Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange mostly recovered from early morning lows at the close on Thursday February 8, but copper prices remained downbeat.Copper closed $35 lower after crashing over 2.4% on Wednesday, prices remain below $6,900 per tonne following further deliveries into LME-listed warehouses. "Copper was weaker earlier on news that LME stocks rose by another 21,000 tonnes...Read More
Comex copper prices bounced back on Thursday February 8 after crashing to a multi-week low the day before, with investors still upbeat on global growth prospects for 2018. Copper for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 1.00 cents or 0.3% to $3.0975 per lb. Yesterday, the metal touched $3.1060, the weakest since January 23. "Downside prices risks are like...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly in negative territory once again during morning trading on Thursday February 8, with nickel dropping back below $13,000 per tonne. The three-month nickel price has now plummeted 7.2% since it hit $14,000 per tonne last Thursday. The recovery in the dollar has put pressure on prices; most recently it was trading 0.32% higher at 90.55 - the...Read More
Metal Bulletin correspondents round up the main topics and trends from the final day of the 2018 Investing in African Mining Indaba. Resource nationalism Miners are expecting a showdown in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a new mining code is slated to be signed into law. But instead of fighting individual battles, companies are for the first time pulling together in a force that unites bot...Read More
Renewed demand in the European molybdic oxide and ferro-molybdenum markets has pushed prices higher this week after dipping the week before when slower demand encouraged profit-taking, sources told Metal Bulletin. Metal Bulletin assessed molybdic oxide prices at $12.10-12.50 per lb in-warehouse Rotterdam on Wednesday February 7, up 50 cents from Friday. The market was assessed at $9.80-9.90 p...Read More
Brazil's bauxite export volumes fell by 48.7% year-on-year in January, once again affected by lower shipments from Minera????o Rio do Norte (MRN).Exports totaled 433,797 tonnes, down from 845,347 tonnes a year earlier, Brazilian foreign trade ministry MDIC said on Thursday February 8.The city of Oriximin??, in the west of Par?? state where...Read More
Metal Bulletin correspondents round up the main topics and trends from the final day of the 2018 Investing in African Mining Indaba. Resource nationalism Miners are expecting a showdown in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a new mining code is slated to be signed into law. But instead of fighting individual battles, companies are for the first time pulling together in a force that unites bot...Read More
Metal Bulletin correspondents round up the main topics and trends from the final day of the 2018 Investing in African Mining Indaba. Resource nationalism Miners are expecting a showdown in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a new mining code is slated to be signed into law. But instead of fighting individual battles, companies are for the first time pulling together in a force that unites bot...Read More
Selenium prices moved up this week reaching its highest since May 2017 on continued material tightness and healthy appetite from Asian consumers. Metal Bulletin's selenium free market in-warehouse price rose to $19-21.50 per lb on Wednesday February 7, an increase of 2.5% from the previous assessment to a level last seen in May 2017. "The market is really heading up," a trader in Europe said....Read More
The Turkish steel mills returned to the deep-sea scrap market for a number of cargoes with prices going up on Thursday February 8.Steel producers in the country booked at least four deep-sea cargoes, totaling 137,000 tonnes, late on February 7.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a US cargo, comprising 23,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $349.50 per tonne, 20,000 tonnes of shredded at $354...Read More
Comex copper prices bounced back on Thursday February 8 after crashing to a multi-week low the day before, with investors still upbeat on global growth prospects for 2018. Copper for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 1.00 cents or 0.3% to $3.0975 per lb. Yesterday, the metal touched $3.1060, the weakest since January 23. "Downside prices risks are like...Read More
Base metals traded on the London Metal Exchange are little changed this morning, Thursday February 8, with copper (+0.5%) and zinc (+0.5%) the only metals in positive territory, while the rest are under slight downward pressure. Volume remains healthy, however, with 18,941 lots traded as of 07.16 am London time.The base metals complex seems to be undermined by a more pronounced appreciation in the...Read More
ArcelorMittal Mexico is to build a 2.5 million tonne per year capacity hot strip mill and a 650,000 tpy hot skin pass mill at its L??zaro C??rdenas site in Michoac??n, Southern Mexico.Both mills are planned to start up in 2020."This [project] will enable ArcelorMittal L??zaro C??rdenas to process the slabs produced in its works on site," equipment provider Primetals Technologies said on...Read More
Domestic prices in Europe for hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG) have increased again this week, following the upward trend settled in the region's wider flat steel markets, sources told Metal Bulletin on Thursday February 8.Prices for domestic hot-rolled coil (HRC) have increased by ?,?10-20 ($12-25) per tonne in the EU this week.And Metal Bulletin's weekly price assessment for domestic HDG in Sout...Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices stabilized on Thursday February 8 amid weak trading interest on both sides of the market, which has resulted in a slight increase in inventory levels ahead of the Chinese New Year.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,110-4,130 yuan ($656-659) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Tianjin): 4,000-4,030 yuan per tonne, unchangedDomestic prices held steady amid sp...Read More
Import rebar prices in the United States have edged higher since mid-January, but domestic prices are flat from three weeks ago while supply appears tight following an accepted $40-per-ton increase, market participants said.American Metal Market's assessment for import rebar cfr Houston narrowed up to $572-576 per ton from $562-576 per ton on January 17. Meanwhile, the fob mill asse...Read More
Turkish domestic rebar and wire rod prices have gone up over the past week, amid increasing scrap prices, sources said on Thursday February 8.Metal Bulletin's weekly price assessment for domestic rebar in Turkey was $570-575 per tonne ex-works, up from the $550-565 per tonne of last week."The rebar prices are increasing due to rising scrap import values. It seems the market will...Read More
Turkish rebar and wire rod export prices have advanced over the past week on strengthening demand, sources told Metal Bulletin on Thursday February 8.A number of Turkish steel mills were heard selling rebar to North America, the EU, Asia and Africa this week.The rebar sales into the United States and Canada were done at $625-630 per tonne cfr theoretical weight, equivalent to around $550-560 per t...Read More
CIS export pig iron prices were mostly stable in the week ended Thursday February 8 while the market waited for clearer trends to emerge in raw materials, scrap in particular.Metal Bulletin's export price assessment for high-manganese pig iron from the CIS region was $350-375 per tonne fob Black Sea on February 8, unchanged week on week.A cargo of Russian material was heard sold to the United Stat...Read More
ArcelorMittal Mexico is to build a 2.5 million tonne per year capacity hot strip mill and a 650,000 tpy hot skin pass mill at its L??zaro C??rdenas site in Michoac??n, Southern Mexico.Both mills are planned to start up in 2020."This [project] will enable ArcelorMittal L??zaro C??rdenas to process the slabs produced in its works on site," equipment provider Primetals Technologies said on...Read More