Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday December 16 that are worth another look.South American steel import prices continued to climb during the week ended Friday December 13, following the trend of global prices, as customers rushed to book February-shipment cargoes ahead of the holidays, sources said.Participants are taking a cautious approach to the aluminium market...Read More

The three-month prices of base metals traded on the London Metal Exchange broadly closed up at the afternoon kerb on Monday December 16, emboldened by positive China data, while a weaker US dollar provided a consumption tailwind. "LME base metals three-month prices are stabilizing... there is a cautious optimism in the air," Fastmarkets research analyst Andy Farida said. "But a trade deal between...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices were largely muted on Monday December 16, while uncertainty on air-quality related production cuts in Tangshan, China, caused a dip in Chinese futures during the day's trading session. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $94.04 per tonne, down $0.59 per tonne. 62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $93.13 per tonne, down $0.59 per tonne. 62% Fe low-al...Read More

No deals were heard in the seaborne coking coal market on Monday December 16, though buying interest from China was reported to be steady.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $136.58 per tonne, unchangedPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $147.70 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $122.33 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $130.25 per tonne, unch...Read More

Turkish steel producers began the week by booking deep-sea scrap for shipment in February, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday December 16.A steel mill in northern Turkey booked a Baltic Sea cargo comprising 10,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $299 per tonne cfr, 15,000 tonnes of shredded at $304 per tonne cfr and 3,500 tonnes of bonus at $310 per tonne cfr.A steel mill in the Izmir region booked a...Read More

Seaborne prices of high- and low-grade manganese ore in China continued to strengthen during the week ended December 13 amid resumed buying interest, market sources said.Fastmarkets' manganese ore index, 37% Mn, cif Tianjin, rose by 5 cents week on week to $3.75 per dry metric tonne unit (dmtu) on December 13.Fastmarkets' index for manganese ore, 37% Mn, fob Port Elizabeth, also climbed by 5 cents...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday December 16 that are worth another look.South American steel import prices continued to climb during the week ended Friday December 13, following the trend of global prices, as customers rushed to book February-shipment cargoes ahead of the holidays, sources said.Participants are taking a cautious approach to the aluminium market...Read More

Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) is no longer a niche concern in the natural resources sector.Corporate governance and community issues have typically dominated the sustainability and ethical criteria of mining companies and their investors. But more recently, the focus has shifted.Environmental factors, particularly decarbonization, have come to the fore amid increasingly stri...Read More

Participants are taking a cautious approach to the aluminium market in 2020, with poor downstream demand and low product premiums threatening already-tight margins in the industry.Premiums for downstream products such as aluminium billet in the United States and Europe are both at record lows, forced down by an absence of demand this year - a trend that is expected to continue. The demand drought...Read More

London Metal Exchange nearby aluminium spreads have continued to ease following a significant 30,400-tonne inflow of metal into LME-approved sheds in Singapore on Monday December 16.LME aluminium stocks now total 1,403,075 tonnes, up by 49% from 942,125 tonnes on November 12.LME global aluminium inventories have climbed consistently of late amid persistent spread backwardations, which have attract...Read More

Broader markets are generally upbeat this morning, Monday December 16, helped by last week's partial United States-China trade deal and some positive economic data out of China.But the base metals are mixed and gold prices are up, which suggests there is still some concern about the terms of the trade deal.Chinese industrial production rose 6.2% in November, up from 4.7% previously while retail sa...Read More

Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mostly little changed to down during the morning trading session on Monday December 16, with investors shrugging off news on Friday that the United States and China have agreed on a "phase one" trade deal.Lead was the worst performer of the complex, with its most-traded February contract sliding to 14,985 yuan ($2,149) per tonne as at 11.30a...Read More

Brazilian aluminium producers are looking to slash the current duty-free import quota in the country by at least 100,000 tonnes per year amid expectations that the Albras smelter will reach full capacity in the coming quarter, market sources told Fastmarkets.The local industry has petitioned that the amount of aluminium ingot allowed to be imported without duties be set at 180,000 tonnes for 2020....Read More

Chinese products have become more competitive in the Asian hot-rolled coil market in recent weeks due to cargoes from other parts of the world being offered into the region at higher prices.Fastmarkets' assessment for steel HRC import, cfr Vietnam, which mainly looks at Chinese 2-3mm re-rolling-grade SAE1006 HRC and equivalent products sold into Vietnam, was $480-485 per tonne cfr Vietnam for the...Read More

China's finished steel output grew by 10.4% year-on-year in November as mills raised production in response to steel price gains, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.Finished steel production reached 104 million tonnes during the month, which was also up 1.34% from October.Market participants said that mills had been accelerating their production amid price surges.Hot-rolled coil prices...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.Oil demand growth has been weak in 2019, with the OPEC+ group surprisingly extending their cuts by a further 500 kbd through to end of Q1 in 2020. In spite of that, fears of sustained weak demand growth have restricted Brent to mid US...Read More

The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, hot-dipped galvanized coil, pre-painted galvanized iron, plate, sheet and other flat steel products. Latest transaction: hot-rolled coilHot-rolled coilEast China, domestic, commercial-grade...Read More

RAPAPORT... A drop in rough-diamond prices and a sales shift tolower-value items weighed on De Beers' profitability in the second half,according to executives at parent company Anglo American. The miner's rough-price index dropped around 5% year onyear for the first nine sights of 2019 amid a market slowdown, Anglo CEO MarkCutifani noted in a call with investors last week. Combined with the w...Read More

RAPAPORT... Signet Jewelers is now offering jewelry featuring synthetic diamonds and gemstones at all of its major US banners, after asuccessful pilot in limited locations. "Lab-created diamonds are available in both fashion and bridaljewelry at James Allen, Kay, Zales, and Jared stores, as well as their e-commercesites," David Bouffard, Signet's vice president of corporate affairs, confirme...Read More

RAPAPORT... Gibb River Diamonds believes it will secure the remainingfinancing needed to start production at its Blina mine after blocking ahostile takeover, it said Monday. The company's ability to obtain investment had been hindered by Ron Brierley, a New Zealand-based investor and corporate raider who launched a hostile takeover bid in 2015, executive chairman Jim Richards explained. Brier...Read More