Fastmarkets is hosting a free web seminar to discuss the new Singapore Exchange (SGX) 65% Fe derivative contract on December 11. We will examine how changes in the iron ore market have prompted the need for this high-grade derivative, the opportunities the contract offers and the methodology behind our iron ore index. The next stage of evolution for the iron ore market is here, with the SGX announ...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices continued to fall on Friday December 7 due to weakening demand. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,860-3,900 yuan ($561-567) per tonne, down 20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,520-3,550 yuan per tonne, down 40 yuan per tonneThe onset of bad weather caused weak demand for rebar, pushing down prices, traders said.Meanwhile, rebar futures were lower than Thur...Read More
Published 21 Hours AgoUpdated4 Hours AgoReuters Getty ImagesGold prices hit a five-month peak on Friday and continued to trade close to that level as the dollar slid following weaker-than-expected U.S. jobs data that raised the possibility that the U.S. Federal Reserve might go slow on interest rate hikes next year.Spot gold was up 0.86 percent at $1,248.28 per ounce, having hit $1,245.60 per oun...Read More
Silver sits at just under the $14.45 level.Open interest takes a nose dive.$13.86 is just above the line in the sand on the downside.A recovery above $15 could set the stage for 2019.USLV on a dip with a stop below $13.50 on March silver.The silver market has been a real snoozer these days. Silver has a long history as a highly volatile commodity. When it starts to move higher or lower, it often...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Asia, Europe and the United States for the week ending Friday December 7.China The domestic ferro-chrome spot price slid after some sellers lowered prices to book sales and generate cash before year-end, but buying interest from China's domestic stainless steel mills was thin. The imported charge chrome market was quiet. Some sellers had just compl...Read More
• The commodity has been steadily climbing alongside an ascending trend-channel formation on intraday charts and is currently placed at the middle of its daily trading range. Gold 15-mins chart • On the 1-hourly chart, the downside remains supported by a short-term ascending trend-line and the metal has managed to hold comfortably above intrad...Read More
Gold one-month 25 delta risk reversals (XAU1MRR) rose to 0.75 yesterday – the highest level since Nov. 7 – up sharply from the previous day's print of 0.25. The positive number indicates the demand or implied volatility premium for gold calls is higher than that of puts. Simply put, the demand or value of the bullish bets increased sharply, validating the yellow metal's ju...Read More
Pig iron exporters in southern Brazil cut their offers in the week to Friday December 7, due to low global demand for high-phosphorous pig iron, while suppliers in the north of the country were sold out and stayed out of the market.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for pig iron exports from the south-eastern Minas Gerais region was $345-350 per tonne fob on Friday December 7, down from $35...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly higher at the close of trading on Friday December 7, supported by an uptick in equity indices while a softer US dollar index helped most three-month prices reverse Thursday's losses.Despite low volumes in LME trading, with aluminium's 11,723 lots topping the complex, strong afternoon trading resulted in intraday highs for aluminium,...Read More
Scrap prices continued to fall across all major markets except India during the week to Friday December 7.Demand from Turkish steel mills was sluggish this week, with only one deep-sea cargo traded, while a lack of demand in the Asian region pushed prices lower.But imported scrap prices in India increased this week because of stronger demand.Turkey importsTurkish steel producers made only one deep...Read More
Imported steel prices in South America continued to slide this week following the downtrend in China, but rebounded slightly as the weekend approached.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for hot-rolled coil imported into South America was $510-515 per tonne cfr on Friday December 7, the fourth consecutive weekly decline - down from $525-535 per tonne on November 30 and $540-550 per...Read More
Silver is nearing an important price juncture and is likely to break up or down in the days / weeks ahead.And, as we discussed earlier, that move should be a big one! Though Silver (NYSEARCA: SLV) has been known to buck the trend before (see prior article link), it is in the throws of a bearish descending triangle.And the price support line for that triangle resides at the mid-line of the log c...Read More
The latest metal markets news and price moves to start the North American day on Friday December 7. Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly higher during morning trading, with copper topping complex gains amid a weaker dollar and resurgent trade tensions between the United States and China. Climbing just under 2% over the morning, copper...Read More
Good morning from Fastmarkets MB's offices in Asia as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Friday December 7.Base metals prices traded on the Shanghai Futures Exchange exhibited mixed movements during Asian morning trading on Friday, with concerns over trade tensions between China and the United States continuing to dampen sentiment.Check Fastmarkets MB's live futures report here.Of...Read More
Newmont Mining (NYSE: NEM) expects its attributable gold production will reach 5.2 million ounces in 2019 and 4.9 million ounces in 2020, while attributable copper production will be 45,000 tonnes in both years.All-in sustaining costs for gold will come in at US$935 per oz. in 2019 and US$975 per oz. in 2020, while AISCs for copper will reach $2.45 per lb. next year and $2.55 per lb. in 2020.Longe...Read More
NEW DELHI - India's environmental court said it will resume hearing Vedanta Ltd's case on Monday to decide whether to re-open the company's copper smelter, which was closed earlier this year after 13 people died when police fired on protesters.Last week, a panel of experts set up by India's National Green Tribunal, informally known as the environmental court, said authorities in Tamil Nadu state h...Read More
Fastmarkets MB reviews the major stories that have affected the steel market during the week ended Friday December 7.Raw MaterialsIron ore producer Vale will use a 65% Fe iron ore index to price its pellets next year, moving away from using a 62% Fe iron ore index as the base price for such cargoes, executive director Peter Poppinga said.The world's largest iron ore miner also hailed the launch of...Read More
Fastmarkets rounds up some of the key news and price moves across the global metals markets this week.Base metalsEuropean lead producer Recylex has opened talks with the debtors of its Weser Metall division after leveraged investments at the smelter there failed to result in expected production gains.Refining charges (RC) for blister copper imported into China dropped for the fifth consecutive mon...Read More
* After 2 days, OPEC+ surprise with sizeable 1.2 mln bpd cut deal* Reduction to last six months, be reviewed in April* OPEC, Russia & U.S. oil production: https://tmsnrt.rs/2QczFSp* U.S. drillers cut 10 rigs to 877 total this week- Baker Hughes (Adds settlement prices)By Jessica Resnick-AultNEW YORK, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Oil prices ended more than 2 percent higher on Friday after OPEC members and...Read More
(Adds detail, updates sourcing)By Alasdair PalNEW DELHI, Dec 7 (Reuters) - India's government appointed a new chief economic adviser on Friday, naming a U.S.-trained professor who praised the country's shock decision to remove most of its banknotes from circulation.Krishnamurthy Subramanian, a professor from the Indian School of Business, will serve a three-year term in the country's finance minis...Read More