Spot market copper concentrate treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) rose by around 5% in the week ending Thursday December 24 with smelters better supplied for the first quarter. The index is now at the highest since July 3. Deals to smelters continued in the high $40s and low $50s for clean qualities, just below the quarterly purchase...Read More

China's Copper Smelters Purchase Team (CSPT) has set its first-quarter copper concentrate treatment and refining charge (TC/RC) buying floor at $53 per tonne / 5.3 cents per lb, down from $58 / 5.8 cents for the fourth quarter, sources told Fastmarkets. This comes after annual benchmark TC/RCs, fees paid to smelters for processing concentrates into metal, for 2021 dropped 4% to $59.50 per tonne /...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday December 24 that are worth another look.The United Kingdom and European Union have reached an agreement on a trade deal that will ensure tariff-free trading of most goods between the country and the bloc after December 31 when the withdrawal...Read More

The United Kingdom and European Union have reached an agreement on a trade deal that will ensure tariff-free trading of most goods between the country and the bloc after December 31 when the withdrawal transition period ends, easing metals and minerals market participants' fears of logistics paralysis and material shortages. Following four years of slow negotiations after the 2016 Brexit referendu...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday December 24 that are worth another look.The United Kingdom and European Union have reached an agreement on a trade deal that will ensure tariff-free trading of most goods between the country and the bloc after December 31 when the withdrawal...Read More

The British light iron market was steady over the week to Wednesday December 23 as trading activity slowed ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays, with many traders already off work, trade sources told Fastmarkets.Still, with European export markets into key destinations such as Turkey climbing since Friday December 18, it seems likely that UK steel scrap prices will extend their price gains...Read More

The price of shredded steel scrap imported jumped over the week to Thursday December 24 due to the uptrend in the international market, sources told Fastmarkets. India Fastmarkets calculated the steel scrap, shredded, index, import, cfr Nhava Sheva, India at $461.63 per tonne on Thursday, up by $32.80 per tonne week on week from $428.83 per tonne one week earlier. One deal was heard this week...Read More

Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were up across the board this morning, Thursday December 24, while those on the London Metal Exchange were mixed.Metals and broader markets seem to be settling down ahead of the Christmas and New Year holidays, with dips still being bought, suggesting markets are content to consolidate while many cross currents muddy the waters. Markets seems to...Read More

Obama made me rich.It's true.Thanks to him, the Department of Energy oversaw tens of billions of dollars in loan guarantees and grants for solar and wind power during his time in office.I took full advantage of that cash cow and made a fortune.Don't get me wrong, I don't even like the idea of a "Department of Energy," as these departments tend to be little more than bureaucratic rubber stamp facto...Read More

Key pricing data from the pricing sessions in Europe and Asia for the week ended December 24.China Most producers insisted on higher prices for battery grade lithium carbonate, citing a lack of material, and are targeting over 50,000 yuan ($7,658) per tonne for January 2021. China's industrial-grade lithium carbonate market reported offers of 43,000-46,000 yuan per tonne this week, but trading act...Read More

Slow port operations at Durban in South Africa and limited container space are helping to keep cobalt hydroxide payables underpinned at their highest in at least two years on Thursday December 24. Spot availability of cobalt intermediates is limited due to tight container space and reduced shipping schedules over the upcoming holiday period, in a market where availability outside long-term contrac...Read More

Spot cobalt metal prices in China rose on Wednesday December 23 following a sharp rally in local futures prices, while availability of spot cargoes has started to tightened after major producers held back from making offers due to a widening price gap between metal and sulfate.Fastmarkets' assessment for cobalt 99.8% Co min, ex-works China was 257,500-268,500 yuan ($39,370-41,052) per tonne on Wed...Read More

Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States continue at record highs, with tags at or above $50 per hundredweight ($1,000 per short ton) - a level last seen during the bull rush of 2008. Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $50 per cwt on Thursday December 24, roughly flat from $50.06 per cwt the day prior and 1.58% higher than $49.22 per cwt the previous w...Read More

Import prices for flat-rolled steel products in South America continued their nearly three-month uptrend as Chinese material was presented at higher levels for March 2021 and April 2021 shipments following ongoing domestic strength.Interest from buyers went quiet ahead of the year-end holidays, however, market participants said. Most clients were waiting to see if prices would correct down next mo...Read More

Hot-dipped galvanized coil prices continued to increase in Turkey's local market in the week to Thursday December 24, while demand was good because of low stock levels following a recent shortage of coated supply, when some producers had limited hot-rolled coil feedstock, sources told Fastmarkets.Domestic pricesFastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel hot-dipped galvanized coil domestic, exw...Read More

Steel billet and rebar prices have increased again in Egypt in the week to Thursday December 24, with demand for rebar said to be moderate because of restocking, market sources told Fastmarkets.Locally produced billet was sufficient to meet demand from rebar producers, so buyers did not book any import billet.Demand for rebar and billet has been slow in the country since the imposition of a ban on...Read More

Turkish rebar and wire rod export prices have continued to increase in line with the stronger imported scrap values despite weakening demand in the week to Thursday December 24. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar) export, fob main port Turkey was $640-650 per tonne on Thursday, up from the last week's $610-620 per tonne fob on actual weight basis. Mills in T...Read More

As part of our Outlook Series 2021, David Stockman of Contra Corner warns Daniela Cambone that the new year will not be any better than 2020. Pointing to an overvalued market and government that has been led astray, he predicts 2021 will be "the year after the joy ride with a massive accident waiting to happen." Stockman asserts that America is treading uncharted waters, and "the longer it takes t...Read More

For Part 1 of this interview, CLICK HEREAmerica is facing a generational crisis where younger people have no wealth built up and lack the financial literacy to do so, said Kevin O'Leary, star of Shark Tank and chairman of O'Shares ETFs. "In America today, there's 100 million people that have nothing set aside for retirement," O'Leary said. "That is a failure of financial literacy that started as f...Read More

Welcome to our 'Holiday Special' video with Mike Maloney and Jeff Clark. What does Mike think of the latest stimulus debacle? What will it mean for gold and silver investors? What does Mike hope to see happen next year?Jeff Clark is editor and lead writer of BIG GOLD, the monthly gold-investment newsletter from Doug Casey's Casey Research. He is also the Senior Precious Metals Analyst at GoldSilve...Read More