Here is an inside look into silver speculation, a comparison between the speculative trades of Buffett and the Hunt Brothers, and a whole lot more...WIlliam Silber interviewed on SBTVSBTV had a great conversation with Professor William L. Silber, a Professor of Finance and Economics at the Stern School of Business at the New York University. Tune in for an inside look into the speculative silver t...Read More

Gold futures finished lower Monday after upbeat readings on economic activity in China and the U.S. helped to momentarily soothe some worries over global growth, providing a lift to equity markets and a drag on assets perceived as havens. Gold for June delivery GCM9, +0.10% the most active contract, fell $4.30, or 0.3%, to $1,294.20 an ounce. May silver SIK9, +0.23% was off 1.1 cents, or less th...Read More

Comex copper prices dipped on Tuesday April 2 morning in the United States amid a stronger dollar, weak domestic data and a lack of follow-through buying from the weekend.The copper price for May settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 1.30 cents to $2.9115 per lb.A strong performance by the US dollar has dampened investors' appetite for commodities this morning,...Read More

The Ugandan government is making another attempt to reopen a defunct copper mine estimated to contain 4 million tonnes of ore, it said on Tuesday, and several international firms have expressed interest in the project.Once a major producer of copper and cobalt, Kilembe was abandoned by Canadian firm Falconbridge in the 1970s when Uganda's economy stagnated under the erratic leadership of dictator...Read More

Canadian miner First Quantum Minerals (TSX:FM) is planning a $327 million expansion of its already massive mining and processing complex in Panama, the largest copper mine coming to market over the next couple of years and the biggest single private sector investment in the nation's history.According to an updated technical report for Cobre Panama, located about 120 km west of Panama City and...Read More

Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices fell sharply after confirmation of transactions done late last week, sources said on Tuesday April 2.A steel producer in the Marmara region booked a European cargo, comprising 22,000-23,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $308 per tonne and 5,000 tonnes of bonus at $318 per tonne cfr on Thursday March 28.And a mill in the Izmir region booked a UK cargo, comprising...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday April 2 that are worth another look.China's threshold for electric vehicles to receive subsidies in 2019 has been increased again while the value of subsidies has been cut sharply, which was expected by the majority of market participants who are now cautiously checking the resulting impact on the battery supply chain....Read More

Sales volumes for Brazilian aluminium producer Companhia Brasileira de Alum?-nio (CBA) totaled 405,000 tonnes in 2018, an increase from 367,000 tonnes in the previous year, parent company Votorantim said in its earnings report published on Tuesday April 2.The figure was comprised of primary aluminium and downstream products. CBA makes ingots, billets, bars, foils, sheets and sections.Most of the g...Read More

A burgeoning interest in Canada's emerging cannabis sector, which spiked after recreational use of marijuana was legalized in October, is sucking investment capital away from the mining sector, and hitting juniors hardest, a new study shows.According to BDO's Sherif Andrawes, investments in Canadian cannabis companies increased from C$43 million to C$770 million from the first half of 2016 to the...Read More

Hermes Belous Freire left his role as sales account manager for cobalt products at Norilsk Nickel on Monday April 1, Fastmarkets understands. Cobalt sales will be handled by Norilsk's nickel...Read More

Mitsui Kinzoku, Japan's major zinc producer, plans to produce 112,600 tonnes of zinc metal in the first half of its financial-year 2019 (April-September), an increase of 9.4% year on year, the company said on Monday April 1. The company's actual zinc production in the second half of fiscal-year 2018 was down 4.2% from...Read More

Prices for steel rebar and billet in the United Arab Emirates were again unchanged this week as a result of continuing moderate demand, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday April 2.Domestic rebarLocal rebar producers in the UAE kept their prices unchanged for May production, with demand expected to stay weak because Ramadan starts early in the month.The country's largest producer, Emirates Steel, h...Read More

Export prices for Chinese cold-rolled coil (CRC) and hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG) were largely stable again during the week to Tuesday April 2 amid thin trading due to low selling interest and weak overseas demand.In particular, buying interest from Southeast Asia was muted due to the recently concluded election in Thailand as well as the upcoming elections in Indonesia and the Philippines, Ch...Read More

A few Chinese hot-rolled coil exporters lowered their prices on Tuesday April 2 to stimulate trading activity despite gains in the domestic market.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,860-3,870 yuan ($575-577) per tonne, up 20-30 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,790-3,810 yuan per tonne, up 20 yuan per tonneMills raised their prices during the day in response to the gains in the futures ma...Read More

The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, hot-dipped galvanized coil, pre-painted galvanized iron, steel plate, steel sheet and other flat steel products. Latest transaction: hot-rolled coilHot-rolled coilEast China, domestic, commercial-grade...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices picked up some strength on Tuesday April 2 on gains in the futures market and good demand, though export offers fell with mills attempting to secure more orders from abroad. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,850-3,900 yuan ($574-581) per tonne, up 20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,860-3,900 yuan per tonne, up 20 yuan per tonneGains in the futures market...Read More

RAPAPORT... A rare oval diamond sold for nearly $14 million at Sotheby'sin Hong Kong Tuesday, beating its high estimate of $12.7 million. The oval brilliant-cut, 88.22-carat, D-color, flawless, typeIIa stone is one of only three oval diamonds over 50 carats offered in auctionhistory, Sotheby's said. The hammer went down on it at $13.8 million, or $156,150 per carat, at theMagnificent Jewels a...Read More

The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for steel billet, slab and bloom....Read More

The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for rebar, wire rod, steel beams and other long steel products. Latest transaction: rebar, wire rodRebar East China, domestic, grade III 16-25mm...Read More

RAPAPORT... Macy's has named Dennis Mullahy chief supply officer, a role in which he will oversee everything involved in getting products to the shelves.He will supervise all aspects of supply, including globalsourcing, inventory management, store and e-commerce distribution,transportation, indirect procurement, supply-chain systems, sustainability, andsupplier diversity. "We are investing in our...Read More