Turkish steel producers have resumed their deep-sea scrap purchases after getting lower prices from Europe, sources said on Thursday November 22.The mills in the country were looking for lower prices for scrap because of their fears of renewed product outflows from China and consequently weakening prices for rebar.A steel mill broke the...Read More
BRUSSELS/LONDON (Reuters) - Britain and the European Union have agreed a draft text setting out a close post-Brexit economic relationship, paving the way for a summit of EU leaders to endorse the deal, European Council President Donald Tusk said on Thursday.Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019 and diplomats are trying to put the finishing touches to a divorce deal and the accompanying...Read More
Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange continued to give mixed performances this morning, Thursday November 22. Zinc and lead showed weakness with prices down by 0.4% and 0.3% respectively, while tin prices were up by 0.3%. The rest were little changed, with the three-month copper price up by 0.1% at $6,242 per tonne.Volume has been below average with 4,562 lots traded as at 7...Read More
BERLIN (Reuters) - The heads of Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE), BMW (BMWG.DE) and Daimler (DAIGn.DE) are ready to attend a meeting at the White House with the Trump administration, but have not yet received a formal invitation, industry sources said on Thursday.The Handelsblatt newspaper on Wednesday cited industry and diplomatic sources as saying the meeting could possibly take place as soon as next week...Read More
The price of cobalt sulfate in China continued to fall this week amid slow trades and aggressive buyer bidding. At the same time, a number of producers told Fastmarkets that they have stopped offering material into the market because prices are below levels at which they can make a profit. Fastmarkets assessed the price of cobalt sulfate (Co 20.5% min) in China on an ex-works basis at 74,000-78,00...Read More
CARACAS, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Preliminary data compiled by Venezuela's central bank shows that the troubled South American nation's economy shrank by 16.6 percent in 2017 compared to the year before, two sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.The central bank did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Mayela Armas and Corina Pons; Editing by Sandra Maler ) Discla...Read More
MADRID (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to Spain next Wednesday for an official visit expected to focus on trade and tourism.On Tuesday, trade ministers will meet representatives of major companies including Spanish banks Santander (SAN.MC) and BBVA (BBVA.MC), Commercial Bank of China, Spain’s Telefonica (TEF.MC), oil company Repsol (REP.MC), China National Building Mater...Read More
PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States was “in very strong” peace negotiations in Afghanistan but he did not known whether they would be successful.“I really think the people of Afghanistan ... are tired of fighting,” Trump told reporters after delivering a Thanksgiving holiday message to U.S. troops in Afghanistan, scene...Read More
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Lawyers launched a class action lawsuit in Israel on Thursday against Airbnb, accusing the company of “outrageous discrimination” and demanding monetary damages after it withdrew listings of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.The San Francisco-based company said this week it was removing listings of around 200 homes in settlements after hearing criticis...Read More
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese e-commerce sites have removed Dolce & Gabbana products amid a spiralling backlash against an advertising campaign that was decried as racist by celebrities and on social media.The ads - released earlier this week to drum up interest in a Shanghai fashion show the Italian brand later canceled - featured a Chinese woman struggling to eat spaghetti and pizza with chops...Read More
Trade log for nickel sulfate in China including transactions, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets MB.Unless otherwise stated, all prices are yuan per tonne on an ex-works basis.Fastmarkets MB prices Click here for Fastmarkets MB's price assessment for nickel sulfate, Ni 21% min 22.5% max, China ex-works, yuan/tonne. The exchange rate according to...Read More
ANKARA (Reuters) - A transparent and credible investigation into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has not yet been completed, Federica Mogherini, the European Union's foreign affairs chief, said on Thursday, after talks with Turkey's foreign minister.Khashoggi, a critic of the kingdom's de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on...Read More
KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine's parliament on Thursday appointed Oksana Markarova as Finance Minister nearly half a year after her predecessor Oleksandr Danylyuk was sacked following a public spat with the prime minister.Markarova, who was nominated by Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, has served as acting minister since June and been a key negotiator with the International Monetary Fund about a new s...Read More
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican consumer price inflation cooled slightly more than expected during the first half of November, data from the national statistics agency showed on Thursday.Annual inflation in Latin America's second-biggest economy eased to 4.56 percent in the first two weeks of November from 4.87 percent in the second half of October, the data showed.A Reuters poll of economists had...Read More
TURAIF, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said on Thursday that he sees weak oil demand in January and said the kingdom would respond accordingly to cool the global market’s anxiety.The world’s top oil exporter’s crude output in November is above October levels, he said, adding that it was in no one’s interest to create a supply glut.&ld...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil (HRC) in the EU have remained under pressure from slow buying activity in the past week, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday November 22.European distributors were reported to have sufficient stocks of the material and this, in combination with a seasonal slowdown in demand, was reflected in the negative effect on the market.In addition, Turkish mills have decr...Read More
ROME (Reuters) - Economy Minister Giovanni Tria said on Thursday there was no need for “extraordinary” measures to defend the savings of Italians and said bank deposits had risen in both September and October.Speaking in parliament the day after the European Commission took the first step towards disciplining Italy over its big-spending 2019 budget, Tria also said that he was seeking d...Read More
China's hot-rolled coil market regained some stability on Thursday November 22 with buyers continuing to hold back from restocking.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,770-3,780 yuan ($543-545) per tonne, narrowing upward 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,680-3,700 yuan per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonneTrading activity remained sparse during the day. A Zhejiang-based trader told Fastmark...Read More
ROME (Reuters) - The plan to spin off the fixed-line network of former telecoms monopolist Telecom Italia would put at risk 20,000 jobs, a trade union source said on Thursday.Italy’s government is studying a spin-off of network assets from Telecom Italia (TIM). Il Messaggero daily said on Thursday 30,000 TIM staff would be transferred to the new fixed-line company together with assets - both...Read More
China's ferrous futures were largely steady during morning trading on Thursday November 22, with both steel and steelmaking raw materials contracts ending the session little changed from their opening prices.Futures closing prices - morning session Shanghai Futures Exchange January rebar: 3,718 yuan ($536) per tonne, down 2 yuan per tonneJanuary hot-rolled coil: 3,612 yuan per tonne, unchangedDali...Read More