Export prices for Brazil-origin slab increased in the week ended on Friday August 14, although few volumes were traded during the period.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab, export, fob main port Brazil reached $415-425 per tonne on Friday, up by $10-15 from $405-410 per tonne a week earlier.There have been sparse deals for Brazilian slab at increasingly higher prices, within...Read More

An overview of the minor metals markets andthe reasons for any price moves.Read More

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

A lot of financial market commentators have talked about how the silver price has been rising. Although is it possible that a more helpful way of...Scott Craig interviewed by Chris Marcus of Arcadia EconomicsA lot of financial market commentators have talked about how the silver price has been rising recently.Although is it possible that a more helpful way of thinking about the situation, is that...Read More

London Metal Exchange aluminium futures closed at their lowest level in two weeks, but copper, lead, nickel and tin finished the day strongly, rebounding after losses in previous days.The LME's three-month aluminium 5pm closing price was $1,746 per tonne on Friday August 14, down by $7.50 per tonne from Thursday's close and marking its lowest closing level since July 31.Prices were under downward...Read More

Seaborne prices were flat on Friday August 14 amid a silent market, while the ex-China markets showed signs of recovery and Chinese steel mills were stuck with the country's import restrictions on seaborne coking coal, sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $104.84 per tonne, down $0.15 per tonne Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $115.09 per tonne, up $0.22 per t...Read More

Base metals prices opened mostly higher on the London Metal Exchange, with stable indications of economic recovery in China helping support prices on Friday August 14. Industrial output in China grew 4.8% in July, flat from the growth rate in June, prompting support for base metals prices. "Industrial output and activity continue to lead the way - it appears that this is enough to get metals price...Read More

The inter-merchant spot market for light iron scrap in the United Kingdom was up over the week to Friday August 14 due to firmer demand from major shredders that supply consumers in the steel sector combined with persistently tight availability, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap 5C, loose old light, domestic, delivered inter-merchant, UK was assessed at...Read More

The South American flat-steel import market continued on an uptrend in the week to Friday August 14, with customers accepting more expensive offers from several different regions.Clients decided to settle deals for October-shipment cargoes at higher prices, because demand was gradually improving and their supply needs had grown. It had become evident that it was now a seller's market, participants...Read More

London Metal Exchange aluminium futures closed at their lowest level in two weeks, but copper, lead, nickel and tin finished the day strongly, rebounding after losses in previous days.The LME's three-month aluminium 5pm closing price was $1,746 per tonne on Friday August 14, down by $7.50 per tonne from Thursday's close and marking its lowest closing level since July 31.Prices were under downward...Read More

Fastmarkets copper concentrate treatment and refining charge (TC/RC) index continued to set new lows this week while smelters' buying levels were consistently below $50 per tonne/5 cents per lb.Market activity has slowed down from last week, with one parcel of Escondida bought by a Chinese smelter at $49/4.9 cents, while other clean qualities had TCs within a narrow range of $47.50-50.50 per tonne...Read More

A summary of the financial performance of Brazilian aluminium producer Companhia Brasileira de Alum?-nio (CBA) in the second quarter, according to parent company Votorantim's earnings reported released on Friday August 14.In brief Sales volumes of upstream aluminium products were down in an annual comparison, with weaker demand causing billet sales to drop to 25,000 tonnes in the second...Read More

State-run Chilean copper producer Codelco is resuming work at an expansion of its El Teniente division and the project should reach full capacity "in a couple of months," its chief executive officer Octavio Araneda said on Thursday August 13.The company idled works at the facility - in the central Bernardo O'Higgins region 100km south of the capital Santiago - in early July to contain Covid-1...Read More

Zinc stocks in Shanghai Futures Exchange-registered warehouses fell the most in percentage terms by 9.5% or 7,987 tonnes to 76,512 tonnes in the week to Friday August 14. The outflows mainly came from warehouses run by R&S Logistics in Shanghai and Nnachu in Guangdong with declines respectively of 1,386 tonnes and 4,860 tonnes to 12,061 tonnes and 28,549 tonnes. "The import arbitrage window has be...Read More

The European Commission has opened an anti-dumping investigation into certain aluminium flat rolled products originating from China, it said on Friday August 14. This follows a complaint made by European Aluminium, the industry association that represents the aluminium industry in Europe. In a statement released on Friday, European Aluminium urged EC to follow through with appropriate anti-dumping...Read More

Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States have climbed above $23.50 per hundredweight ($470 per short ton) due to reports of business activity increasing and sentiment strengthening - albeit unevenly given mixed demand depending on the end market. Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $23.59 per cwt ($471.80 per ton) on Friday August 14, up by 1.2% fr...Read More

Artemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesThe company is moving ahead with permitting and feasibility study work and says "a major component of this study [is] finding a solution for clean energy".The power agreement with CNEL confirms availability of a regional substation 7.5km from La Plata, and "allows the streamlining of the electrical power [69kv] supply to the projec...Read More

Artemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesNorthern Dynasty president and CEO Ronald Thiessen said the only way to stop Pebble was by federal govenrment expropriation - extremely difficult since the deposit was on state lands.The company scored a critical victory last month when it received a positive environmental impact statement for its proposed Pebble copper-gold-m...Read More

Indian steel mills achieved a $10-20 per tonne increase in their hot-rolled coil export prices in the week ended Friday August 14, even though inquiries have dried up for future export sales."The export market has cooled off and there are very few bids or inquiries for HRC exports," an official with an Indian steel mill said.According to one market participant, buying interest from mills has reduc...Read More

Sentiment in the CIS export billet market had cooled down somewhat by the end of the week, with demand in most destinations only modest and bookings rare, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday August 14.Despite this, CIS billet producers were in no hurry to reduce their offer prices, they added."Order books are strong [so] mills can wait," a billet producer source told Fastmarkets.And a trader s...Read More