albeit remained well within a familiar trading range held over the past three trading session. Following the recen...Read More

Mining industry employees and jobseekers are prioritizing a work-life balance when they look for a new role or when they start feeling dissatisfied in the position they are in.This is according to a survey of almost 800 people conducted by Perth-based Mining People International in January 2019.The recruitment agency reported that when asked "What takes priority when you're searching for your next...Read More

Peru's Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism reported this week that exports dropped by 7.4% in January 2019 when compared to the same month of the previous year.Mineral production was down 1.26% in January.According to local media, the Ministry said that the largest fall was observed in mineral exports, which went down by 16.8% in January due to lower gold and copper prices. Sales of the yellow m...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday March 8 that are worth another look.It is "inevitable" that secondary lead will be listed on the Shanghai Futures Exchange in the future, given the material's rapid growth in supply and increasing market share in China's lead industry, Fastmarkets heard at the Consortium For Battery Innovation 2019 China Technical Workshop i...Read More

The US copper rod premium has again held steady, although market participants noted pressure from solid demand and tightening supply, citing reported output issues at copper rod producer Asarco.Fastmarkets AMM's assessment of the US copper rod premium was unchanged at 15-17 cents per lb delivered to the Midwest on Thursday March 7; the premium has remained at that level since January 3. "Demand is...Read More

While it seems to fly in the face of everything we believe and have been taught about nuclear power, it may actually be the safest form of power production that we have. Ironically, the immense potency of the power of splitting an atom is simultaneously what makes nuclear weapons so dangerous as well as what makes nuclear power so safe. Despite high-profile nuclear disasters like Chernobyl in Ukra...Read More

RAPAPORT... Fugitive Indian diamantaire Nirav Modi is living an upscale life in London and running a diamond business there, according to a reportby UK newspaper The Telegraph. The publication tracked down Modi to an GBP 8 million ($10.4million) apartment in London's West End. The jeweler, suspectedof defrauding Punjab National Bank of $2 billion, is involved in a newdiamond firm run out...Read More

RAPAPORT... Petra Diamonds recovered two gem-quality rough stones fromits Cullinan mine in South Africa Friday. The 100.83-carat, D-color, type IIstone and another 6.12-carat, blue, type II diamond will be included in the company'supcoming tender later this month. Petra's stock price rose 6% on the day of the announcement. The company's share performance has been suffering partly due to...Read More

RAPAPORT... Belgium's shipments of rough and polished slowed inFebruary. An 8% drop in the volume of polished exports outweighed growth in theaverage price, with the total value down 3% for the month, according to datathe Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) released last week. The decline reflected a drop in orders from Hong Kong, the US, Switzerland, Israel and India. Roughimports and export...Read More

Petra Diamonds Limited recovered a 100.83 carat D-Colour Type II gem quality diamond, following another recent recovery of a 6.12 carat Type II blue stone at its Cullinan Diamond Mine. According to the firm, the finds, which occurred earlier this month, demonstrate the prevalence of these types of stones in the Cullinan orebody as well as the ability of the mine's plant to recover the full spectr...Read More

This Spring, Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels and Jadeite auction in Hong Kong promises to deliver "a wealth of color and design through rare gems and intricately crafted jewels." The auction house will feature signed pieces by legendary maisons, such as an exquisite emerald and diamond necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels, alongside a specially curated collection of colored gemstones and colored diamon...Read More

Burdened with a bank debt of more than half a billion dollars, Eurostar Diamond Traders of Antwerp is close to bankruptcy, the Belgian daily De Tijd reported. ABN AMRO, Standard Chartered, as well as former accountants and former managers are among the creditors. The case is to come before Antwerp's Business Court in the second week of March 2019, after earlier this month the Court of Appeal dismi...Read More

Mining industry employees and jobseekers are prioritizing a work-life balance when they look for a new role or when they start feeling dissatisfied in the position they are in.This is according to a survey of almost 800 people conducted by Perth-based Mining People International in January 2019.The recruitment agency reported that when asked "What takes priority when you're searching for your next...Read More

Zimbabwean media reported that Anjin Investments, the diamond company partly owned by the Chinese, is expected to return to the mines in the Marange diamond fields of eastern Zimbabwe.Reportedly, local villagers and human-rights activists are not impressed. Before Anjin was expelled from the Marange diamond fields some three years ago by past President Robert Mugabe, the company was accused of of...Read More