The Dow Jones was up some 300 points yesterday when the sirens wailed at 2 o'clock sharp… and Jerome Powell pickled the bomb switch.When the all-clear sounded at 4 p.m., the index was down 352 points. In all, the Dow swung 900 hair-raising points yesterday.Markets emerged from their shelter this morning to take a look around - and survey the damage.Still shaken, still rattled... they broke u...Read More
There's a bull market in gold, and you need to join in on the ride if you haven't already, according to CNBC's Jim CramerContinue...Read More
Mahenge the Cinderella of the graphite space?SPONSOREDblack rock miningSky is the limit for BSK at Amarillo GrandeSPONSOREDblue sky uraniumNew Energy brings experience to new dawnSPONSOREDnew energy mineralsSustained investment in people a big plus for consultancySPONSOREDbyrnecutDuring 2017, I wrote two ‘From the Capital' columns about ASX-listed Mustang Resources. The first, published on Read More
Mahenge the Cinderella of the graphite space?SPONSOREDblack rock miningSky is the limit for BSK at Amarillo GrandeSPONSOREDblue sky uraniumNew Energy brings experience to new dawnSPONSOREDnew energy mineralsSustained investment in people a big plus for consultancySPONSOREDbyrnecutNo one likes to be told what to do and I am no exception. All of us are brilliant, we all have superb judgement, we kno...Read More
Dear Friends,Greetings and best wishes for a happy, healthy, prosperousand peaceful New Year. The New Year is an important time for introspection. Forthinking about our past, present and future. This New Year has special importance for the Rapaport Groupas we celebrate 40 years of continuous publication of the Rapaport DiamondReport. While it is nice to announce longevity, celebrate survival and s...Read More
Positive sentiment in final sales-week beforeChristmas. Fashion jewelry for self-empowered women driving growth. Polishedtrading quiet as US and Belgium firms close for holidays. Dealers hoping strongUS shopping will stimulate wholesale demand in the first quarter. Chinesejewelers preparing for Feb. 5 Lunar New Year. Indian manufacturers cautious, withfactories below capacity after India's Nov. ro...Read More
Cautious sentiment amid rumors of furtherbankruptcies and job cuts among manufacturers. Polished production well belowcapacity, with some small- and medium-size factories still closed since Diwali.Stable rough demand from sightholders at last week's De Beers sight. Shortage ofbetter-quality SIs expected, as new production will only be available in mid-firstquarter. Steady consumer interest during...Read More
RAPAPORT... Swiss watch exports grew last month at their fastest ratefor two years amid an upturn in orders from the US and increased shipments ofhigh-end timepieces. Total exports rose 3.9% year on year to CHF 2.06 billion($2.09 billion) for the month, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industryreported Thursday. "The strongest increase was in the US, the second-mostimportant market, ag...Read More
RAPAPORT... Lucapa Diamond Company brought in $1.5 million at a sale of goods from its Mothae mine, with individual stones fetching up to $15,000 per carat.The Australia-based miner sold 4,000 carats of rough diamonds it recovered during initial bulk sampling at its assetin Lesotho, which began commercial production earlier this month, it said Thursday.Last week, Lucapa recovered a 78-carat w...Read More
RAPAPORT... The second-largest diamond in history was probably twice as big before it broke into pieces, researchers at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) have claimed.Similarities between the 1,109-carat Lesedi La Rona, the 812-carat Constellation and three other stones suggest they were all one large piece of rough weighing at least 2,774 carats beforevolcanic eruptions or mining process...Read More
RAPAPORT... Whether it's a blessing or curse, we're certainly living in interesting times, and 2018 delivered a host of standout developments that will have a lasting impact on the diamond industry. In the latest Rapaport Diamond Podcast, the editorial team looks back at some of the key themes that shaped the year in our coverage on Diamonds.net. What were the biggest stories of the year...Read More
(IDEX Online) - The Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE) is to join the MyKYCBank platform of India's Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council. Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman of DMCC, and Chairman of DDE, and Pramod Kumar Agrawal, Chairman, GJEPC, signed the agreement which enables DMCC members trading in diamonds, gold and precious stones to join the MyKYCBank platform. DM...Read More
(IDEX Online) - Lucapa Diamond Company Limited has announced the finalization of S$7 million in development funding from the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC) for its Mothae kimberlite diamond mine in Lesotho. The funding from the IDC, which is one of the largest development financiers in southern Africa, followed the execution of the loan and ancillary agreements and...Read More
A steel trade group argued that the statute under which the US Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum imports were issued was unconstitutional, according to oral arguments during a US Court of International Trade (CIT) hearing on Wednesday December 19. The American Institute for International Steel (AIIS) alleged that the statute violates the constitutional prohibition against Congress delegati...Read More
The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) plans to remove sanctions against UC Rusal and En+ Group in 30 days due to significant restructuring and corporate governance changes, it said in a notice.Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska will remain sanctioned, however, and his property will remain blocked."Treasury sanctioned these companies because of their ownership and...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly higher at the close of trading on Wednesday December 19, reflecting a continued retreat in the dollar index The three-month copper price climbed 0.7%, ending back above $6,000 per tonne. In a quiet trading day, 16,200 lots of copper changed hands. In supply-side news, judges earlier this week ordered the reopening of Sterlite Copper's Tut...Read More
Alcoa will start to curtail half of the one operating potline at its Aluminierie de Becancour Inc (ABI) smelter in Quebec, Canada, it said on Wednesday December 19. The smelter has a nameplate capacity of 413,000 tonnes per year across its three potlines. Alcoa owns 74.95% of the Becancour smelter while Rio Tinto owns the remaining...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
A requirement for a higher energy density for new EV battery projects has been removed from the official regulations on automobile industry investment published by the country's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) on its website. The energy density threshold was removed from the final version of the regulations on Tuesday December 18 owing to the fact that current technology is not d...Read More
Turkish scrap import prices fell again Wednesday December 19, following news of a fresh deep-sea cargo booking, sources told Fastmarkets MB.Details of a steel producer in the Iskenderun region booking a European cargo, comprising 25,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (75:25), 7,000 tonnes of a mixture of bonus and shredded and 3,000 tonnes of busheling, at an average price of $285 per tonne cfr, came to light...Read More