Manganese ore producers reduced their offer prices to attract business in the week ended Friday September 27 after buyers either delayed or cut their bids prior to China's week-long National Day holiday (October 1-7). Low demand softens seaborne and port manganese ore markets Weak buying interest weighs on alloy in China Alloy sellers in India lower offer prices Alloy prices in...Read More
Keith Weiner, Monetary MetalsWe discuss capital consumption all the time, because it is the megatrend of our era. However, capital consumption is an abstract idea. So let's consider some concrete examples, to help make it clearer.Flipping Homes, Consuming CapitalFirst, let's look at the case of Timothy Housetrader. Tim has a small two-bedroom house. Next door, his neighbor Ian Idjit, owns a fo...Read More
Readers rightfully took me to task last week for putting out two headlines that appeared to at least mildly contradict one other and which taken together could only have left one wanting more clarity. The first said Don't Load Up on Puts Quite Yet; the second, There's Still Time to Load Up on Puts. So which is it? Do we get short here, or not? Well, the answer, like the market itself,...Read More
David HaggithConspiracy theories are like crime novels. You can create an infinite number of them, and all they require is a plausible plot built from real facts with enough twists to keep them interesting. That's why I don't spend my time trying to discern if any of them are true though some may be but now I'm going to write one of my own. I find it completely plausible, fully in line with...Read More
By: Ira EpsteinGold not reacting the way it should to the news last week, 18-week moving average now $1,442.8+Read More
Uncertainty Principle(Dis) EquilibriumInsane IdeasA Tribute to Art Cashin and New YorkI often say a writer is nothing without readers. I am blessed to have some of the world's greatest. Your feedback never fails to inspire and enlighten me.Last week's That Time Keynes Had a Point letter brought many more comments than usual. Apparently Keynes is still provocative 73 years after his death, no m...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday September 30 that are worth another look.The European Commission has made a number of changes to its existing regime of safeguard measures concerning 26 steel product categories, it said on Thursday September 26. At the same time, the appointment of a European chief trade enforcement officer was welcomed by the steel and alu...Read More
Gold has shown a tendency to rally in the last several Octobers.Geopolitical uncertainties support the metal's intermediate-term trend.Silver and gold stocks could use some improvement, however.It has been a shaky month for gold investors, and some worry that the metal's extraordinary bull run might be ending. While there are some technical challenges that gold faces heading into the fall seas...Read More
High-grade gold project in Fiji.Potential large alkaline gold system.High upside based on exploration success.CEO has a history of developing and selling gold projects for large returns.Long-term investment (3-5 years). Stock Name Symbol (US) Type Risk Share Price (US) FD Shares FD Mkt Cap (8/29/2019) Lion One Metals OTCQX:LOMLF Gold Moderate $0.68 110M $75M As I mentioned in the bullets abo...Read More
Discussions and negotiations for cobalt supply in 2020 quickly got under way after Glencore announced it will close its Mutanda mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo at the end of the year.The action to take 25,000 tonnes per year of cobalt (contained in hydroxide) out of the market has fundamentally changed the supply picture for next year. Prices for cobalt metal, intermediates and salts all...Read More
The three-month zinc price on the London Metal Exchange was higher at the close of trading on Monday September 30, climbing up by some 2.5% amid moderately high turnover, while lead futures were similarly stronger over the afternoon. Zinc's outright price closed at $2,376 per tonne on Monday afternoon, its highest closing price since August 1, while volumes traded were at their highest since Septe...Read More
Chinese buying activity pushed up seaborne coking coal prices on Monday September 30, ahead of a week-long holiday to mark the country's 70th National Day.Premium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $137.29 per tonne, up $4.56 per tonne Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $159.70 per tonne, up $6.11 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $121.25 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $134.0...Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices strengthened on Monday September 30 amid more stringent production curbs, though market participants are wary about them falling after the Golden Week.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,620-3,630 yuan ($508-510) per tonne, up 20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,580 yuan per tonne, up 60 yuan per tonnePrices gained after sentiment picked up in resp...Read More
The world will begin to enter the next economic stage, transitioning from BUILDING WEALTH to PROTECTING IT. Here's why...by Steve St Angelo of SRSrocco ReportGlobal silver supply is heavily dependent on one factor that is overlooked by the majority of precious metals analysts. For some odd reason, analysts only consider the cost of this factor and not the future supply. Without this supply, 98...Read More
"...the risk-reward favors further downside in Silver..."by David Brady via Sprott MoneyIn my September 5th article entitled "Silver Takes a Much-Needed Breath", I stated the following:There are three possible scenarios I am watching. The highest probability scenario is that this is just a wave (4) pullback and we continue higher again in wave (5) to ~21 before we begin a wave ii reversal.Wave...Read More
Tender price hikes from China's stainless steel mills for October ferro-chrome purchasing have prompted higher spot prices for both ore and alloy, Fastmarkets learned. Spot ferro-chrome prices in China follow October tenders higherChrome ore prices underpinned by alloy strengthAlloy prices hold in Japan and South KoreaEuropean alloy prices ease amid subdued demand Chrome ore and ferro-chrome price...Read More
CIS export billet prices continued to fall at the end of September amid the continuing downtrend in the global steel markets, particularly the finished flat steel segment, both domestically and in the major customer outlets, due to the slowdown in trading activity.Despite the reduced availability of slab in the region due to maintenance work at major mills, suppliers still had to cut their prices...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday September 30 that are worth another look.The European Commission has made a number of changes to its existing regime of safeguard measures concerning 26 steel product categories, it said on Thursday September 26. At the same time, the appointment of a European chief trade enforcement officer was welcomed by the steel and alu...Read More
Refining charges for imported blister copper went down in China in September because of unusually tight availability in the spot market, with only minimal volumes coming from Zambian producer Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) and local producers limiting their primary smelting activities due to record-low treatment charges for copper concentrates.The refining charges (RCs) for the intermediate product of...Read More
The benchmark alumina price in the Pacific region has fallen to a fresh two-year low and below $290 per tonne for the first time since May 25, 2017. Fastmarkets' daily alumina index, fob Australia fell to $289.13 per tonne on Monday September 30, from $290.40 per tonne on Friday September 27. The index is down 27% from the start of the 2019 and by 42% year on year from $500 per tonne on Septe...Read More