Galena provides a leading lightSPONSOREDgalena miningIts share price has been on the rise over the past week since reporting it had Read More

Seaborne prices edged up slightly on Wednesday December 4 amid gains in the futures market.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $89.06 per tonne, up $0.75 per tonne.62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $88.15 per tonne, up $0.75 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $88.63 per tonne, up $0.43 per tonne.58% Fe fines high-premium, cfr Qingdao: $76...Read More

Seaborne coking coal prices remained stable on Wednesday December 4, as expected by participants, with traded levels for premium mid-vol materials staying above $140 per tonne cfr China.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $136.80 per tonne, down $0.06 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $147.09 per tonne, down $0.51 per tonne Hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $1...Read More

Non-haven markets are generally under pressure after United States President Donald Trump said he was prepared to wait until after the 2020 US presidential election for a trade deal with China.This has dented sentiment, sending gold prices and the yen higher, while US treasury yields have weakened. Asian equities are also weaker, led by a 1.6% fall in the Australia’s ASX 200. And the yua...Read More

Market participants have been surprised by the continued rise inAsian ferrous scrap prices, especially in the face of weak downstream demand. "Some people have been caught short and now have to purchase at higher prices after selling their cargoes previously," a trader in Vietnam told Fastmarkets on Wednesday December 4.Prices in Asia have been on an upward trend from early October, boosted by lim...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 10 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures responded to news that trade negotiations between China and the U.S. are progressing. Index futures moved lower following release of the November ADP Employment report released at 8:15 AM EST. Consensus was an increase to 138,000 from 125,000 in October. Actual was 67,000.C...Read More

China's hot-rolled coil exporters refused to lower their offers on Wednesday December 3 following price gains in the east of the country, although sources said domestic downstream demand was weakening.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,770-3,780 yuan ($533-534) per tonne, up 30 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,640 yuan per tonne, narrowing downward by 10 yuan per tonnePrices g...Read More

The three-month zinc price on the London Metal Exchange was higher during morning trading on Wednesday December 4, with its price action bolstered by the fresh cancelation of 2,325 tonnes in addition to a narrowing of the metal's benchmark cash/three-month spread backwardation. Zinc's outright price on the LME was recently seen trading at $2,240 per tonne, a gain of $38 per tonne against Tuesday's...Read More

Non-haven markets are generally under pressure after United States President Donald Trump said he was prepared to wait until after the 2020 US presidential election for a trade deal with China.This has dented sentiment, sending gold prices and the yen higher, while US treasury yields have weakened. Asian equities are weaker, led by a 1.6% fall in the Australia's ASX 200The yuan has weakened to 7.0...Read More

Dear Rich Lifer,The holiday season is often hailed as "the most wonderful time of the year". For most that is true!Filling your days with hot cocoa, classic movies, and the smell of pine trees, baking cookies, or logs burning on the fire, along with the company of friends and family to warm your heart can be festive indeed. But for some, especially those further north, the long, dark winter months...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices kept their downward trend on Wednesday December 4 as traders unloaded inventory. Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,970-4,000 yuan ($562-566) per tonne, down 20 yuan per tonne Northern China (Beijing): 3,700-3,740 yuan per tonne, down 10-20 yuan per tonneRising spot market inventory caused by weaker demand and high output led trading houses to urgently destock...Read More

With the exception of tin, base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were down during the morning trading session on Wednesday December 4 after United States President Donald Trump said a trade deal with China may not come until after next year's presidential election."In some ways, I like the idea of waiting until after the election for the China deal, but they want to make a deal now a...Read More

An overview of the minor metals markets and their latest price moves.Read More

Cobalt trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Cobalt trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets. Unless otherwise stated, all prices are per lb on an in-warehouse (in-whs) basis. Delivered prices are netted back. Fastmarkets prices Click here for Fastmarkets' price assessment for standard-grade cobalt, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb.Click here for...Read More

Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday December 4.Key drivers  The scrap markets were down in the past week, with supply offer prices dropping against slowing demand in the run-up to year-end holidays. Metals producers typically run down their feedstocks in December, a time usually set aside for book-squaring, banking profits and settling accounts. The alloy market...Read More

Glencore has signed a six-year deal to supply cobalt hydroxide to South Korea-based electric vehicle (EV) battery maker SK Innovation, the Swiss miner-trader announced on Wednesday December 4.SK Innovation will purchase up to 30,000 tonnes of cobalt contained in hydroxide between 2020 and 2025. "This newly established partnership demonstrates the continuation of Glencore's cobalt hydroxide marketi...Read More

The Chinese government has approved a seventh round of copper scrap import quotas for this year at lower volumes compared with the previous batch, Fastmarkets has learned. The most recent quota has been set at 7,970 tonnes, the environment ministry said on Tuesday December 3. This is down by 28.3% from 11,110 tonnes issued in the sixth round of approvals last month. The latest quota brings th...Read More

First Cobalt (TSXV: FCC; US-OTC: FTSSF) has released an update on the progress of recommissioning its cobalt refinery in partnership with Glencore (LON: GLEN).The company expects to complete a prefeasibility study for a 12 tonnes per day restart scenario, as well as a second feasibility study for a 55 tonnes per day expansion in the first quarter of 2020. First Cobalt is evaluating recommissioning...Read More

Egypt-focused gold miner Centamin (TSX: CEE; LON: CEY) has rejected the US$1.9 billion all-stock takeover bid from Canada's Endeavour Mining (TSX: EDV) released earlier on Tuesday, saying it did not offer enough value to the company's shareholders.Centamin also said that the terms of the offer did not adequately reflect the contribution that it would make to the merged entity, adding that the comp...Read More

Exore excels in Cote d'IvoireSPONSOREDexore resourcesArtemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesDark Horse could be 2020 bolterSPONSOREDdark horse resourcesUS takes long-term position on mineral supplySPONSOREDverisk maplecroftWe all, I think - possibly secretly - enjoy a little schadenfreude from time to time.Read More