Gold has big year in 2020 and outlook for this year robust. Learn about monetary expansion and gold future prices.Read More
The gold futures price reached US$1,767/ounce this week before retreating, which was the second time it has surpassed US$1,760 in the past two months, marking some of gold's highest levels in several years.Read More
Oil prices have turned lower today Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) futures are trading below fair value this morning, as uncertainty lingers following weekend airstrikes on crude production facilities in Saudi Arabia. Oil prices are down, too, following Monday's massive surge, with October-dated crude futures off 1.3% at $61.99 per barrel.Traders are also turning their attention to the two-day...Read More
The bond ETF has retraced its steps after a breakout AugustAs you may recall, it was an unusually bullish August for the iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (NASDAQ:TLT) -- even allowing for the exchange-traded fund's (ETF's) documented tendency toward positive summertime trading returns.The long-term U.S. Treasury tracker closed the month with a share price gain of 10.8%, marking TLT's strongest m...Read More
Following a flip in global steel and ferrous trade flow trends last year caused by economic jitters in Turkey, trade defenses by the United States and production cuts in China, this year it is steel prices that are turning upside down. Hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices are now below rebar prices in a phenomenon rarely seen outside of the Chinese domestic markets. HRC import prices in Vietnam have...Read More
Gold's safety bid has weakened after trade war has cooled off.The metal's currency component is poised to strengthen, however.Crude oil rally suggests inflation-sensitive commodities are in demand. Although gold has lately lost its safety bid, that doesn't mean its dominant intermediate-term (3-6 month) bull market is in danger of dying. As I'll explain here, the prospects for continued go...Read More
The whole battery supply chain will benefit from lithium benchmark pricing, Fastmarkets head of battery raw materials research William Adams says as he explores what is driving auto manufacturers to support this pricing mechanism. The auto industry is going through a period of unprecedented change due to companies introducing electric vehicles (EV) into their portfolios alongside internal combusti...Read More
The Jakarta Futures Exchange (JFX) has launched a physical tin contract in an effort to gain precedence as a global price reference in Indonesia, which - combined with the backing of the country's trade ministry and largest state-owned tin producer - could mark a significant change in tin business out of the region. JFX launched its physical tin contract officially on August 21, exporting 1,410 to...Read More
The three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange fell by 0.5% at the close of trading on Tuesday September 17 but held above nearby support levels, while aluminium futures were the only positive mover in a predominantly weaker base metals complex. Copper traded volumes were relatively low over the day at 14,000 lots by the close. Although the red metal's closing price was lower than Monda...Read More
China's Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) has formally launched the brand delivery mechanism for its iron ore futures to replace the current delivery threshold of specifications. The new rules - aimed to cater to market demand and better serve the industry - will take effect from the September 2020 iron ore futures contract, DCE said on its website late last week. For the new physical delivery rules...Read More
Offers for premium mid-vol hard coking coal plunged in the seaborne market on Tuesday September 17 after several days of inactivity.Premium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $144.08 per tonne, down $4.07 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $160.63 per tonne, down $7.13 per tonne Hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $131.75 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $150.26 per tonne, unchan...Read More
China's month-on-month new electric vehicles (NEV) sales rebounded in August after month-on-month declines in June and July. The drop in sales between May and June was the first drop since September 2016, but Fastmarkets MB had expected Chinese NEV sales to dip temporarily after the June subsidy changes came into effect because consumers and NEV manufacturers would have to adjust to the new subsid...Read More
Currency devaluations from major economies strengthen gold's position as the safe-haven asset, which boosts the price of SBGL.SBGL's safety incident and ongoing disputes with labor unions make it doubtful if its gold mining and PGM operations will fully go back to normal soon.Investors are recommended to sell SBGL at the current price.The stock price of Sibanye Gold Limited (SBGL) has clim...Read More
The increasing consumption of scrap and a potential shift toward the electric-arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking route from the basic oxygen furnace (BOF) route in China are medium- to long-term threats to demand for steelmaking raw materials, while in the near team coking coal import volumes will continue to be affected by iron ore procurement strategies.This was the basis of Fastmarkets research team...Read More
We are finally in the throes of angst that accompany all bull markets in their early stages...by Michael Ballanger via Streetwise ReportsWhy don't we start things off a tad differently this evening? Let me relate to you all a parable from the Book of Quantitative Easing where all is good and noble in the world of government oversight, the most widely used oxymoron in the history of mankind.Grann...Read More
Are people also selling their silver right now because the price has risen, and they want to minimize their dollar losses?by Keith Weiner of Monetary MetalsThis week, the prices of the metals fell further, with gold -$18 and silver -$0.73.On May 28, the price of silver hit its nadir, of $14.30. From the last three days of May through Sep 4, the price rose to $19.65. This was a gain of $5.35, or +3...Read More
Iron ore prices fell sharply in the second half of November after climbing through October, with prices for higher-grade material pioneering the decline.Fastmarkets MB daily benchmark for 65% Fe fines dropped by 22% by Monday November 26 after peaking on October 29. The 62% Fe iron ore index declined by 16% over the period, as some Chinese steelmakers started to seek larger volumes of cheaper ores...Read More
The steel scrap sector in the United States still depends on exports to Turkey, a member of the Fastmarkets research team said during the ferrous session at the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) conference in London.This dependence persists despite the changes in the international markets created by the US' imposition of its Section 232 tariffs on imports of steel products, metals analyst Le...Read More
Masan Tungsten, a wholly owned subsidiary of Vietnam's Masan Resources Corp, has signed an agreement to buy the tungsten business of Germany's HC Starck Group.The tungsten business purchase is a strategic step for Masan Resources in its drive to become a world-leading high-tech industrial materials manufacturer, the miner said on Tuesday, September 17.HC Starck is a leading manufact...Read More
Fastmarkets looks at the key takeaways from the seventh Fastmarkets Asian Nickel conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, on September 11-12, from who will fill the Asian supply gap from 2020 to emerging demand for nickel from the electric vehicle battery sector. Indonesian nickel ore export ban will create Chinese nickel ore shortfall China is heavily reliant on nickel ore imports from Indonesia and Phi...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday September 17 that are worth another look.Fastmarkets looks at the key takeaways from the seventh Fastmarkets Asian Nickel conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, on September 11-12, from who will fill the Asian supply gap from 2020 to emerging demand for nickel from the electric vehicle battery sector.Import prices for steel slab in S...Read More
Rising oil prices driven by shutdowns in Saudi Arabia have had a negative effect on outright copper prices, analysts told Fastmarkets on Tuesday September 17. The London Metal Exchange three-month copper price is down by 2.1% at $5,826 per tonne compared with $5,954 per tonne at the start of the week, following a 9% jump in the Brent crude oil price in the same time frame. The Brent crude oil pric...Read More