Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed in the morning of Tuesday May 1, with copper (-0.7% at $6,775 per tonne), aluminium (-0.2%) and zinc (-0.4%) prices lower, while tin prices are untraded and lead and nickel prices are both up 0.3%. Chinese markets are closed for a national holiday today, meaning volume has been light with 1,225 lots traded as of 6.24am London time. This fo...Read More

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, in a move that may undercut his party’s message about the recent tax overhaul ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, told the Economist magazine there is “no evidence whatsoever” the law significantly helped American workers.“There is still a lot of thinking on the right that if big corporations are happy, they&rsquo...Read More

The United States decision to extend Europe's exemption from Section 232 tariffs until June 1 only serves to prolong the uncertainty, the European Commission (EC) and European steel association, Eurofer, said on Tuesday May 1.The US authorities postponed imposing Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminium imported from the European Union, Canada and Mexico on April 30. Originally, the EU was...Read More

Erik Henau, Concepta PLC's (LON:CPT) chief executive, believes a more measured approach to its entry into the Chinese market will make progress smoother in future.Henau says it is been a steep learning curve in China, but the company has made major strides forward.More staff have been appointed in the country, while new operating procedures have led to 'huge improvements' in manufacturing and logi...Read More

The United States has postponed imposing Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminium imported from the European Union, Canada and Mexico, until June 1.President Donald Trump's administration announced the extension of temporary exemptions for the key trading blocs at the last moment on Monday April 30. A 10% import tax on aluminium and a 25% import tax on steel were due to come into effect on...Read More

LONDON (Reuters) - British parliamentarians said they were prepared to issue a formal summons for Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg to appear before them and answer questions over a data scandal which has engulfed the technology giant.The social network has faced questions on both sides of the Atlantic over how millions of users’ details got into the hands of political consultancy Cam...Read More

Rachel Stark from Cogress tells Proactive's Andrew Scott their key objective is to make investing in property developments more accessible to investors.''The only other real alternative is to find a developer yourself, carry out all the due diligence and then invest in a very large upfront payment''.''We have minimum investments from ?20k ... so that means you can diversify your portfolio more ea...Read More

As competition in the global steel markets remains fierce, Metal Bulletin provides an update on the new, progressing and closed trade cases from around the world in April 2018.The case list below includes only updates. For other continuing cases this year, see the updates for January, February and March.Click...Read More

MIDLAND, Texas (Reuters) - In West Texas, rising oil prices are fueling a sharp economic upswing, lifting employment and pay to records, driving up spending at hotels, restaurants, and car dealerships, and raising the cost of housing and other essentials.This parched patch of land, under which lie the largest oil-producing rock formations in the United States, is used to growth binges as well as t...Read More

''It's a momentous occasion - the first time investors have had a glimpse inside Union Jack Oil's headquarters'', says David Bramhill.Chatting to Proactive's Andrew Scott in his usual relaxed yet informative style he says 2017 was a year of "considerable progress" for them.The onshore UK oiler's continued to grow its portfolio, both during and after the reporting period, and, Bramhill describes hi...Read More

LONDON (Reuters) - A speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which he unveiled what he said was evidence of a secret Iranian nuclear weapons program underlines the importance of keeping the 2015 Iran nuclear deal’s constraints on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, Britain said on Tuesday.“The Iran nuclear deal is not based on trust about Iran’s intentions; rather it...Read More

Base metals on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower at the close of trading on Tuesday May 1, coming under pressure from a stronger dollar index.Zinc was the largest faller of the day, down 2.5%. It bottomed out at $3,054 per tonne this afternoon, its lowest figure since December 2017. The metal's fundamental picture was rattled last week after more than 60,000 tonnes of zinc were delivered...Read More

Point Loma Resources (CVE:PLX) CEO Terry Meek tells Proactive Investors Point Loma acquired oil and natural gas liquid assets in the West Central area of Alberta in a receivership deal with a private company. The deal increases potential drilling opportunities.The property would add net operating income of C$1.3mln annualized and adds production of around 450 barrels of oil equivalent per day. &nb...Read More

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed U.S. President Donald Trump about evidence of a past secret Iranian nuclear arms program in March, a senior Israeli official said, a move apparently aimed at killing an international deal with Tehran that both leaders oppose.Trump agreed Israel would publish the information before May 12, the date by which he is due to decide...Read More

Holidays in Turkey and across much of Europe for the traditional May 1 Labor Day meant that there was no change in prices for Turkish imports of deep-sea scrap from European and US suppliers, sources said on Tuesday May 1.Renewed business activity is expected later in the week when traders return to work, they added.Market sentiment is cautious about how much more prices may increase in the near t...Read More

Today is May Day... International Workers' Day.Workers around the world flooded the streets to babble their woes... and issue their demands.In Paris, protesters took aux barricades to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the famous 1968 student revolt.Windows were shattered. Cars were set ablaze. Masked rioters clashed with police.Other cities were scenes of relative peace.But the grievances were s...Read More

Prices for domestic steel rebar and imported steel billet in the United Arab Emirates decreased this week on poor demand, sources told Metal Bulletin on Tuesday May 1.And demand for imported rebar in both countries remained almost non-existent.Domestic rebarThe major rebar producers in the UAE announced new prices on April 25.The biggest steel producer, Emirates Steel, is now offering rebar at 2,3...Read More

LONDON (Reuters) - BP held out the prospect of a first dividend increase since 2014 on Tuesday, after first-quarter profits beat forecasts thanks to rising oil and gas prices and production.Chief Financial Officer Brian Gilvary said the London-listed company might consider raising the dividend later this year if oil prices remain near current levels and debt declines.In the first three months of 2...Read More

A few weeks ago I explained how and why the Amish opted out of the Social Security program.That was a unique case because the Amish live in a relatively close-knit community where members merely take care of each other.So today I want to talk about another group of people who opted out of Social Security because I think it speaks to the heart of all the different feedback I typically receive about...Read More

Chinese ferro-vanadium exporters increased their offer prices in the week to Friday April 27 amid recovering prices in Europe, while US ferro-vanadium prices stagnated due to inactivity in the spot market. Chinese ferro-vanadium export prices tick up on the back of European recovery  European market firm week on week on thinning spot inventories  US ferro-vanadium price stagnates on mar...Read More