French mining and metallurgy company Eramet generated lower operating income from its manganese business in 2018 despite higher sales, the group announced in a results statement on Wednesday February 20.This was a consequence of squeezed manganese alloy margins which offset strong manganese ore prices.Operating income at the manganese division dropped to ?,?699 million ($793 million) in 2018 from...Read More
Key data from the Wednesday February 20 pricing session in Shanghai. Cobalt metal key drivers The domestic Chinese cobalt metal price trended lower midweek due to thin spot activity following the Chinese New Year holiday on February 4-10 as well as lower offers from some suppliers who were trying to offload stocks. Mainstream offers and sales for Jinchuan-brand cobalt were around 290,0...Read More
Domestic stainless steel prices in China increased slightly over the past week amid an uptick in demand.Fastmarkets MB's domestic price assessment for benchmark 304 stainless cold-rolled coil in the major market of Wuxi was 14,700-15,000 yuan ($2,185-2,230) per tonne including value-added tax for the week ended Wednesday February 20, narrowing upward by 100 yuan per tonne from 14,600-15,000 per to...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 10 points in pre-opening trade. The Canadian Dollar was up 0.07 to 75.70 cents U.S. following release of December Canadian Retail Sales. Consensus was a slip of 0.3% versus a drop of 0.9% in November. Actual was a slip of 0.1%.Royal Bank (RY $102.27) is expected to open higher after increasing its quarterly dividend. K...Read More
Europe frets over the stability of Indonesian tin supply, China sees less product coming from Myanmar and US buyers are trying to wait out the current high tin prices. Europe mulls how to make up for lost Indonesian supply Chinese premiums flat while import window closed US sees little spot buying, with buyers said to be waiting for rising LME tin prices to subside.European premiums flatIn Europe,...Read More
Shanghai zinc premiums softened over the past week on low spot interest due to import losses and a backwardation in London Metal Exchange price spreads, while lead premiums were largely unchanged across the globe, Fastmarkets heard on Wednesday February 20. Shanghai zinc market saw transactions at a lower premium, and import losses hovered around $100 per tonne. The contango of zinc spreads in mid...Read More
Copper's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange was up over 1% at the close of trading on Wednesday February 20, breaching $6,400 per tonne for the first time since July 2018 amid high volumes and dwindling LME stocks. Total volumes traded in copper led the complex with more than 21,000 lots changing hands by the close, the most since January 4. Despite significant buying over the aft...Read More
Glencore will cut copper production at its Mutanda mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo by 100,000 tonnes, the company said on Wednesday February 20. Cobalt hydroxide production at the mine, which totaled 27,300 tonnes last year, will not be affected. "In [the fourth quarter] 2018, a significant downward revision in the amount and timing of copper oxide reserves at our Mutanda copper operation...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
Key data from the Wednesday February 20 pricing session in Europe. Key drivers The European ferro-titanium spot price increased, with prices moving up on the low end of the range, after supply worries involving a major supplier prompted short-covering. Ferro-titanium producers and traders say they have been getting more buying interest from Europe and the United States. The producer typicall...Read More
Turkish scrap import prices went down as expected on Wednesday February 20, following news of a fresh deal for a deep-sea cargo.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a UK cargo of 10,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $316 per tonne cfr.The news of this cargo sent the daily scrap indices down sharply on Wednesday.The daily index for Northern Europe-origin HMS 1&2 (80:20) was...Read More
A blockchain pilot project designed to demonstrate the presence of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sites in the tungsten supply chain is scheduled to be completed in May 2019.The SustainBlock trial started in May 2018 and is focused on a tungsten supply chain originating from Rwanda.Funded by the European Partnership for Responsible Minerals (EPRM), a multi-stakeholder grouping set up to cr...Read More
The Comex copper market continued to move in a positive direction on Wednesday February 20, with global trade talks between the United States and China showing progress.The copper price for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange increased 2.25 cents to $2.8970 per lb. Additionally, the red metal's price remains elevated against a backdrop of falling London....Read More
The three-month base metals prices traded on the London Metal Exchange were stronger across the board with gains averaging 0.3% on the morning of Wednesday February 20, compared with Tuesday's closing levels.Copper has generally led the move higher in recent days with prices reaching a high of $6,350.50 per tonne this morning, which has taken it well into the resistance area on the chart that lies...Read More
Trader-miner Glencore expects healthy future demand for cobalt and a bottoming out of prices after a difficult second half of 2018, its senior executives said on Wednesday February 20 during its full-year results announcement. Glencore's adjusted earnings before interest and tax (Ebit) came to $2.5 billion in its marketing business for the full-year 2018, down 17% year on year. The company attribu...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil (HRC) in Southern Europe have increased over the past week, supported by higher import offers, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday February 20.In Northern Europe, domestic prices picked up slightly, but buyers largely resisted the rises. This region's steel sector has traditionally been less exposed to the influence of imports and more focused on its domestic...Read More
Flat steel import prices in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia increased over the past week, but buying activity remained limited.Deals were scarce because market participants were waiting to see if the price increases will be permanent, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday February 12.The buyers wanted to see if the price increases will be permanent, because raw material prices ha...Read More
Export prices for Chinese hot-rolled coil edged up further on Wednesday February 20, with exporters insisting on high offers amid expectations that the domestic market - though it weakened during the day - would pick up due to rising costs upstream.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,720-3,750 yuan ($550-554) per tonne, down 30 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,670-3,700 yuan per tonne, do...Read More
Wire rod prices in the United States have decreased due to slower market activity while import pricing remains firm due to a lack of fresh offers, market sources said.Fastmarkets' assessment for industrial quality low-carbon rod was $38.25-40 per hundredweight ($765-800 per short ton) fob mill on Tuesday February 19, down from $39.25-41.25 per cwt previously. Prior to the latest drop, wire rod pri...Read More
Slight price increases have begun to emerge for domestic hollow steel sections in Europe as a result of increases in the upstream steel coil market. ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaker, announced on Tuesday February 19 that its prices for hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil and hot-dipped galvanized coil would increase by ?,?30 per tonne with immediate effect. The producer's higher HRC off...Read More