The seaborne coking coal market lost ground on Tuesday March 13 after a trade was reportedly done at a lower level. A top Australian brand with a March-laycan changed hands at around $220-221 cfr China, according to various sources. End users in China continued to stay on the sidelines in anticipation of lower prices, after as premium hard coking coal cargoes transacted some $6-14 per tonne cfr Ch...Read More
Due to a change in publication time by the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) to midnight on the day of publication, the daily LBMA gold and silver prices will be published by Metal Bulletin on the following day. The change will apply to the prices below from April 1, 2018: Gold London Morning Daily Price $ per troy oz Gold London Morning Daily price ? per troy oz Gold London Afternoon...Read More
Low and high grade cobalt prices converged and continued to rise last week, amid heightening tightness for broken cathode and sellers' reluctance to offer to spot inquiries. High and low-grade cobalt prices were both assessed at $39.50-40.75 per lb, in-warehouse, on Friday March 9. The two grades were last assessed at parity on December 1. The high-grade price increased from $39.40-40.45 per lb on...Read More
Hiroki Oda has been appointed vice president, marketing and sales, for Freeport Cobalt, based in Tokyo, Japan, US-based parent company Freeport-McMoRan has announced.Oda will be responsible for strategy development, marketing and global sales for the entire Freeport Cobalt product line, and will report to Stephen Higgins, president of Freeport Cobalt.He was previously Freeport Cobalt's global busi...Read More
Despite the better-than-expected 2018 Chinese government's subsidy policy on electric vehicles (EVs), cobalt demand in local market is likely to be subdued after transitional period specified in the new policy expires in June, market participants told Metal Bulletin.As the market had expected, China's 2018 EV subsidy policy prioritizes pure EVs with a higher driving range and energy density. Yet,...Read More
Shorter lead times, smaller volumes and less onerous financing arrangements have seen portside iron ore trading grow in popularity over the past three-to-four years. Portside iron ore prices in China have largely remained at a discount to seaborne levels so far this year amid a slowdown in construction activity and high stock levels.According to estimates from a local information provider in China...Read More
Selling pressure in gold, as well as a strong U.S. dollar, have canceled each other out to leave gold unchanged on the day. As of 3:30 PM Eastern standard time, April gold futures are currently unchanged and trading at $1,324 per ounce.Spot gold is currently fixed at $1,322.90, which is a net loss of $0.20 on the day. According to the Kitco Gold Index, a weakening U.S. dollar is adding $3.40 value...Read More
(Kitco News) - Gold and silver prices were ending the U.S. day session modestly weaker Monday. Keener risk appetite in the world marketplace at present is keeping the buyers of the safe-metals squelched. A weaker U.S. dollar index today did allow gold and silver to move off of their daily lows that were scored in early dealings. April Comex gold futures were last down $3.90 an ounce at $1,320.20....Read More
(Kitco News) - The gold market could struggle to attract buyers in the near-term as markets focus on the impending Federal Reserve interest rate hike next week, but one investment firm sees the potential for the yellow metal in the second half of the year as focus turn to a lackluster U.S. dollar.In a recent interview with Kitco News, Maxwell Gold, director of investment strategy and research at E...Read More
(Kitco News) - Gold prices have recovered some of their early losses in late-morning trading Monday. The yellow metal got a slight lift as the U.S. dollar index dropped to its session low and is trading modestly down on the day. Also, the U.S. stock indexes have backed way off their daily highs, which is also supportive to the gold and silver markets. April gold was last down $4.90 at $1,319.10....Read More
(Kitco News) - Gold is lower again this morning and last week's rally to $1,340 is a distant memory. The only thing that can help gold here is the oversold conditions and a dead-cat bounce. The pattern in gold is ugly, making lower highs and lower lows. Now, $1,300 is the key level that gold must hold or $1,240 is in the cards. There are so many things that are in play here when it comes to the me...Read More
(Kitco News) - Gold continues to see selling pressure as both the short-term fundamentals and the technical picture have deteriorated. Gold's failure to break above the $1,337 level early last week and the subsequent break of $1,322 overnight suggests the technical picture may have turned bearish. The FOMC meeting next week is expected to bring a 25-basis-point increase in rates, especially after...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were lower across the board at the close on Monday March 12, with overhead selling pressure weakening prices.Lead plummeted 2.7% today as it hit a fresh 2018-low of $2,311 per tonne - the metal failed to hold onto the gains it registered on Friday and lacks significant support. "[Lead] has struggled ever since the 2018-high at $2,685 per tonne due to...Read More
Meeting in Madrid for its 31st year, the Metal Bulletin International Copper Conference saw speakers and attendees from throughout the value chain meet and discuss the state of the market.Topics ranged from the structural - that mine ore grades continue to drop - to the topical, as debate over how tariffs and protectionism could affect copper arose.Metal Bulletin's European copper team provide a b...Read More
Increased aluminium availability in Europe has applied further downward pressure to falling premiums in the region, following the Section 232 announcement.The benchmark duty-paid premiums fell 3% to $158-168 per tonne on Friday March 9 from $163-173 per tonne the week before, while the duty-unpaid premium fell to $93-103 per tonne last Friday from $95-105 per tonne on Tuesday March 6.US Presi...Read More
Spot prices for ammonium paratungstate (APT) and tungsten concentrates continued to rise last week when sellers raised their offers or declined to offer at all while Chinese raw materials are in tight supply. APT and oxide supplies continue to tighten while Chinese output slows Sellers decline to offer intermediates due to concerns over replacement cost, availability Profit-taking prompts fall in...Read More
The Chinese ferro-silicon spot market slumped over the past week because of slow demand from key consumers in the steel and magnesium sectors.The market will be vulnerable to further losses if there is no upturn in demand in the near term. Chinese demand lags behind supply... ...and domestic prices fall more than 10% Europe price range widens amid uncertainty US market eases, wary of renewed impor...Read More
A week-long strike by workers with trade union representation at South America's largest zinc smelter, Cajamarquilla, has ended, owner Nexa Resources has confirmed."The strike is over. Nexa Resources reached an agreement with the Labour Union on Friday [March]...Read More
Spot prices for ammonium paratungstate (APT) and tungsten concentrates continued to rise last week when sellers raised their offers or declined to offer at all while Chinese raw materials are in tight supply. APT and oxide supplies continue to tighten while Chinese output slows Sellers decline to offer intermediates due to concerns over replacement cost, availability Profit-taking prompts fall in...Read More
Meeting in Madrid for its 31st year, the Metal Bulletin International Copper Conference saw speakers and attendees from throughout the value chain meet and discuss the state of the market.Topics ranged from the structural - that mine ore grades continue to drop - to the topical, as debate over how tariffs and protectionism could affect copper arose.Metal Bulletin's European copper team provide a b...Read More