The following Fastmarkets minor metals prices changed on Friday February 1:Minor metals Bismuth MB free market, $/lb: $3.70-4.20 per lb from $3.70-4.10Cadmium MB free market min 99.95%, cents/lb: 127-132 cents per lb from 125-130 centsCadmium MB free market min 99.99%, cents/lb:...Read More
The latest selenium transactions, bids, offers and assessments in Europe reported to Fastmarkets.Unless otherwise stated, all prices are per lb and on an in-warehouse Rotterdam basis. Delivered prices are netted back.To view the latest price assessment, click here.To see all Fastmarkets' pricing methodology and specification...Read More
An overview of the Chinese minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
A summary of Glencore's production results for the year ended December 31, 2018, as well as its production guidance for 2019.In briefThe year-on-year rises in copper and cobalt production were mainly attributed to the restart of Glencore's Katanga processing operations in late 2017. The company's copper sales in 2018 were 22,000 tonnes lower than production...Read More
Further weakness in China's Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI), that fell to 48.3 in January from 49.7 in the prior month, was enough to dent confidence in the base metals market this morning, Friday February 1, with prices for the most part weaker as a result. Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were down by an average of 0.3% this morning, with aluminiu...Read More
China's crude stainless steel output rose 3.6% to a new high in 2018, according to data released by the China Stainless Steel Council.The country produced 26.71 million tonnes of crude stainless steel last year, up 940,000 tonnes from 25.77 million tonnes a year earlier, according to the statistics released late on Thursday January 31. Of the total, 48% or 12.82 million tonnes consisted of 300-ser...Read More
The following Fastmarkets non-ferrous European free market scrap prices changed on Friday February 1:Aluminium scrapCast: ?,?960-1,010 per tonne from ?,?970-1,010Aluminium ingotDuty paid delivered...Read More
Asian ferrous scrap prices are riding on surges in iron ore prices and much-needed restocking activity by steel mills and are continuing on an upward trend, Fastmarkets heard on Friday February 1.The bullish sentiment in the iron ore markets has spilled over into the scrap markets. Traders have hurriedly raised their offer prices in response to stronger demand for more steelmaking raw materials fr...Read More
The import price for steel billet in Southeast Asia on Friday February 1 was stable day on day due to sluggish trading activity, although on a weekly basis the price inched up amid sparse offers received this week.Fastmarkets' daily import price assessment for billet in Southeast Asia was $450-460 per tonne cfr Manila on Friday, unchanged from Thursday. But week on week the range widened upward by...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were collectively higher day on day at the close of trading on Thursday January 31, with a softer US dollar and improved trade sentiment supporting commodity investment.Copper's three-month price continued on an upward trend throughout afternoon trading, with total volumes topping the complex and more than 18,000 lots changing hands by the close.Pric...Read More
Comex copper prices moved higher on Thursday morning in the United States, with an improving macroeconomic backdrop lifting the entire base metals complex.The copper price for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 2.25 cents to $2.79 per lb. "The improved macroeconomic backdrop has provided risk sentiment with a good bullish vibe, allowing the red met...Read More
Zinc gained more than 1% in morning trading on the London Metal Exchange on Thursday January 31, breaching technical support at its 100 DMA for the first time since July 2018 amid continued stock drawdowns and cancelations. Volumes were decent at more than 5,000 lots as of 10:00am London time, just behind copper's 5,800 lots. Easing tightness in zinc's cash/three-month spread, which has narrowed t...Read More
In Zhuzhou - former home of China's top zinc smelter - the skies aren't exactly blue, but they're starting to clear up. Today the city in Hunan province registered an air quality index of close to 250, regarded as "very unhealthy". Still, the index, which measures particulate matter PM2.5, was close to 280 at the same time last year. It was home to the Zhuzhou Smelter Group, the world's fifth larg...Read More
Bushveld Minerals Ltd increased annual revenues from vanadium mining by 142.7% in 2018 to $192.2 million on higher vanadium prices, the integrated South African producer announced on Wednesday January 30.However, the notably lower 32.9% increase between the third and fourth quarters, for fourth quarter revenues of $60.2 million, reflected vanadium prices coming off of a historic peak.For example,...Read More
US titanium producer Global Titanium, which is based in Detroit, Michigan, has suffered no impact to production after a fire at its plant earlier this month.The company, which has the capacity to make 10,000 tonnes per year of 70% grade (Ti) alloy and is one of the biggest ferro-titanium producers in the world, said the impact of the fire had only slowed production of fines. The fire on January 3...Read More
Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices moved down on Thursday January 31 following more bookings done at slightly lower levels, sources told Fastmarkets.Four more bookings add to the 16 other bookings that have come to light this week. A steel mill in the Samsun region booked a US cargo comprising 28,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (90:10) and 6,000 tonnes of shredded at an average price of $316 per tonne cfr...Read More
European molybdenum prices rose this trading this week, with both molybdenum oxide and ferro-molybdenum prices paring almost all losses so far this year, with higher oxide offer prices behind the rise in the alloy market.Still, there were few deals reported and industry sources said there is a disparity between oxide fundamentals and those in ferro-molybdenum, casting doubt on the sustainability o...Read More
US titanium producer Global Titanium, which is based in Detroit, Michigan, has suffered no impact to production after a fire at its plant earlier this month.The company, which has the capacity to make 10,000 tonnes per year of 70% grade (Ti) alloy and is one of the biggest ferro-titanium producers in the world, said the impact of the fire had only slowed production of fines. The fire on January 3...Read More
Comex copper prices moved higher on Thursday morning in the United States, with an improving macroeconomic backdrop lifting the entire base metals complex.The copper price for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 2.25 cents to $2.79 per lb. "The improved macroeconomic backdrop has provided risk sentiment with a good bullish vibe, allowing the red met...Read More
A dovish US Federal Reserve stance, a weaker dollar and a firmer Chinese yuan, which may indicate confidence in US-China trade talks, are all helping to underpin the three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange this morning, Thursday January 31.Lead and zinc prices led on the upside with gains of 0.6% and 0.5% respectively,followed by rises of 0.4% in tin, 0.3% in aluminium, 0.2% in...Read More