U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 18 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures moved slightly higher following release of economic news at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus for Weekly Jobless Claims was 1,350,000 versus 1,508,000 last week. Actual was.1,480,000. Consensus for first quarter annualized real GDP was a drop of 5.0% versus a gain of 2.0% in the four...Read More

German steelmaker Salzgitter has taken a "concrete" step toward its low-carbon production goal by agreeing to a feasibility study with its industrial partners, the company announced on Wednesday June 24.The company agreed with the Federal State of Lower Saxony, the City of Wilhelmshaven and its industrial partners, logistics company Rhenus and energy company Uniper, to conduct a feasibility study...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.The recent announcement about Vale's resumption of operations in Brazil, along with new concerns about a slump in demand because of heavy rainfall in China, has resulted in the end of the iron ore price rally. There has also been pressure from tight steel spreads, with the operating margins for Chinese steel mills shrinking...Read More

Prices for deep-sea origin steel scrap imported to Bangladesh fell over the past week after a new sale from the United States closed at lower numbers, market sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday June 25. A Bangladeshi mill purchased a bulk cargo from the US Pacific Northwest region comprising 13,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $275 per tonne cfr and 24,000 tonnes of shredded at $280 per tonne cfr...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices were flat on Thursday June 25 amid a public holiday in China to mark the Dragon Boat Festival.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $103.34 per tonne, unchanged 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $106.49 per tonne, unchanged 58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr...Read More

Seaborne premium hard coking coal prices were unchanged on Thursday June 25 amid an absence of Chinese market participants due to a public holiday in China to mark the Dragon Boat Festival.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $113.79 per tonne, unchanged. Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $122.83 per tonne, unchanged.Hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $89.57 per tonne,...Read More

The cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies. Fastmarkets assessed cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam at $14.15-14.65...Read More

The cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies. Read More

CORRECTION AND APOLOGY TO JINWANG BISMUTH When Fastmarkets first published the below article, on Monday 22 June 2020, it erroneously stated that Jinwang Bismuth was in bankruptcy. Jinwang subsequently made clear to us that the claim was not correct, that Hunan Jinwang Bismuth has applied to the People's Court of Chenzhou for restructuring, and that it remains a going concern. Fastmarkets acted dil...Read More

CCMA has hired James Heywood as a trader, the US metal and alloy raw materials trading house told Fastmarkets.Heywood, who will be based in Europe, joined the company this month with the task of expanding CCMA's European business, it told Fastmarkets on Wednesday June 24. His focus will be in minor metals and noble alloys as well as assisting...Read More

Credit ratings agency Fitch Ratings has downgraded Ferroglobe for the third time in a year, citing the company's limited ability to sell additional assets while enduring continued declines in silicon prices. In the latest downgrade, to a rating of 'CCC-' from 'CCC+', Fitch said it does not expect an improvement in silicon metal prices until 2021, "with recovery likely to be slow and fragile"."Alth...Read More

Tanzanian Gold (TSX: TNX; NYSE: TRX) has produced commercial-grade gold for the first time from the oxide processing plant at its Buckreef gold project, south of Lake Victoria and 110 km southwest of the city of Mwanza in north-central Tanzania."The ore comes in two forms - the primary ore that is at depth and then becomes oxidized as you get close to the surface," Ulrich Rath, the company's direc...Read More

Harmony Gold (NYSE: HMY) said on Thursday it had raised $200 million from a planned shares placement to partly fund its acquisition of rival AngloGold Ashanti's (NYSE: AU) assets in South Africa.The Randfontein-based gold producer issued more than 60 million new ordinary shares at a price of 57.50 rand apiece on June 24. Harmony said it represented roughly 11% of its issued ordinary share capita...Read More

Riverside Resources (TSXV: RRI; US-OTC: RVSDF) has optioned its Los Cuarentas project, in Sonora, Mexico, to Hochschild Mining (LSE: HOC) in a deal that will see the major spend US$8 million over five years to earn an initial 51% interest.The prospect generator has defined several targets at the gold-silver project, which is located 17 km northwest of SilverCrest Metals' (TSX: SIL; NYSE-AM: SILV)...Read More

The demand for raw materials used to manufacture rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) will grow rapidly as the importance of oil as a source of energy recedes, according to a new report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).According to UNCTAD, ongoing efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions are expected to spur further investment in green energy prod...Read More

Rupert Resources on a Roll at IkkariSPONSOREDCardinal heading down familiar gold roadSPONSOREDcardinal resourcesSarama right in the middle of big exploration, corporate build-upSPONSOREDsarama resources Exore excels in Cote d'IvoireSPONSOREDexore resourcesMining company presentations, citing industry analysts, almost universally show metal usage outstripping mine capacity during the 2020s. A s...Read More

Alrosa, the world's top diamond producer by output, has idled its International underground mine for up to two weeks, after several employees tested positive for Covid-19.The Russian miner said it would only carry out work to ensure the safety and maintenance of the site. It noted that workers and contractors will receive compensation in accordance with labour laws."The company has developed sever...Read More

Turkey has returned to the ferrous scrap market and purchased a cargo from the United States at lower prices compared with previous deals.The 27,500-tonne deal includes an 80:20 mix of No1 and No2 heavy melting scrap at $261 per tonne,...Read More

Footage emerges of huge bright light illuminating sky over the capital, near a military siteRead full newsRead More

TORONTO - Owners of the Porgera gold mine in Papua New Guinea say they will lay off 2,650 local mine workers by the end of July as the result of a continuing dispute with the federal government. Barrick Niugini Ltd., the joint venture mine owner and operator that is owned 47.5 per cent each by Canada's Barrick Gold Corp. and partner Zijin Mining Group of China, says the cost of the layoffs wil...Read More