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...Read More
Import prices for stainless steel in East Asia were down in the week to Thursday May 2 amid weak buying interest and falling nickel prices that led to lower offers from producers in the region.The three-month nickel contract on the London Metal Exchange ended Wednesday May 1's official trading session at $12,205-12,210 per tonne, down $220-240 per tonne week on week.The price has trended downward...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 12 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures moved higher following release of April Employment Report. Consensus for Non-farm Payrolls was 190,000 versus 196,000 in March. Actual was 263,000. Consensus for April Unemployment Rate was unchanged from March at 3.8%. Actual was down 0.2 to 3.6%, lowest level in 49 years....Read More
The premium to be paid on purchases of lead ingots went up in India over the week ended Wednesday May 1, with buying spurred by low exchange rates before the imminent beginning of the monsoon season. Elsewhere, physical zinc premiums remained low in Europe, with sales prompted by record-high backwardations in the forward price. Lead premiums rise from one-year lows in IndiaZinc premiums remain at...Read More
A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums from across the globe for the week to Wednesday May 1. Please click...Read More
Lead's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange fell to its lowest level since 2016 at the close of trading on Wednesday May 5, with its price action largely subdued amid commodity trading advisor (CTA) selling and low liquidity conditions, while investors hold out for the US Federal Reserve's rate decision due later. Reaching an intra-day low of $1,846.50 per tonne, three-month lead futures...Read More
Vanadium producer Bushveld Minerals has agreed to buy multiple South African production assets for $68 million, it said on Wednesday May 1.The South Africa-based miner will acquire Duferco Vanadium Investment Holding's Vanchem plant, the ferro-vanadium business of its subsidiary South African Japan Vanadium (SAJV), and all the shares in subsidiary Ivanti Resources. The Vanchem plant is a primary v...Read More
AMG Advanced Metallurgical Group recorded a modest increase in earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) at its Critical Materials division for the first quarter of 2019, helped by strong performances in vanadium, chrome and antimony. The division generated Ebitda of $31.2 million, up 1% compared with the first quarter of 2018, the Amsterdam-listed group said on Wednesd...Read More
Southern Copper Corp (SCC) saw its earnings drop in the first quarter of 2019, with falling global metals prices offsetting an increase in shipments as the company ramped up output at its copper concentrator at the Toquepala mine in Peru.SCC posted net revenues of $1.75 billion in the first quarter of 2019, down by 4.8% from the $1.84 billion it posted in the same period of 201...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
Key data from the Wednesday May 1 pricing session in Europe.Key drivers The European ferro-titanium held at present prices for the third week in a row, with scrap markets steady for the second consecutive week, while supply worries underpinned market sentiment in the week to Wednesday May 1.There is no sign of a return to production at UK producer FE Mottram after a fire at the company's plant in...Read More
The Northern European domestic price for mesh-quality wire rod has widened downwards by ?,?5 per tonne week-on-week, amid low demand, market participants told Fastmarkets on Wednesday May 1. Fastmarkets' weekly domestic price assessment for mesh-quality wire rod in Northern Europe was ?,?525-550 ($588-616) per tonne delivered on Wednesday, down from ?,?530-550 per tonne on April 24. "Dem...Read More
Key data from the Wednesday May 1 pricing session in Europe.Key drivers The European ferro-titanium held at present prices for the third week in a row, with scrap markets steady for the second consecutive week, while supply worries underpinned market sentiment in the week to Wednesday May 1.There is no sign of a return to production at UK producer FE Mottram after a fire at the company's plant in...Read More
Trading in the base metals on the London Metal Exchange has been extremely quiet on the morning of Wednesday May 1, with much of Asia closed for holidays. Only 561 lots had traded as of 6.16 am London time compared with 4,202 lots at a similar time on Tuesday.May Day holiday in Asia and across much of Europe expected to subdued tradingOil prices ease after attempted coup in Venezuela stallsFederal...Read More
Benchmark prices for cobalt metal continued to recover through April 2019, although lackluster gains for cobalt sulfate were a sign of continued oversupply at points along the supply chain.Price movesThe benchmark standard-grade cobalt prices showed a month-on-month increase in April for the first time since October, with consumers and traders starting to restock, and producers facing less urgency...Read More
Australian lithium spodumene concentrate producer Mineral Resources has announced lower first-quarter spodumene production at its Mount Marion mine in Western Australia. It produced 106,683 tonnes of lithium spodumene concentrate, at the Mount Marion operation in the south-central region of the state, in the January-March quarter, down by 7.23% from the 115,000 tonnes produced in the previous quar...Read More
Alliance Mineral and Jiangxi Special Electric Motor have signed a non-binding MoU to jointly produce and sell battery-grade lithium hydroxide.Australian lithium spodumene concentrate producer Alliance Mineral and lithium and electric vehicle producer Jiangxi Special Electric Motor signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding on Friday April 26 for a 50:50 joint venture to produce and sell batt...Read More
Chinese steel plate export prices dropped in the past week as mills chased orders amid sparse trading.Fastmarkets MB's assessment for June shipments of commercial-grade, chromium-added plate was $540-547 per tonne fob for the week ended Tuesday April 30, down $3-5 per tonne from $545-550 per tonne fob the week prior.An eastern China-based trader sold some plate of small tonnages (less than 1,000 t...Read More
Domestic prices for hollow steel sections in both Northern and Southern Europe moved down this week following continued feedstock price decreases and lackluster demand, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday May 1.The market has been quiet this week, largely due to the May 1 public holidays in many European countries, but also because of the previous slowdown for the Easter break across the co...Read More
The UK government has agreed to provide long steel producer British Steel a loan worth ?120 million ($156 million) to cover the annual bill from the EU for the company's carbon emissions, government business secretary Greg Clark told the UK Parliament on Wednesday May 1."British Steel approached my department earlier this year to explain that the absence of the expected 2019 free allowances left...Read More