Market sources have been puzzled by the gradual upward trend in China's steel prices after the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) broke out in a big way after the Lunar New Year holiday. Spot prices gained further momentum in the first few days of March, even though the number of infections in China has continued rising, and steel inventories have surged.Fastmarkets' price assessment for stee...Read More
Northern China's steel hub of Tangshan will cut 1.6 million tonnes of hot metal production at 20 steel mills in March to improve air quality, market sources in the country told Fastmarkets on Monday March 9.This round of production cuts will affect around 56 blast furnaces in the city, according to Fastmarkets' estimation, which will ease the pressure of high inventories at steel mills and in the...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday March 10 that are worth another look.The recent extension of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus quarantine area to all of Italy has resulted in trading activity falling to nearly zero and has caused some minor disruptions to deliveries, sources told Fastmarkets on March 10.A falling aluminium price on the Shanghai Futures Exchange below pro...Read More
Dr. Ron PaulLast week, the Federal Reserve responded to Wall Street's coronavirus panic with an "emergency" interest rate cut. This emergency cut failed to revive the stock market, leading to predictions that the Fed will again cut rates later this month.More rate cuts would drive interest rates to near, or even below, zero. Lowering interest rates punishes people for saving, thus encouraging co...Read More
Clint SiegnerExtreme volatility in the equity markets has investors wondering what to expect. Even the hardiest of stock market bulls are finally asking some serious questions about whether the top is in.Stocks have long been priced for perfection and suddenly conditions are looking far from perfect. The coronavirus may be the pin which pricks the latest Fed-blown bubble.Precious metals investor...Read More
By Robert LambourneAccording to its recently published February statement of account, the Bank for International Settlements, which represents most central banks, appears to have increased its position in gold swaps and gold-related derivatives by 6 tonnes over its position at the end of January, bringing it to an estimated 326 tonnes.The bank's use of gold swaps and derivatives has risen by mor...Read More
By: David HaggithYesterday was the greatest crash in Wall Street history by one measure, and took down many other milestones. The Dow plunged 2,012 points in its largest single-session drop on record! Percentage-wise it was down 7.8%, which still knocked out decades of lows, leading to "Black Monday" being the hot search term on Google today as people sought a comparison worthy of this Monday...Read More
By: Ira EpsteinGold's vertical rise shows its power. 18-dma is $1628, Bollinger bands is up near $1700.Read More
A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday March 10.Click on the above image to view this...Read More
The London Metal Exchange may switch from open outcry to electronic price discovery if the 2019-nCoV coronavirus makes it impossible for ring-trading to continue safely, it has said.At the moment, the ring is continuing to operate from London, and the exchange has adopted various precautionary measures intended to halt the spread of the virus, including the creation of a split-team arrangement for...Read More
Ferrous scrap prices in Mexico were unchanged in the week ended March 6, with rising inventories held by some steelmakers and uncertainty in the United States market.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment of the steel scrap No1 heavy melt, consumer buying price, delivered mill Monterrey, remained at 5,050 pesos ($238) per tonne on Tuesday March 10, while the steel scrap No1 busheling, consumer buying pric...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday March 10 that are worth another look.The recent extension of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus quarantine area to all of Italy has resulted in trading activity falling to nearly zero and has caused some minor disruptions to deliveries, sources told Fastmarkets on March 10.A falling aluminium price on the Shanghai Futures Exchange below pro...Read More
If global financial markets had been operating under a pervading sense of uncertainty due to the impact of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), they now appear to be veering on panic.Oil prices have suffered their biggest one-day collapse since the 1991 Gulf War following Saudi Arabia's declaration of a price war on Russia through a shock move to hike oil production. S&P Dow Jones Indices was forced...Read More
The ambitious expansion of copper and zinc smelters in China is boosting not only the production of metal but output of the sulfuric acid by-product, and this is now in oversupply due to the knock-on effects of the outbreak of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus."It is a rainy night and smelters have leaky roofs," Du Fei and Lily Li said in a jointly published report. Both are analysts with Jinrui Futures,...Read More
The London Metal Exchange may switch from open outcry to electronic price discovery if the 2019-nCoV coronavirus makes it impossible for ring-trading to continue safely, it has said.At the moment, the ring is continuing to operate from London, and the exchange has adopted various precautionary measures intended to halt the spread of the virus, including the creation of a split-team arrangement for...Read More
Three-month prices of base metals trading on the London Metal Exchange rebounded at the close on Tuesday March 10 due to suggestions that the worst of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in China may be over. "Although the start of the new trading week was all out bearish, bargain-hunting activity prevails today and LME base metals look to be paring losses," Fastmarkets research analyst Andy Farida...Read More
We have only begun to see the DEVASTATION of this Global Contagion. Steve St. Angelo explains...by Steve St Angelo of SRSrocco ReportBlack Monday hit Wall Street in a BIG BLOODY WAY today. With oil being the main driver of the economy, U.S shale stocks lost nearly half of their value... IN ONE SINGLE DAY. That's correct, the average decline from eight of the top U.S. shale companies saw their...Read More
A falling aluminium price on the Shanghai Futures Exchange below production costs has weakened sentiment for China's alumina market, sources told Fastmarkets this week. Market participants had been bullish about the Chinese alumina price due to reduced production during the height of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak in the country early this year. Smelters had removed almost 6 milli...Read More
Yesterday alone, over 75% of annual global silver production traded on the COMEX. Harvey explains...by Harvey Organ of Harvey Organ BlogMARAH 9/DUAL BLACK SWAN EVENTS: 1) THE CORONAVIRUS AND 2/ RUSSIA REFUSES TO CUT PRODUCTION: GOLD UP $1.50//SILVER DOWN 23 CENTS//WAR IN THE OIL PATCH//GOLD CLOSES UP $1.50//SILVER DOWN 23 CENTS//CORONAVIRUS UPDATE//SWAMP STORIES//GOLD:$1675.00 UP $ 1.50 (COM...Read More
Prices for flat steel in Russia's Central Federal District around Moscow started to move up this week after the rouble lost value against the US dollar, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday, March 10. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel hot-rolled sheet, domestic, cpt Moscow, Russia, was 42,000-43,000 roubles per tonne on March 10, including 20% VAT, up from 41,000-42,000 roubles per ton...Read More