Despite a mixed picture this morning, Tuesday June 9, generally strong uptrends are underway in most of the base metals. The exception is the infrastructure heavy-weight zinc, although the galvanizing metal is also widely used in the auto industry, which may be why it is lagging behind. Asian-Pacific equities are for the most part stronger this morning, led by a 2.53% gain in the Australian ASX 20...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 $14.60-15 per lb on Tuesday June 9, 2020. Bid at $14.6...Read More
The cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam trade log, including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets. Fastmarkets publishes trade 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 alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam at $14.60-15 on Tuesday June 9, 2020. Prices indicated at $14.60...Read More
Cobalt prices held close to levels last seen in August 2019 on Tuesday June 9, with buyers largely resisting spot market purchases.Fastmarkets' price assessments for cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam and cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam were both unchanged at $14.60-15 per lb on June 9.Alloy grade and standard grade prices were down 18.2% and 14.2% respectively from March highs...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.As we anticipated, rebar prices in Eastern China (ex-warehouse basis) rose in May, coming within 0.6% of our forecast. Strong demand at home meant that Chinese producers were largely absent from the export market, maintaining their offers near $450 per tonne, while import prices into Singapore were set near $400 per tonne cf...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Europe were largely stable day on day on Tuesday June 9 even as demand remained slow, sources told Fastmarkets.Market participants believe that domestic prices are close to a bottom and that European mills could announce a rise in offer prices after the European authorities make a final decision in the safeguard review case at the end of this month.Fastmarket...Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices weakened amid fluctuating futures on Tuesday June 9, while importers asked to pay lower after Indian mills tweaked the specifications of their cargoes offered to the country.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,630-3,650 yuan ($513-516) per tonne, down 20 yuan per tonneA Shanghai-based trader said prices tracked the fluctuations in the futures market during t...Read More
The market today is perhaps the most delusional it has ever been.There is a mix of new traders on free brokerage sites like Robinhood, who are working from home and got a $1,200 check. You mix this with Twitter pump and dumps and you get what happened the past two days.Chesapeake Energy launched from $13 to $69.Today it declared bankruptcy. The stock is halted, but it was down 50% in premarket tra...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday June 9 that are worth another look.The future of the global long steel market remains uncertain because of both the impact of the covid-19 pandemic and rising protectionism, with no recovery expected in the third quarter of this year, the International Rebar Producers & Exporters Association (Irepas) said last week.Ferrous scrap pr...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.As we anticipated, rebar prices in Eastern China (ex-warehouse basis) rose in May, coming within 0.6% of our forecast. Strong demand at home meant that Chinese producers were largely absent from the export market, maintaining their offers near $450 per tonne, while import prices into Singapore were set near $400 per tonne cf...Read More
In 2016, an archaeological dig in Bulgaria uncovered this small gold bead...It's just 4 milliliters in diameter and weighs only 0.15 grams, giving the bead's a gold content value of less than $8 today. But to archaeologists, this tiny trinket is priceless. That's because it's the world's oldest known gold artifact.Archaeologists found this gold bead at a prehistoric human settlement in southern Bu...Read More
The past month has been a good one for the G-economy scenario which we characterize as an environment dominated by government-led inflation. However, it is probably too soon to rule out deflation as a potential force that could lead us to a D-economy which is dominated by falling prices as a result of record debt overhang. Today on INK Ultra Money, we hear from former Morgan Stanley market analys...Read More
CIS rebar and wire rod producers increased offers in the first half of June, supported by strengthening import scrap prices in Turkey as well as increased finished long steel prices. The Turkish market is considered indicative of price momentum because the country is one of the world's major scrap importers and long steel exporters. Fastmarkets' daily index for steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix...Read More
Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices continued to rise on Tuesday June 9, with mills continuing to book more cargoes for July, sources told Fastmarkets.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a European cargo, comprising 10,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (75:25) and 30,000 tonnes of a mixture of shredded, plate & structural (P&S) and busheling at an average price of $265 per tonne cfr.The cargo w...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices eased on Tuesday June 9 amid announcements from the Dalian Commodity Exchange of efforts to stamp out market rumors and strengthen regulation. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $104.60 per tonne, down $1.07 per tonne 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $107.30 per tonne, down $1.35 per tonne 58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $93.39 per...Read More
By: Hubert MoolmanThe US Dollar index is not a true measure of value of the US dollar. It just tracks an "exchange rate" between the US dollar and a basket of significant fiat currencies.For a true measure of value of the US dollar it is better to look to Gold and Silver. However, there is a relationship between significant Gold rallies and the US Dollar index.Gold has a tendency to rally at a c...Read More
Steve St. Angelo, SRSrocco Report If Americans thought the U.S. Government would be in serious trouble as its ability to service its ballooning debt would become unmanageable, guess again. After the U.S. Government added nearly $3 trillion more debt in just the past eight months (fiscal year), the interest paid on the public debt actually declined versus last year. According to TreasuryDirec...Read More
By Clive MaundThe 6-month chart for GDX shows it completing what looks like a Head-and-Shoulders top at a quite a high level, and with this morning's drop it could soon break down from the pattern leading to a potentially steep drop.On the 13-month chart for GDX we can see that there is plenty of room for it to drop, and the minimum objective in the event of it breaking below nearby support is...Read More
By Avi GilburtRarely do you enter a market environment when the fear is as palpable as it was in the middle of March of this year. The world was coming to an end based upon most of what I was reading. And, as we were approaching the market lows (and even all throughout the 45%+ rally we just experienced), many continued to call for further crashes with many targets being noted at 1800, 1600, and...Read More