Gold has been an underperformer in 2021 despite several bullish catalysts such as a dovish Fed, sky-high deficits, and rising inflation. Now, it seems that these trends are becoming less favorable which could mean weakness is in store for the shiny metal.2021 has been a disappointing year for gold bugs with a year-to-date (YTD) loss of 4.2%. In contrast, the S&P 500 is up nearly 17%. Other com...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday August 4 that are worth another look.Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK), Russia's largest steelmaker, will increase output of hot-dipped galvanized (HDG) coil by starting up a new line at its Lipetsk site in the second half of 2022.Read More

Technology entrepreneur Elon Musk once described the ongoing use of fossil fuels and their generation of a vast carbon footprint as "the dumbest experiment in human history."Not everyone will agree with his assessment of the petroleum, gas and coal sectors, which have powered the world's growth for decades. Nonetheless, the twin goals of supply chain security and sustainability are now driving a t...Read More

Bill Gates has a theory about green premiums: He wants to eliminate them entirely. The American business magnate and philanthropist calls green premiums the additional cost of choosing a clean technology over one that emits a greater amount of greenhouse gases.In other words, the price that metals and mining companies are starting to charge their customers for producing low-carbon produc...Read More

Benjamin Baptista will retire and leave his role as chief executive officer of ArcelorMittal's Brazilian unit on September 30 after 12 years, with current Latin America long steel CEO, Jefferson De Paula, to replace his role, Baptista said on Tuesday August 3.Baptista joined ArcelorMittal in 1983, when it was still called Companhia Sider??rgica de Tubar??o (CST). It was later bought by Arcelor, to...Read More

The spodumene price skyrocketed in July with tight availability posting challenges to lithium operations in China, while suppliers intended to negotiate the price more frequently in light of the price rally in the downstream chemical market.Fastmarkets' monthly assessment for spodumene 6% Li2O min, cif China rose to $880-950 per tonne on Wednesday June 30, up by $195 per tonne from $690-750 per to...Read More

China's mixed signals about its decarbonization goals have raised doubts over the country's purported plans to cut steel production in the second half of 2021, market sources said.The central Chinese government had asked steelmakers to reduce steel output in the second half for two reasons. The first is the short-term target of keeping the country's total steel output for this year from exceeding...Read More

A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums from across the globe for the week to Wednesday August 4Please click...Read More

London Metal Exchange prices were under pressure for the second day in a row at the close on Wednesday August 4, in a trading session which had the lowest volumes since mid-July for many metals.Nickel's three-month price was down to $19,243 per tonne - a fall of $145, or 0.7% - from Tuesday's closing price. Its volumes, at 6,450 lots traded by 5pm, were at their lowest since July 21. The news...Read More

It's truly amazing what a few extra zeros can do for one's financial wealth... by Steve St Angelo of SRSrocco ReportIt's truly amazing what a few extra zeros can do for one's financial wealth. Today, we have a new past-time of adding zeros to make us feel rich. And, why not? We work hard, and we deserve it. So, if the value of someone's house goes up 45-50% in a few months or year, then b...Read More

Chinese downstream fabricators actively bid for discounted zinc during the second round of state auctions, with the 50,000 tonnes of zinc almost sold out on Thursday on July 30, sources said.The discount stands at around 1,500 yuan - including shipment fee calculation - and has considerably catalyzed the sell-off, sources added. Winning bids from zinc fabricators ranged from 19,000-21,000 yua...Read More

Zinc producers in China's southwestern province of Yunnan should be able to fully resume their operations by mid-June, sources said.Yunnan will remove its power restrictions by the end of June that have stunted local zinc output, the provincial energy bureau said.A few zinc smelters in Yunnan have already resumed production, however, sources that spoke to Fastmarkets said.Production capa...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.As we approach the end of the first half of 2021, steel markets in Europe and the United States continue to heat up. This six-month period is largely unprecedented, with both steel prices and steelmakers' margins hitting a number of new record highs throughout.The rally is likely nearing its end, however, with global steel ou...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:?EUR?  US sheet prices hit record highs again in May, with upward momentum persisting into June. Actual US hot-rolled coil prices averaged $1,553 per ton in May, largely in line with our forecast of $1,540 per ton. Prices remain supported by strong underlying sup...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.United States sheet prices hit record highs again in May, with upward momentum carrying into June. Actual US HRC prices averaged $1,712 per tonne in May, largely in line with our forecast of $1,698 per tonne. Strong underlying supply-and-demand conditions both in the US and globally are supporting prices as well as long lead...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Global welded pipe prices surged in May as strong demand and still-insufficient supply lifted flat steel prices.The biggest jumps were seen in China, which was hit by the unexpected announcement of the elimination of export rebates on welded pipes in April. Chinese seaborne prices reached $1,570 per tonne fob for longitudina...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Bulk ferro-alloy prices have shown impressive gains again this month, with ferro-silicon, silicon metal and manganese alloy prices all making significant increases. Noble alloy markets also enjoyed upward momentum, with both vanadium and molybdenum prices rising sharply.Recovering demand from steelmakers globally, together w...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloy forecast highlights:?EUR?  Impressive advances in ore and alloy prices persisted in March, with most markets posting significant price gains. Strengthening demand from steelmakers along with supply shortages and depleted inventories in numerous markets, as well as freight and transportation...Read More

Inner Mongolia, China's ferro-chrome production heartland, has imposed restrictions on its metallurgical sector in a move that has fueled the high-carbon ferro-chrome markets in China and Europe, and although this may ease off, the gains were unlikely to be lost while alloy ramp-ups continue, sources have told Fastmarkets.The decision to restrict energy consumption in Inner Mongolia since December...Read More

The latest forecasts and analysis of the ferrous scrap and iron metallics market from the Fastmarkets research team are ready to be viewed.Stifled automotive output this year, driven by a supply shortage of semiconductor chips used in vehicles, has tightened prime scrap availability and widened the spreads between this grade of steelmaking raw material and obsolete scrap.While wide prime-over-obso...Read More