BHP has reported a 9.6% year-on-year drop in metallurgical coal output in the three months to September, a period during which fob Australia prices for premium hard coking coal fell amid Chinese import restrictions and weak demand outside of China.The miner produced 9.35 million tonnes of met coal during the period, which also marked a 21% quarter-on-quarter drop, it said on Thursday October 17. B...Read More
Members of the incoming European Commission, expected to take office in November, have released more details of a planned "carbon border tax", which could levy charges on metal imports into the European Union. Products affected would be those deemed by the EU as manufactured with excessive carbon emissions. While details of what will be covered, and under what circumstances, will be included in a...Read More
Gold prices ended higher on Wednesday as investors watched global political news surrounding trade and Brexit, and reacted to a weaker-than-expected reading of U.S. retail sales, which spurred some haven buying. Moves for the precious metal came as Brexit and the "usual worries persist" on Turkey, the Middle East, U.S. politics and the global economic outlook, as well as on uncertainty tied to the...Read More
US President Donald Trump said on Monday October 14 that he will impose a 50% tariff on imports of steel from Turkey in response to that country's military actions in northeastern Syria.However, market participants believe such a move will have a minor impact on the Turkish steel sector, because Turkey's steel exports to the United States are already limited because of weak demand.BilletA trader f...Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month tin price closed up $275 per tonne at $17,150 per tonne on Thursday October 17 on news that China's Yunnan Tin Co will cease all smelting operations at its Ausmet plant in Gejiu, Yunnan province, on October 21. Yunnan Tin Co, the world's largest tin smelter, produced 78,000 tonnes of refined tin in 2018 and remains the world's largest refined tin producer by s...Read More
Long steel prices in the Turkish domestic market have gone up over the past week in response to the weakening of the lira against the dollar and rising scrap costs, sources said on Thursday October 17.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment on Thursday for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, exw Turkey, was TRY2,880-2,950 ($488-500) per tonne, including 18% VAT, up from last week's TRY2,790-2,80...Read More
Domestic prices for cold-rolled coil (CRC) in the EU have decreased over the past week due to low levels of market activity, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday October 17."Demand is low and the outlook is gloomy because there are no signs that demand or prices will recover any time soon," a European trader said.In addition, prices for hot-rolled coil, the material used as feedstock for CRC produ...Read More
Steel billet prices in the Turkish markets have increased over the past week because of rising scrap costs, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday October 17.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel billet, import, cfr main port Turkey, was $365-380 per tonne on Thursday, up from the $360-365 per tonne of last week.https://www.metalbulletin.com/My-price-book.html?price=36276Billet producers in...Read More
"Exposure" is not the whole story. We are interested in how much leverage a miner shows. Here's where the...by Mike Mcara via Sunshine ProfitsGold and silver are our main focus, no doubt about it. But they are only a part of the precious metals market. Actually, there is another side of the market which could be overlooked by investors starting to look into the precious metals market. So, we would...Read More
Not everyone wants to put their entire portfolio into silver, so what's the bare minimum?by Matt From Silver Fortune via Silver FortuneNot everyone wants to put their entire portfolio into silver, so what's the bare minimum?Any content within this video or any other video by the Silver Fortune channel is merely one man's opinion, commentary, and analysis, or actual information obtained from elsewh...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday October 17 that are worth another look.Alcoa has launched a multi-year review of its aluminium portfolio, placing roughly half of its global smelting capacity under scrutiny for potential curtailment or closure, the company said in an earnings call with investors on Wednesday October 16.Stronger demand from the energy sector an...Read More
As the Department of Justice's investigation into the manipulation of the gold and silver markets continues on...by Chris Marcus with Bix Weir via Arcadia EconomicsAs the Department of Justice's investigation into the manipulation of the gold and silver markets continues on, perhaps the most amazing thing is that the bizarre trading patterns that the market has grown accustomed to continue on. Eve...Read More
Silver hasn't felt the most recent price hit quite like gold has, and that may be a sign of things to come for silver. Here's why...Mike & Half Dollar host Silver Doctors Live on Mondays & Wednesdays at 12:00 p.m. EST.Watch the show live, or the replay of it, in its entirety below!There may be economic and market chaos all around the world, but that doesn't stop the US from having the greatest...Read More
While we may see silver's sell-off continue over the next few weeks, there is a positive sign. SRSrocco explains...by Steve St Angelo of SRSrocco ReportWhile the silver price is trading at another important short-term technical level, the underlying fundamentals continue to improve. Since silver peaked at $19.75 at the beginning of September, it has been correcting lower to key support levels....Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday October 16 that are worth another look.Slab shipments to foreign subsidiaries and affiliates of Russia's largest steelmaker, Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK), fell by 43% year on year in the third quarter of 2019.A strike kicked off on October 16 at Antofagasta's Antucoya copper project after workers could not reach an agreement...Read More
Electric vehicles (EVs) are forecast to reach cost and functional parity with internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles by 2025. Theoretically, this should create the global tipping point for mass market EV adoption, along with the development of the associated charging infrastructure required to accompany the growth.In practice, it is not quite as straightforward.A recent report by investment res...Read More
The world's largest low-grade iron ore producer has confirmed that it will bid for two blocks at what is considered the world's largest untapped high-grade ore resource, a move that reiterates what the industry has been saying over the past few years - that demand for green iron ore or high-grade ore is a structural change in the making."Following the release of information at a public meeting hel...Read More
Global copper supply faces an immediate squeeze but any move in the price looks unlikely.Around 8% of mine supply of copper is at risk of disruption now or in the near future due to strikes, blockades and power shortages in production centers in the United States, Chile, Peru and Zambia.But at $5,700 per tonne, the three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange is near two-year lows and dow...Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month tin price closed up $275 per tonne at $17,150 per tonne on Thursday October 17 on news that China's Yunnan Tin Co will cease all smelting operations at its Ausmet plant in Gejiu, Yunnan province, on October 21. Yunnan Tin Co, the world's largest tin smelter, produced 78,000 tonnes of refined tin in 2018 and remains the world's largest refined tin producer by s...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices were steady on Thursday October 17, with market participants in China indicating that import restrictions at Chinese ports had become less stringent.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $150.73 per tonne, down $0.87 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $164.76 per tonne, up $0.51 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $123.13 per tonne, uncha...Read More