Gold has big year in 2020 and outlook for this year robust. Learn about monetary expansion and gold future prices.Read More

The gold futures price reached US$1,767/ounce this week before retreating, which was the second time it has surpassed US$1,760 in the past two months, marking some of gold's highest levels in several years.Read More

Brazil's steel slab export price fell this past week due to continued weakness in flat steel pricing in the United States and Europe.Fastmarkets MB's weekly assessment of Brazil's steel slab export price was at $435-495 per tonne fob on Friday November 30, down from $450-505 per tonne cfr one week earlier.Semi-finished material prices offered to the United States also declined...Read More

Demand for steel in the Middle East is expected to increase marginally over the next five years, mainly because of big construction projects, professionals from across the sector told Fastmarkets in a survey before the 22nd Middle East Iron & Steel Conference to be held in Dubai this December.Infrastructure construction is going on in the United Arab Emirates related to the Dubai Expo 2020 exhibit...Read More

Domestic prices for coated-steel coil products in Turkey have increased slightly in the week ended Friday November 30 after producers ceased offering discounts, with local Turkish demand remaining limited.The local Turkish market has been slow for a long time. The initial reason was the weakening of the Turkish lira, which fell to a low of 10TRY to $1.44 on August 13, before staging a steady recov...Read More

Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were firm on the morning of Friday November 30 despite the release of weaker-than-expected economic data from China earlier in the day. The three-month tin price led the gains with a 0.6% increase to $18,620 per tonne and was closely followed by zinc and nickel, which were both up by 0.4%. Copper and lead managed to eke out mild gain...Read More

Domestic and import prices for steel coil products in Turkey have shown different trends this week with demand being affected by a variety of factors, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday November 30."I believe prices have reached bottom. We may see slight rises or falls in the next few months, but no sharp falls are expected," a source said.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for Turkish domestic...Read More

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, HDG, PPGIHot-rolled coilTurkey, domestic, hot-rolled coil, offered at $525-540 per tonne ex-works, late December-early January production.Turkey, domestic, hot-r...Read More

Import prices for steel billet in Southeast Asia fell further on Friday November 30 amid downward pressure from low-priced Chinese materials, although trading remained at a standstill with buyers and sellers deterred by the drastic price drops.Additionally, the Philippines - a major billet importer - was away from the market due to a holiday on Friday.Fastmarkets' daily price assessment for billet...Read More

China hot-rolled coil exporters continued to drop their offer prices, forced by overseas buyers who have been refraining from buying on bearish sentiment.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,590-3,610 yuan ($517-520) per tonne, up 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,470-3,480 yuan per tonne, down 20 yuan per tonneAlthough prices in eastern China picked up a bit on Friday as some downs...Read More

China's rebar prices dropped in both the domestic and the export markets on Friday November 30, amid low trading activity. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,800-3,830 yuan ($547-551) per tonne, down 20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,520-3,550 yuan per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonneLow rebar futures prices led to little buying interest in the domestic market, pushing down prices. Stock...Read More

South African manganese miner Assmang has declared force majeure on manganese ore shipments from the port of Saldanha, Fastmarkets heard on Friday November 30.Assmang has now joined fellow miner United Manganese of Kalahari (UMK) in making the declaration after South African state transport...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 6 points in pre-opening trade. Investors are waiting for news related to trade negotiations between China and the U.S. The Canadian Dollar dipped 0.25 to U.S.75.04 cents after September GDP was released. Consensus was annualized growth at a 2.3% rate. Actual was 2.1%. Hewlett Packard (HPQ $22.86) is expected to open h...Read More

Key data for the pricing session for the week ended Friday November 30. China The domestic ferro-chrome spot price stabilized on thin trading activity and sellers' unwillingness to cut their price further because current levels have been close to their production costs.The imported charge chrome market was lackluster this week while the market digested the consequences of a...Read More

The following Metal Bulletin noble alloys, bulk alloys and ores prices changed on Friday November 30:Noble alloysMolybdenum Europe drummed molybdic oxide, $/lb: $12.10-12.30 per lb from $12.00-12.10Ferro-molybdenum basis 65% min, in-warehouse Rotterdam, $/kg Mo: $28.80-29.00 per kg from $28.20-28.65Ferro-molybdenum US 65-70% Mo, $/Ib: $13.10-13.40 per Ib from $12.90-13.30Ferro-tungsten basis 75% W...Read More

Fastmarkets is decreasing the minimum tonnage for its benchmark in-warehouse Rotterdam ferro-tungsten price assessment following a month-long consultation. Fastmarkets' minimum lot size for its in-warehouse Rotterdam ferro-tungsten price assessment is decreasing to 3 tonnes from Wednesday December 5, from 5 tonnes currently. There will be no changes to the publishing time and dates of the assessme...Read More

BEIJING - Aluminum Corp of China Ltd, known as Chalco, is cutting output on some of its aluminium production lines in northern China, it said on Friday, as Chinese aluminium prices sank to a fresh two-year low.China's biggest state-run aluminium producer has decided to make around 470,000 tonnes of annual output at units including Shanxi Huasheng and Shandong Huayu subject to "flexible" output arr...Read More

The pig iron market in the United States was silent in the week ending Friday November 30 because buyers and sells were waiting for scrap price indications for December. Fastmarkets' price assessment for US imports of pig iron was $378-385 per tonne cfr on Friday, unchanged week on week. "The [US] market is very silent with no discussions or bookings this week; hope next week it will be activ...Read More

Brazilian pig iron exporters kept offers unchanged for the week ended Friday November 30 because they have closed their order books for this year. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for pig iron exports from the southeastern Minas Gerais region was $350-355 per tonne fob on Friday November 30, widening downward from $355 per tonne fob the prior week.One deal for 30,000 tonnes of pig iron for Jan...Read More

In 1974, Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonald's, was asked to speak to the MBA class at university of Texas at Austin. My friend was a student in that class.After a powerful and inspiring talk, the class adjourned, and the students asked Ray if he would join them at their favorite hangout to have a few beers. Ray graciously accepted."What business am I in?" Ray asked, once the group all had their bee...Read More

"One martini is alright," counseled the late James Thurber."Two is too many"… "and three is not enough."As with the martini, so with debt.Today we tell a woeful tale of substance abuse…Assume an economy in doldrums. Debt appears to offer a hand up.The initial dose of debt brightens the economic spirits, livens the pace of commerce, sets the idle machines of industry awhir.The customer...Read More

The price of shredded ferrous scrap imported into India fell by almost $10 per tonne this week due to limited trading activity, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday November 30.Fastmarkets' weekly index for containerized imports of shredded scrap into India was $340.75 per tonne cfr Nhava Sheva on November 30. This was down by $9.78 per tonne week on week from $350.75 per tonne cfr on November 23.De...Read More