SD Friday Wrap: Everyone is asking it so keeping in line with the question of the week, "Is the bottom in?". Here's some insight...Editor's Note: As a reminder, last week we changed posting of the SD Metals & Markets podcast to Saturdays at 8:00 a.m. EST. Elijah said it's going to be a good one this week, so be sure to tune in!*****Every once in a while I like to summarize my feelings in two words...Read More
After a two-year period of super-fast growth, the expansion of London Metal Exchange warehouses in Asia slowed significantly over the past year. But what lies behind the change - especially as LME storage space in Europe has also continued to dwindle? Warehouse space at the nine LME delivery locations in Asia grew by just 3% to 1,608,813 sq m in the year to June 2018, largely due t...Read More
As steel markets grow in maturity and look towards the use of derivatives and hedging tools, it is probably a good time to consider how hedging can increase the transparency of steel pricing and reducing the risks of volatile price trends. Steel trading has traditionally been based on fixed spot prices, with no long-term contracts between buyers and sellers to ensure stability of supply. And trade...Read More
Nickel prices on the London Metal Exchange fell by 1.7% at the close of trading on Friday July 6, ending the week more than 4% lower while ongoing macroeconomic pressure continues to hinder the complex. Closing below $14,000 per tonne for the first time since April 13, nickel prices continued to suffer against a backdrop of falling LME inventory. Total LME nickel stocks are at their lowest si...Read More
Katoen Natie Singapore (Jurong) Pte Ltd has withdrawn from London Metal Exchange warehouse services with immediate effect, with the operator and name of the shed switching to Henry Bath Singapore, the LME said on Friday July 6. The Belgian-based logistics provider had listed Singapore as an LME-approved warehouse in November 2016 and had only 75 tonnes of stock in May, according to the latest inve...Read More
Low-alumina Brazilian iron ore remained strongly priced on Friday July 6 while higher-alumina Australian products were traded at wider discounts.Metal Bulletin 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $63.84 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $0.70 per tonneMetal Bulletin 62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines Index: $62.22 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $0.31 per tonneMetal Bulletin 58% Fe Premium Index: $51.52 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down...Read More
SHANGHAI, Jul 6 (SMM) – SHFE base metals closed mixed on Friday July 6 after the US launched the opening salvo in the trade war with China at noon. Copper fell over 1%, nickel, lead and tin dipped while zinc and aluminium inched up.The ferrous complex rose across the board except for hot-rolled coil. Iron ore and coking coal rose over 0.7%, rebar and coke nudged up.Copper: The 1809 contract...Read More
SHANGHAI, Jul 6 (SMM) – This is a roundup of China’s base metals output in June. SMM surveyed major producers in the market to obtain first-hand information for calculation.CopperChina's output of refined copper in June dipped 3.3% on the month but rose 10.5% on the year and came in at 722,500 mt, SMM survey showed. Output during the first half of the year stood at 4.33 million mt,...Read More
SHANGHAI, Jul 6 (SMM) – Copper: Increasing short positions depressed LME copper to a low of $6,306.5/mt amid risk aversion sentiment as the US confirmed its tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese goods would be effective on Friday. The SHFE 1809 contract also slumped to a low of 49,270 yuan/mt with declining open interests. Its trading range is expected at 49,200-49,700 yuan/mt today with th...Read More
Nickel prices on the London Metal Exchange fell by 1.7% at the close of trading on Friday July 6, ending the week more than 4% lower while ongoing macroeconomic pressure continues to hinder the complex. Closing below $14,000 per tonne for the first time since April 13, nickel prices continued to suffer against a backdrop of falling LME inventory. Total LME nickel stocks are at their lowest si...Read More
The UK light iron scrap market finally moved up this week, breaking a 12-week run of stability due to firmer demand and the conclusion of the July monthly delivery settlements to consumers next week.Metal Bulletin's weekly price assessment for UK grade-5C ferrous scrap on an inter-merchant basis was ?95-125 ($126-165) per tonne on Friday. This compares with the low for the year to date of ?90-11...Read More
The US Midwest P1020 spot aluminium premium has stabilized after its recent drop, as the backwardation spread on the London Metal Exchange remained steady to end the week. American Metal Market's latest assessment of the US Midwest premium is 20-20.75 cents per lb, unchanged from earlier this week and the lowest since early April, when it was 18.75-19.25 cents per lb. As for the backward...Read More
The aluminium billet upcharge in the United States has temporarily paused its climb to record highs, with the summer slowdown counteracting continued supply tightness to keep the premium on level ground. American Metal Market assessed the spot 6063 billet upcharge at 17-19 cents per lb on Friday July 6, unchanged from the previous week but still an all-time high. The bille...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
Correspondent Dalton Barker recaps the week in the non-ferrous markets.Read More
Aim-listed BlueRock Diamonds’ Kareevlei diamond mine, in Kimberley, in the Northern Cape, achieved “good” production during the second quarter, contributing to an 81% year-on-year increase in tonnes processed to 73 028 t for the first half of this year.Revenue per tonne processed amounted to $7.76.AdvertisementThe miner noted that 34 247 t of ore was processed in the second quart...Read More
Metal Bulletin rounds up some of the key news and price moves across the global metal markets this week. Base metalsKatoen Natie Singapore (Jurong) Pte Ltd has withdrawn from London Metal Exchange warehouse services with immediate effect, with the operator and name of the shed switching to Henry Bath Singapore, the LME said on Friday July 6.Metals packaging firm Ball Corp is to cease producti...Read More
The International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research's (IIDGR's) SYNTHdetect synthetic diamond screening device has been shortlisted as a finalist for Industry Innovation of the Year in this year’s JNA Awards.SYNTHdetect, launched last year, is the first synthetic diamond screening device to simultaneously test multiple stones in set jewellery and has the industry’s lo...Read More
All MB non-ferrous European scrap prices were unchanged on Friday July 6.Read More