The risk-off sentiment continued, with the death toll from the virus reportedly rising to 80 people, cases confirmed in further countries including Australia and concerns about the ramifications for economic growth.The gold price rose to about US$1,585 an ounce on the spot market earlier but was last worth about $1,580/oz.Gold major Newmont's (NYSE: NEM) shares hit a one-year high intraday of $45....Read More

UG2 chrome ore prices cif China were steady in the week ended Friday January 24, with trading activity stalled during the Chinese new year holiday, which has been extended to February 2 amid health concerns over the spread of a coronavirus infection.Fastmarkets' chrome ore, South Africa UG2 concentrates index, basis 42%, cif China, was $136 per tonne on Friday, unchanged from the previous week.But...Read More

Key data from the pricing sessions in Europe, Asia and the United States for the week ended Friday January 24.ChinaThe Chinese market maintained its stability with trading activity stalling ahead of the Chinese New Year (January 24-30) The price range for Chinese ferro-silicon was static week on week in a muted export market Europe The European ferro-silicon spot price was steady for a sixth...Read More

Key data from the January 22 and January 24 pricing sessions in London. Key drivers  Tight supply of certain brands of cut cathodes and rounds - either well-sold on long-term contracts, or held firmly in trader hands - saw alloy-grade cobalt prices extend their premium over standard-grade units.  Some market participants reported an...Read More

Vital Materials' purchase of 3,609 tonnes of indium removes the last of the minor metal supplies once held in the now defunct Fanya Metal Exchange, which enables the company to lock in several years of indium supplies from its own 'surface mine' and at low prices by historical standards.The move from China-based Vital - one of the biggest minor metals producers in the world and a significant produ...Read More

Turkish steel mills held back from deep-sea scrap bookings on Monday January 27, amid talk that they would cut production or resume bookings soon, sources said.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a UK cargo comprising 22,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $277 per tonne cfr late on January 22, which sent the daily scrap indices down by $6.45 per tonne.This was only the second cargo booked i...Read More

Global scrap prices trended downward during the working week ended Friday January 24 on limited demand that was a consequence of lackluster finished steel sales globally and the lunar new year holidays in East Asia.Turkish import prices drop in latest cargo deal US export prices down on both coasts Taiwan import prices slip on demand dip Indian import prices decline on Turkish price downturn. Turk...Read More

Domestic ferrous scrap prices in Turkey have continued to slip over the past week on falling imported scrap values, sources said on Monday January 27.After a steel mill in Turkey booked a UK-origin cargo sold at $277 per tonne cfr for HMS 1&2 (80:20), Fastmarkets' daily index for steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), Northern Europe origin, cfr Turkey went down by $6.45 per tonne to $274.25 per tonne...Read More

Bank Muscat's Nishant Bhavsar and Ajit Mauskar led Fastmarkets' Apex 2019 leaderboard for base metals analysis with an accuracy rate of 97.93%. In second place for base metals, SP Angel's John Meyer, Sergey Raevskiy and Simon Beardsmore notched an accuracy rating of 97.31%, while Emirates NBD's Edward Bell took third place at 97.11%. Capital Economics' Kieran Clancy was in fourth place with a...Read More

Key data from the January 22 and January 24 pricing sessions in London. Key drivers  Tight supply of certain brands of cut cathodes and rounds - either well-sold on long-term contracts, or held firmly in trader hands - saw alloy-grade cobalt prices extend their premium over standard-grade units.  Some market participants reported an...Read More

Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe were expected to rise due to a combination of uncompetitive import offers and good order books at EU mills, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday January 27.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, ex-works Northern Europe, was ?,?461.25 ($508.42) per tonne on Monday, compared with ?,?460.81 per tonne on January 24.The index was...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday January 27 that are worth another look.The Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminium imports into the United States will be applied to select downstream steel and aluminium products, President Donald Trump announced late on Friday January 24.The discount for copper scrap imported into China has narrowed in Ja...Read More

Export rebar and wire rod prices for material out of the CIS region decreased in the week to Monday January 27 under pressure from slow trading, increasing competition and falling scrap prices in the global market.Last week, Ukraine-origin rebar was available to foreign customers at $430 per tonne fob Black Sea, but Turkish mills reduced their offer levels over the week by $10-15 per tonne to $430...Read More

Bank Muscat's Nishant Bhavsar and Ajit Mauskar led Fastmarkets' Apex 2019 leaderboard for base metals analysis with an accuracy rate of 97.93%. In second place for base metals, SP Angel's John Meyer, Sergey Raevskiy and Simon Beardsmore notched an accuracy rating of 97.31%, while Emirates NBD's Edward Bell took third place at 97.11%. Capital Economics' Kieran Clancy was in fourth place with a...Read More

Turkish steel mills held back from deep-sea scrap bookings on Monday January 27, amid talk that they would cut production or resume bookings soon, sources said.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a UK cargo comprising 22,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $277 per tonne cfr late on January 22, which sent the daily scrap indices down by $6.45 per tonne.This was only the second cargo booked i...Read More

Global scrap prices trended downward during the working week ended Friday January 24 on limited demand that was a consequence of lackluster finished steel sales globally and the lunar new year holidays in East Asia.Turkish import prices drop in latest cargo deal US export prices down on both coasts Taiwan import prices slip on demand dip Indian import prices decline on Turkish price downturn. Turk...Read More

The CIS slab export price strengthened in new deals in the week to Monday January 27, as customers accepted higher prices amid positive dynamics in the finished flat steel market, sources said.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab, export, fob Black Sea, CIS, rose by $5 or 1% to $425-430 per tonne on Monday, from $420-425 per tonne previously.Early last week, a cargo of Ukrainian sla...Read More

For Parts 1 & 2 of this video series, CLICK HEREFor Part 3 of this video series, CLICK HEREPretty much the entire country of China is in lockdown at this moment. Unbelievable. Along with restricting travel within and across its borders, the Chinese government has begun heavily censoring the data its sharing with the world. Chris calls into question the few statistics they're currently reporting, s...Read More

*This interview was recorded on January 15, 2020Jim Rickards is a lawyer, investment banker and economist with over thirty years' experience in capital markets. He is currently Chief Global Strategist at Meraglim. He advises the Department of Defense, the U.S. intelligence community, and major hedge funds on global finance, and served as a facilitator of the first ever financial war games conducte...Read More

For Parts 1 & 2 of this video series, CLICK HEREFor Part 4 of this video series, CLICK HERETo get Chris Martenson's report on pandemic preparation, go to https://www.peakprosperity.com/corona...Christopher Martenson is a former American biochemical scientist. Currently he is a writer and trend forecaster interested in macro trends regarding the economy, energy composition and environment. He is th...Read More