The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, hot-dipped galvanized coil, pre-painted galvanized iron, steel plate, steel sheet and other flat steel products. Latest transactions: HRC, CRC, HDGHot-rolled coilChina, export, hot-rolled coil, offered at $640-650 per tonne cfr, to the UAE.India, export, hot-rolled coil, offered at $650 per tonne cfr,...Read More

Most rebar and billet prices in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia fell this week, while the import market stayed quiet, sources told Metal Bulletin on Tuesday February 6. But strong demand for local rebar in the UAE meant that domestic prices remained firm this week. Domestic rebar The major rebar producers in the UAE announced new prices on January 16 and they have rem...Read More

An agreement on pay and working conditions has been made in negotiations between trade union IG Metall and employers in the metalworking sector in the south-western German region of Baden-W? 1/4 rttemberg, industry body Gesamtmetall said on Tuesday February 6.Around 500,000 German metals and electrical industry workers at 280 factories went on strike last week, according to IG Metall. This resulte...Read More

Chrome ore prices are likely to remain strong over Lunar New Year due to comparatively stronger buying and restocking in China, according to Phoevos Pouroulis, chief executive officer of South African mining group Tharisa."On the back of demand, chrome ore prices are at a healthy, sustainable level. Whether there will be further appreciation depends on Chinese New Year but there's a strong case fo...Read More

The latest ferro-tungsten and ammonium paratungstate (APT) transactions, bids, offers and assessments in Europe, Vietnam and China, with blue tungsten oxide (BTO) and yellow tungsten oxide (YTO) deals taken into consideration.To view the latest price quotations, follow the links below:China- APT, fob China- Ferro-tungsten, fob ChinaEurope- APT, cif Rotterdam- Ferro-tungsten, in-warehouse Rotterdam...Read More

China's Ganzhou Tungsten Association (GTA) has lowered its price forecast for tungsten products in February, in anticipation of the thin buying interest traditionally seen ahead of and during the Chinese New Year holidays (February 15-21).GTA predicts that black tungsten concentrates 65% will average 111,000 yuan ($17,635) per tonne in February, a month-on-month decrease of 2,000 yuan per tonne. M...Read More

Good morning from Metal Bulletin's offices in Shanghai as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Tuesday February 6.Much like yesterday, most base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were under pressure during Asian morning trading on Tuesday, with sharp falls in the US stock market overnight damping market sentiment.Nickel prices continued their recent run of weakness as t...Read More

Seaborne iron ore prices moved up on Tuesday February 6, alongside wider margins at Chinese steel mills. Metal Bulletin's 62% Fe Iron Ore Index Today: $75.92 per tonne cfr Qingdao Daily change: Up by $0.22 per tonne Month-to-date average: $74.72 per tonne Metal Bulletin's 58% Fe Premium Index...Read More

Seaborne coking coal prices moved up on Tuesday February 6, with tightness in domestic Chinese supply heard to be fueling demand.A premium low volume cargo was heard to have traded at $231.5 per tonne cfr China this week, market sources said. "Chinese buyers have a good appetite for prompt cargoes but I am not convinced they would pay similar prices for cargoes with a laycan in March," a trader...Read More

Iron ore exports from Western Australia's Port of Port Hedland increased 1.9% in January 2018 from the previous year on returning customers and individual countries importing more, according to data released by the Pilbara Ports Authority on Tuesday February 6.The port shipped 41.06 million tonnes of the steelmaking raw material last month, compared with 40.3 million tonnes in January 2017.The vol...Read More

Premiums for index-linked cargoes of high-grade iron ore fines in the seaborne market are picking up strength with Chinese mills seeing their profitability improve ahead of the Chinese New Year.Key drivers Cargoes of the most-liquid Pilbara Blend fines sold against an index are carrying a premium of about $1.50 per tonne this week, compared with $1-1.20 per tonne last week.Several trading sources...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 oreBHP, Beijing Iron Ore Trading Center, 90,000 tonnes...Read More

Zimbabwe's mining industry, until now based mostly on platinum and diamonds, will soon count lithium as one of its key sub-sectors, as the country has struck a deal with an South African junior company whose project is expected to generate revenue of $1.4 billion over eight years.Speaking on the sidelines of a mining conference in Cape Town, Zimbabwe's new Minister of Mines and Mining Development,...Read More

Anglo American's De Beers, the world's largest rough diamond producer by value, is once again exploring for new deposits after securing 16 licences in South Africa, its home-country, and said it's also considering to apply for similar permits in Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo."I'm excited about what I'm seeing in Zimbabwe," Phillip Barton, chief executive officer of De Beers' South...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were lower across the board during morning trading on Tuesday February 6 on further profit-taking. "Given the LME's apparent love of sell-off Tuesdays the markets could be in for a very bumpy ride today," Malcolm Freeman of Kingdom Futures said. The three-month copper price retreated by $55.50 this morning but remains above $7,100 per tonne. "Copper...Read More

Swedish equipment and tool manufacturer Sandvik Mining (STO:SAND) is investing 200 million Swedish crowns (about $25 million) in a new titanium and nickel metal powder plant to strengthen its position in the metal 3D printing market.3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a process of making three-dimensional solid objects from a digital file. The technique, already popular in aeros...Read More

Metal Bulletin has reviewed the feedback received as part of its consultation on amendments to its international cobalt price specifications, launched on November 27, 2017. Feedback on stage one of the consultation was invited by Friday January 12. Broadly, Metal Bulletin's aims for stage one of the consultation were as follows:To gather feedback on the proposed removal of brands that are no longe...Read More

In light of feedback received as part of the consultation on its international cobalt price specifications, Metal Bulletin is seeking additional input from those active in the cobalt market. Initial feedback was sought between Monday November 27, 2017, and Friday January 12, 2018. Full details of the November 2017 cobalt pricing consultation are here.Click here to review the findings of the origin...Read More

The cobalt market needs to find a way to price intermediate products while their share of the overall market grows, Eurasian Resources Group's head of strategic cobalt marketing Tony Southgate told Metal Bulletin. Intermediates production will continue to outpace metal production, driven by battery sector growth in particular, Southgate predicts. "The preferred feed into the battery sector is inte...Read More

Cobalt's boom days will continue for the next seven to 10 years amid strong demand from the electric vehicles sector as well as traditional cobalt consumers, according to Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) executive Tony Southgate. "Our view is that the cobalt boom is guaranteed for the next seven to 10 years," Southgate, head of strategic cobalt marketing at the Kazakh mining group, told Metal Bullet...Read More