SHANGHAI, Feb 28 (SMM) -Copper: A stronger US dollar drove LME copper lower towards the 60-day moving average, but prices are likely to rise in the medium term as downstream consumption recovers and Chinese scrap imports decline. We see LME copper to trade at $7,000-7,070/mt and the SHFE 1804 contract at 52,500-53,100 yuan/mt today. Spot discounts are seen getting smaller as sellers held up.A...Read More

The latest metal markets news and price moves to start the North American day on Wednesday February 28. Lead prices on the London Metal Exchange recorded the biggest drop during morning trading following a large stock delivery into LME warehouses. Some 12,375 tonnes were delivered into LME-listed warehouses in Antwerp - taking on-warrant stock levels to 20,250 tonnes. This is the largest lead infl...Read More

The Money Bubble is inflating at different speeds in different places. But apparently no culture is immune:Continue...Read More

Published on: Feb 28, 2018 | by Meagan EvansLithium Australia NL (ASX:LIT) has advanced its acquisition of Brisbane battery cathode developer, the Very Small Particle Company Ltd (VSPC), with LIT and major VSPC shareholders executing a binding Share Sale and Purchase Agreement.Brisbane-based unlisted public company, VSPC, has researched and developed some of the world's most innovative and respect...Read More

Good morning from Metal Bulletin's office in Singapore as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Wednesday February 28.Base metals traded on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were down across the board during Asian morning trading on Wednesday, with a firmer dollar and disappointing Chinese macro-economic data denting sentiment for the complex.Check Metal Bulletin's live futures report he...Read More

A Colorado School of Mines professor has been awarded the 2018 Western Social Science Association Distinguished Book Award.Jessica Smith, associate professor of engineering, design and society and co-director of the humanitarian engineering program, received the honor for her book, "Mining Coal and Undermining Gender: Rhythms of Work and Family in the American West."She will be honored during the...Read More

Comex copper prices softened in the US morning on Wednesday February 28, with a stronger dollar and lower-than-expected Chinese data weighing on the base metals complex. Copper for May settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 3.10 cents or 1% to $3.1555 per lb. Earlier, the contract touched $3.1525, the lowest since February 13. Earlier this morning, China's manufa...Read More

Iron ore prices slid below $79 per tonne cfr China on Wednesday February 28 amid sluggish demand for the steelmaking raw material in the seaborne market. Metal Bulletin's 62% Fe Iron Ore Index Today: $78.61 per tonne cfr Qingdao Daily change: down by $0.54 per tonne Month-to-date average: $77.35 per tonne Metal Bulletin's 58% Fe Premium Index Today: $61.62 per tonne cfr...Read More

Hui has broken to the downside from the consolidation triangle so decline to 120HERERead More

Seaborne coking coal prices rose on Wednesday February 28, with Chinese buyers flagging limited offers of such materials and an unclear outlook for domestic supply as factors generating buying interest. A cargo of premium products was offered at $237 per tonne fob Australia on Global Coal. A bid of $229 per tonne fob was made for the cargo. Tier-two cargoes were heard offered on both cfr China and...Read More

Although base metals are under pressure in the short term, we have a bullish bias to our 2018 price forecasts given the supportive background of solid global economic growth and the fact that all six base metal markets look set to be in fundamental deficit this year. But each has a slightly different supply-side story and this aspect should be the main differentiator. For example, zinc's narrative...Read More

Metal Bulletin has launched two assessments to track spot and annual refining charges (RC) for blister copper imported to China following a month-long consultation. Blister copper, an intermediate copper product used by smelters for refined copper production, is known as one of the first options for scrap replacement. Import volumes of the increasingly popular blister copper, together with anodes,...Read More

Vale is reevaluating its plans for its Vale New Caledonia nickel project due to its improved results and the positive impact of higher cobalt prices, chief executive officer Fabio Schvartsman said on Wednesday February 28."We are waiting to see where things are going to move forward to in order to make a decision in the VNC situation," he told analysts during a conference call. "It is clear that t...Read More

Refineries in India are working to find ways to deal with the hazardous residue created from bauxite during the alumina production process, according to the president of the International Bauxite, Alumina and Aluminium Society. Vinod Sood said that the residue, known as "red mud," is highly alkaline and its storage creates serious environmental concerns."There is now environmentally friendly dispo...Read More

Treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) for copper concentrates dropped further toward the end of February, with traders in the market for tonnages at even lower levels.The Metal Bulletin copper concentrate TC/RC index dropped to $68.80 per tonne /6.88 cents per lb from $69.50/6.95 cents a fortnight ago.Deals to Chinese market were reported as smelters there returned from the Lunar New Year holida...Read More

Jamaica must focus on sustaining the "paradigm shift" in investment that occurred in the past couple of years, and "go full steam ahead" to maximize the benefits of value-added activities, the country's Minister of Transport and Mines said.Lester Michael Henry said that the $6-billion investment planned by China's Jiuquan Iron & Steel (Group) Co Ltd (Jisco) as part of its acquisition of Alumina Pa...Read More

A second shipment of alumina produced at Alumina Partners of Jamaica (Alpart) has recently been loaded from Jamaica's Port Kaiser, according to Sun Jing, a senior engineer and manager at China's Jiuquan Iron & Steel (Group) Co (Jisco).The global financial crisis of 2008-09 and soaring energy costs had forced the closure of the plant in May 2009, but Jisco reopened it in June last year. An initial...Read More

Copper concentrate deliveries from the Ok Tedi mine in Papua-New Guinea may be affected after an earthquake-induced landslide cut off the mine from road access, well-informed sources have told Metal Bulletin.An earthquake of 7.5 magnitude hit the Southeast Asian country on the morning of Monday February 26. A resulting landslide cut of road access to the mine and damaged a pipeline which transport...Read More

The Jamalco alumina refinery at Clarendon in Jamaica will end its reliance on oil within the next two or three years when it converts to using natural gas, its managing director has said.A new heat and power facility, developed through a joint agreement with New Fortress Energy, will produce 100 MW of energy, of which 94 MW will be exported to the country's grid, Austin Mooney said."The natural ga...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange fell across the board at the close on Wednesday February 28, with the complex under pressure from the resurgent dollar, which hit its highest level since January 19.The three-month copper price plummeted to a two week low and closed below the $7,000-per-tonne support level. "The base metals complex has retreated on the back of a stronger dollar index...Read More