An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More
(Updates with closing prices)By Peter HobsonLONDON, May 31 (Reuters) - Copper was set for its biggestmonthly fall since November 2015 as weak Chinese factory dataand a U.S. threat to impose tariffs on Mexican goods fannedfears that trade disputes will damage the global economy anddemand for metals.Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange(LME)ended down 0.4% at $5,830 a tonne.The metal used in...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
Global ferrous scrap prices showed different dynamics during the working week ended Friday May 31, with Turkish import prices declining on limited buying activity and Asian import prices rising or holding their ground on steady demand. Turkish import prices down on lackluster rebar sales US export prices up on weekly basis, but latest sale closed lower Vietnam prices flat, Taiwan prices rise on st...Read More
Alloy steel scrap prices in the UK and Europe were stable this week but decreases were expected next month because of diminishing demand, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday May 31.The market this week was described as stable and uneventful, as regards prices. But the lack of a price reaction to the lower demand was due, at least in part, to the fact that prices had recently fallen by a significant...Read More
The price of shredded ferrous scrap imported into India was almost unchanged week on week due to market uncertainty and poor demand, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday May 31.Fastmarkets' weekly index for containerized imports of shredded scrap into India was $330.40 per tonne cfr Nhava Sheva on Friday, little changed from $330.25 per tonne cfr one week earlier.Last week, prices went up by $10 per...Read More
CHATHAM - Ontario's government is working for the people by holding consultations to hear from businesses firsthand on industrial electricity pricing and programs.Greg Rickford, Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines met with agriculture and chemicals sector stakeholders in Chatham today. This session is one of several in-person consultations to be held with key industry stakeholders...Read More
When it comes to recognition as "money" and a "store of value," bitcoin outcompetes gold on its practicality and versatility, said Clem Chambers, CEO of ADVFN and author of the bestseller "101 Ways to Pick Stock Market Winners." "I could not take enough gold out of the country for it to be useful to me if I had to leave the country; if I was a South Korean and I thought the North was going to dr...Read More
The Friday Market Minute Global stocks slide, bond yields surge as President Trump made a surprise move to apply tariffs on U.S. imports from Mexico.Asia stocks manage small month-end gains, but the Nikkei 225 falls 1.6% as carmakers with Mexican facilities slump and the yen surges in safe-haven trading.European stocks nurse heavy opening bell losses as trade concerns are added to the region's p...Read More
You know that feeling you get when you were correct about something but no one listened?When you go on and on and on about something, only for people to ignore it until it starts causing problems?This is the situation I've found myself in this week over rare earth elements. And it's frustrating as all hell.I have been on the soapbox for years warning folks that China has had too much control over...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More
The cif China, Japan and Korea battery-grade lithium hydroxide price fell by 3.3% in the week to Thursday May 30 due to buyer reluctance at current prices, while the Chinese domestic lithium market held steady, with downstream consumers buying on a hand-to-mouth basis. Seaborne Asian battery grade lithium hydroxide market softens on lower reported prices. Battery-grade lithium prices in China...Read More
We have been bogged down a bit this week at INK with administration combined with staff holidays. As a result, we have not been posting as much as we would like. But, I want to keep the ball rolling. Below is an excerpt from our US market insider sentiment commentary we provided to INK subscribers Wednesday. It is turning out to be timely. Last week our US sentiment indicator was trying to estab...Read More
South American import prices for flat-rolled steel have gone down over the past week, following downturn in China and amid sluggish demand in the region, market sources said on Friday May 31.Fastmarkets assessed the import price of cold-rolled coil (CRC) in South America at $590-595 per tonne cfr on May 31, down from $600-610 per tonne a week before. The price of hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG) w...Read More
Indian mills were likely to increase their prices for hot-rolled coil (HRC) for June sales by 1,000 rupees ($14) per tonne because of a rise in input costs, Fastmarkets was told on Friday May 31.Officials from at least two mills confirmed that their mills may consider increasing domestic HRC prices because of rises in the costs of key raw materials such as iron ore and coking coal."Domestic spot p...Read More
The price of hot-rolled coil products in Turkey adjusted over the week to Friday May 31, with local demand moderate before next week's Eid al Fitr celebrations, sources told Fastmarkets.Local demand for flat steel in Turkey failed to improve over the week to May 31, even though prices increased last week after the United States' duty reduction. The US halved its import tariffs on Turkish steel fro...Read More
Beam prices in the United States have retreated in the wake of a round of mill price cuts announced in late April, while market sentiment remains weak overall for much of the country, according to sources. Fastmarkets AMM's price assessment for domestic W8x8 beams fell by $2 per hundredweight to $41.25 per cwt ($825 per short ton) fob mill on Thursday May 30. That price is down by 4.6% from $...Read More
Troubled UK long steel producer British Steel entered compulsory liquidation on May 22. Fastmarkets examines the reasons behind the company's recent struggles, from uncertainty about Brexit and a slump in orders, to rising costs for raw materials.Brexit uncertaintyThe future of British Steel remains uncertain, with the UK's Insolvency Service approaching "more than 80 potential trade purchasers" t...Read More
As competition in the global steel markets remains fierce, Fastmarkets provides an update on the new, progressing and closed trade cases from around the world in May 2019.The case list below includes only updates. For other continuing cases, see the updates for January,...Read More
Gold COT Report - Futures Large SpeculatorsCommercialTotal LongShortSpreadingLongShortLongShort 194,463107,77562,206191,290301,244447,959471,225 Change from Prior Reporting Period -9,165-7,048-21,32723,46325,479-7,029-2,896 Traders 17874875253270179 Small Speculators LongShortOpen Interest 57,16733,901505,126 3,512-621-3,517 non reportable positions...Read More