With the Chinese government setting 2030 as the target for China's carbon emissions to peak and 2060 for it to achieve carbon neutrality, the country's steel sector will have to change the way it does business.Fastmarkets speaks to market participants for their views on what these changes might be, and what challenges lie ahead.1. Reduce hot metal productionReducing hot metal output - such as via...Read More

Copper's three-month price has shown the biggest fall during June among base metals on the London Metal Exchange, rocked by Chinese announcements and rising inventories, while the prices of other base metals such as aluminium and tin were higher than on June 1.Copper's price was $9,374.50 per tonne on Wednesday June 30 at the close of trading, falling from $10,245 per tonne on June 1.Among the fac...Read More

Iron ore prices rose on Wednesday June 30 when concerns were raised about China's overall crude steel output for 2021, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $214.08 per tonne, up by $1.75 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $217.85 per tonne, up by $2.91 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $180.95 per tonne, up by $1.33 per t...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices remained flat on Wednesday June 30 on weak demand while the futures price gained.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,860-4,880 yuan ($752-755) per tonne, unchanged day on dayThe purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the steel industry was 45.1 points in June, down by 1 point from May, according to the China Federation...Read More

Global demand for silver continues at a frenetic pace, with total investment and industrial demand combining this year to exceed global mine supply. That's a... by Craig Hemke via Sprott Money NewsThe month of July looks to be another month of remarkably strong demand for silver delivery off of COMEX. Today let's look at the history to provide some perspective.Again, any time we talk about COMEX...Read More

Central banks are running to gold, and the climate change initiatives will create a frenzy for silver...Keith Neumeyer with Mike Manwell on Rethinking the DollarTHE GIG IS UP! Keith Neumeyer, Chairman of First Mining Gold, joins us to share his thoughts on the role of commodities in today's chaotic times. Central Banks are running to gold and the climate change initiatives will create a frenzy for...Read More

Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil moved down across Europe on Wednesday June 30, but market participants were in disagreement over whether the decline indicated a change of trend.Buyers have been holding back from purchasing bigger tonnages of HRC, preferring to book lots of less than 500 tonnes if they needed to re-stock or when doing back-to-back business.In addition, buyers believed that a so...Read More

Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.The steady climb in copper prices since mid-2020 – and the more recent launch into the stratosphere – puts me in mind of Senator Gracchus in the film Gladiator. Specifically, his observation that fear and wonderment is a p...Read More

Copper's three-month price has shown the biggest fall during June among base metals on the London Metal Exchange, rocked by Chinese announcements and rising inventories, while the prices of other base metals such as aluminium and tin were higher than on June 1.Copper's price was $9,374.50 per tonne on Wednesday June 30 at the close of trading, falling from $10,245 per tonne on June 1.Among the fac...Read More

RAPAPORT... Hard-luxury sales in Hong Kong showed only a limited recovery in May as Chinese consumers continued to stay away from the important tourist destination.Revenue from jewelry, watches, clocks and valuable gifts grew 55% year on year to HKD 3.11 billion ($400.3 million), but was still 53% lower than in the same month of 2019, the municipality's Census and Statistics Department report...Read More

RAPAPORT... Pandora has hired Luciano Rodembusch as general manager of its North American operations. He will succeed Sid Keswani, who left the company in April.Rodembusch, who will report to chief commercial officer Martino Pessina, made the leap to Pandora from Tiffany & Co., where he was most recently senior vice president of the Americas, the charm maker said Tuesday. Prior to his nearly 1...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Diamond-producing countries will suffer a consumer backlash unless they can prove their output is responsibly sourced, warned Edward Asscher (pictured), president of the World Diamond Council (WDC).He said some sectors of the industry believed the Kimberley Process restricted trade, rather than enabling it. The result, he said, could soon be a "marketplace with two diamond val...Read More

Premiums for tin ingots in Europe and the United States continued their rise to new highs in the fortnight to June 29, with freight and trucking costs and delays still the main issue pressuring premiums upward, sources told Fastmarkets. Premiums in Asia were stable, with the high London Metal Exchange price diverting participants away from the spot market.  China's Yunnan Tin, the world's lar...Read More

(IDEX Online) - A woman farm laborer found a 4.5-ct diamond, thanks to torrential rains in India.She was planting tomato seeds when she chanced upon the gem in the Kurnool District of Andhra Pradesh state on Sunday, according to local media reports.The first rains of the season wash away a layer of clay, attracting crowds hunting for newly-exposed diamonds that were lying just below the surface.Th...Read More

Antofagasta has agreed to supply four major Chinese smelters with copper concentrates in the first half of 2022, with a treatment charge in the mid-$50s, Fastmarkets understands.The Chilean copper miner and representatives from China Copper, Jiangxi Copper, Tongling Nonferrous and Jinchuan Group held meetings for three days since Monday, sources said, with an agreement finally reached on the eveni...Read More

(IDEX Online) - Plans by the USA to impose a retaliatory tariff of up to 25 per cent would have an "immense impact" on jewelry exports from India, says industry boss Colin Shah.He says jobs would be lost as a result, and business would shift from India to China and Mexico.The United States Trade Representative (USTR) is targeting India and five other countries for taxing foreign internet-based com...Read More

Copper stocks in Shanghai bonded warehouses rose to a 23-month high in the month of June as a result of a closed arbitrage window between London and Shanghai.During the same period, aluminium and zinc stocks in the bonded zone fell, while the stock level for nickel edged slightly higher.Copper inventories at 23-month highThe rise in Shanghai bonded copper stocks came despite a pick-up in spot acti...Read More

Premiums for delivered copper cathodes fell in Europe while those for seaborne cargoes firmed this week, with the market digesting how a tariff on Russian exports would affect the continent's balance of trade. The Russian government has approved temporary export duties on 340 steel and non-ferrous metals sold outside the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), effective from August 1 through December 31....Read More

Zinc premiums continued to increase in Antwerp and Rotterdam on Tuesday June 29 due to low supply but sources expect a downturn in August during the seasonally weaker period, while markets elsewhere were either stable or down during the week.Northern Europe zinc premiums set 40-month high on persisting supply tightnessLead, zinc premiums steady in US despite low availabilityContango, faltering dem...Read More

The United States remains the strongest market for copper cathodes, with the premium remaining at elevated levels in the week to Tuesday June 29, while premiums for imported cathodes in China are showing signs of recovery after sinking steadily for the past few months. US cathode premium holds at eight-year high.  European market digests news of Russia export tax.  China market firms mi...Read More