Analysts at Macquarie have cut their price forecasts for cobalt, citing easing tightness for the battery raw material in the coming years amid expectations of supply growth. Rising output from Glencore's copper-cobalt operations in Africa will push the market into a surplus in the medium term, for example, the analysts said. Cobalt output from Glencore's Katanga mine in the Democratic Republic of...Read More

The current rally in molybdic oxide and ferro-molybdenum prices has persisted this week, with deals reported pushing price ranges up to new highs although demand is slowing, sources told Metal Bulletin.The rally this year has propelled oxide prices to a three-and-a-half-year high, with ferro-molybdenum prices increasing to the same historical comparison. Molybdenum drummed molybdic oxide prices we...Read More

Ferro-alloys trader Massimiliano Gentile has joined Belgian trading house Metraco, the company told Metal Bulletin. Formerly a senior trader at Euromet SA in Switzerland, Gentile will trade ferro-titanium from...Read More

Molybdenum prices in China climbed to their highest level since March 2013 this past week, underpinned by concerns of tightening supply following the recent suspension of operations at a major mine and healthy demand from the domestic stainless steel sector.Metal Bulletin assessed molybdenum concentrate 45% Chinese free market in-warehouse prices at 1,610-1,650 yuan ($252-259) per metric tonne uni...Read More

Iron ore prices strengthened further on Thursday January 25 though trading activity appears to have slowed down following higher fixed-price transactions concluded recently. Metal Bulletin's 62% Fe Iron Ore Index Today: $75.04 per tonne cfr Qingdao Daily change: up by $0.51 per tonne Month-to-date average: $76.31 per tonne Metal Bulletin's 58% Fe Premium...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 oreRio Tinto, tender, 210,000 tonnes of 61% Fe...Read More

Gains in China's steel and futures markets led to more offers for seaborne iron ore being made on Thursday January 25, outnumbering the number of bids, and despite higher fixed-price transactions, premiums for index-linked cargoes weakened.Key driversChina's ferrous futures rose across the board during the day, while spot prices for rebar and hot-rolled coil also increased 10-30 yuan ($1.60-4.70)...Read More

The seaborne coking coal spot market continues to weaken with offers falling further and transactions being concluded below previous levels. A cargo of premium low-vol hard coking coal was heard traded at $213 per tonne fob Australia while another was traded around $207-208 per tonne cfr China. A shipment of lower-ranked second-tier hard coking coal changed hands around $173-174 per tonne fob Aust...Read More

China's ferrous futures were mixed during morning trading on Thursday January 25 with steel contracts ending the session slightly lower than their opening prices while those for raw materials rose. Futures closing prices - morning session Shanghai Futures Exchange May rebar: 3,953 ($619) per tonne, down 1 yuan per tonne May hot-rolled coil: 3,957 yuan per tonne, down 3 yuan per tonne Dalian Commod...Read More

Shares in London-listed Botswana Diamonds (LON:BOD) were hit Thursday by the news that said sampling work at the company's Thorny River project in South Africa had failed to produce enough diamonds for an economic modelled diamond valuation.While chairman John Teeling said that further geological work would be conducted to determine the economic viability of the resource, the company's stock drop...Read More

Global miner Anglo America (LON:AAL) saw its output climb 5% last year thanks mainly to its diamond and iron ore divisions, though copper production remained flat.The company said output at its diamond unit, De Beers, climbed 22% compared with the previous year to 33.5 million carats, as its Gahcho Ku?(C) mine reached full production.Gahcho Ku?(C), Canada's newest diamond mine and the world's larg...Read More

Shares in the world's largest mining and construction equipment maker Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) were up almost 4% in pre-market trading on Thursday after the company posted results that beat investors' expectations.The Deerfield, Illinois-based firm, which is considered a reliable bellwether of global economic activity, reported positive fourth quarter and full-year results and delivered bullish proj...Read More

Anglo American's fourth-quarter nickel production results showed a 5% year on year increase to 11,400 tonnes from 10,900 tonnes a year ago, resulting from improved operational stability.The 11,400 tonnes of nickel produced in the fourth quarter was also a record high, according to the company's report. The Barro Alto site in Brazil produced 9,100 tonnes of nickel metal in the fourth quarter of 201...Read More

Selenium prices in Europe continued to move up this week on sustained robust demand from India, with rallying manganese flake prices adding new impetus to the market.Metal Bulletin's selenium free market in-warehouse price rose to $18.50-20 per lb on Wednesday January 24, an increase of 2.7% from the previous assessment, a level last seen in June 2017.A recent rally in manganese flake prices conti...Read More

Stainless steel prices in East Asia retreated over the past week on thin trading amid persistently soft demand.Metal Bulletin's assessment of prices for benchmark 304 stainless 2mm cold-rolled coil was $2,100-2,200 per tonne cif East Asian ports for the week ended Wednesday January 24, down $10-50 per tonne from a week earlier.Metal Bulletin's assessment of prices for benchmark 304 stainless hot-r...Read More

http://www.miningmx.com/ANGLO American turned in a robust fourth quarter production performance which took full year production on a copper equivalent basis some 5% higher compared to 2016, largely owing to good numbers at Kumba Iron Ore and De Beers, its 85% subsidiary.Mark Cutifani, CEO of Anglo American, said the year-on-year improvement was despite cutting platinum and metallurgical coal outpu...Read More

"It has been hard to come across a retail investor rag or stock blog without hearing about some way to play this theme, and countless web sites Continue...Read More

Published on: Jan 25, 2018 | by finfeedPure Minerals (ASX:PM1) yesterday updated the market with additional results from its first phase of drilling at the Battery Hub manganese project, which is situated in Western Australia's Gascoyne region.The results come from 24 reverse circulation (RC) drilling holes located at the Pools Prospect, situated at the eastern end of tenement E09/2217 and immedia...Read More

Cryptocurrencies and gold – competitors or complements?Despite anecdotal comments from well-regarded financial commentators that gold prices and gold demand are suffering at the expense of cryptocurrencies, there isn’t any quantifiable evidence that gold holdings are directly suffering from competition from cryptocurrencies. The weakness in physical demand in 2017 – for...Read More

Despite Chinese winter smelter production cuts generally falling short of expectations and domestic stocks continuing to climb - both of which suggest the market remains far more comfortably supplied at this point than aluminium bulls had been anticipating - prices still rallied into the year-end to reach $2,290/tonne for the first time since March 2012.And after a New Year pull-back the strength...Read More