London Metal Exchange chief executive officer Matthew Chamberlain said he hopes the new changes to the exchange's market structure will increase volumes and be long-term changes."Do I think that we'll be able to get more business as a result of the changes we're making? Yes I do," Chamberlain said on Tuesday June 8. "It's always a little bit speculative in this business, people always say I will t...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in China's domestic market fell slightly on Tuesday June 8, with the futures prices extending their decline in the morning before clawing back some losses in the afternoon.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,450-5,520 yuan ($853-864) per tonne, widening by 10-50 yuan per tonne.The most-traded HRC futures contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange touched a one-week low of 5,1...Read More
The Cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets...Read More
The Cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lbtrade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Read More
Trafigura's head of metals and minerals, Amin Zahir, is leaving the trading company, Fastmarkets heard on Tuesday June 8.The move will mean that Trafigura's metal unit heads - Kostas Bintas, Socrates Economou, Philippe Muller and Gonzalo De Olazaval - will report directly to chief executive officer Jeremy Weir, who himself has a background in metals.Trafigura made record profits last...Read More
The antimony market weakened further in May amid declining cif prices from China, which were mirrored in Europe. But the market has been showing increasing disparity with some producers offering material at higher levels due to low inventories in Rotterdam for prompt delivery.In China, the antimony price has moved steadily lower since peaking at 69,000-70,000 yuan ($10,833-10,990) per tonne in ear...Read More
Prices for steel scrap imported into China were unchanged on Tuesday June 8 amid scarce spot market activity.Fastmarkets' daily price assessment for steel scrap, heavy recycled steel materials, cfr China, which takes into account prices at ports in eastern China, was $510-530 per tonne on Tuesday, unchanged from a day earlier.No new bids were heard on Tuesday, with the latest bid coming in on Mond...Read More
A rise in Covid-19 cases in China's Guangdong province in recent weeks has led to tighter controls and rigorous testing at the huge Yantian International Container Terminal (YICT), causing extended delays in southern China.YICT is one of China's busiest container ports, handling around 13 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) each year, according to The Maritime Executive news website.Althoug...Read More
LME base metals have looked tired, having lost their upward momentum in the past few days, but underlying support looks plentiful, with all the base metals on the SHFE being in positive territory this morning, Wednesday June 9.* US 10-year treasury yields have fallen, not on haven buying, but because the market seems more sanguine that central banks will not rock the boat anytime soon...* ...but w...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were slightly higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 4 points in pre-opening trade. The Canadian Dollar was quiet at US82.78 cents prior to news from the Bank of Canada. Its overnight lending rate for Canada's major banks to be announced at 10:00 AM EDT is expected to remain unchanged at 0.25%.UPS (UPS $209.76) is expected to open higher after the company raised...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday June 7 that are worth another look.ArcelorMittal is seeking approval from European authorities for its acquisition of steelmaking assets in France that belong to Liberty Steel, the European Commission (EC) said on June 7.Fresh deals for the supply of aluminium ingot...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were largely down at the 5pm close on Monday June 7, with the exception of lead which held strongly amid the ongoing and tightly contested presidential election in Peru. "Lead and zinc are trading in their own tandem due to the close presidential election call in Peru," Fastmarkets analyst Andy Farida said. The lead price closed at $2,153 per tonne t...Read More
Physical commodities trading company Trafigura Pte Ltd and agricultural commodities firm Yara International ASA have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the development and promotion of ammonia as a clean fuel in shipping, Trafigura said. The companies have also agreed to explore opportunities to work together on certain clean green and blue ammonia fuel infrastructure and...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday June 7 that are worth another look.ArcelorMittal is seeking approval from European authorities for its acquisition of steelmaking assets in France that belong to Liberty Steel, the European Commission (EC) said on June 7.Fresh deals for the supply of aluminium ingot...Read More
Brazilian exports of alumina decreased by 7.81% in May 2021 over the corresponding month of last year, mainly due to reduced shipments from Norsk Hydro's Alunorte refinery, according to data published in the week ended Friday June 4 by the country's ministry of economy.The country exported 718,843 tonnes of alumina in May, down from 779,769 tonnes a year before. The volume also fell month on month...Read More
Seaborne manganese ore prices jumped by as much as 12% during the week to Friday June 4 after miners hiked offers amid rising freight costs, a stronger South African rand and strength downstream.Fastmarkets' manganese ore 44% Mn, cif Tianjin jumped by 58 cents (12.30%) to $5.29 per dry metric tonne (dmtu) on Friday, from $4.71 per dmtu a week prior.Fastmarkets' manganese ore index 37% Mn, cif Tian...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday June 7 that are worth another look.ArcelorMittal is seeking approval from European authorities for its acquisition of steelmaking assets in France that belong to Liberty Steel, the European Commission (EC) said on June 7.Fresh deals for the supply of aluminium ingot...Read More
Belgian battery-materials manufacturer Umicore has appointed Mathias Miedreich chief executive officer to succeed Marc Grynberg, with the appointment to take effect in the fourth quarter of 2021, the company said on Monday June 7.Grynberg and Miedreich will work together to achieve a smooth transition, the company said.Miedreich has worked at Faurecia, a global automotive supplier with a strong fo...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Chinese steel scrap prices were supported by firm downstream steel prices earlier this year, but they fell sharply over the second half of May. The drop in scrap prices in the latter half of the month came after authorities signalled a wish to cool down commodity prices, including those for steel and steelmaking raw material...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mainly lower this morning, Monday June 7, after the rally sparked by Friday's worse-than-expected US employment report ran out of steam.China's imports climbed 51% and exports were up 28% year on year in May.The US Dollar Index weakened after Friday's disappointing employment report in the United States.Base metalsLME three-month base metals pri...Read More