Chinese ferro-silicon prices have been flat over the past week before the Lunar New Year holiday, the European market dropped further amid slow demand and US prices were supported by supply tightness. Chinese activity pauses ahead of holiday  Slow activity in Europe prompts lower offer prices  Supply tightness underpins US market China holds steady before holidayChinese domestic fer...Read More

Spot alumina prices moved lower last week as availability of spot cargoes in the Pacific countered specific tightness for Australian material.Metal Bulletin's daily fob Australia alumina index ended the week at $370.60 per tonne on February 9, down from $385.50 per tonne at the start of the week. Prices were relatively stable between January 11 and February 5, when the index was settled...Read More

The early-February sell-off in London Metal Exchange base metals seems to have run its course for now, but it may have not been as extreme as it could have been, ironically because of the growing influence of computerized trading systems.At the end of December last year, copper traded as high as $7,291.50 per tonne, and was pretty much maintained at solid levels comfortably above $7,000 for the fi...Read More

The latest metal markets news and price moves to start the North American day on Monday February 12.Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly higher during morning trading on Monday February 12, with the complex attempting to rebound from last week's choppy trading conditions.Here's how LME base metals prices looked at 11:46am London time:Read...Read More

Glencore's Pasar copper smelter has returned to operation after fixing a technical failure that led to a production halt last month, the company told Metal Bulletin."The problem has been resolved and the smelter is back online," Glencore spokesman Charles Watenphul said in an emailed statement. The spokesman declined to provide details on the repairs undertaken or comment on whether the 330,000 to...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly higher during morning trading on Monday February 12, with the complex attempting to rebound from last week's choppy trading conditions. The three-month copper price has recovered $89 and is trading back above $6,800 per tonne after dropping to a low of $6,733 per tonne last Friday. "A strong open to the new week... led by copper that gapp...Read More

Chow Chung Kong, chairman of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, will retire at the end of April this year, the exchange announced on Monday February 12."I will...be retiring at the end of April. I feel very honored to have presided over a period of substantial progress in HKEX's development, helping strengthen Hong Kong's leadership position as an...Read More

Exporters from the Commonwealth of Independent States have increased offers for hot-rolled coil (HRC) due to low availability of March-rolled material. Large sales to the CIS domestic market prompted the shortage rather than any improvement in export market demand, one source said. Metal Bulletin's weekly price assessment for CIS-origin HRC exports was $575-590 per tonne fob Black Sea on Mond...Read More

Indian state-owned steelmaker Steel Authority of India (Sail) reported a rise in profit in the fourth quarter of 2017 after ten consecutive months of decline, the company said on Thursday February 8.The company reported earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) of 15.71 billion rupees ($244 million) in October-December 2017, the third quarter of its current financial...Read More

CIS export billet prices bounced back in the week ended Monday February 12 after several weeks of decreases and uncertainty amid improved market conditions."Scrap prices have increased and there is no pressure from the supply side [because mills are in no hurry to sell March volumes],"one source said."Moreover, we expect a seasonal increase in consumption in the spring," he added.Metal Bulletin's...Read More

Rebar producer Sohar Steel has received certification of its responsible sourcing of construction products and sustainable constructional steel (SCS) from the UK-based Certification Authority for Reinforcing Steel (CARES), the Omani company said on Sunday February 11.The company produces 800,000 tonnes per year of rebar and 600,000 tpy of steel billet.It sells its products in Oman and...Read More

European flat steel products distributors reported a slight increase in shipments in full 2017.European flat steel products distributors reported a slight increase in shipments in full 2017.European flat steel distributors reported a 0.2% year-on-year increase in shipments in full 2017, the European federation for steel, tube and metals distribution and trade, Eurometal, said on February 9.This sl...Read More

Indian steelmaker JSW broke its record for monthly crude steel production in January 2018. JSW's crude steel production in January was 1.46 million tonnes, compared with 1.36 million tonnes in the same month in 2017, the firm said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) on Thursday February 8. The record monthly total comes after the firm recorded its highest-ever quarterly total ...Read More

China's rebar futures increased on Monday February 12 as the country's steel production hub announced more manufacturing restrictions, while spot prices were stable amid sparse trading ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,860-3,920 yuan ($613-623) per tonne, unchanged. Northern China (Beijing): 3,950-3,990 yuan per tonne, unchanged. Ferrous futures jumped by...Read More

Manganese ore prices jumped by as much as 35 cents per lb on Friday February 9, as consumers stockpiled ahead of Chinese New Year in anticipation of further price increases. Ore prices jump as much as 35 cents as consumers stockpileAlloy prices drift in ChinaIndian alloy prices pull back as China winds downEuropean alloy prices hold in thin tradingAlloy markets stand firm in USA Manganese ore pric...Read More

Ferro-chrome prices held in China and chrome ore prices weakened, as spot trading wound down ahead of Chinese New Year, after mills had bought in early. Ferro-chrome prices hold in China as holidays approachChrome ore prices edge lowerAlloy prices jump in Japan, South KoreaAlloy prices jumping Asia as special steel orders growUS alloys prices edge higher Ferro-chrome prices held in China and chrom...Read More

Iron ore prices fell slightly but stayed above $76 per tonne cfr China on Monday February 12 amid a slowdown in trading in the physical market.Metal Bulletin's 62% Fe Iron Ore IndexToday: $76.24 per tonne cfr QingdaoDaily change: down by $0.22 per tonneMonth-to-date average: $75.76 per tonneMetal Bulletin's 58% Fe Premium IndexToday: $60.84 per tonne cfr QingdaoDaily change: down...Read More

The physical iron ore market wound down further on Monday February 12 with participants more or less already in a holiday mood for the Chinese New Year break, which starts officially on Thursday in China.Key driversChina's ferrous futures were rangebound during the day, while the spot steel market also reported little change in prices and trading activity.With most of mills' procurement staff alre...Read More

The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for iron ore, pig iron, direct-reduced iron and other steelmaking raw materials. Latest transaction: iron oreIron oreVale, Beijing Iron...Read More

The seaborne coking coal market had a muted start to the week with many participants already in a holiday mood ahead of a weeklong break in China for the Chinese New Year."There was a slew of transactions last week since Chinese end-users had not been procuring materials in the seaborne market in a while but it has been interrupted by the upcoming holiday," a southern Chinese end-user source told...Read More