Artemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesLast year, BHP posted its highest profit in five years and declared its biggest ever dividend payment.Read More

Artemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesThe Vancouver-headquartered company said Monday the 2019 production figure came in at the lower end of its annual guidance at 87.2 million pounds of copper-equivalent (Cu-eq), and it expected 2020 output to rise by a third to between 100-113Mlb of Cu-eq.Management expects another production increase in 2021 to 102-115Mlb Cu-eq and...Read More

The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange tumbled 3% during morning trading on Tuesday January 14 after a sell-off of just under $600 brought the price below the $14,000 per tonne psychological support level. The outright nickel price on the LME was recently at $13,720 per tonne, while trading volumes were high over the morning at more than 3,500 lots exchanged as of 9:15am London...Read More

China's hot-rolled coil exporters raised their offers on Tuesday January 14 on a weakening dollar, but thin trading kept domestic prices flat.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,880-3,890 yuan ($562-564) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,600 yuan per tonne, unchangedA Shanghai-based trader said there was barely any movement in the market with trading activity thinning due to downstr...Read More

De-risking Base metal prices have experienced some sharp rebounds after the risk-off episode sparked by the deadly US airstrike on a top Iranian commander on January 3. The focus now is on the signing of the ‘phase 1’ US-China trade deal this week, which could further de-risk the outlook. Aluminium: High enough for now Aluminium prices have been working steadily higher since their Octobe...Read More

Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mostly down at the close of morning trading on Tuesday January 14, with the downtrend led by nickel, which is reversing the strength seen on Monday.The most-traded March nickel contract closed Tuesday's morning trading session at 110,250 yuan ($15,981) per tonne, down by 2,960 yuan per tonne - or 2.6% - from Monday's close of 113,210 yuan pe...Read More

Return of positive risk sentiment Events over the past two months have generally been supportive of risk sentiment while trade tensions between the US and China continue to ease. With the phase one trade deal set to be signed on January 15, both countries have also agreed to restart semi-annual talks aimed at resolving economic disputes, a process which was previously abandoned at the start of the...Read More

Silicon and bulk alloys producer Ferroglobe has appointed Marco Levi as its chief executive officer, replacing Pedro Larrea, who leaves the company to seek new professional challenges, according to a company statement on Monday January 13. The new chief executive will be in charge of designing a new strategy that will lead the ferro-alloys maker, which has recently moved its headquarters to Madrid...Read More

Aluminium The LME three-month aluminium price managed to find support at the 20 DMA ($1,801 per tonne) as well as the December 2019 low UTL on Friday January 10. Also, it was well-bid into the close of trading that same day, settling above the psychological price level of $1,800 per tonne and trading either side of it early this week. The rising 20 DMA remains an all-important short-term dire...Read More

Sharp price recovery has further to run... The LME copper price has rebounded sharply since it hit an intraday low of $6,089 per tonne on January 3, as the risk-off response to the escalation of US-Iran geopolitical tensions proved short-lived. However, its quarter-to-date average dropped to $6,175 per tonne last week, compared with $6,185 per tonne in the prior week, around $225 per tonne or 3.5%...Read More

Prices trade sideways in quiet conditions Lead prices are still rangebound in the $1,900-1,950 per tonne area. Technically, this activity could be interpreted as forming a continuation pattern that might open the door to another selloff. However, our favoured interpretation at the moment is that prices are instead build a potentially bullish technical base that could become the springboard for a r...Read More

Supply-side developments There were a few interesting news stories on nickel supply that emerged last week and that we think are worth examining here. They are examples of how the industry is responding to the outlook for rising demand and diminishing availability of class 1 nickel for Li-ion battery production. The Santa Rita mine in Bahia, Brazil (closed by Mirabela in 2016 and restarted by Atla...Read More

Tin price recovery under way... After a significant and unusual sell-off of 2.5% on January 3 (the deepest since mid-September 2019), tin has rebounded well, showing a 1% year-to-date gain. The tin price rebound comes despite higher inventories, with LME and SHFE stocks rising by roughly 700 tonnes last week – a fourth straight week of net inflows – suggesting no restocking activity from...Read More

U. S equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 2 points in pre-opening trade.Index futures were virtually unchanged following release of the December Consumer Price Index at 8:30 AM EST. Consensus was an increase of 0.3% versus a gain of 0.3% in November. Actual was an increase of 0.2%. Excluding food and energy, consensus for the December Consumer Price Index was...Read More

Stock inflows cap prices around $2,400 per tonne The return of risk sentiment helped bolster zinc prices last week as the three-month benchmark touched an eight-week high of $2,416 per tonne as Iran and the US dialled back their rhetoric, and amid expectations that a first phase US-China trade deal will be signed this week. However, further price gains were capped by technical selling pressure as...Read More

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Click here to download the Selected Demand IndicatorsACCESS RESTRICTEDTo read the rest of this analysis please take a free sample or subscribeFREE SampleReceive a free sample of  market analysis and price forecasts.Free SampleSUBSCRIBEReceive unlimited access to all current and archive content going back to 2008 including downloadable pricing data and forecasts.Plus download the lat...Read More

China's Pangang Group has paused some vanadium pentoxide (V2O5) production at one of its three blast furnaces to conduct maintenance, a source at the company confirmed to Fastmarkets. The maintenance started last month and will last for 70 days, the source said. Around 1,000 tonnes of V2O5 will be taken out of production over this period at the company's Panzhihua production base. Pangang has two...Read More

Reuters broadcasts the confession:I do think the growth in the balance sheet is having some impact on the financial markets and on the valuation of risk assets...Here we have the unassailable and unimpeachable testimony of one Robert Kaplan. He, Mr. Kaplan, presides over the Federal Reserve's Dallas branch office.And so a central bank grandee gives it straight... and stamps our dark suspicions wit...Read More

Mexican ferrous scrap prices soared last week following gains in the United States' market, continuing the upward drive that began in late December in the region of Monterrey - capital of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo Le??n - and in the country's central Baj?-o region.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment of the steel scrap No1 HMS, consumer buying price, delivered mill Bajio was at 5,200...Read More