Steelmakers in Bangladesh continued to book ferrous scrap imports over the week ended Thursday April 2 despite the country's nationwide lockdown, which has forced some mills to reduce output, market sources have told Fastmarkets.Prices fell sharply last week, with some traders expecting that Bangladesh's mills had completed their scrap bookings for the next month, because of high stock levels and...Read More

Markets seem to be in the calm before the United States employment data storm this morning, Thursday April 2, with metals prices mixed, trading volume low and not much movement on equity indices for a change. * Asian-Pacific equity indices were mixed this morning, but pre-market western futures were firmer with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up by 1.2% as at 7 am London time. * Stocks in Asia in...Read More

Trading activity in China's domestic hot-rolled coil market rose on Thursday April 2 amid falling prices, but the export market remained quiet despite lower offers.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,150-3,190 yuan ($444-450) per tonne, down 50-70 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,160-3,200 yuan per tonne, down 10-40 yuan per tonneSellers in Shanghai started the day with offers of around...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices were flat on Thursday April 2, amid rising futures and a tumbling billet market. Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,390-3,420 yuan ($478-482) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Beijing): 3,330-3,370 yuan per tonne, unchanged Rebar prices dropped in the early hours after the billet market tumbled late on Wednesday.But prices recovered in the afternoon on higher sales vo...Read More

Markets seem to be in the calm before the United States employment data storm this morning, Thursday April 2, with metals prices mixed, trading volume low and not much movement on equity indices for a change. Asian-Pacific equity indices were mixed this morning, but pre-market western futures were firmer with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up by 1.2% as at 7 am London time. Stocks in Asia initia...Read More

Stainless steel prices in China kept dropping over the past week because sellers sought to generate more sales to draw down their inventories amid a bearish outlook caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.Nickel prices on the London Metal Exchange edged on but are still around their lowest in the past year-and-a-half, which put additional pressure on stainless steel prices.The three-month nickel contract...Read More

Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mixed during the morning trading session on Thursday April 2, with the complex pressured by rising risk-off sentiment due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic."Selling returned to commodity markets as investors grappled with the long-term economic implications of the pandemic," Daniel Been, head of foreign exchange strategy at ANZ Bank, said in...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 36 points in pre-opening trade.Index futures were virtually unchanged following release of economic news at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus for Weekly Jobless Claims was a slip to 3.000 million from 3.283 million last week. Actual was 6.65 million. Consensus for the February U.S. Trade Deficit was $43 billion versus $45.30 bill...Read More

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 Fastmarkets' price assessment for alloy-grade cobalt, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb...Read More

Minor metals and ores and alloys producers that rely on shipping routes out of South Africa are warning that practical barriers to producing and transporting material outweigh any technical green light to export, amid conflicting instructions from the country's authorities. A notice from South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) caused widespread confusion on Tuesday by saying mineral export...Read More

The latest selenium transactions, bids, offers and assessments in Europe reported to Fastmarkets.Unless otherwise stated, all prices are per lb and on an in-warehouse Rotterdam basis. Delivered prices are netted back.To view the latest price assessment for selenium, 99.5% Se min, in-whs Rotterdam, click here.To see all Fastmarkets'...Read More

The European charge and high-carbon ferro-chrome benchmark settlement remains under review for the second quarter of 2020, a leading ferro-chrome producer said. Merafe Resources, which operates the Glencore-Merafe Chrome Venture in South Africa with trader-miner Glencore provided an update on Thursday April 2 of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its operations. The benchmark is settled every...Read More

Changes in the Asian ferrous scrap trade flows have seen imports in Taiwan and Vietnam shrink in 2019, but both territories raised their intake of Japanese material after exporters in Japan lowered their prices to generate more sales abroad on weakening domestic demand.Vietnam's scrap imports fell 1.1% to 5.58 million tonnes last year, but Japan-origin volumes to the country rose by 41.4% to 2.19...Read More

New Gold (TSX: NGD; NYSE-AM: NGD) has closed a strategic partnership with the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP) to acquire a 46% free cash flow interest in the company's New Afton mine for an upfront cash payment of US$300 million. The proceeds are to be used to reduce the company's debt and increase its financial flexibility."The partnership agreement is a great deal and a great outcome and f...Read More

Not so long ago, in situ oilsands production was little more than a dream in the eye of Alberta's petroleum producers. Years of government and industry-funded research cracked that nut with the development of steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) that has created a multibillion-dollar industry paying dividends to both producers and governments for two decades.A new group of entrepreneurs and tech...Read More

Mexico, the world's largest silver producer, has become the latest country to enforce a suspension of non-essential activities in response to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, after confirmed cases in the country climbed above 1,000, with 29 deaths.The government decree, effective until April 30, is expected to have a significant impact on the supply of silver at a time when demand for sil...Read More

John Thornton, Barrick Gold's (TSX: ABX; NYSE: GOLD) executive chairman, has sold half his stake in the company "due to personal portfolio considerations."Thornton sold 2.63 million shares following the publication of the company's 2019 annual results. The gold major noted that he sold the shares that he had bought using his personal funds and the shares were not subject to holding restrictions.Th...Read More

Cardinal heading down familiar gold roadSPONSOREDcardinal resourcesSarama right in the middle of big exploration, corporate build-upSPONSOREDsarama resources Exore excels in Cote d'IvoireSPONSOREDexore resourcesThe ESG bar has just been raised... Who will get over it?SPONSOREDstrategia worldwideAmong ASX-listed resources companies, stocks with rising prices outpaced the number with falling pri...Read More

Cardinal heading down familiar gold roadSPONSOREDcardinal resourcesSarama right in the middle of big exploration, corporate build-upSPONSOREDsarama resources Exore excels in Cote d'IvoireSPONSOREDexore resourcesThe ESG bar has just been raised... Who will get over it?SPONSOREDstrategia worldwideA dilemma, artificial intelligence and robots unleashed are among the themes identified in Accenture...Read More

Sorry, Bill. Seems like you have a lot of good ideas, but we don't live in the world from the Jetsons.Read full newsRead More