Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were little changed during morning trading on Friday March 2, with the complex restricted by thin liquidity and a firmer dollar. Aluminium's benchmark cash/three-month spread swung back into contango for the first time since February 14 this morning - now at $1.75 per tonne contango from $6 per tonne backwardation at the close yesterday.The backwarda...Read More

Trading activity in the physical iron ore market died down on Friday March 2 amid retreating futures and steel prices in China.Key driversIron ore futures fell by about 1% compared with its settlement price a day earlier, while spot rebar and hot-rolled coil prices also fell 20-30 yuan ($3.10-4.70) per tonne.Both the seaborne market and Chinese ports saw little trading activity during the day. Not...Read More

Arbitrage for copper, aluminium, zinc and nickel imported into China on Friday March 2*Copper -$77.68 (-494.36 yuan) Aluminium -$428.60 (-2,727.56 yuan) Zinc -$136.62 (-869.42 yuan) Nickel -$335.54 (-2,135.33 yuan) * Metal Bulletin calculates the...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices dropped slightly on Friday March 2 with trading activity falling ahead of the weekend.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 4,060-4,100 yuan ($639-646) per tonne, down 20 yuan per tonne Northern China (Beijing): 4,100-4,130 yuan per tonne, down 20-30 yuan per tonne A weakening of demand pushed down rebar prices during the day. Market participants expect trading activity...Read More

China's ferrous futures continued to have a subdued morning on Friday March 2, having extended losses from Thursday night's trading session.Futures closing prices - morning session Shanghai Futures Exchange May rebar: 4,002 yuan ($6) per tonne, down 2 yuan per tonne May hot-rolled coil: 4,079 yuan per tonne, down 2 yuan per tonne Dalian Commodity Exchange May iron ore: 537.50 yuan per tonne, uncha...Read More

There has been a rise in the number of cadmium tenders, boosted by healthy demand and higher cadmium prices, sources told Metal Bulletin. Cadmium prices have been rising due to strong demand from India and a shortage of supply in the market. But supply has continued through tenders, according to market sources. Metal Bulletin assessed the 99.95% cadmium quotation at 140-150 cents per lb on Fr...Read More

Ferroglobe has welcomed the final determinations from the US Department of Commerce on the anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations against certain silicon metal imports, the ferro-alloys producer said on Friday March 2.Commerce on March 1 issued its final determinations in the trade cases against imports of silicon metal from Australia, Brazil, Norway and Kazakhstan, revising some duti...Read More

The following Metal Bulletin minor metals prices changed on Friday March 2:Minor metals Cadmium MB free market min 99.95%, cents/lb: 140-150 per lb from 135-145 Cadmium MB free market min 99.99%, cents/lb: 145-165 per lb from 140-155 Chromium MB free market alumino-thermic, $/tonne: $10,500-11,000 per tonne from...Read More

An overview of China's minor metals markets in the week of February 26-March 2 and the reasons for any price moves.Read More

The US Department of Commerce has issued its final determinations in the trade cases against imports of silicon metal from Australia, Brazil, Norway and Kazakhstan, revising some duties upward from its preliminary rulings.Brazil was hit with the highest final dumping duties.Commerce has levied a country-wide dumping rate of 68.97% for all Brazilian silicon metal producers and exporters, including...Read More

European alloy surcharges for March deliveries of grade-316 cold-rolled (CR) stainless steel sheet have risen sharply month on month amid further increases in nickel and molybdenum costs.The March assessment for molybdenum-containing 2mm grade-316 CR sheet - compiled by Metal Bulletin based on data released by Outokumpu, Acerinox and Aperam - rose by ?,?88-112 per tonne to ?,?2,011-2,072...Read More

The European Steel Association, Eurofer, has welcomed the European Commission's pledge of "appropriate and swift measures" after the United States finally announced Section 232 trade tariffs.US president Donald Trump announced the imposition of import duties of 25% on steel and 10% aluminium on March 1. "We welcome the [EC] announcement [that] appropriate and swift measures will be taken...Read More

Stainless steel prices in China's domestic market decreased slightly over the past week due to high inventories. Metal Bulletin's assessment of prices for benchmark 304 stainless CRC in the major market of Wuxi was 14,700-15,300 yuan ($2,315-2,409) per tonne including VAT for the week ended Thursday March 1, down 100-200 yuan per tonne from a week earlier. Spot market inventory levels have increas...Read More

The following Metal Bulletin non-ferrous European free market scrap prices changed on Friday March 2:Aluminium scrap Floated Frag: ?,?1,280-1,310 per tonne from ?,?1,300-1,330 Cast:...Read More

Import prices for containerized heavy melting scrap (HMS) in Taiwan increased further this week on expectations of the United States' Section 232 steel import tariffs resulting in lower supply of the steelmaking raw material.There was also some tightness in supply in the spot market because traders and US suppliers withheld cargoes in anticipation of higher prices in the coming weeks. Metal Bullet...Read More

Plateau Uranium Inc. (TSXV: PLU) is pursuing a drill campaign to define what it sees as potentially one of the world's largest non-brine lithium deposits in the Falchani target on its 100% owned Macusani lithium-uranium property in Puno, southern Peru.The Toronto-based company commenced drilling its +2 sq. km Falchani target in October 2017, shortly after signing a first access agreement with the...Read More

Chile, the world's No. 1 copper producer and one of the top lithium suppliers, is expected to attract about $60 billion in new mines and expansions over the next 20 years, the country's minister of mining says.According to Aurora Williams, miners with operations in the country currently spend $15 billion on support services a year, so the government has set an ambitious goal of helping locals to...Read More

Australia's corporate watchdog is taking Rio Tinto's (ASX, LON:RIO) former chief executive Tom Albanese and chief financial officer Guy Elliott to court for allegedly misleading investors in relation to the miner's botched coal investment in Mozambique.According to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the two ex-executives engaged in "misleading and deceptive" conduct by pu...Read More

Vancouver-based Darien Resource Development (TSXV: DRR), which will soon change its name to New Energy Metals Corp., announced today that has entered into an agreement with Artemis Mining to acquire a 100% interest in the Cristal project located in northern Chile. In detail, the mining site is located along the West Fissure, near the border with Peru, which hosts to the majority of Chile's large p...Read More

http://www.miningweekly.com/VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) - The Canadian mining industry has welcomed the federal 2018 Budget that was announced this week, highlighting in particular support for the extension of the Mineral Exploration Tax Credit and several additional funds made available for critical skills training.Canada’s Budget 2018, tabled by Canada’s Finance Minister Bill Mornea...Read More