U.S. equity index futures were mixed this morning. S&P 500 futures were unchanged in pre-opening trade. Index futures were virtually unchanged following release of the Weekly Jobless Claims report at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus was an increase to 213,000 from revised 207,000 last week. Actual was 215,000.Shopify advanced $23.69 to $341.57 after reporting higher than consensus second quarter earning...Read More
Three-month base metals prices traded on the London Metal Exchange universally closed down at the afternoon kerb on July 30, with a strengthened dollar complex and inflows across all metals, except zinc, exerting downward price pressure.An increasingly macro-sensitive base metals complex may be reacting to United States President Donald Trump's assertions, via social media, that current US-Sino tr...Read More
French multi-metals miner Eramet's Weda Bay Indonesian nickel pig iron (NPI) project, which houses an estimated 10,000-tonne deposit of laterite nickel ore, will come online in the second half of 2020.The project is being developed with Chinese stainless steel producer Tsinghan, which is undertaking all construction costs and will hold a subsequent 43% stake in the venture, and will focus on NPI p...Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month zinc price increased during morning trading on Tuesday July 30, making a steady approach toward $2,500 per tonne amid broadly low turnover and continued US dollar strength. Volumes traded in the galvanizing metal were moderate as of 8:55am, but led a broadly lackluster complex with 2,200 lots exchanged. Reaching an intra-morning high of $2,488 per tonne,...Read More
The accelerated ramp-up of the new Cobre Panama copper mine in the central American country has brought the start of its commercial production forward by several months to before the end of the third quarter, according to owner First Quantum Minerals.The company had previously expected to begin commercial production at the mine in Panama, which is the industry's only major greenfield project and w...Read More
China's leading stainless steel mills have kept their high-carbon ferro-chrome tender prices for August unchanged from the prior month.Tsingshan Group and Baosteel announced August tender prices of 6,296 yuan ($913) per tonne and 6,300 yuan per tonne respectively on Friday July 26, flat with those announced for July. This was followed by Taiyuan Iron & Steel (Tisco) announcing on Tuesday that it w...Read More
Zijin Mining's 150,000-tonne-per-year copper smelter in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province will be commissioned on Sunday August 18, sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Fastmarkets."The igniting of the new furnace is set for August 18 and raw material will be fed into the smelter from September," one source said. Construction of the smelter began in May 2017 and it has capacity t...Read More
French multi-metals miner Eramet's Weda Bay Indonesian nickel pig iron (NPI) project, which houses an estimated 10,000-tonne deposit of laterite nickel ore, will come online in the second half of 2020.The project is being developed with Chinese stainless steel producer Tsinghan, which is undertaking all construction costs and will hold a subsequent 43% stake in the venture, and will focus on NPI p...Read More
Intense buying from Chinese speculators and foreign traders over the past two weeks is unlikely to cause China's cobalt metal market to slip into a significant supply deficit in the near term, market participants told Fastmarkets.Steady production of cobalt metal in China amid weak downstream consumption during the slower summer months and extensive importing have limited the effect that recent st...Read More
Fastmarkets MB has corrected its weekly price assessments for steel scrap exported from the UK, which were published incorrectly on Friday July 26. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix) export, fob main port UK, was originally published at $274-277 per tonne. This has now been corrected to $270-272 per tonne. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap s...Read More
Turkish steel producers have left the deep-sea scrap market silent for a second day this week due to slow trading conditions in the summer lull, sources said on Tuesday July 30.The mills booked four deep-sea cargoes last week but stepped away from the market at the end of the week.Some sources said that steel producers in Turkey still needed material for August shipments, however. But they will ke...Read More
In the absence of fresh economic news on Monday July 29, the early weakness in metals prices ran into dip-buying. While the base metals have not followed equities to fresh highs, far from it, the underlying supply fundamentals do seem to be providing support. While wider markets may be waiting for Wednesday's US interest rate decision, the metals are likely to wait for news on US-China trade talks...Read More
Intense buying from Chinese speculators and foreign traders over the past two weeks is unlikely to cause China's cobalt metal market to slip into a significant supply deficit in the near term, market participants told Fastmarkets.Steady production of cobalt metal in China amid weak downstream consumption during the slower summer months and extensive importing have limited the effect that recent st...Read More
Seaborne low-grade manganese ore prices changed direction after four weeks of recovery, weighed down by lower offers and weaker port prices. Low-grade manganese ore prices slide after four consecutive weeks of increases High-grade ore market flatSilico-manganese prices unchanged in China Indian silico-manganese market ticks up Ferro-manganese price weakens in Europe, silico-manganese holdsUS alloy...Read More
The export market for CIS-origin hot-rolled coil and cold-rolled coil (HRC, CRC) was flat during the week ended Monday July 29 because demand remained moderate while availability was still restricted.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel HRC, export, fob Black Sea, CIS, was $485-500 per tonne on Monday, widening downward by $5 per tonne week on week."There were no major bookings of HRC fr...Read More
Prices paid for flat steel imports into the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia decreased in the week ended Tuesday July 30, with demand improving in the latest deals heard.Buying was strong this week in the UAE, with several new orders being placed.UAEOffers of hot-rolled coil (HRC) imports from China to the UAE came in at $500-505 per tonne cfr, but no major deals were heard.Ukraine offered si...Read More
China's hot-rolled coil prices dropped on Tuesday July 30 after authorities in Tangshan, the steelmaking hub in the northern region, drafted a plan to ease steelmaking curbs in August.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,810-3,820 yuan ($554-555) per tonne, down 20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,810 yuan per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonneSpot prices dropped after several domestic media o...Read More
The United States Department of Commerce has calculated average dumping margins for imports of Mexico-origin steel reinforcing bar (rebar) at 3.65%, while leaving Deacero out of the final results, the US Federal Register showed on Wednesday July 24.The announcement followed a preliminary result published on December 11, 2018, after Commerce carried out a probe that was begun on January 11 that yea...Read More
Prices for rebar and billet imported into the United Arab Emirates have decreased over the past week, with demand only moderate although some deals were heard, sources said on Tuesday July 30.The lower price for imports was driven by weakening raw material prices.Fastmarkets' daily index for steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), North Europe origin, cfr Turkey, was $286.65 per tonne on July 30, fallin...Read More
Tangshan, China's steelmaking hub in the northern region, is reportedly loosening up restrictions on the steel sector in August, which resulted in sentiment deteriorating in the market on Tuesday July 30.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,920-3,940 yuan ($569-572) per tonne, narrowing downward by 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,830-3,850 yuan per tonne, down 10-20 yuan per tonneChin...Read More