Brazilian slab and hot-rolled coil producer ArcelorMittal Tubar??o expects to resume operations at its hot-strip mill this week, after the equipment was put under maintenance on Monday March 8."ArcelorMittal Tubar??o informs a stoppage occurred in its hot-strip mill on March 8, 2021, with no impact on safety. The equipment is under maintenance, aiming to...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday March 16 that are worth another look.Russian metallurgical coal producer Sibanthracite Group intends to ship more than 1 million tonnes of coal in Capesize-class vessels from the Black Sea port of Taman in 2021, it said on March 15.Treatment and refining...Read More

A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday March 16.Read More

Many investors sense that the country, and the world, has drifted into uncharted territory.The last year has been extraordinary. There have been COVID lockdowns, a disputed presidential election, and multi-trillion-dollar federal deficits and bailouts. The Federal Reserve has injected more money into markets than ever before.This insanity showed up in the physical gold and silver markets.Bullion d...Read More

Prices for No1 busheling steel scrap in Mexican main markets increased in the week ended on Friday March 12, while upward pressures grew for other grades as well.Buyers continued to increase prices for prime scrap to secure volumes. In rare cases, the material was heard trading above 10,000 pesos ($473) after the second consecutive week of strong buying activity.Prices of obsolete grades, suc...Read More

Since its peak in the spring of 2020, the U.S. dollar index has lost almost 12 percent, and it could decline even further, thus supporting gold prices.There is a weakness in the U.S. dollar. Let’s start off by taking a look at the chart below. As you can see, the broad trade-weighted dollar index has been declining recently. Since its peak in late March 2020, the greenback has lost almost 12...Read More

Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe have been supported by a material shortage in the market, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday March 16.Fastmarkets calculated its daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe at ?,?792.50 ($943.31) per tonne on March 16, up by just ?,?1.25 per tonne from ?,?791.25 per tonne on Monday March 15.The index was also up by ?,?36....Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday March 16 that are worth another look.Russian metallurgical coal producer Sibanthracite Group intends to ship more than 1 million tonnes of coal in Capesize-class vessels from the Black Sea port of Taman in 2021, it said on March 15.Treatment and refining...Read More

When considering the prospects for the new Shanghai International Energy Exchange (INE) copper contract, a senior executive at one of the world's largest metals trading companies quoted Hamlet's soliloquy in the Shakespearian play of the same name."In terms of promotion of the internationalization of the renminbi and weakening of the pricing power of the [London Metal Exchange] and CME: 'To be or...Read More

Treatment and refining charges for copper concentrate fell again to new 10-year-lows in the week ended Friday March 12, with Fastmarkets' copper concentrate index dropping to less than $30 per tonne/3 cents per lb for the first time.The spot market has been in a prolonged downtrend since 2014, but a recent bout of tightness has seen terms dip by 27% in the past two weeks.TC/RCs, which are discount...Read More

The prices of lead, zinc and copper showed the steepest declines on the London Metal Exchange at the close of trading on Tuesday March 16, with the US Dollar Index at its highest for a week at 91.91 and the market braced for a US Federal Reserve policy announcement on Wednesday."Market attention will turn to the US Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting, which will conclude on March 17. The gene...Read More

Cancellations of aluminium out of London Metal Exchange warehouses in Port Klang, Malaysia, have begun, after more than 600,000 tonnes was delivered over the past week.About 85,000 tonnes were shown as freshly canceled on March 16, with 83,850 tonnes of that at Port Klang and additional, small cancellations in Johor and Singapore.Market participants told Fastmarkets they believe big queues could b...Read More

Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were down across the board during morning trading on Tuesday March 16, with tin's price falling the most to $24,630 per tonne - this after the complex mostly ended in positive territory on Monday. "A slew of macro releases out of China also buoyed sentiment [on Monday]. In this regard, China's industrial output rose 35% in the first two m...Read More

If you have started looking around for 2021 silver eagles, you may have seen "emergency" silver eagles advertised for sale...by Larry White of the Gold & Silver Education CenterIf you have started looking around for 2021 silver eagles, you may have seen "emergency" silver eagles advertised for sale. The obvious question that may arise is - What in the world is an "emergency" silver eagle? Other qu...Read More

Once again, if you want to END the manipulative price suppression, which was THE WHOLE POINT of the "silver squeeze", you must...(by Half Dollar) I've been biting my tongue, but now I'm starting to throw up a little bit in my mouth, so I can bite no longer.Why has the silver squeeze failed to see silver thrusting above $30 since the end of January?I won't call out specific people, because I have t...Read More

At some point, maybe already, the world will reach Peak Silver Production. When that occurs, investors will... by Steve St Angelo of SRSrocco ReportWith the results finally out, the top Silver Mining Industry's average yield fell to the lowest level ever. While the pandemic shutdowns reduced overall silver production significantly, it didn't impact the ore grades all that much. Since 2005, t...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view. This month's key North American steel forecast highlights: US hot-rolled coil prices continued to move in line with our forecasts in February, although actual prices again modestly exceeded our forecasts. Domestic HRC prices averaged $1,194 per ton in February, exceeding our forecast price of $1,150 per ton for the month. U...Read More

Export prices for steel billet in the Black Sea basin have continued to soften in mid-March amid a lack of trading activity, Fastmarkets has heard.Customers preferred to refrain from billet bookings while the costs for steel scrap and finished long steel products were falling.Fastmarkets' daily index for steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), North Europe origin, cfr Turkey, was calculated at $430.63 p...Read More

The prices of lead, zinc and copper showed the steepest declines on the London Metal Exchange at the close of trading on Tuesday March 16, with the US Dollar Index at its highest for a week at 91.91 and the market braced for a US Federal Reserve policy announcement on Wednesday."Market attention will turn to the US Federal Reserve's two-day policy meeting, which will conclude on March 17. The gene...Read More

RAPAPORT... The World Diamond Council (WDC) and the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) have agreed to work together on key issues such as the Kimberley Process (KP), conflict diamonds and sustainability.The two organizations have entered into a cross-membership partnership, meaning the RJC has become a member of the WDC, and the WDC has become a member of the RJC, they said Tuesday. The grou...Read More