Indian local secondary billet prices this week showed a slight fall of about 200 rupees per tonne week-on-week, with buyers staying away from the market and the number of inquiries to mills dwindling.Prices for Indian domestic secondary billet, which is mainly produced through the induction furnace route, ended the week at 31,800-32,000 rupees ($497-501) per tonne ex-mill on Friday February 2. Thi...Read More

The following Metal Bulletin noble alloys, bulk alloys and ores prices changed on Friday February 2:Noble alloys Molybdenum Europe drummed molybdic oxide, $/lb: $11.60-12.00 per lb from $11.80-12.00 Molybdenum US canned molybdic oxide, $/Ib $11.90-12.20 per Ib from $12.15-12.30 Ferro-molybdenum basis 65% min, in-warehouse Rotterdam, $/kg Mo: $29.70-30.00 per kg from $29.50-30.00 Ferro-molybdenum U...Read More

Metal Bulletin has today discontinued five grades of zircon.After a consultation period, Metal Bulletin has today suspended the following five grades of zircon, effective February 2, 2018: Zircon, ceramic grade, bulk, CIF South Africa, $/tonneZircon, Ceramic grade, Bulk, FOB South Africa, $/tonneZircon, premium grade, bulk, FOB USA, $/tonneZircon, standard grade, bulk, FOB USA, $/tonneZircon stand...Read More

Glencore continues to expect a slight increase in its ferro-chrome output this year after a small rise last year, it said in its full-year production report on Thursday February 1.The company kept its production guidance for 2018 unchanged at 1,600,000 tonnes plus or minus 30,000 tonnes, it said. Its ferro-chrome production for 2017 at 1,531,000 tonnes was up 1% on the previous year's 1,523,000 to...Read More

Finnish metal processing technology provider Outotec is to provide two iron ore pelletizing plants, each with capacity for 4 million tonnes per year, to China's Shougang Jingtang United Iron & Steel, it said on Friday February 2.The two pelletizing plants are expected to be commissioned in 2019, and will...Read More

Archaeologists near Stewart, BC have discovered what is believed to be the missing front cover of the Brucejack Feasibility study.Thank you Grant NaylorIf genuine it belongs at the beginning and is believed to have read "To my darling Daniela. All figures portrayed within this report are fictitious and any resemblance to the truth is purely coincidental"**Just my warped sense (lack) of humor.Why d...Read More

Earnings at Chilean steel and iron ore producer Compa???-a de Acero del Pac?-fico (CAP) increased by 30.10% in 2017, compared with the previous year, mainly due to better results from its iron ore business.Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) came to $575.96 million last year, compared with $442.64 million in 2016, the company said in a note to the Chilean securi...Read More

Global miner Rio Tinto (ASX, LON:RIO) is said to be once again chasing a $5bn stake in Chile's Chemical and Mining Society (SQM), the world's largest lithium producer, following the resolution of a long-dragged dispute between the company and the country's government over royalties in Salar de Atacama.The deal between SQM and Chile's development agency Corfo, reached last month, freed the lit...Read More

Shares in Africa-focused Gem Diamonds (LON:GEMD) got a fresh boost on Friday after the miner said sales in the fourth quarter of 2017 were higher than in the previous three months, adding it also achieved better prices for its gems.The company, which last month found the world's fifth-biggest diamond in history at its flagship Let??eng mine in Lesotho, sold 31,476 carats during the three month...Read More

India's imported scrap markets have been supported by healthy demand for finished steel in the country this week, which prevented there being steeper losses in the scrap price, sources have told Metal Bulletin.Prices for ferrous scrap in the important Turkish market have decreased by $9.70 per tonne week-on-week, but Indian import markets managed to limit their losses to less than $5 per tonne.Met...Read More

Precious metal miner Sibanye-Stillwater (JSE:SGL) (NYSE:SBGL) said Friday all the workers that were trapped since Wednesday night at its Beatrix gold mine in South Africa have been rescued.Nearly 1,000 miners got stuck underground for more than 24 hours after a storm knocked out power lines supplying electricity to Beatrix. Emergency power supply from backup generators enabled 64 employees to ret...Read More

Demand growth in the coking coal market should be firm throughout 2018 after last year's market volatility due to Cyclone Debbie and shipment delays, SP Angel analyst John Meyer told Metal Bulletin in an interview. Meyer took first place with fellow analyst Sergey Raevskiy in the coking coal leader board for the Apex 2017 competition. He notes that 2017 saw record iron production in China, 2.9% hi...Read More

The latest metal markets news and price moves to start the North American day on Friday February 2.Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were on divergent paths this morning, with nickel failing to hold on to recent gains and the three-month price retreating nearly $200 per tonne. Here's how base metals on the LME looked at 11:56am London time: Read our live futures report here.&nbs...Read More

China's domestic rebar prices remained in an upward trend on Friday February 2 amid gains in the billet and futures markets, though trading activity remained thin.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,840-3,900 yuan ($610-619) per tonne, up 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,920-3,950 yuan per tonne, narrowed upward by 20 yuan per tonneThe gains in the billet and paper markets pushed up s...Read More

Trading activity in the seaborne coking coal market remained thin on Friday February 2, with concerns about the weather in Australia and higher domestic coking coal prices in China keeping buyers on tenterhooks. "Domestic supply is tight in China with the transportation of thermal coal being given priority," a trader source said. He added that the situation had raised concerns among mills about th...Read More

Nickel prices on the London Metal Exchange have once again failed to hold on to recent gains, with the three-month price retreating nearly $200 per tonne during morning trading on Friday February 2.On Thursday, the three-month nickel on the LME ended ring trading at $14,000 per tonne for the first time since May 2015. But nickel's price volatility has been highlighted once again after it hit a low...Read More

Iron ore prices gained some ground on Friday February 2 amid an uptick in China's steel and ferrous futures markets. Key drivers China's ferrous futures surged on Thursday night and stayed in positive territory throughout Friday. The country's spot rebar and hot-rolled coil prices also increased 10-20 yuan ($1.60-3.20) per tonne during the day. These gains gave a boost to sentiment among iron ore...Read More

An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More

The following Metal Bulletin minor metals prices changed on Friday February 2:Antimony MB free market regulus, $/tonne: $8,300-8,500 per tonne from $8,250-8,500 Antimony MMTA standard grade II, $/tonne: $8,300-8,500 per tonne from $8,250-8,500 Bismuth MB China domestic, yuan/tonne: 71,000-72,000 yuan per tonne from 70,500-71,000 yuan Chromium MB...Read More

An overview of China's minor metals markets in the week of January 29-February 2 and the reasons for any price moves.Read More