Chinese demand for imported billet increased sharply in the first six months of 2020 due to higher domestic prices in China in comparison with those beyond its shores, and market participants expect this situation to persist in the second half.Buyers in China started importing billet in large quantities since the second half of 2019, and the volume of imports grew gradually month on month.In Janua...Read More

Look beyond market approach to project valuations: van ZylLeadership88 Energy (ASX:88E) Prepares for Billion Barrel Farm OutSPONSORED88 energyLithium no quiet place for AVZSPONSOREDavz mineralsScoped for growth: Nevada Copper shifts into production modeSPONSOREDnevada copper corp.Castillo, which is already listed on the ASX and is seeking to capitalise on growing demand for copper, is looking to p...Read More

Artemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesThe reform removed articles which allowed state companies to be awarded concessions without having to participate in auction rounds for areas as private companies have to.Legislator Patricio Donoso proposed the reform to remove preferential treatment for foreign state companies, on the grounds that it infringes constitutional princ...Read More

The metals and equity indices were headed in different directions this morning, Tuesday August 4, with equities up and metals down, but good data may well push metals prices higher as the day progresses - especially given better-than-expected US vehicle sales in July.* Nasdaq set another record high on Monday.* US total vehicle sales rose to 14.5 million units annualized in July, sales were expect...Read More

The Turkish steel mills have broken their silence in the market and have resumed their deep-sea purchases after the Eid al-Adha religious holiday in the country, sources said on Tuesday August 4.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a European cargo, comprising 10,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (75:25), 20,000 tonnes of shredded and 10,000 tonnes of a mixture of HMS 1 and new cuttings at an average...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.The price for steel scrap in China has risen recently, amid high mill operating rates and at a time of heavy rain, but it remains at a premium to hot metal, we estimate. Heavy rains in China tend to increase the moisture content of iron ore stockpiles, which can cause issues during the sintering process, and this may have en...Read More

Turkish domestic auto bundle scrap prices continued to rise over the past week amid increasing imported scrap costs, while the ship scrap prices inched down amid a weaker lira, sources said on Tuesday August 4. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap, auto bundle scrap, domestic, delivered Turkey was 1,720-2,045 lira ($247-294) per tonne on Tuesday, up from last week's 1,720-1,97...Read More

Seaborne premium hard coking coal prices slumped on Tuesday August 4 following a recent transaction sealed at lower prices, with market participants attributing the downtrend partly to China's import restrictions on coking coal. Fastmarkets indices Premium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $106.40 per tonne, down $1.96 per tonne Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $116.38 per tonne, down $2.27 per t...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices rose on Tuesday August 4 amid a healthy appetite for material among steel mills, according to traders.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $117.88 per tonne, up by $1.85 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $118.30 per tonne, up by $1.92 per tonne.58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $102.78 per tonne, up by $1.72 per tonne.65% Fe Bra...Read More

The price fluctuations in the high-grade iron ore market remains a key concern for Chinese steelmakers, especially with iron ore fines prices hitting an intra-year high on August 3.Steelmakers in China have started using a more price sensitive approach from July onward by consuming slightly cheaper low and mid-grade iron ore fines, trading sources said. The high-grade iron ore indices have also be...Read More

Corn ETN (CORN) moved below $11.61 setting an intermediate downtrend.Pre-opening Comments for Tuesday August 4thU.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 13 points in pre-opening trade.Mosaic advanced $1.32 to $15.00 after reporting higher than consensus second quarter sales and earnings.Take Two Interactive advanced $8.32 to $176.00 after reporting higher th...Read More

The cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam trade log, including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies. Fastmarkets assessed cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam at $14.25-14.70 per lb on Tuesday August...Read More

The cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam trade log, including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies. Fastmarkets assessed cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam at $14.25-14.70 per lb on Tuesday August 4, 2020. Read More

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The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloy forecast highlights:Numerous ore and alloy markets enjoyed upward pricing momentum in the first half 2020, with supply-side constraints supporting prices despite collapsing demand from steelmakers and other key end users. While supply side issues related to Covid-19 lockdowns have been resolved,...Read More

Gold's rally took another upturn on Tuesday, as it surpassed US$2,000 per ounce.By midday, spot gold had hit US$2,009.20 per oz., and at press time in Toronto had reached US$2,019.40 per ounce.Bullion has surged more than 30% this year to a record high and is one of the best-performing assets in 2020 as a result of increased safe-haven demand during the coronavirus pandemic.Investors are driven...Read More

Malaysia has approved Australian rare earths miner Lynas Corp.'s (ASX: LYC) application to build a permanent disposal facility for waste treatment, a minister said on Tuesday.The miner, the world's only major producer of rare earths outside China, can now proceed with construction of the waste plant, on a site identified by the Pahang state government, Khairy Jamaluddin, science, technology and in...Read More

Barrick Gold (TSX: ABX; NYSE: GOLD), the world's second-largest bullion miner, said today that Canadian junior Skeena Resources (TSX-V: SKE) has decided to exercise an option to acquire a 100% interest in the past-producing Eskay Creek property.Discovered in 1988, the Eskay Creek mine in British Columbia's Golden Triangle was, according to Skeena, once the world's highest-grade gold mine and the f...Read More

Star Diamond (TSX: DIAM) has begun to receive results from Rio Tinto's bulk-sampling program at the Star-Orion South project in central Saskatchewan.Rio so far has processed material from four of the 10 trenches excavated last year from the Star kimberlite at the project, but full results have only been reported from the first trench - 19 FALCT001.A total of 2,517 commercial-sized diamonds weighin...Read More

Silver producer Pan American Silver (TSX: PAAS; NYSE: PAAS) has updated the resource estimate for the La Colorada skarn deposit near its wholly owned La Colorada underground mine in Mexico's Zacatecas state.Inferred resources now stand at 100.4 million tonnes, grading 44 grams per tonne silver, 0.2% copper, 1.77% lead and 4.29% zinc, containing 141 million oz. silver, 199,000 tonnes copper, 1.8 mi...Read More