Buyers in all regions stayed on the sidelines in the week to Tuesday October 22 amid London Metal Exchange nickel price and spread volatility. European market sees little spot trade on weak demand.  US nickel premiums flat, with scrap substitution dampening primary metal demand.  Asian nickel remains at a discount versus a premium. Brief contango fails to tempt European buyers Rotterdam...Read More

The Southeast Asian lead premium rose by 4.2% week on week on increased spot interest, with market participants suggesting an uptick in automotive sales as a key tailwind; meanwhile, global zinc premiums were unchanged amid stagnant spot demand and tight forward spreads. Southeast Asian lead premium rises on renewed buyer interest  US, Asian zinc premiums flat on low spot interests  Eur...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday October 23 that are worth another look.Taseko Mines Limited is in the process of seeking a listing on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange (LSE), with approval anticipated prior to the end of 2019.Chilean iron ore and long steel producer Compa???-a de Acero de Pac?-fico (CAP) was forced to reduce production from some o...Read More

London is once more attracting juniors that need capital to develop their mining projects in Canada and Australia.Read More

The London-listed company posted Q3 production figures - including silverstream - of 13,283 ounces, 5% below consensus estimates. Gold volumes were also 5% shy of consensus at 210,000oz.Fresnillo said full year gold and silver production was "likely to be at the lower end of the guided ranges of 55-58Moz (including silverstream) silver and 880,000-910,000oz gold respectively."Investment firm Jeffe...Read More

Two of Codelco's divisions are operating at minimum rates or have been completely halted due to a general strike in Chile, the state-owned copper producer said on Wednesday October 23.Trade federations representing workers of both the state-run producer and private copper companies decided to join a nation-wide standstill in response to governmental measures taken to counter violent demonstra...Read More

By: Ira EpsteinGold's volatility has been coming out of the market. $1,498.7 would break the bearish pattern: Read More

The global refined copper balance will switch from a deficit this year to a surplus next year on an expansion in Chinese refining capacity and a slowdown in global economic growth, the International Copper Study Group (ICSG) said on Wednesday October 23.The world is forecast to produce 25.3 million tonnes of refined copper next year, up 4.2% from this year's expected global output, the group said&...Read More

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

Speaking as a prelude to the keynote panel about innovating the CEO agenda, Wallace said such projects were a means of throwing the old university playbook out and "connecting companies and industryRead More

Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday October 23. Key drivers  Ferro-titanium market stability extended for a third week despite only low volumes reported sold.  Only one truckload of ferro-titanium was reported being sold at $4.50 per kg delivered, duty-paid.  Alloy suppliers are looking to start negotiations for deliveries on longer-term agreements as s...Read More

Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday October 23. Key drivers  Ferro-titanium market stability extended for a third week despite only low volumes reported sold.  Only one truckload of ferro-titanium was reported being sold at $4.50 per kg delivered, duty-paid.  Alloy suppliers are looking to start negotiations for deliveries on longer-term agreements as s...Read More

The Turkish steel mills have extended their silence in the deep-sea scrap markets and are now focused on the markets for billet and finished long steel, sources said on Wednesday October 23.The mills in Turkey have been very active in scrap purchasing so far this month, booking at least 16 cargoes. They went quiet in the deep-sea markets at the end of last week after booking almost 500,000 tonnes...Read More

A summary of Antofagasta's production results for the third quarter of 2019 following the company's results report released on Wednesday October 23.IN BRIEF: Antofagasta's group copper production for the third quarter of 2019 was recorded at 197,000 tonnes, a drop of 0.8% against the previous quarter. Group copper production for the first nine months of 2019 climbed to 584,200 tonnes, a rise...Read More

You can't say we weren't warned.A decade ago, the U.S. Department of Energy released a report highlighting the critical materials that would be key components for the development of clean technologies in the United States.Buried in that report, however, was more than just projections. For materials such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements, it was clear who was in control.Just think...In 20...Read More

Rio Tinto is planning to step into the lithium industry in the United States following the booming prospects for the new energy vehicles (NEVs) sector. Rio Tinto will pilot the production of lithium salts following a study to extract lithium from waste rock at their borates mine in the Mojave Desert in California, the company said. Should the pilot scheme succeed in producing its forecast 10 tonne...Read More

Short positions in renewable energy power generation company Boralex (BLX) have been on a steady rise over the past year and as of the October 15th IIROC short report, it is now one of the 10 most shorted stocks on the TSX with 10.04% of its float shorted. Expensive valuations and lofty debt levels might be the bait that is attracting the sharks. The stock trades at a lofty 15.7 Enterprise Value...Read More

Domestic hot-rolled coil prices in Northern Europe have been stable over the past week, while prices in the south declined by ?,?5 per tonne over the period, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday October 23.Although the prices have not changed significantly, the market remains under downward pressure from poor demand.Northern EuropeDomestic prices for HRC in the north of Europe have been stab...Read More

Chinese mills raised their domestic offers on Wednesday October 23, though buyers in the eastern region put up some resistance against them, resulting in a smaller price rise in comparison with those in the northern region.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,500-3,520 yuan ($494-497) per tonne, widening upward by 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,500 yuan per tonne, up 20 yuan per tonn...Read More

China's plate producers lowered their export prices over the past week amid fierce competition from Japanese and South Korean sellers.Fastmarkets' price assessment for December shipments of steel heavy plate export, fob China main port was $443-450 per tonne for the week ended Tuesday October 22, down $10-12 per tonne from $455-460 per tonne a week earlier.A trader based in eastern China said he h...Read More