China imported nearly 6.26 million tonnes of coking coal in June, an increase of 28.9% from May, according to Chinese customs data. June imports were also down by 4.3% from 6.54 million tonnes in the corresponding period last year. Coking...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices were down on Monday July 27, prompted by uncertainty over the short-term outlook due to escalating political tensions between the United States and China, according to trade sources. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $107.68 per tonne, down $1.71 per tonne. 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $109.66 per tonne, down $1.90 per tonne. 58% Fe fines hi...Read More

The price of seaborne premium hard coking coal in the fob market went up on Monday July 27 in the latest transaction. While Chinese demand for seaborne materials was constrained by the country's import restrictions, markets outside of China were showing signs of recovery.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $109.38 per tonne, up by $1.16 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jin...Read More

A summary of Canadian miner Teck Resources' second-quarter 2020 results for metallurgical coal. In brief  Teck completed its Elkview operations plant expansion in British Columbia, reducing metallurgical coal operating costs and improving margins while maintaining total production capacity.  The Neptune Bulk Terminals upgrade project in Vancouver, which will secure a long-term, low-cost...Read More

Prices for seaborne iron ore concentrate and pellets fell in the week ended Friday July 24 due to poor demand in the market.Fastmarkets iron ore indices66% Fe concentrate, cfr Qingdao: $116.42 per tonne, down $2.82 per tonne 65% Fe blast furnace pellet, cfr Qingdao: $125.67 per tonne, down $2.61 per tonne Key drivers"Port inventories for both concentrate and pellets are at record highs in China, w...Read More

China imported 422,573 tonnes of alumina from the seaborne market in June 2020, up by 57.3% compared with imports of 268,573 tonnes in May, according to Chinese customs data released on Friday July 24.This was almost 7.5 times of the volume of 50,000 tonnes imported in June 2019, and was the highest monthly alumina imports total since February 2016.China has imported 1.91 million tonnes of alumina...Read More

China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices dipped on Monday July 27, but sources are still expecting export prices to remain stable due to mills not being in any rush to sell.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,920-3,930 yuan ($559-560) per tonne, down 10-20 yuan per tonneDomestic HRC prices fell during the day amid falling futures.Most market participants believe China's ferrous futures market will...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices dropped on Monday July 27 amid weakness in the futures and billet markets, though end-user demand was reported as "good."Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,580-3,600 yuan ($510-513) per tonne, down by 30-40 yuan per tonneRebar sellers lowered their offers in the morning in response to falling futures.They were hoping to generate more sales by doing so since end user...Read More

The cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies. Fastmarkets assessed cobalt standard grade, in-whs...Read More

The cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies. Read More

Diversified downstream requirements on costs and performance will point to the need for different battery chemistries, but in the long run, nickel-rich batteries will dominate the electric vehicle (EV) market, delegates heard during Fastmarkets' "A critical look into the impact of Covid-19 on cathode materials" webinar on Tuesday July 21. Most of the new demand for EV batteries last year were for...Read More

Gold is setting fresh record highs with prices having been as high as $1,943.70 per oz this morning, Monday July 27, while the base metals on the London Metal Exchange were up by an average of 0.8%. Hopes and fears are driving the markets, with the hope of further United States stimulus underpinning equites and industrial metals, while concerns about the US-China diplomatic relations and how the o...Read More

Key data from the Friday July 24 pricing session in Shanghai.Key drivers Exporters continue to raise their offer prices given strong domestic prices amid tight spot market supply. Plants in China's Xinjiang region, which have operated at...Read More

Key data from the Friday July 24 pricing session in Shanghai.Key drivers Producers reporting tight spot supply because the material has already been booked. Speculators are said to...Read More

The price of stainless steel in Europe fell further in the week to Friday July 24 on struggling demand and a resurgence in imports, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment for stainless steel cold-rolled sheet 2mm grade 304 transaction domestic, delivered North Europe was ?,?1,900-1,950 ($2,214-2,272) per tonne on Friday, down by ?,?30-50 per tonne week on week from ?,?1,930-2,000...Read More

China has issued its 10th round of scrap metal import quotas for 2020, marking its second batch for the third quarter.The latest batch permits 1,110 tonnes of aluminium scrap to enter China, in addition to the 209,660 tonnes allowed in the ninth round of quotas announced on July 6, the China Solid Waste & Chemicals Management Bureau said on Friday July 24.So far in 2020, China has allowed importer...Read More

1. Gold has arrived at significant resistance in the $1900-$2000 zone. Investors need a solid plan of action to deal with the intense volatility that is currently enveloping the market.2. Please click here now. Double-click to enlarge this December futures gold chart.3. In 2011, a key futures contract traded at about $2000. That's a significant round number, and the gold pric...Read More

The gold price has shot up 37% over the past one year. Mining stocks that are closely correlated with the gold price have had a much better run. Investors who saw this trend emerging early are now sitting on incredible gains. However, the bull run in gold prices is far from over. In fact, some expert analysts believe the price of a single ounce could surge from nearly US$2,000 today to over $...Read More

While gold has rallied more than 25%, silver has been shining bright with almost 35% gain this year. Government stimulus and lower interest rates have largely fueled the recent rally in precious metals.Importantly, as volatility and uncertainty in global equity markets continue to increase, silver and gold will likely maintain the uptrend. Silver futures breached $26 levels on July 28, hitting its...Read More

There are some strong plays on the TSX for investors seeking stocks that have responded well to hints of recovery. Industrials have ticked higher on vaccine rallies, while gold has proven a reliable source of near-term capital appreciation.Indeed, it has been noted that certain gold stocks have become 2020’s answer to cannabis; such is their standout upward momentum.Some industrials could ou...Read More