Fastmarkets' index for domestic hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe inched up on Thursday January 9, with sources expecting prices to continue rising.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index domestic, ex-works Northern Europe, was ?,?441.15 ($491.03) per tonne on Thursday January 9, up from ?,?440 per tonne on January 8.The calculation of the index was based on achievable prices heard at ?,?4...Read More

Domestic prices for long steel products in the Turkish market have gone down slightly due to a recent strengthening of the country's lira against the US dollar, sources said on Thursday January 9.The Turkish lira gained against the dollar on Thursday, with the United States and Iran appearing to retreat from further conflict and reducing the tensions in the Middle East.The Turkish currency was tra...Read More

The CIS export market for pig iron was largely quiet in the week to Thursday January 9, awaiting more clarity after the year-end holidays, particularly in the scrap sector.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for high-manganese pig iron, export, fob main port Black Sea, CIS, was $320-325 per tonne on January 9, unchanged week on week.Suppliers returned to the market with offers varying within the...Read More

Physical iron ore prices fell on Thursday January 9 following derivatives losses amid paused restocking from Chinese mills and a big increase in steel inventories.62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $94.37 per tonne, down $1.85 per tonne.62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $93.46 per tonne, down $1.85 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $95.22 per tonne, down $1.65 per tonne.58% Fe fines...Read More

The seaborne coking coal price fob DBCT rose again on Thursday January 9, although trading activity has waned from a day earlier. Fastmarkets indices Premium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $148.30 per tonne, up $2.04 per tonne Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $157.35 per tonne, unchanged Hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $122.33 per tonne, unchanged Hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $134.02 per tonne,...Read More

China has granted allowances for 3,180 tonnes of ferrous scrap imports in the second round of import quotas issued by the China Solid Waste & Chemicals Management Center on Wednesday January 8. This represents a more than four-fold increase from the previous ferrous scrap quotas which totaled 610 tonnes issued in October 2019. The first round of import quotas for 2020, announced at the end of Dece...Read More

If you ask an executive at your local mill in the United States which way prices will go in 2020, they will probably tell you nowhere but up.That would not be incorrect. Between late October and the end of last year, US steel mills rolled out four price increases totaling at least $150 per ton ($7.50 per hundredweight). And prices have since risen steadily.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-ro...Read More

Overseas buyers have become more willing to pay for Chinese hot-rolled coil, although China's domestic market experienced some weakness on Thursday January 9.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,880-3,920 yuan ($559-564) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,620-3,630 yuan per tonne, widened downward by 10 yuan per tonneTransactions in Shanghai were largely concluded at 3,900-3,920 yuan...Read More

Export prices for Chinese rebar picked up slightly on Thursday January 9 on an appreciating yuan, while the domestic market was flat amid inactivity.Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,680-3,710 yuan ($530-534) per tonne, unchanged Northern China (Beijing): 3,540-3,570 yuan per tonne, unchangedRebar demand remained persistently weak, which continued to weigh on prices during the day.Traders did not lower...Read More

Chinese stainless steel prices maintained their downward trend over the past week amid sparse trading activity.Nickel futures on the London Metal Exchange and the Shanghai Futures Exchange picked up in the first couple of days this week after falling sharply, but they failed to push up spot prices for stainless steel due to soft demand, sources said.The three-month nickel contract on the LME ended...Read More

Trader and consumer restocking sent prices for cobalt metal higher on Wednesday January 8, with firmer Chinese equity markets, salts prices and raw material payables also underpinning sentiment. Fastmarkets assessed the price for cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam at $15.55-16.50 per lb on Wednesday, up 2.4% from Friday. The cobalt alloy-grade, in-whs Rotterdam price was marginally...Read More

Join Fastmarkets' web seminar on what could be in store for the minor metals markets now most stocks formerly held by the Fanya Metal Exchange in China have been sold off in auctions.The whereabouts of minor metal stocks held by the now defunct Fanya Metals Exchange has been a weight on the outlook of minor metals prices and contract negotiations since the exchange collapsed in 2015.Fastmarkets wi...Read More

A second auction for the 3,609.5 tonnes of indium once held by the defunct Fanya Metal Exchange has been scheduled for January 17, according to an official notice published via the Alibaba judicial online platform on Thursday January 9.The latest sale comes after a previous auction at the end of last year failed to attract any bids.Next week's auction will close at 10am Shanghai time on January 18...Read More

Key data from Wednesday January 8 pricing session in Shanghai and London. Key drivers Spot buying appetite for cobalt hydroxide has picked up considerably since late last month amid strength in downstream cobalt sulfate prices in China, while rising inquiries resulted in higher offer prices from suppliers.Consumers, especially those who have not engaged in any long-term supply contracts,...Read More

Meat-free foods could go mainstream in the 20s, as everything from ethical consideration to climate change and cost efficiencies weigh on the agri sector. Four big names offer access to the huge growth market potential of alternative protein: Beyond Meat for a pure play, Nutrien for agri market dominance, and Restaurant Brands (TSX:QSR)(NYSE:QSR) and McDonald’s for less-direct exposure....Read More

If you are considering buying gold because you are looking for a safe haven to store some wealth, you are not alone.As we can see by gold’s steady appreciation over the last eight months, there have been many events that have served to increase fear in the markets.This has driven a number of people to get some initial exposure and increase it as the fear around the world continues to grow.Bu...Read More

Warren Buffett has often shot down gold as an investment when the topic has come up in the past. Over prolonged periods, the “magical metal was no match for the American mettle.” according to Buffett, who is no fan of the “unproductive asset” that is gold.Gold has become a hot topic again, with tensions building the Middle East. While many folks see gold as an excellent ins...Read More

Photo courtesy of Tugliq Energy and Raglan Mine, a Glencore Company, 2019 award recipient.The Art of mining, PwC Canada's annual photography contest celebrating the Canadian mining industry at home and abroad is back.Canadian mining companies are reimagining the way they work to prepare themselves for growth in the long term. The speed of technological change is unrelenting, and the industry is f...Read More

Piles of Salt, Salar de Uyuni Bolivia Luca Galuzzi - Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Investment in battery manufacturing plants and electric vehicle factories continues to boom around the world, but for now the market for lithium shows no signs of emerging from a four-year slump. Prices for the raw material used in lithium-ion batteries fell again at the end of last year, according to the D...Read More

Credit: BDG International Inc. New ocean shipping regulations could have a big impact this year.Under International Maritime Organization (IMO) rules that came into effect on Jan. 1, emissions from fuel used in ocean carriers cannot exceed a sulphur content of 0.5%.With current sulphur content at about 3.5%, the coming switch to low-sulphur fuel is enormous, both as an undertaking and in its far-...Read More