Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed at the close of trading on Wednesday December 5, with most of the three-month prices trading in narrow ranges while impervious to broad strength in the US dollar.Zinc's three-month price was the best performer over the afternoon, reaching an intraday high of $2,617.50 per tonne and closing at its highest price since November 16. Promp...Read More
Sumitomo Metal Mining Co and Sumitomo Corp have agreed to buy a 30% indirect stake in the company that owns the Quebrada Blanca Phase 2 (QB2) copper project in northern Chile, according to its majority owner Teck Resources Ltd. The Teck board has also approved the QB2 project for full construction, with first production targeted for the second half of 2021. Teck will receive $1.2 billion for the s...Read More
The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Thursday December 6.Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed at the close of trading on Wednesday December 5, with most of the three-month prices trading in narrow ranges while impervious to broad strength in the US dollar. Read more here in our live futures report.Here is how prices looked at the close of trading:Bra...Read More
The latest metal markets news and price moves to start the North American day on Wednesday December 5Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower during morning trading, with downward pressure emerging from a stronger dollar index and trading worries.Here's how base metals prices looked at 12:08pm London time:Read our live futures report here. "Copper prices have been the hard...Read More
Good morning from Fastmarkets MB's offices in Asia as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Wednesday December 5. Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were broadly down during Asian morning trading on Wednesday, with risk sentiment deteriorating amid confusion over whether much progress was made during US-China trade talks this past weekend.Check Fastmarkets MB's live...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed at the close of trading on Wednesday December 5, with most of the three-month prices trading in narrow ranges while impervious to broad strength in the US dollar.Zinc's three-month price was the best performer over the afternoon, reaching an intraday high of $2,617.50 per tonne and closing at its highest price since November 16. Promp...Read More
Comex copper prices staged a modest recovery during morning trading on Wednesday morning in the US amid calmer market conditions after yesterday's major equity sell-off. The copper price for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange gained 0.30 cents to $2.7620 per lb. Despite optimism from the recent Group of Nations (G20) meeting in Argentina over the weeken...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices rose on Wednesday December 5 on an uptick in the iron ore futures contract.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $67.38 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up by $0.22 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $66.65 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up by $0.22 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $71.21 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down by $0.19 per tonne.MB 58% Fe Premium Index: $61.85 per tonne...Read More
Indian ferro-chrome producers will continue to target the European market in 2019 and beyond despite a recent softening in prices, according to an Indian exporter who is establishing trading connections to European destinations. "We are looking into setting up [delivered duty-paid ferro-chrome] delivery into Europe and how to make that profitable," said the source, who anticipated starting exports...Read More
The price for rebar produced and delivered in Northern Europe stayed flat week on week on Wednesday December 5, with consumers unlikely to make further purchases before the new year.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic rebar in Northern Europe remained at $540-560 ($614-637) per tonne delivered on Wednesday. Offers were expected to remain above the range for the rest of December and i...Read More
The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Thursday December 6.Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed at the close of trading on Wednesday December 5, with most of the three-month prices trading in narrow ranges while impervious to broad strength in the US dollar. Read more here in our live futures report.Here is how prices looked at the close of trading:Bra...Read More
Brazilian miner Vale will invest an additional $500 million in its Vale New Caledonia (VNC) nickel operations in the South Pacific due to expectations of increased demand from rising electric vehicle (EV) output, chief executive officer Fabio Schvartsman said on Tuesday December 4."We will need all of the capacity of VNC to meet this demand," Schvartsman said.In two years, nickel output from VNC w...Read More
Lithium-focused Wealth Minerals has signed letters of intent to acquire stakes in two Chilean copper projects, which will be held by newly formed subsidiary Wealth Copper.Canada-registered Wealth intends to spin-out Wealth Copper to shareholders of Wealth, with the intention of listing the new unit on the TSX Venture Exchange in Toronto. Wealth itself will continue to focus on its Chilean lithium...Read More
Comex copper prices staged a modest recovery during morning trading on Wednesday morning in the US amid calmer market conditions after yesterday's major equity sell-off. The copper price for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange gained 0.30 cents to $2.7620 per lb. Despite optimism from the recent Group of Nations (G20) meeting in Argentina over the weeken...Read More
Fastmarkets MB proposes to discontinue four weekly tin spot premium assessments in Rotterdam, Shanghai and Singapore due to a lack of spot liquidity.The four prices are the 99.85% tin ingot premiums in-warehouse Rotterdam and cif Shanghai and the 99.9% tin ingot premiums for standard and low-lead purities in-warehouse Singapore. Fastmarkets MB will continue to publish weekly premiums for 99.9...Read More
The hot-rolled coil price in the United States was largely steady on Tuesday December 4, moving only 0.2% higher with little market activity reported.Fastmarkets AMM's daily US Midwest HRC index inched up to $37.85 per hundredweight ($757 per short ton) on Tuesday, up slightly from $37.77 per cwt the previous day.Lead times stand at around three to four weeks, market participants said.Qu...Read More
CIS export billet prices continued fall this week, reflecting a lack of supportive factors in the market.Fastmarkets MB's daily CIS export steel billet index was $432 per tonne fob Black Sea on Wednesday December 5, a drop of $3 per tonne from yesterday.The increase in Chinese domestic long steel and billet prices early this week has not provided the expected support to prices in Asia - offers of...Read More
Hollow steel sections prices in Europe were stable this week but lower feedstock costs and a reduced import quota limit could bring about a significant change, market participants said.Fastmarkets MB's domestic price assessment for commodity-size, grade-S235 square hollow sections made in Northern Europe was an unchanged ?,?635-650 ($722-739) per tonne delivered on Wednesday December 5.The hollow...Read More
The price for rebar produced and delivered in Southern Europe was flat on Wednesday December 5, with market participants pulling back in anticipation of the year-end holidays.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic rebar in Southern Europe stayed at ?,?530-540 ($603-614) per tonne delivered for the third consecutive week on Wednesday, with no new business expected before the new...Read More
European prices for mesh-quality wire rod stayed flat across the Northern and Southern parts of the continent on Wednesday December 5, with the EC's import quota's fulfillment passing the 90% mark.Fastmarkets MB's weekly domestic price assessments for mesh-quality wire rod in both Southern and Northern Europe stayed at ?,?540-560 ($614-637) per tonne delivered on Wednesday.The market has been quie...Read More