Seaborne coking coal prices were stable on Tuesday January 14 while trading activity took a breather.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $155.26 per tonne, unchangedPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $160.87 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $125.01 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $135.76 per tonne, unchanged ...Read More
Indian steel producer Jindal Steel and Power (JSPL) has reopened a major direct reduced iron (DRI) plant to boost its steel output by a further 1.5 million tonnes in the period from April 2020 to March 2021, the firm said on Tuesday January 14. JSPL bucked the general trend of output cuts among India's steel producers in late 2019, the company said in its quarterly results on January 2. Bumper sal...Read More
Artemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesChina's unwrought copper imports rose 9.1% in December from the previous month to their highest since March 2016, customs data showed on Tuesday, Reuters reported, with improving industrial activity and dwindling scrap metal supply lifting demand.Imports of copper concentrate came in at 1.928 million tonnes, down 10.6% from Novembe...Read More
Artemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesLast year, BHP posted its highest profit in five years and declared its biggest ever dividend payment.Read More
Artemis all set thanks to unique approachSPONSOREDartemis resourcesThe Vancouver-headquartered company said Monday the 2019 production figure came in at the lower end of its annual guidance at 87.2 million pounds of copper-equivalent (Cu-eq), and it expected 2020 output to rise by a third to between 100-113Mlb of Cu-eq.Management expects another production increase in 2021 to 102-115Mlb Cu-eq and...Read More
The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange tumbled 3% during morning trading on Tuesday January 14 after a sell-off of just under $600 brought the price below the $14,000 per tonne psychological support level. The outright nickel price on the LME was recently at $13,720 per tonne, while trading volumes were high over the morning at more than 3,500 lots exchanged as of 9:15am London...Read More
China's hot-rolled coil exporters raised their offers on Tuesday January 14 on a weakening dollar, but thin trading kept domestic prices flat.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,880-3,890 yuan ($562-564) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,600 yuan per tonne, unchangedA Shanghai-based trader said there was barely any movement in the market with trading activity thinning due to downstr...Read More
De-risking Base metal prices have experienced some sharp rebounds after the risk-off episode sparked by the deadly US airstrike on a top Iranian commander on January 3. The focus now is on the signing of the ‘phase 1’ US-China trade deal this week, which could further de-risk the outlook. Aluminium: High enough for now Aluminium prices have been working steadily higher since their Octobe...Read More
Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mostly down at the close of morning trading on Tuesday January 14, with the downtrend led by nickel, which is reversing the strength seen on Monday.The most-traded March nickel contract closed Tuesday's morning trading session at 110,250 yuan ($15,981) per tonne, down by 2,960 yuan per tonne - or 2.6% - from Monday's close of 113,210 yuan pe...Read More
Return of positive risk sentiment Events over the past two months have generally been supportive of risk sentiment while trade tensions between the US and China continue to ease. With the phase one trade deal set to be signed on January 15, both countries have also agreed to restart semi-annual talks aimed at resolving economic disputes, a process which was previously abandoned at the start of the...Read More
Silicon and bulk alloys producer Ferroglobe has appointed Marco Levi as its chief executive officer, replacing Pedro Larrea, who leaves the company to seek new professional challenges, according to a company statement on Monday January 13. The new chief executive will be in charge of designing a new strategy that will lead the ferro-alloys maker, which has recently moved its headquarters to Madrid...Read More
Aluminium The LME three-month aluminium price managed to find support at the 20 DMA ($1,801 per tonne) as well as the December 2019 low UTL on Friday January 10. Also, it was well-bid into the close of trading that same day, settling above the psychological price level of $1,800 per tonne and trading either side of it early this week. The rising 20 DMA remains an all-important short-term dire...Read More
Sharp price recovery has further to run... The LME copper price has rebounded sharply since it hit an intraday low of $6,089 per tonne on January 3, as the risk-off response to the escalation of US-Iran geopolitical tensions proved short-lived. However, its quarter-to-date average dropped to $6,175 per tonne last week, compared with $6,185 per tonne in the prior week, around $225 per tonne or 3.5%...Read More
Prices trade sideways in quiet conditions Lead prices are still rangebound in the $1,900-1,950 per tonne area. Technically, this activity could be interpreted as forming a continuation pattern that might open the door to another selloff. However, our favoured interpretation at the moment is that prices are instead build a potentially bullish technical base that could become the springboard for a r...Read More
Supply-side developments There were a few interesting news stories on nickel supply that emerged last week and that we think are worth examining here. They are examples of how the industry is responding to the outlook for rising demand and diminishing availability of class 1 nickel for Li-ion battery production. The Santa Rita mine in Bahia, Brazil (closed by Mirabela in 2016 and restarted by Atla...Read More
Tin price recovery under way... After a significant and unusual sell-off of 2.5% on January 3 (the deepest since mid-September 2019), tin has rebounded well, showing a 1% year-to-date gain. The tin price rebound comes despite higher inventories, with LME and SHFE stocks rising by roughly 700 tonnes last week – a fourth straight week of net inflows – suggesting no restocking activity from...Read More
U. S equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 2 points in pre-opening trade.Index futures were virtually unchanged following release of the December Consumer Price Index at 8:30 AM EST. Consensus was an increase of 0.3% versus a gain of 0.3% in November. Actual was an increase of 0.2%. Excluding food and energy, consensus for the December Consumer Price Index was...Read More
Stock inflows cap prices around $2,400 per tonne The return of risk sentiment helped bolster zinc prices last week as the three-month benchmark touched an eight-week high of $2,416 per tonne as Iran and the US dialled back their rhetoric, and amid expectations that a first phase US-China trade deal will be signed this week. However, further price gains were capped by technical selling pressure as...Read More
ACCESS RESTRICTEDTo read the rest of this analysis please take a free sample or subscribeFREE SampleReceive a free sample of market analysis and price forecasts.Free SampleSUBSCRIBEReceive unlimited access to all current and archive content going back to 2008 including downloadable pricing data and forecasts.Plus download the latest issue as soon as it’s published.SubscribeRead More
Click here to download the Selected Demand IndicatorsACCESS RESTRICTEDTo read the rest of this analysis please take a free sample or subscribeFREE SampleReceive a free sample of market analysis and price forecasts.Free SampleSUBSCRIBEReceive unlimited access to all current and archive content going back to 2008 including downloadable pricing data and forecasts.Plus download the lat...Read More