It seems that copper's biggest market has soured on the metal. Premiums paid over exchange prices for copper cathodes imported into China have fallen in recent weeks, dropping to a five-month low in a decline that shows no signs of slowing down.Fastmarkets' benchmark copper grade-A cathode ER premium, cif Shanghai was at $40-48 per tonne on Wednesday April 14, a five-month low.Falling premiums for...Read More

Korea Zinc has agreed annual supply contracts for lead concentrate from South32's Cannington mine in Australia with a 21.92% reduction in treatment charge (TC) terms from a year ago. The two companies agreed to a TC of $142.50 per tonne and refining charge (RC) of $1.50 per oz, down from $182.50 per tonne / $1.50 per oz, sources claiming direct knowledge said. The deal was locked as per contract w...Read More

Copper's London Metal Exchange three-month price continued on the upside with a rise to $9,415 per tonne on the morning of Monday April 19, while tin's price was also up 1.6% and nickel's futures undid its Friday gains. The copper price rose by 2.2% gain on Monday morning from $9,211 per tonne at 5pm on Friday, which itself was a 3.9% gain from last Monday's closing price of $8,861 per tonne. Ope...Read More

Nickel briquette has steadily become a more favored choice of feedstock for Chinese battery-grade nickel sulfate producers in recent months, resulting in a notable pick-up in spot trading activity for the former.But recent declines in the Chinese nickel sulfate price have raised questions among market participants about whether this trend will continue. Fastmarkets examines the major factors behin...Read More

Prices for cold-heading quality (CHQ) and high-carbon wire rod in the United States rose for the second consecutive month, while mills extended lead times due to higher demand. Fastmarkets' monthly assessment for steel wire rod (high carbon), fob mill US was $52.50 per hundredweight ($1,050 per short ton) on Friday April 16, up 5% from $50 per cwt in March, and up $4.75 per cwt (9.95%) f...Read More

Special bar quality (SBQ) steel prices for both hot-rolled and cold-finished products soared in the United States in April due to rising demand, mill base price increases and higher raw material costs. Fastmarkets' assessment for hot-rolled special bar quality 1-inch round 1000 series (carbon), fob mill US was at $57.50 per hundredweight ($1,150 per short ton) on Friday April 16, up by 12.75% from...Read More

Are mining companies being held back by their board composition? SPONSOREDswannEmmerson's premium offeringSPONSOREDemmerson plcAlto emerging on song at SandstoneSPONSOREDalto metalsReady for development copper-gold projectSPONSOREDjosemaria resources inc"The judgment of the environmental court unequivocally establishes that the information provided by the owner of the project is sufficient and...Read More

Huntsman Set to Expand Nickel Sulphide Discovery at CanegrassSPONSOREDhuntsman explorationDevelopment of the access road will be funded equally by AIDEA and Ambler Metals, the joint venture operating company owned 50-50 by Trilogy and South32. The AIDEA board authorised up to $6.Read More

Liberty Steel's management has promised Ostrava steelworks in Czech Republic will retain its carbon emissions allowances, addressing trade union's fears they will be lent to another mill, Fastmarkets has learned. On Wednesday April 14, OS KOVO trade union warned of a readiness to strike at Liberty's Ostrava plant amid concerns stemming from market chatter and international media that implied...Read More

United Arab Emirates-based rebar producers Emirates Steel and Conares Steel have rolled over their rebar prices, effective from Friday April 16.The country's largest producer, Emirates Steel, is offering rebar at 2,535 dirhams ($690) per tonne ex-works, unchanged since February 24.Conares Steel is offering rebar at 2,530 dirhams...Read More

Ongoing growth in finished flat-steel products prices, both domestically and in the main customers' markets, spurred slab producers in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to increase offers again, sources said.Turkish producers - one of the main buyers of CIS slab - sold hot-rolled coil (HRC) at $1,020-1,030 per tonne fob to North Africa and at $1,020-1,050 per tonne fob to the United Sta...Read More

Fastmarkets has corrected its weekly steel slab export, fob Black Sea, CIS assessment, which was published incorrectly on Monday April 19 due to a reporter error. The steel slab export, fob Black Sea, CIS (MB-STE-0016) price should have been $850-870 per tonne instead of $860-870 per tonne as published initially. This has now been corrected in Fastmarkets' pricing database, MinD. For more inf...Read More

Base metals prices were mixed on both the London Metal Exchange and the Shanghai Futures Exchange this morning, Monday April 19, while broader markets were generally upbeat, save in India where a surge in Covid-19 infections is weighing on equities.* Strength in gold, the yen and weaker bond yields could suggest a pick-up in haven demand...* ...but there are few signs of nervousness in equity mark...Read More

Auto ETF (CARZ) moved above $59.61 to an all-time high extending an intermediate uptrend.Canadian National Railway (CNR), a TSX 60 stock moved above $148.27 to an all-time high extending an intermediate uptrend. Pre-opening Comments for Monday April 19thU.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 10 points in pre-opening trade.The Canadian Dollar added $0.15 to...Read More

Brazilian steel and iron ore producer Companhia Sider??rgica Nacional (CSN) was able to continue to operate normally at its coal and container terminals at the port of Itagua?- over the weekend despite an order from local authorities to suspend its activities.The closures at Itagua?- port, in Brazil's southeastern Rio de Janeiro state, were ordered by the city authorities but CSN was able to ensur...Read More

Turkish steel producers returned to the deep-sea scrap import market at the start of the week, booking cargoes from a range of locations at lower prices, market participants told Fastmarkets on Monday April 19.At the end of the last week, a steel mill in the Izmir region booked a European cargo at $417 per tonne cfr for HMS 1&2 (80:20).And a steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a Venezuelan...Read More

Turkish domestic auto bundle scrap prices have inched downward over the past week thanks to the recent recovery in the value of the country's currency, while ship scrap prices remained fairly stable, market participants told Fastmarkets on Monday April 19.Domestic prices for long steel products and, therefore, auto bundle scrap in Turkey typically decrease in line with a stronger Turkish lira beca...Read More

Seaborne premium hard coking coal prices edged up slightly on Monday April 19.In the cfr market, imported coking coal prices were supported by positive market sentiment due to expectations of short supplies and rising domestic coking coal and metallurgical coke prices, while buying interest has started to revive after falling offer prices in the fob market, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets ind...Read More

Iron ore prices in the seaborne market surged on Monday April 19, supported by active trading at Chinese ports and demand from steel mills ahead of the Labor Day holiday. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $181.80 per tonne, up $3.37 per tonne 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $182.55 per tonne, up $3.99 per tonne 58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $157.49 per...Read More

Seaborne iron ore pellet and concentrate prices increased in the week to Friday April 16, amid growing demand driven by the ongoing emissions restrictions in the Chinese steelmaking hub of Tangshan, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices66% Fe concentrate, cfr Qingdao: $206.96 per tonne, up $6.90 per tonne.65% Fe blast furnace pellet, cfr Qingdao: $231.12 per tonne, up $2.14 per ton...Read More