The extraordinary run up in precious metals markets continues as silver makes some truly epic percentage gains while gold pushes further into record territory. As of Friday morning, gold prices had pulled back but are still up 3.1% for the week to trade at $2,044 per ounce. Gold is advancing now for the ninth consecutive week, with the biggest pops occurring over the past three.Silver, meanwhile,...Read More

This week gold priceshave smashed one record after another, well surpassing the previous high set in2011, of $1,920 an ounce. At time of writing, spotgold’s last bid was $2,064.10.The usual suspects arebehind the surge, ie., worrisome covid-19 infections, geopolitical concernsespecially US-China tensions over trade (PresidentTrump tried to force China-owned TikTok into selling its US op...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday August 10 that are worth another look.Production activity has come under threat at Belarus Steel Works (BMZ) with workers protesting against the result of the country's presidential election on Sunday August 9.Liberty House Group,...Read More

For a long time, pundits talked excitedly about the rapid, V-shaped recovery. I never shared this view, finding it too optimistic and without basis in reality. Like Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park, I hate being right all the time, but it really seems that I was right about this issue. According to the July World Flash report by IHS Markit, we can read that “the new wave of infections has redu...Read More

Steel market participants anticipate China's "dual circulation" policy will to boost steel demand for the remainder of 2020, with the more self-reliant economic model aiming to offset slowdowns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and US-China political tensions. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced in late July that China will focus on a "dual circulation" development model, which ensures a more sel...Read More

Fastmarkets is proud to launch its first monthly Ferrous Analytics report, which will help subscribers keep track of hot metal costs and steel production spreads in China, as well as key pricing components of the steelmaking raw materials supply chain in Asia.Readers will find raw material-finished steel spreads, iron ore differentials and scrap differentials all calculated and condensed...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday August 12 that are worth another look.ABN Amro will end its financing activities of commodity clients globally, it said on August 12.The London Metal Exchange's latest data shows a rise of 109,968 tonnes of off-warrant...Read More

A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums from across the globe for the week to Wednesday August 12.Please click...Read More

The three-month price of copper on the London Metal Exchange was higher at the close of trading on Wednesday August 12, with high turnover during the day prompting a push beyond key resistance levels, while a morning inflow of 15,225 tonnes of zinc saw selling pressure continue into the close.Copper's outright price closed at $6,432.50 per tonne on Wednesday afternoon, up from an intraday low of $...Read More

Domestic ferrous scrap prices in Germany have increased month on month so far in August, supported by a recovery in international raw material prices and solid demand from German mills, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday August 12.Fastmarkets' monthly price assessment for steel scrap No E3 (old thick steel scrap), domestic, delivered mill, Germany, was ?,?225-240 ($265-282) per tonne on August...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday August 12 that are worth another look.ABN Amro will end its financing activities of commodity clients globally, it said on August 12.The London Metal Exchange's latest data shows a rise of 109,968 tonnes of off-warrant...Read More

Sometimes it is better to let a situation speak for itself. Alcoa, Rio Tinto Aluminium, Novelis, Constellium, Arconic, Kaiser Aluminum, Tri-Arrows Aluminum, American Metal Chemical Corp, Hydro Extrusion North America, JW Aluminum, Real Alloy, Reynolds Consumer Products, Scepter, Silberline Manufacturing Co, Smelter Service Corp and Wagstaff. The US Aluminum Association, which represents more than...Read More

The London Metal Exchange is looking for ways to boost its options market, which has been struggling for some years to replicate the growth seen in the same sector among its peers.The exchange has launched a consultation, scheduled to end on July 29, on developing electronic options via a new trading platform while retaining its current inter-office options trading structure.Items up for discussio...Read More

The mining industry does a huge amount of good for local communities, to say nothing of its essential contribution to society through the materials it produces. Unfortunately, it all too often manages to give itself a bad name, worsening negative perceptions of the sector through accidents, spills and a failure to act as a steward of the environments in which it operates. In the past month alone,...Read More

A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums from across the globe for the week to Wednesday August 12.Please click...Read More

The three-month price of copper on the London Metal Exchange was higher at the close of trading on Wednesday August 12, with high turnover during the day prompting a push beyond key resistance levels, while a morning inflow of 15,225 tonnes of zinc saw selling pressure continue into the close.Copper's outright price closed at $6,432.50 per tonne on Wednesday afternoon, up from an intraday low of $...Read More

Seaborne premium hard coking coal prices remain relatively flat on Wednesday August 12 amid a quiet seaborne spot market until one transaction was heard later in the evening, Fastmarkets heard.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $104.42 per tonne, down $0.09 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $115.86 per tonne, up $0.02 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $87.15 p...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view. We also review our price forecasting accuracy for the second quarter 2020.Q2 2020 price forecast performance review According to the results of Fastmarkets' Apex for the second quarter of 2020 published this week, Fastmarkets' base metals research team was the second most accurate price forecaster for nickel (99.06%), lead...Read More

While some investors were going to bed with DOLLAR SIGNS in their eyes dreaming of SUGAR PLUMS dancing in their heads, these corrections... by Steve St Angelo of SRSrocco ReportWhile the indicators last week suggested a higher silver price this week, it looks like the overdue correction has finally begun. We shouldn't be surprised to see a correction in the silver price as it doubled in less th...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Aluminium: Comfortable consolidationAluminium appears comfortable consolidating for the moment, and this will leave prices in a stronger position to challenge overhanging long-term trend-line resistance from the May 2018 high, which stands at $1,670 per tonne currently.Copper: Consolidation unlikely to lastCopper reached its...Read More