The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Chinese export prices for seamless oil country tubular goods (OCTG) and linepipe barely moved in February 2021, after rallying in January, because the holidays to celebrate the Lunar New Year curbed market activity sharply.With the holiday now ended, we have seen some sharp jumps in round billet prices and we expect there to...Read More

RAPAPORT... JCK's first diversity grant has gone to the Black in Jewelry Coalition (BIJC), which will use the funds in its efforts to help Black professionals progress in the industry."This grant helps us hit the ground running with many of the initiatives we have planned this year and beyond," BIJC president and cofounder Annie Doresca said last week. The JCK Industry Fund will help BIJC - the fi...Read More

London Metal Exchange zinc took out its 2020 high of $2,900 per tonne on Monday February 22 morning due to the complex being in rally mode, which has pushed all forward prices to set new multi-year highs."The fact that all the base metals are forging ahead this morning...supports our view that the markets are focused on the nearby Covid-19 recovery. The upturn is also supported by the huge underly...Read More

RAPAPORT... Boaz Moldawsky has been elected president of the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE) for a three-year term, succeeding Yoram Dvash.Moldawsky, who has previously served as vice president of the IDE, won after two rounds of voting, the IDE said Sunday. The co-CEO of the Moldawsky Group, a diamond-manufacturing and trading company, has also been chairman of the Israel Diamond Institute (IDI). A...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange were up significantly across the board this morning, Monday February 22, with all base metals on the LME setting fresh multi- month or year highs.Relief that vaccine programmes are being rolled out across many countries to underpin economic recovery, along with the knowledge that past and future stimulus packages will be...Read More

(IDEX Online) - A billionaire with diamond and copper interests in Congo reportedly had his assets unfrozen in the final days of the Trump administration.Israeli Dan Gertler, 47, (pictured) had long been accused of striking corrupt deals in the country, and in 2017 he had his US assets frozen.But in a surprise move he reached a one-year agreement with Trump's treasury secretary to unlock thos...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Boaz Moldawsky has been elected as new president of the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE).He will take over from Yoram Dvash, who stood down after five years in office to focus on his role at the helm of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses.Mr Moldawsky, 54, (pictured) a former vice president of the IDE, emerged yesterday as winner of a tense election, which went to a second round o...Read More

RAPAPORT... The developer of a new jewelry retail complex in Miami has secured a $23.6 million loan, enabling it to move forward with the project.The funds from City National Bank of Florida will go toward completing phase one of the Time Century Jewelry Center program. This consists of constructing the building's retail and wholesale space, which spans the basement, ground, mezzanine and sec...Read More

The domestic hot-rolled coil price in Northern Europe remained fairly stable on Monday February 22, supported by low availability and strong demand.Fastmarkets calculated its daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, at ?,?725.00 ($878.51) per tonne on Monday February 22, up by ?,?1.25 per tonne from ?,?723.75 per tonne on February 19.The index was also up by ?,?6.87 per to...Read More

Slab producers from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) increased their offers to foreign customers due to the positive trend in the finished flat steel products and raw materials markets, with a return of demand in some of the key outlets supporting an uptick in slab prices also, sources said.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab, export, fob Black Sea, CIS was $650-660 per...Read More

The domestic market for flat steel in Russia's Central Federal District around Moscow was subdued during the week to Monday February 22, with poor weather conditions affecting deliveries and new offers expected later this week, sources told Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel hot-rolled (HR) sheet, domestic, cpt Moscow, Russia was unchanged week on week at 62,000-64,000 rou...Read More

Buying activity in the domestic steel rebar market in Russia's Central Federal District around Moscow was close to nil in the week to Monday February 22, due to bad weather conditions, Fastmarkets has heard.Official offer prices from major suppliers to the region were unchanged, but sources were expecting a downward correction soon.Snowstorms in the region over the assessment week put construction...Read More

Crude steel production in Italy inched higher year on year in January, while output in the long-steel sector registered a larger increase than that of the flat-steel sector, Italian steel association Federacciai said on Friday February 19. Italian crude steel production totaled 1.89 million tonnes in January, up by 0.7% from 1.88 million tonnes in the corresponding month last year. Long steel outp...Read More

China's hot-rolled prices coil prices rallied on Monday February 22 after dipping last Friday in tandem with overall gains in the industrial commodities sector amid concerns over inflation in the global market. DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,850-4,870 yuan ($748-751) per tonne, up 150-170 yuan per tonneSeveral traders in Shanghai said that while trading activity in the spot market was weak, s...Read More

Hot Chili knock, knock, knockin' on tier 1 doorSPONSOREDhot chiliHudbay had $1.1 billion of debt at the end of 2020 and $439 million in cash. In September, 2020, Hudbay completed an issuance of $600 million of 6.Read More

Azure's Western Australia nickel success could get golden hueSPONSOREDazure mineralsAuteco has the right ingredients with PickleSPONSOREDauteco mineralsHot Chili knock, knock, knockin' on tier 1 doorSPONSOREDhot chiliEnvironmental and social governance (ESG) is critical to the success of miningSPONSOREDonyen corporationHowever it flagged an issue at Pampacancha in Peru, where new COVID-19...Read More

Hot Chili knock, knock, knockin' on tier 1 doorSPONSOREDhot chiliThe project was 40% complete at the end of 2020 with initial production expected in the second semester of 2022, although the company cautioned that was "dependent on our continued ability toRead More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange were up significantly across the board this morning, Monday February 22, with all base metals on the LME setting fresh multi- month or year highs.Relief that vaccine programmes are being rolled out across many countries to underpin economic recovery, along with the knowledge that past and future stimulus packages will be...Read More

Liberty Steel, part of the GFG Alliance, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with plant builder Paul Wurth and holding company Stahl-Holding-Saar (SHS) to develop a hydrogen-based steelmaking plant at its site in Dunkirk, France, the company said on Monday February 22.Paul Wurth is part of equipment provider SMS Group and has a partnership with hydrogen technology provider Sunfire, whil...Read More

Turkish steel scrap prices continued to rise on news of another cargo from the US on Monday February 22, which also led to a knock-on increase in finished steel and billet prices, sources told Fastmarkets. A steel producer in the northern Turkey booked a US cargo, comprising shredded at $440 per tonne and bonus at $445 per tonne cfr on Saturday February 20. The cargo composition has not yet been s...Read More