The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Thursday June 21.Zinc prices on the London Metal Exchange settled at their lowest level in nine months at the close of trading on Wednesday June 20, while copper prices continued to edge lower on a surging United States dollar index. Read more in our live futures report.Here are how prices looked at the close of trading:The Europe...Read More
The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Thursday June 21.Zinc prices on the London Metal Exchange settled at their lowest level in nine months at the close of trading on Wednesday June 20, while copper prices continued to edge lower on a surging United States dollar index. Read more in our live futures report.Here are how prices looked at the close of trading:The Europe...Read More
Zinc prices on the London Metal Exchange fell more than 2% by the close of trading on Thursday June 21, while sister-metal lead struggled to find support amid intensified trade war uncertainties between China and the United States. Falling further from the $3,000 per tonne support level, zinc's three-month price reached a daily low of $2,912 per tonne during the afternoon."Zinc is under significan...Read More
Finnish stainless steelmaker Outokumpu's alloy steel surcharges for July deliveries of grade-304 cold-rolled (CR) stainless steel sheet have risen for the sixth consecutive month, the company's website announced on Thursday June 21.The company's July alloy surcharge for 2mm grade-304 CR stainless steel sheet is ?,?1,647 ($1,907) per tonne, a sharp increase from its June surcharge of ?,?1,527 per t...Read More
Comex copper prices traded in negative territory on Thursday June 21 morning in the United States, with threats of an impending trade war between the US and China hanging over the market.Copper for July settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange inched down 0.70 cents or 0.3% to $3.0330 per lb. The contract is now on a six-day losing streak."Copper has started to consolid...Read More
Unusually quiet trading activity in molybdic oxide and alloys markets has pressured down prices in Europe so far this week, with the prospect of further falls if emerging offer prices for oxide are accepted and while steelmakers appear reluctant to buy alloys in a weakening market, sources said. Metal Bulletin assessed European molybdic oxide prices at $11.10-11.20 per lb in-warehouse Rotterd...Read More
Uncertainties in the Chinese stainless steel market, caused by environmental inspections in the downstream supply chain, were the focus of discussions on nickel's price in the second half at the Shanghai nickel forum held by COFCO Futures on Wednesday June 20. Nickel prices volatile in short term, bullish long term Panelists at the Shanghai forum were mainly positive about nickel prices in the lon...Read More
Uncertainties in the Chinese stainless steel market, caused by environmental inspections in the downstream supply chain, were the focus of discussions on nickel's price in the second half at the Shanghai nickel forum held by COFCO Futures on Wednesday June 20. Nickel prices volatile in short term, bullish long term Panelists at the Shanghai forum were mainly positive about nickel prices in the lon...Read More
UC Rusal has restarted its Friguia alumina refinery in Guinea more than six years after production was halted, the company said on Thursday June 21. Friguia has an annual nameplate capacity is 650,000 tonnes of alumina and 2.1 million tonnes of bauxite. Rusal reached agreements with the Republic of Guinea, which provide for the ramp up of production up to 550,000-600,000 tonnes of alumina per year...Read More
Spot copper concentrate treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) jumped up sharply in the first half of June after smelters overcame resistance from traders and miners to sell at higher levels. Metal Bulletin's copper concentrates TC/RC index shot up by $5.40 per tonne/0.54 cents per lb over the past two weeks to $77/7.7 cents on Friday June 15 - its highest level since January, when the index norm...Read More
Metal Bulletin is seeking market feedback on a proposal to publish an all-in price assessment for Chinese cobalt sulfate alongside its existing price assessment for cobalt sulfate, 20.5% min Co, ex-works China. The discount/premium structure of the existing price assessment published as a $ per lb adjustment to the low end of Metal Bulletin's benchmark low-grade cobalt price assessment, launched o...Read More
Comex copper prices traded in negative territory on Thursday June 21 morning in the United States, with threats of an impending trade war between the US and China hanging over the market.Copper for July settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange inched down 0.70 cents or 0.3% to $3.0330 per lb. The contract is now on a six-day losing streak."Copper has started to consolid...Read More
Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were for the most part weaker on the morning of Thursday June 21, with the complex down by an average of 0.2%. Nickel, up by 0.3% at $15,000 per tonne, was the exception. Copper was off by 0.3% at $6,797 per tonne.Volume has been high with 10,539 lots traded as at 7.15am London time.This morning's general weakness follows a more divergent...Read More
European buyers of hot-rolled coil (HRC) have been holding back from new deals ahead of the European Commission ruling on safeguarding measures for steel imports, sources told Metal Bulletin.The EC is expected to impose preliminary safeguarding measures on steel imports in early July.The EC opened an investigation in late March, in an attempt to prevent steel shipments being redirected to the...Read More
The United States has agreed to exemptions from Section 232 tariffs for some steel products from five countries.US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said the Bureau of Industry and Security had begun production exclusions on steel imports based on a "balanced approach that accounts for the needs of downstream industries while also recognizing the threatened impairment of national security caused b...Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices edged up on Thursday June 21 amid early gains in the futures market.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 4,270-4,290 yuan ($659-662) per tonne, narrowed upward by 10 yuan per tonne Northern China (Tianjin): 4,220-4,240 yuan per tonne, up 10-20 yuan per tonne HRC futures rose to a high of 3,932 yuan per tonne in the first hour of trading, which improved sentime...Read More
Export prices for Turkish rebar dipped slightly for the week ended Thursday June 21 amid fresh bookings.Rebar offers varied within a range of $550-560 per tonne fob on an actual weight basis, unchanged week on week.A total of 50,000 tonnes was reported sold to...Read More
Turkey's ferrous scrap import market was idle on Thursday June 21, with consumers in Turkey moving to the sidelines ahead of the Turkish general election on Sunday - the result of which has the potential to influence currency moves and interest rates, industry sources told Metal Bulletin.Moreover, Turkish steel producers are being cautious for the time being, with one trader source citing&nbs...Read More
Trading activity in the physical iron ore market was lackluster on Thursday June 21 with prices staying rangebound.Metal Bulletin 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $64.88 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.61 per tonneMetal Bulletin 58% Fe Premium Index: $53.58 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.03 per tonneMetal Bulletin 65% Fe Iron Ore Index: $87.70 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.60 per tonneMetal Bulletin 62% Fe...Read More
Chinese ferrous futures were mixed during morning trading on Thursday June 21, with the rebar and hot-rolled coil contracts recording slight decreases while those for steelmaking raw materials edged up.Futures closing prices - morning sessionShanghai Futures Exchange October rebar: 3,812 yuan ($589) per tonne, down 5 yuan per tonneOctober hot-rolled coil: 3,902 yuan per tonne, down 4 yuan per tonn...Read More