The development of the futures market in China has been a "double-edged sword" for the domestic ferro-silicon industry, leading to more flexibility for market participants and wilder price swings than prior to its existence, according to one speaker at Fastmarkets' Asian Ferro-alloys Conference in Hong Kong this week.Ferro-silicon contracts, launched on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange (ZCE) in Au...Read More

Gold futures finished lower on Monday, pulling back after bullion failed to settle above the psychologically significant $1,300 mark despite a rally late last week. Better-than-expected U.S. retail sales and business inventories data, which helped provide a boost to U.S. benchmark stock indexes, also put pressure on haven gold in Monday dealings. Business inventories rose 0.6% in December, while...Read More

This means the Jersey-registered company, which has a market cap of £5.37 million (US$7 million) is on the hook for US$140,000 plus 10% annual interest and both sides' costs.Read More

Key data for the Friday 8 March pricing session in London.Key drivers- Magnesium price increases due to the tight coal supply in China's domestic markets.- A strict round of inspections taking place at all mining companies in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region is the main reason for the shortage. This new...Read More

Buyers showed bold tenacity Monday, holding the broad averages steady until an extremely volatile Boeing righted itself. The stock, cherished above all others by its institutional sponsors, came under heavy pressure overnight on news that a 737 had gone down in Ethiopia, killing all 157 aboard. This was the second fatal crash of this aircraft in five months, and it triggered a stampede out of Bo...Read More

Gold fell after inability to break past $1300. There should be good investment demand in gold for the rest of March. I prefer higher allocation to physical gold in one's portfolio. Silver continues to remain undervalued. Saudi's are taken world to a ransom as they do not want crude oil price to fall. They are doing everything to ensure that Brent crude oil trades over $60 per barrel. Asian sum...Read More

Manganese ore production in China could not play a role in replacing seaborne ore due to factors such as quality and production costs, according to panelists at Fastmarkets' Asian Ferro-alloys conference in Hong Kong on Monday March 11.The domestic manganese ore supply in China cannot play a substantial role in the ferro-alloys or steel sector because of two major issues, Lei Fei, China Minmetals...Read More

Turkish steel producers have continued to book deep-sea scrap to replenish low stock levels despite the weak demand for finished steel products, sources said on Tuesday March 12.A steel producer in the Iskenderun region booked a UK cargo, comprising 22,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20), at $320 per tonne cfr.The cargo was scheduled to be shipped at the end of the March and was sold at the same...Read More

(Removes erroneous reference to Polyus being a silver producer,paragraph 1)MOSCOW, March 12 (Reuters) - Russian gold producer Polyus has received a further 5 percent stake in the giantSukhoi Log gold deposit from its project partner Rostec inreturn for a 0.28 percent stake in Polyus shares, Polyus saidlate on Monday.The deal raises Polyus' stake in Sukhoi Log, one of thelargest untapped gold depos...Read More

(Updates with closing prices)By Peter HobsonLONDON, March 12 (Reuters) - Zinc prices jumped to aseven-month peak on Tuesday, driven higher by a supplyshortfall, dwindling stockpiles on the London Metal Exchange(LME) and expectations of solid demand from top consumer China.Benchmark zinc on the LME ended up 3.7 percent at$2,838 a tonne after touching $2,840, the highest since July 3.The metal, used...Read More

Drilling a potential kimberlite pipe on the Bishop Nipissing properties near the town of Cobalt, northeast Ontario. Source: RJK Explorations Ltd.RJK Explorations Ltd. [RJX.A-TSXV; RJKAF-OTC] said Tuesday March 12 that it has commenced drilling to test two potential kimberlite targets at its Bishop Nipissing diamond properties south of Cobalt, Ontario.The company also said Robert J. Mackay, a min...Read More

Goldcorp's Cerro Negro mine in Argentina. Source: Goldcorp Inc.Goldcorp Inc. [G-TSX; GG-NYSE] has ceased mining at its Cerro Negro mine in Argentina as a result of an illegal work stoppage by the AOMA mining union, the company said in a press release, Tuesday March 12."All mining ceased when the work stoppage began late on March 9, 2019, and processing activities have now been discontinued with th...Read More

The London Metal Exchange is prepared for whatever outcome arises from the planned departure of the UK from the European Union, including a so-called "hard" Brexit, its chief executive officer said on Tuesday March 12.The two key requirements for the exchange to continue to operate as normal had already been achieved, or would be achieved, by the time of Brexit, Matthew Chamberlain said.Brexit, th...Read More

The three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were up across the board by an average of 0.5% this morning, Tuesday March 12.Nickel once again led the way with a 1.4% gain to $13,090 per tonne, compared with Monday's close at $12,915 per tonne, while copper was up by 0.6% at $6,459 per tonne, having closed on Monday at $6,421.50 per tonne. Copper and nickel are in the driving seat...Read More

Shannon Stubbs, Conservative Member of Parliament.Shannon Stubbs, Conservative Member of Parliament who represents the riding of Lakeland, Alberta, provided Resource World Magazine with her thoughts on mineral development during an interview at the recent Prospectors and Developers of Canada annual conference in Toronto.RESOURCE WORLD: How would you characterize the current state of the mining ind...Read More

[Editor’s Note: This story was previously published in February 2018. It has since been updated and republished.]Whether you’re a newbie who just watched The Wolf of Wall Street or you’re a seasoned trader whose previous fliers on penny stocks have burned one too many holes in your pocket, the story is the same — stay away from penny stocks!Penny stocks (classifie...Read More

Chilean lithium miner SQM expects to triple its sales volumes by 2025, to 150,000 tonnes per year of lithium compounds, up from the 45,100 tonnes of such materials sold in 2018.SQM's production capacity for lithium compounds is expected to increase to 180,000 tpy in the next few years to meet growing demand. Current capacity is 70,000 tpy; an interim capacity for 120,000 tpy is expected in 2020.Me...Read More

Well, it's been a heck of a year. The S&P 500 went from a low of 2,350 in December back up to around 2,800 in an attempt to break though some stubborn resistance. This is known as a short-covering sucker's rally.Meanwhile, the price-to-earnings ratio dropped from 26.5 to 21.35. It is still well above the mean P/E of 14.75 but not quite as stratospheric as it has been.Was it only 10 years ago tha...Read More

The prices for flat steel products imported into the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have been stable over the past week, with buying activity for all such materials remaining limited, Fastmarkets heard on Tuesday March 12.But new offer prices, to be sent out next week, were expected to be higher because of rises in raw material prices, sources told Fastmarkets.Higher prices were unlikely to...Read More

Chinese steel plate export prices were unchanged over the past week on stable demand.Fastmarkets MB's weekly price assessment for April shipments of commercial-grade, chromium-added steel plate remained at $545-555 per tonne fob for the week to Tuesday March 12.Negotiation levels remained at $545-555 per tonne fob, with mills raising their plate offers to $555-560 per tonne fob...Read More