Spot demand for cobalt slowed in late April while availability of the material increased, leaving metal prices to move only slightly higher at the end of the month.Metal Bulletin's benchmark low-grade cobalt assessment closed the week at $43.70-44.45 per lb, in-warehouse, on Friday April 27, stable with the midweek assessment, and up from $43.55-44.45 per lb at the end of the previous week. Prices...Read More
Sluggish demand continued to put pressure on the antimony market in the week to Friday April 27, with little spot business taking place in Europe and China. Metal Bulletin assessed the MMTA standard grade II antimony, in-warehouse Rotterdam price at $8,150-8,300 per tonne on Friday, unchanged from the mid-week assessment when prices had also stayed stable. The trioxide grade antimony pri...Read More
Softening demand and delayed tenders from Chinese stainless steel mills weighed on prices and activity for the country's ferro-chrome and chrome ore markets. Strong imports of chrome ore into China added to bearishness Falling ferro-chrome prices weigh on charge chrome and UG2 Stability for South Korean and Japanese markets Trades show drop in European ferro-chrome US prices firm slightly on limit...Read More
The latest metal markets news and price moves to start the North American day on Monday April 30.Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed during morning trading on Monday April 30, with aluminium and nickel continuing to dip from recent highs.Here's how base metals prices looked at 12:10 London time:Read our live futures report here.South Korea's Public Procurement Service h...Read More
Good morning from Metal Bulletin's office in Singapore as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Monday April 30.Base metal prices on the London Metal Exchange were broadly up during Asian morning trading on Monday, following the release of positive Chinese economic data and an easing in geopolitical tensions.The Shanghai Futures Exchange is closed on April 30 and May 1 due to public...Read More
Geoff Rameaux has left warehousing and logistics firm Access World after almost two decades with the company.Rameaux, who was commercial director, left the company on Friday April 27 and plans to take some time off before his next move. He...Read More
Base metals on the London Metal Exchange were mixed at the close of trading on Monday April 30, with nickel dropping 1.5% from Friday. Nickel recorded a high-low range of $270, reaching a high of $13,940 per tonne during morning trading. With consolidation now firmly in place, nickel's three-month price is continuing to slide lower below the $14,000 per tonne support level. Despite this, sentiment...Read More
Comex copper prices bounced-back from a multi-week low on Monday April 30 morning in the US, with investors preventing another wave of selling despite the dollar climbing once again.Copper for July settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange inched up 1.15 cents or 0.4% to $3.0810 per lb. On Friday, the contract fell to its lowest point since April 6 on a bout of technical...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed during morning trading on Monday April 30, with aluminium and nickel continuing to dip from recent highs. Aluminium's three-month price is consolidating close to the $2,200-per-tonne mark, with prices continuing to fall from a closing high of $2,550 per tonne on April 18. News of a potential escalation in US-Russia sanctions continues to i...Read More
Key data from the Friday April 27 pricing session in London. Key drivers: - Strong underlying demand from aviation sector, where the minor metal is used in high-temperature superalloys for engines and turbine blades - Market correction from previously low...Read More
Net substitution of copper in 2017 fell for the sixth year in a row to 225,000 tonnes, down from 245,000 tonnes the previous year, according to figures released by the International Copper Association (ICA) on Monday April 30. Findings of the 2018 Global Copper Substitution survey, conducted by specialist consultancy MetalsPlus, reveal that total substitution accounted for 0.8% of the market last...Read More
Due to a technical error, an incorrect figure briefly appeared in the price book for the Metal Bulletin Group's daily fob Australia alumina index on Monday April 30. The price appeared as $653.47 per tonne for a short period; it should have read $658.13. Metal Bulletin's price book and database have been updated to reflect this change. The inferred fob Brazil alumina index has also been updated to...Read More
Comex copper prices bounced-back from a multi-week low on Monday April 30 morning in the US, with investors preventing another wave of selling despite the dollar climbing once again.Copper for July settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange inched up 1.15 cents or 0.4% to $3.0810 per lb. On Friday, the contract fell to its lowest point since April 6 on a bout of technical...Read More
The latest metal markets news and price moves to start the North American day on Monday April 30.Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed during morning trading on Monday April 30, with aluminium and nickel continuing to dip from recent highs.Here's how base metals prices looked at 12:10 London time:Read our live futures report here.South Korea's Public Procurement Service h...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed during morning trading on Monday April 30, with aluminium and nickel continuing to dip from recent highs. Aluminium's three-month price is consolidating close to the $2,200-per-tonne mark, with prices continuing to fall from a closing high of $2,550 per tonne on April 18. News of a potential escalation in US-Russia sanctions continues to i...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were for the most part little changed this morning, Monday April 30. Lead, zinc, tin and copper were slightly firmer, with the latter at $6,815 per tonne, while aluminium and nickel were slightly weaker.With Chinese and Japanese markets closed, volume has been light with 2,195 lots traded as at 07.36 am London time. This follows a generally weak day...Read More
South Korea's Public Procurement Service (PPS) has floated two tenders to procure a total of 2,000 tonnes of good western primary aluminium, according to notices from the state agency on Friday April 27.The two tenders for 1,000 tonnes each are for high-grade good western aluminium of London Metal Exchange-registered brands - except those from China, India, Russia and Egypt - for delivery on cif b...Read More
Turkey's biggest steel producer, Erdemir Group, sold 1.937 million tonnes of flat steel products in January-March 2018, up by 9.19% from the 1.774 million tonnes sold in the corresponding period of 2017, the group said last week.The group reported earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) for January-March 2018 of TRY1.67 billion ($411.91 million*). This was up by 25....Read More
CIS exporters of rebar and wire rod increased their offers in the week ending Monday April 30, on improving demand and low stocks in the global market, and in China in particular."At the moment we see an increase in demand in the major sales outlets. Stocks of material are minimal and there is already a [shortage] in the markets," a producing source told Metal Bulletin. Metal Bulletin's weekly pri...Read More
Prices for CIS-origin billet remained largely unchanged in the week ending Monday April 30 amid reduced buying activity.Mills and traders sold significant volumes of billet in the preceding week and took a wait-and-see position over the past seven days, preferring to assess the market situation.Traders expect to see another round of price falls in the near term, but mills were more optim...Read More