Oct 18 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 1000 GMT on Thursday:** Hungarian holding companies Konzum KONU.BU and Opus Global OPUSG.BU announced a plan to merge, creating a combined entity with a market capitalisation of about 350 billion to 400 billion forints ($1.25 billion to $1.43 billion). German copper products maker Wieland-Werke has submitte...Read More

The Turkish deep-sea scrap market showed signs of renewed activity on Thursday October 18, with prices being pushed upward by rumors of a new cargo booking.So far this week, no deep-sea cargo bookings have been heard, but rumors of a European cargo being sold were circulating on the market today. But the details began to emerge...Read More

Imported steel billet prices in Egypt decreased in the week ended Thursday October 18, with demand in the country remaining weak.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel billet imported into Egypt was $480-485 per tonne cfr on Thursday, falling from...Read More

The Comex copper price tumbled in the morning on Thursday October 18 after the US Federal Reserve indicated another interest rate rise is imminent. The copper price for December settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange dipped 4.10 cents to $2.7370 per lb. The broad-based weakness in the base metals follows a rebound in the dollar after the minutes from the US Federal Op...Read More

BHP's zinc concentrates production rose 5% year on year in the three months ended September 30, 2018, according to the company's quarterly production report released on Wednesday October 17. The company produced 30,558 tonnes in the July-September period, up 5% from 29,201 tonnes in the same period of 2017, although production dropped by 15% on a quarterly basis. The miner produced 35,983 tonnes o...Read More

Key data from the Wednesday October 17 pricing session in Asia. Key drivers: Cheaper offers from new supply regions including the Middle East, Russia, Spain and Italy put pressure on Chinese exporters to lower their prices.This new supply was diverted to Japan from Europe and...Read More

Australian-Chinese miner MMG has increased 2018 production guidance from Dugald River, with a ramp-up at the Australian zinc mine progressing faster than expected.Dugald River will produce 140,000-150,000 tonnes of zinc in concentrate this year, MMG said, above the 120,000-140,000 tonnes previously stated by the company."The Dugald River ramp up continues to track ahead of schedule, with mining an...Read More

Arbitrage for copper, aluminium, zinc and nickel imported into China on Thursday October 18*Copper -$95.64 (-665.08 yuan) Aluminium -$452.61 (-3,147.39 yuan) Zinc -$82.92 (-576.6 yuan) Nickel $317.67 (2,208.99 yuan) *Fastmarkets calculates the physical arbitrage for import into China daily by using SHFE front-month and LME three-month...Read More

The latest metal markets news and price moves to start the North American day on Thursday October 18.Zinc continued to outperform the other base metals during morning trading the London Metal Exchange following a large cancellation at LME-listed warehouses.The three-month zinc price peaked at $2,687 per tonne this morning, its highest since the start of October, after more than 31,000 tonnes of th...Read More

Polish secondary aluminium producer Alumetal SA raised capacity at its plant in Gorzyce, Poland, earlier this month, it said, amid falling prices - diecasting alloy is down by than ?,?200 in Europe since the start of 2018.Capacity at the producer's Gorzyce plant has increased to more than 20,000 tonnes per year from 8,000 tpy, it said. The expansion will also allow the company's plant to produce a...Read More

Prices for US domestic rebar remained flat despite a modest gain in Chicago shredded scrap prices, while imported prices remain static due to a lack of confirmed market activity. Fastmarkets AMM's assessment for domestic rebar held at $35-36 per hundredweight ($700-720 per short ton) fob Midwest mill on Wednesday October 17, while imported rebar remained at $676-700 per ton cfr Port of Houston. No...Read More

Import prices for flat-rolled steel in the United States are mostly in line with levels recorded two weeks ago, although market participants have said that import volumes could recover if recent domestic price increases take full effect.Fastmarkets AMM's assessment for imported hot-rolled coil (HRC) narrowed upward to $740-780 per short ton cfr port of Houston on Thursday October 17 from $720-780...Read More

China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices decreased on Thursday October 18 following a sharp drop in the futures market. DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,210-4,230 yuan ($608-611) per tonne, down 20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 4,110-4,120 yuan per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonneThe significant drop in the futures market dampened demand for HRC and pushed down spot prices for the product...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices held steady on Thursday October 18 despite a big drop in the futures market.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 4,550-4,590 yuan ($657-663) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Beijing): 4,340-4,380 yuan per tonne, unchangedRebar futures took a big tumble during the day, which dampened buying interest in the spot market.A week-on-week drop in inventory levels kept price...Read More

The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for steel billet, slab and bloom. Latest transaction: billetBillet China,...Read More

AMG Vanadium LLC has decided to proceed with expansion plans that will more than double its spent catalyst processing capacity and significantly increase vanadium production capacity at its North American operations by 2021.The decision to expand vanadium production comes amid soaring prices for the material, with pricing for both ferro-vanadium and vanadium pentoxide more than quad...Read More

Australian lithium miner Galaxy Resources reported a drop in mining volumes and lithium spodumene production quarter on quarter in the three months to September 2018. Lithium spodumene production fell by 35% to 31,156 tonnes produced in the third quarter compared with 47,901 tonnes in the second quarter. Mining volumes fell by 8% to 779,495 tonnes from 843,830 tonnes in the same period at its Mt C...Read More

Manganese market participants believe that 2018 will be the first year since 2015 that will end without a dramatic fourth-quarter ore price rally.Sharp rallies in manganese ore prices occurred in October 2016 and December 2017, but so far in 2018 there have been few indications that such an event will be repeated, sources told Fastmarkets."I think the market will be relatively quiet," one market s...Read More

Molybdenum prices have dropped in Europe in line with demand in the past few days, with traders waiting for consumer buying interest to pick up before committing to any significant inter-merchant business, sources said.Market participants have not reported to Fastmarkets MB any molybdenum trades in either oxide or ferro-molybdenum in the first half of the week. Alloy deals of around 60 tonnes were...Read More

New Chinese silico-manganese projects entering production in the fourth quarter of 2018 are supporting manganese ore demand and helping to keep the market in balance amid high import volumes from countries including South Africa, market sources said.Four new projects coming on stream this quarter will add about 2 million tonnes of manganese alloy to China's domestic market over the coming months,...Read More