While Wall Street climbs to record highs on optimism for a United States-China trade deal and on merger and acquisition developments, the metals at best tread water, while some head lower. Asian equities are mainly stronger, led by a 0.83% rise in the Australian ASX 200 index.Meanwhile, gold and the yen are trending lower, but US government bond yields are weaker - so a mixed picture for the...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 5 points in pre-opening trade. Equity index futures moved slightly higher following release of economic news at 8:30 AM EST. Consensus for October Durable Goods Orders was a drop of 1.0% versus a decline of 1.2% in September. Actual was an increase of 0.6%. Excluding transportation orders, consensus for October Durable...Read More
The premium for aluminium billet in the US and Italy continued to hit record lows, with poor fundamentals putting sustained downward pressure on the market.US premium hits another record low Aggressive market conditions in Italy persist Brazil billet market quiet Thailand premium steady US premium drops to all-time lowFastmarkets' aluminium 6063 extrusion billet premium, delivered Midwest US, fell...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday November 22 that are worth another look.Prices in Southeast Asia's steel billet market rose in the week to November 22 as Chinese buyers continued to snap up material in the spot market, sources told Fastmarkets.Japanese and Korean copper smelters are likely to follow the contract for 2020 treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs)...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday November 22 that are worth another look.Prices in Southeast Asia's steel billet market rose in the week to November 22 as Chinese buyers continued to snap up material in the spot market, sources told Fastmarkets.Japanese and Korean copper smelters are likely to follow the contract for 2020 treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs)...Read More
Steel billet prices in most markets around the world continued to experience gains in the week ended Friday November 22 because suppliers were unwilling to provide discounts to buyers while the arbitrage window between international and domestic Chinese prices remained open. Scrap prices in Turkey, the world's largest importer of the steelmaking raw material, have strengthened since plunging to a...Read More
Diplomats at the World Trade Organisation's goods council have attacked the European Union over its plans to integrate titanium dioxide and cobalt into its health and safety laws, claiming this could impose unnecessary restrictions on exporting certain stainless steels to the EU.The European Parliament is considering regulating these steel inputs under its classification, labeling and packaging of...Read More
Steelmaking in electric arc furnaces (EAF) is already a good example of a waste-free circular economy since more than half of global steel output is being recycled, even if higher-quality materials are still produced from virgin materials and fossil-fueled processes, the president of the European Steel Technology Platform (ESTEP) said at a workshop in Bergamo, northern Italy last week. Carl de Mar...Read More
Tata Steel has outlined proposals to build a stronger and more sustainable business in Europe, which include cutting up to 3,000 jobs, the company said on Monday November 18.The programme is needed to "ensure the business can thrive despite severe market headwinds which have led to a sharp decline in profitability", the company said.In the first six months of its current financial year, which comm...Read More
Steel billet prices in most markets around the world continued to experience gains in the week ended Friday November 22 because suppliers were unwilling to provide discounts to buyers while the arbitrage window between international and domestic Chinese prices remained open. Scrap prices in Turkey, the world's largest importer of the steelmaking raw material, have strengthened since plunging to a...Read More
The premium for aluminium billet in the US and Italy continued to hit record lows, with poor fundamentals putting sustained downward pressure on the market.US premium hits another record low Aggressive market conditions in Italy persist Brazil billet market quiet Thailand premium steady US premium drops to all-time lowFastmarkets' aluminium 6063 extrusion billet premium, delivered Midwest US, fell...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday November 22 that are worth another look.Prices in Southeast Asia's steel billet market rose in the week to November 22 as Chinese buyers continued to snap up material in the spot market, sources told Fastmarkets.Japanese and Korean copper smelters are likely to follow the contract for 2020 treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs)...Read More
If you are a producer or consumer, or are active in the physical markets, then you had better be aware of a new set of regulations that will make it all the more important for you to choose the right logistics partner from next year.The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has ruled that from January 1, 2020, the marine sector will have to reduce sulfur emissions by more than 80% by switching...Read More
Most major aluminium producers agree that tackling the carbon intensity of the smelting process is one of the biggest challenges facing their industry. What they cannot agree on is how to deal with the situation, as a lively panel hosted by Fastmarkets during LME Week at the end of October showed. Aluminium smelting is an energy-intensive business and the market is starting to differentiate b...Read More
Bearish macroeconomic signals and oversupply have put minor metals and ferro-alloys prices variously under pressure over 2019; the structure and terms of contracts agreed over the coming weeks will show how market participants are accounting for those signals ahead of 2020. A slowing global economy alongside uncertainty over the China-United States trade dispute and Brexit have slowed minor metals...Read More
Copper has attempted to rebound since early September following a marked sell-off in the summer months where macro and fundamental forces have been prevalent.On the macro front, copper has benefited from a slight easing in US-China trade tensions and more monetary policy easing across the globe - including China, where copper consumption is the most exposed - that has shored up investor sentiment....Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday November 22 that are worth another look.Prices in Southeast Asia's steel billet market rose in the week to November 22 as Chinese buyers continued to snap up material in the spot market, sources told Fastmarkets.Japanese and Korean copper smelters are likely to follow the contract for 2020 treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs)...Read More
Another wave of optimism regarding United States-China trade talks has boosted broader markets and weakened havens, but the base metals have not taken much notice yet. Asian equities are stronger led by a 1.3% rise in the Hang Seng.Base metalsThree-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed this morning, Monday November 25. Nickel was the main mover with a 0.7% fall to $...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 2 points in pre-opening trade.Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS $75.80) is expected to open higher after reporting higher than consensus fiscal fourth quarter earnings.Best Buy advanced $3.05 to $77.30 after reporting higher than consensus third quarter earnings. The company also raised guidance. Dick's Sporting Goods gained $5...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 7 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures responded to news on U.S./China trade negotiations confirming that China plans to increase penalties on Chinese companies that steel intellectual property.TDAmeritrade has agreed to its purchase by Schwab in an all-stock deal valued at $26 billion. Each TDAmeritrade will swa...Read More