U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures advanced 11 points in pre-opening trade. Johnson & Johnson added $1.21 to $164.27 after the company announced a split in operations into two separate entities. Nvidia dropped $3.90 to $300.00 after Wedbush downgraded the stock from Outperform to Neutral.Hewlett Packard Enterprises fell 40.74 to $15.20 after Goldman Sachs d...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed on the morning of Friday November 12, but those on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mainly firmer while they followed Thursday’s strong gains on the LME.* Geopolitical tensions rise after the United States warns the European Union that Russia might invade Ukraine.* Given the EU has become rather dependent on Russian natural gas, Rus...Read More
Johnson Matthey (JM) is pursuing the sale of all or parts of its battery materials division following a detailed review.This reflects the high capital intensity of those operations in the face of competition from more established large-scale, low-cost producers, the UK-based specialty chemical and sustainable technologies company said in a press release on Thursday November 11.Growth in demand for...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were largely up at the 5pm close of trading on Thursday November 11, after a strong morning performance and reassuring news that emerged from the Chinese property sector."Chinese stock markets gained, on growing confidence that the authorities would ease the crackdown on the property sector and support developers," Anna Stablum, LME desk analyst at M...Read More
China's output and sales of automobiles continued their year-on-year decline in October due to the continuing semiconductor chip shortage, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) said in its monthly report published on Wednesday November 10.Automobile output and sales in the country dropped by 8.8% and 9.4% year on year respectively, both to 2.33 million units in October, CAAM dat...Read More
Turkish steel mills were quiet in the deep-sea scrap import markets on Thursday November 11 after booking two cargoes from the Baltic Sea region, sources told Fastmarkets.A steel mill in the Marmara region had booked two Baltic Sea cargoes late on Tuesday November 9 at $497 and $500 per tonne cfr on HMS 1&2 (80:20) basis. Turkish steelmakers required more cargoes for December,...Read More
(Updates prices) By Eric Onstad LONDON, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Copper prices rebounded onThursday after debt-burdened China Evergrande Group again dodgeda default, raising hopes of government support for a propertysector that can drive significant demand for metals.Several of developer Evergrande's bondholders had receivedinterest payments on three bond tranches worth more than $148million, reports sa...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday November 10.Key drivers European ferro-titanium spot prices were unchanged for the fourth week in a row after a tender for annual delivery in 2022 from Korean steel major Posco dragged on longer than expected. There have been no reported spot trades over the week to Wednesday November 10. Market participants expected the settlement...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday November 10 that are worth another look.Focusing on the United Nation's 17 Sustainable Development Goals could be a "better framework" to capture the overlap between the environmental, societal and governmental aspects that mining companies have to consider in their moves toward sustainability, the chief...Read More
An overview of the consumer electronics markets and their latest price moves on Wednesday November 10.Ruby Liu in...Read More
Domestic steel reinforcing bar prices in the United States were flat week on week at a 13-year high, with many market participants expecting the number to increase again before long.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), fob mill US was $50.25 per hundredweight ($1,005 per short ton) on Wednesday November 10, sideways from the previous week at its highest point since the...Read More
Nickel premiums rose in Europe and the United States in the week ended November 10 due to tight supply conditions pushing premiums and spot activity higher; China retreated slightly amid an increased arbitrage loss.US nickel premiums continue to rise to historic highsPremiums in Europe rise to highest level in 2021Chinese premiums retreat slightly with arbitrage loss between London and ShanghaiEur...Read More
Cobalt hydroxide suppliers have made aggressive offers in negotiations for annual long-term contracts, sources told Fastmarkets on the sidelines of the Antaike Nickel & Cobalt conference in Ningbo, China, on November 1-3.Since the annual mating season in 2019, most cobalt hydroxide sellers and buyers have adopted a pricing mechanism for their long-term contracts for the crucial and preferred cobal...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices fell to an eight-month low on Wednesday November 10, with the decline coming amid persistently weak demand.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 4,640-4,670 yuan ($726-730) per tonne, down by 260-270 yuan per tonnePrices are now at their lowest since March 12, when they were at 4,700-4,730 yuan per tonne.The major reason for the sharp decline was bearish sentiment caused...Read More
Steel rebar producers in Southern Europe have achieved higher prices in deals over the past week amid increased buying activity and high costs, with optimistic sentiment supported by the new EU-US trade agreement, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday November 10.Fastmarkets' assessment of the price for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, delivered Southern Europe, climbed to ?,?765-800 ($887...Read More
Domestic stainless steel prices continued their sharp drop in the week ended Wednesday November 10, with the low price attracting higher buying interest.DomesticStainless steel cold-rolled coil 2mm grade 304 domestic (Wuxi): 19,300-19,500 ($3,019-3,050) per tonne, down by 500-700 yuan per tonne from a week earlier."Deals [have been] hard to conclude when prices [have been] above 20,000 yuan per to...Read More
Prices for low-carbon ferro-chrome continued to rise strongly in the week to Wednesday November 10, with the market still undersupplied and prices reaching a new record high since collapsing in November 2008.Fastmarkets' price assessment for ferro-chrome 0.10% C, average 65-70% Cr, delivered Europe, was $3.80-4.09 per lb Cr on November 9, up by 34-37 cents from $3.43-3.75 per lb Cr two weeks earli...Read More
Turkish steel mills resumed their deep-sea scrap imports on Wednesday November 10, with prices showing a slight downturn, market participants told Fastmarkets.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a Baltic Sea cargo comprising 20,000 tonnes of heavy melting scrap 1&2 (80:20) at $497 per tonne and 10,000 tonnes of bonus at $517 per tonne cfr.The same mill booked a second Baltic Sea cargo consis...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday November 9 that are worth another look.Carbon offsets and trading are an effective and quick way to contend with a future global ecosystem of green taxes, or the "green taxonomy," a sustainability consultancy said.Growing consumer appetite for sustainable products...Read More
Trading activity was still limited in the European hot-rolled coil sector on Wednesday November 10, with buyers pausing their purchasing activity to assess the market, sources told Fastmarkets.Producers, meanwhile, have been insisting on increasing their prices for first-quarter-rolling coil in 2022, claiming that the rises were necessary due to higher costs for energy, transportation and carbon.S...Read More