European Metal Recycling (EMR) has sold parts of specialty scrap recycler Metal & Waste Recycling (M&W) to UK-based Recycling Lives following a competition inquiry. As part of the transaction, the two London-based sites of M&W will be retained by EMR. The sale will complete on Thursday May 30, EMR said. The disposal comes following an intervention by...Read More
Goldprices are under pressure, unable to break away from trading in a tight trading range, but the summer could bring a pleasant surprise according to one expert. On Wednesday, the gold market was seeing little reaction to relatively expected minutes from last month's Federal Reserve monetary policy meeting. "This has been a tough market and we have just been trading the ranges," said...Read More
The Chinese domestic cobalt sulfate price hit a fresh low for 2019 mid-week amid persistent selling pressure among producers who are mostly struggling to break even, sources said.Fastmarkets' assessment of the price for Chinese cobalt sulfate fell to 44,500-45,500 yuan ($6,444-6,589) per tonne on Wednesday May 22, down from 46,000-48,000 yuan per tonne previously. This placed the assessment at its...Read More
$1.5 trillion.Collectively, this is what more than 44 million student loan borrowers owe.But don't worry, because there's a plan to eliminate this debt.The plan is simple and is picking up a lot of support on social media.In fact, Senator Elizabeth Warren is making it a keystone of her campaign platform.The solution for all those folks with student debt?Just don't pay it.Yeah, that's pretty much t...Read More
Energy storage in mobility and stationary storage applications will increase annual copper demand by 2.3 million tonnes by 2029, according to an analyst at research and consulting firm IDTechEx.Na Jiao said that total cumulative copper demand in energy storage over the next decade will be just over nine million tonnes. Energy storage - and battery technology in particular - is often seen as having...Read More
China Communications Construction Co (CCCC) plans to build a steel rolling mill by 2023 in Marab??, a city in the Brazilian northern state of Par??, through its local subsidiary Concremat, the company said on Thursday May 23.Iron ore producer Vale will be involved as well, ensuring collateral for the project funding, the miner stated. The unit will need around 1.5 billion Reais ($371 million) in c...Read More
The negative trend in prices in the EU market for hot-rolled coil (HRC) has softened and prices have now stabilized, market sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday May 23.Domestic prices might start to recover slowly in the second half of June, some market participants added.Some European flat steel producers, including ArcelorMittal and Marcegaglia, have increased their official offers of HRC while...Read More
The United States' reduction of tariffs on Turkish steel imports to 25% from 50% last week will only partially reopen the US market to Turkish mills, who should avoid raising prices if they are to successfully regain a share in that market, several sources told Fastmarkets this week. The US has lowered its tariffs on steel imports from Turkey to 25% effective Friday May 17. Duties had been at...Read More
In this week's Insights newsletter, we quickly review whether our insider signals are suggesting boom or bust ahead. Our insider of the week is the CEO of an industrial company that inspired us to launch the INK No-Go stock list.Click here to read this week's edition and registration is not required.Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday May 23 that are worth another look.South32's decision to review the future of its manganese alloy assets comes as little surprise to fellow manganese alloy producers because they are likely to be considering similar options. The United States' reduction of tariffs on Turkish steel imports to 25% from 50% last week will only par...Read More
Brazilian steel demand decreased further in April, demonstrated by lower volumes of flat-rolled products sold in the market and despite a recovery in the long-rolled market, national steel association Instituto A??o Brasil said on Thursday May 23. Steel demand has now fallen for two consecutive months, following a drop of 1.6% in March. Steel apparent consumption was 1.67 million tonnes in April,...Read More
The weakening of Turkey's lira against the US dollar has pushed up the domestic prices for rebar and wire rod despite sluggish demand over the past week, sources said on Thursday May 23.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic rebar in Turkey on Thursday was TRY3,330-3,420 ($547-561) per tonne ex-works, up from last week's TRY3,250-3,350 per tonne ex-works.The mills in the Izmir region we...Read More
The Turkish steel producers have broken their silence in the deep-sea scrap markets with prices increasing sharply, sources said on Thursday May 23.Four steel mills booked deep-sea cargoes from various sources late on Wednesday and on Thursday.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a US cargo, comprising 20,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $310 per tonne and 5,000 tonnes of shredded at $315 per...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices went through corrections on Thursday May 23 after jumping to more than $105 per tonne cfr China a day earlier, but Chinese steelmakers' demand for the material remained robust.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $103.79 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down by $1.99 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $101.98 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down by $1.99 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-L...Read More
In an earlier post, I gave you a sneak preview of my interview with Chris Powell, secretary/treasurer at Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee (GATA). For 20 years now, Chris and others at GATA have made it their mission to expose collusion by international financial institutions to control the price and supply of gold.Below are highlights from my interview with Chris. I have to say that during much...Read More
By: Ira EpsteinLatest on gold, silver and more..Read More
By Avi GilburtPease note: This article was originally posted on FATRADER.com on Thursday May 22 before the breakout in bonds.I have written many times about how the Fed follows the market and does not lead it. And, we are about to see yet another example of history's lessons.For those that followed our work over the years, you would know that we called for a top to the bond market on June...Read More
[Jim Grant is an old-school observer of this economic age and one of its most brilliant commentators. Following is the speech he gave in accepting the 2019 Bradley Prize, which recognizes those who have helped further the principles and institutions of American exceptionalism. RA]Ladies and gentlemen, it's a blemish on the age that so many of us know the name of the Federal Reserve chairman. In...Read More
How's this for a study in contrasts: One of the world's biggest coal miners effectively says the industry is dying just days after Australia's opposition party suffered a shock election loss, partly blamed on its failure to unambiguously back a new coal mine.BHP Group Chief Financial Officer Peter Beavan told a strategy briefing on Wednesday that the world's biggest mining company has "no appetite...Read More
In the most current "Global financial Stability Report" the IMF (International Monetary Fund) examined the vulnerabilities In a Maturing Credit Cycle" which is really a discussion on the end stage of the currency fiat money financial system. Like every aggressive disease, if you don't make the life style changes that have a chance to reverse the disease, the most likely outcome is the death of the...Read More