Spain's Ministry of Industry, Trade & Tourism has finally confirmed the steel industry is considered "essential" and can continue operating, albeit at a slower pace, the Spanish steel distributors association, UAHE, said on Wednesday April 1.The Spanish government issued a royal decree on March 29, ordering the shutdown of all non-essential activities and businesses from March 30, with a rest...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Having first hit Asia during early 2020, the Covid-19 viral outbreak is now having an even bigger impact on European countries and the US. Widespread lockdown measures have been put in place on people and industry, and economic activity has slowed markedly.For now, stainless steel markets in Europe and the US are yet to show...Read More
Gold Terra Resource reports more drill results from its winter 2020 program. Gold Terra Core ShackIn a news release, Gold Terra Resource Corp. (YGT:TSX.V; TRXXF:OTC; TXO:FSE) announced that five holes recently drilled between the Sam Otto Main zone and its southern extension at the Yellowknife City project encountered gold mineralization.These holes, done as part of the winter 2020 drill program...Read More
Technical analyst Clive Maund discusses what he sees ahead for the markets. We are going to look at an array of important factors pointing to another severe drop in the broad U.S. stock market imminently, both factors external to it and indications on the charts for the S&P 500 index (and other indices which we won't have time to look at).First it is well worth watching another classic video from...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday April 1. Key drivers Russia, a supplier of 40% of European ferro-titanium, is on lockdown due to the Covid-19 virus pandemic until next week and it could be extended.Russian producers are considering declaring force majeure should the lockdown continue beyond a week. Titanium scrap prices are stable...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloy forecast highlights:While the ferro-alloy industry's initial response to the Covid-19 outbreak was marked by rising prices primarily in response to supply-side concerns, focus has now shifted somewhat. As Chinese activity slowly returns to more normal levels, for alloys with a strong Chinese produ...Read More
Prices for hollow steel sections in Northern and Southern Europe have moved down this week with trading activity continuing to decline, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday April 1.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?595-610 ($654-671) per tonne on Wednesday, narrowing downward from ?,?595-620 per tonne one week earlier."We...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.As oil price stumbles, outlook for welded markets weakensIn February, oil prices, already hit by the economic slowdown in Asia, turned lower on the failure of OPEC+ to reach an agreement on production cuts. This was enough to shake oil markets, but the collapse of global demand due to the pandemic has driven Brent below $30/...Read More
Gold prices fell for the fourth straight sessionU.S. stocks began April with a grim tone, the Dow continuing its dramatic loss this afternoon to close 973 points lower, with American Express (AXP) and Boeing (BA) weighing heavy.The S&P 500 and Nasdaq also closed deep in the red, as pandemic fears continue and President Donald Trump warned of a "very, very painful two weeks" ahead, as the estimate...Read More
Celanese stock is coming off a free fall from its all-time-high in late 2019Celanese Group (NYSE:CE) just added a crucial company to its product portfolio with the acquisition of Elotex. The chemical and specialty materials company will take ownership of Elotex's facilities in Europe and Asia, which produce redispersible polymer powders, a key component for multiple growing applications. Despite t...Read More
NVDA's 200-day moving average has emerged as resistanceEarlier this week, we profiled the 25 best stocks since 2009, based on annualized returns. A quick glance at the list -- compiled by Schaeffer's Senior Quantitative Analyst Rocky White -- reveals it is heavily populated by one particular sector: semiconductors. Chip stocks have ruled the roost in the last decade, and leading the charge is Nvid...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States could fall as low as $400 per short ton ($20 per hundredweight) in less than a month, despite recent efforts by domestic mills to cut production, because the Covid-19 pandemic will continue to hurt steel demand, sources told Fastmarkets.As of Wednesday April 1, a number of steel producers in the US - including U.S. Steel, ArcelorMittal USA and AK Steel -...Read More
Walgreens stock tends to underperform during the second quarter Things aren't looking good for pharmacy bigwig and Dow member Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (NASDAQ:WBA). The shares of WBA are down 3.4% at $44.20, bringing their year-to-date deficit to 24.6%, just ahead of the company's fiscal second-quarter earnings report, due out before the open tomorrow. Furthermore, tomorrow's earnings aren't t...Read More
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq are sharply lower as wellThe Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) is down over 600 points at midday,a bleak start for what could be another roller-coaster month and quarteramid the COVID-19 pandemic. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the next two weeks could be "very, very painful," as the White House projects between 100,000 and 240,000 coronavirus-related death...Read More
Put volume for AER is running in the 100th percentile of its annual range today Independent aircraft leasing name AerCap Holdings N.V. (NYSE:AER) hasn't been immune to the devastating effects the coronavirus has had on the flight space. The stock has been limping along with most of its sector peers, down 10.3% at $20.40 today, with any hope of a rebound now completely snuffed out. The stock is now...Read More
Carrier Global will replace Macy's on the S&P 500Macy's Inc (NYSE: M) is down 7.5% to trade at $4.54 this morning, following the S&P Dow Jones Indices decision to replace Macy's with Carrier Global (CARR) on the benchmark S&P 500 Index (SPX), and move M to a small-cap 600 index, effective April 6. Macy's has been hit hard by the global coronavirus pandemic, with an onslaught of store closures m...Read More
Home Depot stock received price target cuts after sharing in-store changesIn an effort to combat the COVID-19 outbreak, Home Depot Inc (NYSE:HD) implemented a few preventative measures to ensure the safety of its customers and employees. These changes include closing stores early, limiting the number of customers allowed inside at one time, and encouraging social distancing practicing in stores by...Read More
On Thursday, the initial jobless claims rocketed to almost 3.3 million. Quite an unimaginable number. What does it imply for the US economy and the gold market?One of the Most Scariest Things You Will See This WeekWould you like to see something scary? I guess not, but I'll show you anyway! But don’t worry: it will not be an microscope image of the coronavirus! Instead, I will present you a...Read More
Caterpillar won't be giving out annual salary increases or bonuses amid COVID-19 headwindsCaterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT) stock's recent rally is reversing course this morning, down 3.7% at $116.04 at last check. The company said it would not give annual salary increases to employees this year in an effort to tighten costs and combat the economic hit it's taken during the coronavirus pandemic. CAT a...Read More
By: Gary SavageThere are one of two ways this can go here, retest the lows soon and then followed by a sustained rally. Will depend on how countries implement covid response.Unemployment report on Friday. Market might get nervous into report, but odds are better that we don't undercut prior lows if we even do go down. The other possibility is..Recorded March 31, 2020https://blog.smartmoneytracke...Read More