The Comex copper price surged in the US morning session on Friday April 12 amid a falling dollar and upbeat sentiment from Cesco Copper Week in Santiago, Chile. The copper price for May settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange jumped 5.70 cents to $2.9440 per lb. The contract has been unable to set a solid price direction this week with prices rising and falling day by...Read More
Warrant traders were reporting an easing of South Korean aluminium warrants after a pocket of short supply in the region began to ease in the week ended Friday April 12, while a significant reduction in the length of queues at Malaysian warehouses operated by Istim also made trading easier.Fastmarkets' most recent assessment for in-warehouse P1020 aluminium warrants in East Asia fell this week to...Read More
Copper stocks held in Shanghai Futures Exchange-approved warehouses dropped by 5% week on week as of Friday April 12 on tightening supplies.Deliverable copper stocks at SHFE-approved warehouses have fallen by 12,142 tonnes since April 4 to reach 245,178 tonnes as of this Friday. This week's sharp drop follows a fall of 4,092 tonnes on April 4, before which stocks had been climbing. Zhong...Read More
The seaborne coking coal market picked up some strength on Friday April 12 with transactions being concluded at higher-than-expected prices.A May-loading cargo of premium low-vol hard coking coal was sold at $200.77 per tonne cfr China to a Chinese trader, according to various sources in China. The same product was offered at $200 per tonne cfr on Thursday.A May-laycan cargo of premium mid-vol har...Read More
The following Fastmarkets minor metals prices changed on Friday April 12:Minor metalsBismuth MB China domestic, yuan/tonne: 47,000-48,000 yuan per tonne from 46,500-48,500 yuanChromium MB free market alumino-thermic, $/tonne: $8,275-8,750 per tonne from $8,400-8,900Cobalt MB free market alloy grade, $/lb: $16.60-17.40 per lb from $16.50-17.30Cobalt...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves. Read More
Australian miner New Century Resources reported on Thursday April 11 that it had achieved a quarterly increase of more than 50% in its zinc metal production in the form of concentrates from its Century mine during the first quarter of 2019.The miner produced 18,170 tonnes of zinc content in 37,500 tonnes of zinc concentrates during January-March from the mine in the Australian state of Queensland....Read More
The following Fastmarkets non-ferrous European free market scrap prices changed on Friday April 12:The following Fastmarkets non-ferrous European free market scrap prices changed on Friday April 12:Aluminium scrapFloated...Read More
UK and European steel market participants renewed calls for the European Union and the United Kingdom to reach an agreement and avoid continued market uncertainty after the UK was granted a six-month extension to delay Brexit until Thursday October 31. The latest extension has also averted the prospect of the UK having to leave the EU without a deal on Friday April 12. A "no deal" Brexit would mea...Read More
Aluminium foundry premiums in Western Europe and the United States continued to slide on Friday April 12 following sustained concerns about the automotive industry. The premium for silicon 7 aluminium wheel alloys over London Metal Exchange cash prices delivered to the Ruhr region with 30-day payment terms was assessed Friday at $340-360 per tonne. The premium is down more than 17.6% year on year....Read More
Aluminium billet premiums worldwide were mostly static on Friday April 12, although the premium in Brazil bucked the trend in moving to its highest level since June 15 of last year. ?EUR? Spanish premium drops below $400 per tonne ?EUR? Brazilian market pushes higher on more offers?EUR? US spot market remains quiet?EUR? Asia quiet ahead of holidaysEurope mostly quiet; Spain continues to fallThe pr...Read More
The three-month zinc price on the London Metal Exchange moved above $2,900 per tonne at the close of trading on Friday April 12, while volumes traded reached their highest level since March 15 at 12,000 lots exchanged.Price action in zinc has been volatile so far in April, reaching a monthly high of $2,938 per tonne on April 8 before dipping to a low of $2,852 per tonne on April 9. LME stocks rema...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
UG2 chrome ore prices broke a seven-week upward trend on Friday April 5 due to weaker demand after consumers cited sufficient stock, while alloy prices in the United States weakened and were subdued in Europe. UG2 prices slip $1 per tonne, Turkish pump stabilizesAlloy prices steady in Japan, South KoreaAlloy prices hold on Chinese public holidayAlloy prices drop in Europe UG2 chrome ore prices we...Read More
Antofagasta will not make an investment decision on building a new concentrator at its Centinela operations in Chile until at least 2021, the company's chief executive officer has said.The company recently decided to advance the studies on a second concentrator rather than expanding its existing operations, following a detailed evaluation of the two alternatives."We wouldn't make the decision befo...Read More
Brazilian bauxite exports increased by 33.2% year on year in the first quarter of 2019, while alumina shipments decreased by 27.4% over the same comparison, data from the country's foreign trade ministry, MDIC, showed.Brazil's bauxite exports totaled 2.1 million tonnes in the three months ended March 31, up from the 1.57 million tonnes shipped in the same period a year earlier.Most of the material...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
Aluminium foundry premiums in Western Europe and the United States continued to slide on Friday April 12 following sustained concerns about the automotive industry. The premium for silicon 7 aluminium wheel alloys over London Metal Exchange cash prices delivered to the Ruhr region with 30-day payment terms was assessed Friday at $340-360 per tonne. The premium is down more than 17.6% year on year....Read More