Glencore has concluded discussions with the Zambian government about the sale of a majority stake in the Mopani copper mine, state media reported on Friday January 8.An agreement will be signed this week, according to a report by the Zambian National Broadcasting Corp, citing President Edgar Lungu."Glencore confirms that it is in final-stage negotiations relating to a possible sale of Carlisa's 90...Read More

Bob Moriarty ArchivesJan 11, 2021I don’t think I would surprise any of my readers by saying this is probably the most irrational I have ever seen any market. But when you have the stupidity going on in Washington DC that we have, Bitcon sucking in new chumps and a totally fake Plandemic around the world why should anyone expect anything rational?I am on record as saying even recently that I...Read More

Waiting times for aluminium at Istim warehouses in Port Klang, Malaysia, fell to just 20 days at the end of December, according to the London Metal Exchange's latest queue report.This is down from 30 days at the end of November and 71 days at the end of October.There was a queue for aluminium at Istim warehouses in Port Klang every month in 2020.The queues originally built up due a series of...Read More

Jack ChanPosted Jan 11, 2021Gold sector as represented by $HUI is on a long-term BUY signal.Long-term signals can last for months and are more suitable for investors.Short-term is on BUY signal.Short-term signals can last for days and weeks and are more suitable for traders. COT data is supportive for overall higher gold prices.COT data is supportive for overall higher silver prices.The correction...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday January 11 that are worth another look.Brazilian flat steel producers have applied price increases of around 15% on sales to distributors, motivated by high raw materials costs and sustained higher steel prices globally.Read More

Vision Lithium (TSXV: VLI) and Rock Tech Lithium (TSXV: RCK) closed up 100% and 69% respectively, both on no news.Both had closed placements last week, with Vision raising more than C$800,000 for exploration and working capital, while Rock Tech raised almost $4 million towards feasibility studies on a lithium hydroxide converter and more development work on its Georgia Lake lithium project, plus w...Read More

The latest data for the global manganese ore market for the week ended January 11, 2021.Read More

Copper production in Q4 totalled 3,365 tonnes, up 7% year-on-year and bringing annual volumes to 13,855t, comfortably within the company's target of 13,500-14,000t.Read More

The seaborne prices of both low- and high-grade manganese ore rose sharply in the week ended Friday January 8 after miners successfully raised their offer prices for February shipments with strong buying appetite from the alloy sector. Fastmarkets' manganese ore index 37% Mn, cif Tianjin soared by 41 cents (10%) week on week to $4.53 per dry metric tonne unit (dmtu) on Friday from $4.12 per d...Read More

China's nickel pig iron (NPI) price rose in the week to Friday January 8, supported by gains in the stainless steel market, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets assessed the price of nickel pig iron, high-grade NPI content 10-15%, spot, ddp China at 1,090-1,120 yuan ($168-173) per nickel unit on Friday, up by 10-20 yuan per nickel unit (1.4%) from 1,080-1,100 yuan per nickel unit a week earlier.St...Read More

Soaring freight rates and tightening availability for prompt material pushed European manganese flake prices to a three-year high in the week ended Friday January 8, with more increases expected this week, market sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' price assessment for manganese, 99.7% electrolytic manganese flake, in-whs Rotterdam, jumped by 6.8% to $2,450-2,550 per tonne on Friday from th...Read More

The US ferrous scrap market has mostly settled for January, with market participants hinting that while tight No1 busheling may see continued upside in February, shredded scrap has become plentiful and has likely peaked.Detroit kicked off trading on Wednesday January 6, while activity in the Chicago market dragged into Monday January 11.Fastmarkets' assessments of the consumer buying prices f...Read More

Turkish auto bundle scrap prices have gone down slightly over the past week in line with the strengthening of the country's lira against the US dollar, market sources said on Monday January 11.Domestic prices for long steel products and, therefore, auto bundle scrap in Turkey typically decrease in line with the stronger lira because mills buy most of their raw materials in dollars and sell their f...Read More

China's regulatory reboot to again become a major steel scrap importer is likely to cause supply problems for other consumers of Japanese material, market participants have told Fastmarkets.The first deals signed by Chinese companies after rules changed on December 31 to officially allow the restart of scrap imports to China have all been for vessels of Japanese material.If this continues, China's...Read More

Base metals prices were for the most part weaker during morning trading on Monday January 11, while the dollar was firmer in line with strong US treasury yields. Asian-Pacific equities were mixed, while pre-market major western equity index futures were weakerBase metals Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were for the most part weaker this morning, the exceptions were lead...Read More

We learned from Juan Merlini, Head of Marketing and Sales for Vale's Base Metals business, that two refined nickel products, produced at Vale's Long Harbour processing plant, in Canada's Newfoundland and Labrador province, have been accepted by the London Metal Exchange as qualifying for physical delivery to LME warehouses worldwide. Vale is one of the largest producers of iron ore and nickel in t...Read More

After an impressive rally that kicked off the new year, gold prices fell dramatically on Friday as Treasury yields rose to a 10-month high.The price of gold shed more than $60 per ounce on Friday, closing the week at around $1,850 an ounce.Gold - One YearThe 10-year U.S. Treasury yield surged higher than 1.1% after President-elect Joe Biden reaffirmed further economic stimulus will cost "trillions...Read More

U.S. Gold Corp. (NASDAQ: USAU) is a U.S. focused gold exploration and development company, advancing its portfolio of exploration properties, including the CK Gold Project, located in Southeast Wyoming, as well as Keystone and Maggie Creek district scale exploration properties, on the Cortez and Carlin Trends in Nevada. We learned from Edward Karr, who is Executive Chairman of U.S. Gold Corp., tha...Read More

United States-based lithium producer Albemarle Corp has submitted additional information on its lithium reserves to the Chilean Nuclear Agency (CCHEN) following a formal request on Monday January 4. In the letter, CCHEN - which licenses lithium exports for companies operating in Chile - called on Albemarle to provide further details of its lithium reserves. Albemarle operates a lithium production...Read More

In this week's Insights, we look at how rising inflation expectations has driven assets like Asian liquefied natural gas, bitcoin (BTC), and Canadian Insider stocks higher. All three set all-time highs in 2021, but how long will the rally last? Raoul Pal and Tony Greer offer contrasting opinions on INK Ultra Money.Read the latest edition here. Read More