It's on!After agreeing to temporarily end the partial government shutdown last Friday, the president and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke by telephone on Monday to resolve issues regarding the State of the Union address.In his formal response after a 12-minute phone conversation initiated by the speaker, the president wrote:“Thank you for your letter inviting me to deliver the State of the U...Read More
Arbitrage for copper, aluminium, zinc and nickel imported into China on Friday February 1 *Copper -$140.86 (-951.45 yuan) Aluminium -$367.71 (-2,483.82 yuan) Zinc -$60.30 (-407.32 yuan) Nickel -$345.27 (-2,332.26 yuan) *Fastmarkets calculates the physical arbitrage for import into China daily by using SHFE front-month and LME three-month...Read More
"Dow just broke 25,000. Tremendous news!"Thus the president delivered a blast for the stock market yesterday... for the first time since October.Yesterday's 435-point surge was substantially due to Jerome Powell's pledge to be "patient."Further, that he is prepared to take his hands off the balance sheet:The committee is revising its earlier guidance regarding the conditions under which it could a...Read More
China's hot-rolled coil prices remained flat on Friday February 1, with the market quietening down on the approaching Chinese New Year holiday next week.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,780-3,800 yuan ($564-567) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,720-3,740 yuan per tonne, unchangedFew traders remained active in the market during the day, with most of them starting their break well...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves. Read More
The following Fastmarkets minor metals prices changed on Friday February 1:Minor metals Bismuth MB free market, $/lb: $3.70-4.20 per lb from $3.70-4.10Cadmium MB free market min 99.95%, cents/lb: 127-132 cents per lb from 125-130 centsCadmium MB free market min 99.99%, cents/lb:...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, click here.To see all Fastmarkets' pricing methodology and specification...Read More
An overview of the Chinese minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
A summary of Glencore's production results for the year ended December 31, 2018, as well as its production guidance for 2019.In briefThe year-on-year rises in copper and cobalt production were mainly attributed to the restart of Glencore's Katanga processing operations in late 2017. The company's copper sales in 2018 were 22,000 tonnes lower than production...Read More
Further weakness in China's Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI), that fell to 48.3 in January from 49.7 in the prior month, was enough to dent confidence in the base metals market this morning, Friday February 1, with prices for the most part weaker as a result. Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were down by an average of 0.3% this morning, with aluminiu...Read More
China's crude stainless steel output rose 3.6% to a new high in 2018, according to data released by the China Stainless Steel Council.The country produced 26.71 million tonnes of crude stainless steel last year, up 940,000 tonnes from 25.77 million tonnes a year earlier, according to the statistics released late on Thursday January 31. Of the total, 48% or 12.82 million tonnes consisted of 300-ser...Read More
Colorado School of Mines students hacked their way to a top-10 finish in one of the most important cybersecurity competitions in the nation.Twenty Mines students participated in the 2018 NSA Codebreaker Challenge, which ran from the end of September through Jan. 6. Combined, their scores were enough to tie for 10th place out of a field of 377 U.S. universities, Mines' highest finish ever.Ryan Hunt...Read More
The following Fastmarkets non-ferrous European free market scrap prices changed on Friday February 1:Aluminium scrapCast: ?,?960-1,010 per tonne from ?,?970-1,010Aluminium ingotDuty paid delivered...Read More
VANCOUVER - A new partnership between First Nations, exploration companies and the B.C. government named the British Columbia Regional Mining Alliance (BCRMA) is working well to advance mineral exploration and mining in northwestern British Columbia.That was the message behind a panel discussion held at the Association for Mineral Exploration's (AME) annual Roundup convention in Vancouver.The four...Read More
Casa Minerals (TSXV: CASA) has optioned its Keaper polymetallic project 15 km northeast of Terrace, B.C., less than 5 km from the company's flagship Pitman polymetallic project, to a private company that has the right to earn a 60% interest in the property over four years.In order to earn its interest, the optionee must spend $4 million on exploration, pay Casa $550,000 and issue Casa 2.5 million...Read More
While lithium and uranium markets were depressed in 2018, a rebound could occur, as demand pressures for both metals grow in the years ahead. Here's a look at eight juniors that are active players in lithium and uranium exploration and development. APPIA ENERGYToronto-based junior Appia Energy (CSE: API; US-OTC: APAAF) is involved in uranium and rare earth element (REE) exploration in the prolific...Read More
The following is an edited excerpt from the publication "The lithium-ion battery value chain - new economy opportunities for Australia" by the Australian government's Australian Trade and Investment Commission. To download the full report, visit www.apo.org.au/node/210341.Australia has a comparative advantage in its access to the mineral elements needed for lithium-ion battery production. Australi...Read More
Asian ferrous scrap prices are riding on surges in iron ore prices and much-needed restocking activity by steel mills and are continuing on an upward trend, Fastmarkets heard on Friday February 1.The bullish sentiment in the iron ore markets has spilled over into the scrap markets. Traders have hurriedly raised their offer prices in response to stronger demand for more steelmaking raw materials fr...Read More
Commodities giant Glencore (LON: GLEN) has reported production figures for 2018 and confirmed 2019 guidance that implies a 14%-year-on-year increase in copper-equivalent production.Copper production reached 1.45 million tonnes in 2018, 11% higher than 2017, and Glencore expects that number to jump by about 45% this year to 1.54 million tonnes.Cobalt production came in at 42,200 tonnes last year, 5...Read More
The import price for steel billet in Southeast Asia on Friday February 1 was stable day on day due to sluggish trading activity, although on a weekly basis the price inched up amid sparse offers received this week.Fastmarkets' daily import price assessment for billet in Southeast Asia was $450-460 per tonne cfr Manila on Friday, unchanged from Thursday. But week on week the range widened upward by...Read More