Chilean state-owned copper producer Codelco reached a 36-month labor agreement with the workers' union representing its employees at the Radomiro Tomic division in the country's northern Antofagasta region ahead of time, the company said on Thursday December 10. The agreement was comprised of no salary raises and a cut in half on bonus for completing the negotiations to 3.55 million Chilean pesos...Read More

China's imports of unwrought copper dropped to a six-month low in November, according to Chinese customs data released on Monday December 7.Imports totaled 561,311 tonnes last month, a decrease of 9.2% from 618,108 tonnes in October and the lowest monthly volume since May, when 436,031 tonnes were imported. May preceded two record-breaking months for Chinese copper imports in June (656,483 tonnes)...Read More

Base metals prices were steady on the morning of Thursday December 10, staying around price highs established on Wednesday on the London Metal Exchange when tin, zinc and nickel rallied to new year-to-date highs. The three-month nickel price rose during morning trading to $16,865 per tonne, setting yet another year-to-date high on Thursday. The metal's three-month price was at $16,820 per tonne at...Read More

Genesis opens new chapter at UlyssesSPONSOREDgenesis minerals'Best discovery in my time': De Grey on the march at HemiSPONSOREDde grey miningPantoro bullish on bigger production profileSPONSOREDpantoro limitedOceanaGold commits to net zero emissions by 2050SPONSOREDoceanagoldThe package includes a US$31 million loan, with about $9 million of that already advanced to the company since early...Read More

Brazilian steelmaker Companhia Sider??rgica Nacional (CSN) was close to concluding negotiations with automotive producers to raise its prices for steel under annual contracts in 2021 by 30-45% across different products, commercial director Luis Martinez said on Thursday December 10.For hot-rolled coil, the increase was expected to be 40-45%, while the company was aiming for a 30-35% rise for galva...Read More

New bookings of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)-origin billet in Southeast Asia and Turkey were heard at higher prices in the week to Thursday December 10, while some suppliers were reported to have withdrawn from the market to reconsider prices, sources told Fastmarkets. A billet cargo originating in Russia was heard booked to Turkey earlier this week at $538 per tonne cfr, which would n...Read More

ArcelorMittal Gijon resumed steel making operations this week after six days of downtime due to industrial action, a company representative told Fastmarkets.The steel production at ArcelorMittal's Gijon plant, located in Asturias, Spain, was suspended on December 3 because of a worker's strike, Fastmarkets understands.Gijon steelworks has a capacity to produce about 600,000 tonnes per year of heav...Read More

Look beyond market approach to project valuations: van ZylLeadershipGenesis opens new chapter at UlyssesSPONSOREDgenesis minerals'Best discovery in my time': De Grey on the march at HemiSPONSOREDde grey miningPantoro bullish on bigger production profileSPONSOREDpantoro limitedAurelia Britsch, head of commodities at Fitch Solutions, told Mining Journal the outlook for 2021 was generally pos...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 9 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures moved slightly lower following release of U.S. economic news at 8:30 AM EST. Consensus for the November Consumer Price Index was an increase of 0.1% versus a gain of 0.2% in October. Actual was an increase of 0.2%. Excluding food and energy, consensus for the November Consu...Read More

The Turkish deep-sea scrap import market was quiet on Thursday December 10, although prices remained firm, sources told Fastmarkets.A steel mill booked a European cargo at $377-378 per tonne cfr on an HMS 1&2 (75:25) basis, which raised the daily scrap indices by more than $12 per tonne on Wednesday, but the market was quiet on Thursday.There was talk of a sale from the United States at $400 per t...Read More

Companhia Sider??rgica Nacional (CSN) set the iron ore guidance for its own production and purchases from third parties at 33 million tonnes in 2020 and 38-40 million tonnes in 2021, the Brazilian steelmaker and miner said on Thursday December 10.CSN previously expected its output and third-party purchases to total 33-36 million tonnes this year, compared to 38.46 million tonnes in 2019.A business...Read More

A recent sharp increase in Bangladeshi long steel prices has provided some much-needed respite to mill margins at a time of soaring import scrap costs, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday December 10.Prices for Bangladeshi domestic rebar had been marooned at 55,000-55,500 taka ($638-643) per tonne since September, but prices were heard 5,500-6,000-per-tonne higher at 61,000 taka per tonne on Thur...Read More

The seaborne premium cfr price rose on Thursday December 10, with United States-origin coal offered at a higher price, sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $102.89 per tonne, up $0.08 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $178.60 per tonne, up $2.05 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $92.56 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $160.26 per...Read More

Consumption of Japanese high-grade steel scrap will continue to increase in the coming months following the reboot of several blast furnaces (BFs) which were idled earlier in the year, market participants told Fastmarkets. Higher steel demand in Japan, particularly from the automotive sector, has helped Japanese steelmakers raise production in recent months after a bruising start to the year chara...Read More

Japan's Kanto Tetsugen steel scrap auction closed at an increase of ?8,105 ($78) per tonne month on month on Thursday December 10, in a move that has shocked market participants. The two highest bids in the auction - which is a cooperative of scrap dealers in the Tokyo region - came in at ?38,910 per tonne fas and ?38,510 per tonne fas respectively on Wednesday. That made an average price of ?...Read More

The January contract in the Chinese iron ore futures market on the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE) crossed the 1,000-yuan ($153) mark on Thursday December 10, driven by strong demand and anticipation of supply tightness, market sources said. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $156.58 per tonne, up $6.42 per tonne 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $156.79 per tonne, up $6....Read More

Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in London on Wednesday December 9. Key drivers  Higher offers from China brought replacement costs up rapidly. Traders in Europe reported difficulty finding material, especially for antimony max 100 ppm Bi, below $6,400 per tonne for prompt delivery. Offers for delivery in...Read More

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

The Cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets...Read More

The European ferro-titanium price has jumped to a peak last seen in May 2013, when it was assessed at a range of $6.70-6.90 per kg ddp, after renewed trading activity in quarterly business to steelmakers from January has joined with a bull run in spot demand since September.Fastmarkets assessed the price for ferro-titanium 70% Ti, max 4.5% Al, ddp Europe at $6.25-6.75 per kg on Wednesday December...Read More