Ole Hansen14 hours ago (Nov 11, 2019 10:51 AM GMT)Saxo Bank publishes two weekly Commitment of Traders reports (COT) covering leveraged fund positions in bonds and stock index futures. For IMM currency futures and the VIX, we use the broader measure called non-commercial.The below summary highlights futures positions and changes made by hedge funds across 24 commodities futures up until last Tuesd...Read More
The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange continued to fall over the course of Monday November 11 to end the day's trading down by just under 4% against high turnover, while the rest of the complex similarly closed lower. The nickel futures price closed at $15,565 per tonne on Monday afternoon, its lowest 5pm closing price since August 7. Turnover in nickel was high over the day wi...Read More
Stagnant tin prices could be set to climb after a bridge collapsed on a key route to Alphamin Resources' Bisie tin mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa.The Mauritius-based mining company confirmed this week that the Maiko Bridge at Lubutu - on a key route to the Bisie tin mine in the Walikale territory of DRC - collapsed on October 30, some 53 kilometers sout...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices displayed no clear trend on Monday November 11, though some market participants in China have reported an emergence of offers for November-loading cargoes despite it being close to the middle of the month.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $134.77 per tonne, up $1.53 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $145.02 per tonne, down $1.10 per t...Read More
Chinese steelmaker Hebei Jingye Group has agreed to acquire British Steel, including its Scunthorpe steelworks and other assets, the UK government's Official Receiver and the company's administrator, EY, said on Monday November 11. The sale will also include British Steel's shares in TSP Engineering and Redcar Bulk Terminal in the UK, along with FN Steel in the Netherlands and Briti...Read More
The export market for hot-rolled and cold-rolled coil from the Commonwealth of Independent States has improved on a bullish mood among suppliers, which preferred to step back from the market rather than to continue sales at low prices, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday November 11.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel HRC, export, fob Black Sea, CIS, was $375-385 per tonne on November 11, up fr...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday November 11 that are worth another look.Chinese steelmaker Hebei Jingye Group has agreed to acquire British Steel, including its Scunthorpe steelworks and other assets, the UK government's Official Receiver and the company's administrator, EY, said on November 11.Chilean copper production grew by 1.2% year on year in September, a...Read More
Chilean copper production grew by 1.2% year-on-year in September, as higher output from state-owned Codelco offset a drop from Escondida and Collahuasi, the country's copper commission, Cochilco, said on Thursday November 7.Total production reached 483,800 tonnes of copper content during September, up from 478,200 tonnes a year earlier.Output during the January-September period came to 4.24 millio...Read More
Stagnant tin prices could be set to climb after a bridge collapsed on a key route to Alphamin Resources' Bisie tin mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa.The Mauritius-based mining company confirmed this week that the Maiko Bridge at Lubutu - on a key route to the Bisie tin mine in the Walikale territory of DRC - collapsed on October 30, some 53 kilometers sout...Read More
Miner-smelter Nyrstar has begun the final stages of a planned restart to its Port Pirie lead smelter in Australia, with the first feed in its top submerged lance (TSL) furnace expected later this week, it said on Monday November 11. The smelter will be restarting 13 weeks after the company announced a "forced shutdown" on August 9 caused by an incident at the hearth in the primary smelter that req...Read More
The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange recorded a sharp sell-off during morning trading on Monday November 11 on mounting fears that progress in a US-China trade deal could stall. Concerns that the trade talks are not progressing as smoothly as hoped, with US President Donald Trump saying late last week that he had not agreed to roll back tariffs on imports from China, has dampe...Read More
Concerns that China-United States trade talks are not progressing as smoothly as hoped, with US President Donald Trump saying late last week that he had not agreed to roll back tariffs on imports from China, has dampened sentiment in the metals.That said, US equities went on to brush off the news with markets closing at record highs again on Friday November 8. Gold prices break below support as US...Read More
With the exception of those for tin and zinc, base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mostly lower during the morning trading session on Monday November 11.The subdued performance by the base metals comes after United States President Donald Trump told reporters at the end of last week that China was pushing for the removal of some tariffs as part of an agreement, but he said a "c...Read More
Special bar quality (SBQ) steel prices in the United States moved sideways across cold-finished and hot-rolled grades this month despite higher ferrous scrap prices due to reports of discounting and overall weak demand.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel bar hot-rolled special bar quality (SBQ) 1-inch round 1000 series (carbon), fob mill US stood at $34 per hundredweight ($680 per ton) on Frid...Read More
Steel plate prices in the United States dropped further during the week to Friday November 8, but the market might have found a bottom after more domestic mills joined efforts to raise pricing, some market participants said. Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel cut-to-length plate carbon grade, fob mill USwas at $30 per hundredweight ($600 per short ton) on Friday November 8, down by 1.6% from...Read More
The strength of December's ferrous scrap trade in the United States is in debate, with mills seeing potential for only a limited upside while sellers believe a repeat of November's increase may be necessary to reinvigorate scrap flows.One mill buyer said that he expects the market to increase by a modest $10 per gross ton in December because the last month of the year is not known for strong deman...Read More
Turkish steel producers have booked more deep-sea cargoes for December delivery and prices have remained firm, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday November 11.Five deep-sea cargoes, totaling around 160,000 tonnes, were heard at the start of the week.A steel mill in northern Turkey booked a European cargo comprising 17,500 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (75:25) and 17,500 tonnes of bonus at an average price of $...Read More
Turkish domestic scrap prices have continued to climb over the past week under the influence of rising imported scrap values, sources said on Monday November 11.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap, auto bundle scrap, domestic, delivered Turkey, was TRY1,455-1,560 ($252-270) per tonne on Monday, up from the TRY1,400-1,555 per tonne of last week.The steel producers and a major scrap...Read More
The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for iron ore, pig iron, direct-reduced iron and other steelmaking raw materials....Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices displayed no clear trend on Monday November 11, though some market participants in China have reported an emergence of offers for November-loading cargoes despite it being close to the middle of the month.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $134.77 per tonne, up $1.53 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $145.02 per tonne, down $1.10 per t...Read More