Sometimes when we observe people on the streets, when we see crowded restaurants and pubs, it seems like the pandemic has ended. But is the global epidemic really over? Not at all. Please look at the chart below. As one can see, the daily number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world is still in an upward trend. However, in the developed countries the number of daily new cases has declined a...Read More

As a contrarian and long-term holder of Goldcorp. (now Newmont), the latest push higher in the price of gold begs the question: is now the time to sell?The concern, for the uninitiated, is that after the price of gold moves powerfully higher there is an uncanny tendency for forces to mysteriously align and push prices powerfully lower.These “forces” (excuse the conspiratorial flare), h...Read More

Oil is a commodity that plays anindisputable role in the global economy. At the start of the 20th century,the oil industry went into mass production, thus giving birth to what we referto as the modern era of oil consumption. Gradually, coal was starting to take abackseat to it and oil became the world’s #1 fuel source and the undisputedking of commodity trading.To this very day, this remains...Read More

Silver is moving up quite shortly today, whichsounds bullish, until one realizes that silver tends to be particularly strongright before the precious metals market tops. And you know what’s the otherthing that quite often happens at the tops, in addition to silver’s temporarystrength? Miners tend to underperform. What did goldminers do on the last trading day of the previous week? Min...Read More

Every market corrects, maybe profit taking, maybe of allowing those who missed out, to get in!The current open interest on the gold contract looks to high after a very fast price move, it looks like 2008 may be repeating. A quick flushing out of the weak hands open interest may take place before a real advance in price takes place. The correction may be on the back of a wider sell off of risk asse...Read More

The silver market has BROKEN! You won't see it in the price. Here's where you'll see it...by Bix Weir of Road to RootaWOW! Yesterday 1.25B Ounces of electronic silver was traded on the COMEX and yet the Open Interest (total amount of contracts held) BARELY CHANGED! PURE FRAUDULENT HIGH FREQUENCY TRADING!Read More

Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower at the close of trading on Friday July 24, with a continued uptrend in the numbers of Covid-19 cases in the US prompting broad risk-off sentiment across the country's trading hours.Disappointing US manufacturing data added further headwinds.Copper's outright price on the LME was the biggest loser on the day, declining by...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices fell on Friday July 24, following a downturn in the futures market amid growing concerns over escalating tensions between China and the United States. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $109.39 per tonne, down $0.73 per tonne. 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $111.56 per tonne, down $1.24 per tonne. 58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr...Read More

Seaborne coking coal prices were relatively stable across the board on Friday July 24, with Chinese steel mills that still have import quotas preferring higher-quality material, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets indices Premium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $108.22 per tonne, down $0.80 per tonne  Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $119.39 per tonne, up $0.70 per tonne Hard coki...Read More

Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.Fuelled by public policy and declining battery costs, global electric bus adoption is set to triple by 2025. The Chinese market - the most promising in this sector - will surpass the 1 million e-bus mark by 2023 and reach 1.3 million...Read More

Domestic prices for both hot-rolled coil and cold-rolled coil in Turkey have increased over the week to Friday July 24, supported by higher raw material costs, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel HRC, domestic, exw Turkey, was $450-460 per tonne on July 24, up by $10 per tonne week on week from $440-450 per tonne on July 17.The assessment was based on avera...Read More

Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.Wood Mackenzie’s latest analysis reveals that China’s crude stock (including strategic and commercial petroleum reserves) could reach 1.15 billion barrels in 2020, equivalent to 83 days of oil demand.Wood Mackenzie senior...Read More

Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.What does tight oil have in common with Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Alphabet's Google stocks (known as FAANG stocks)? Answer: tight oil is arguably the upstream equivalent of these tech sector leaders. It's the hot investment...Read More

Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower at the close of trading on Friday July 24, with a continued uptrend in the numbers of Covid-19 cases in the US prompting broad risk-off sentiment across the country's trading hours.Disappointing US manufacturing data added further headwinds.Copper's outright price on the LME was the biggest loser on the day, declining by...Read More

An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More

Fastmarkets' copper concentrates treatment and refining charge (TC/RC) index shifted higher on Friday July 24 due to shipments from Chile continuing despite concerns over potential coronavirus shutdowns. The benchmark copper concentrate TC/RC index, cif Asia Pacific rebounded from $45.60 per tonne / 4.56 cents per lb last week, the lowest level since Fastmarkets started publishing the index...Read More

European copper producer Aurubis has begun the process to gain the International Copper Alliance's (ICA) Copper Mark at its metal processing facility in Pirdop, Bulgaria, it said on Friday July 24. Aurubis will sign a letter of commitment to the Copper Mark, whereby the plant will agree to subject itself to a six-month criteria self-assessment. Following this, an external assessment will commence...Read More

The Chinese domestic alumina price fell on Thursday July 23 in response to plans to resume idled alumina capacities and due to a contracting aluminium price on the Shanghai Futures Exchange. Market sources told Fastmarkets 2.1 million tonnes of idled alumina capacity will restart at the end of July while another 1 million is expected to resume in August. The decision to restart the capacity was ta...Read More

Rusal's Krasnoyarsk aluminium smelter in Russia has completed its transition to a process known as EcoSoderberg as part of the company's modernization and environmental program, the aluminium producer said on Friday July 24. The EcoSoderberg process significantly reduces emissions - particularly for emissions of tarry materials - at its second-largest smelter, which has a nameplate capacity of 1.0...Read More

Artemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesThe company, which processes tailings from Codelco's giant El Teniente mine under a long-term contract, says the June-quarter production rate is in line with its revised guidance after drought conditions earlier this year forced it to wind back operations.MVC copper production from fresh and Cauquenes tailings in the June quarter w...Read More