Troubled UK long steel producer British Steel entered compulsory liquidation on May 22. Fastmarkets examines the reasons behind the company's recent struggles, from uncertainty about Brexit and a slump in orders, to rising costs for raw materials.Brexit uncertaintyThe future of British Steel remains uncertain, with the UK's Insolvency Service approaching "more than 80 potential trade purchasers" t...Read More

Markets are nervous after US President Donald Trump opened up the possibility of another front in the trade wars, this time with Mexico. Today’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) data is likely to set the tone.Base metalsThree-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were for the most part flat to slightly firmer on the morning of Monday June 3. The exceptions w...Read More

China's rebar prices largely softened on Monday June 3 amid a gradual drop in demand. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,940-3,980 yuan ($570-576) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Beijing): 3,850-3,900 yuan per tonne, down 30-50 yuan per tonneWarmer weather in northern China led to demand for rebar in that region falling over the past few days.A price drop in Tangshan's billet market over the...Read More

China's hot-rolled coil producers kept prices stable on Monday June 3 despite a bearish outlook in the market amid subdued demand, which weighed on the domestic sector.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,900-3,920 yuan ($565-568) per tonne, down 30 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,830-3,850 yuan per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonneTrading was thin during the day, with demand reported to be r...Read More

The London Metal Exchange three-month zinc price fell by more than 2% during morning trading on Monday June 3, with fresh United States tariffs against neighboring Mexico prompting broadly risk-averse commodity investment. US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday May 30 that he would impose 5% tariffs on all goods from Mexico with effect from June 10. The tax will "gradually increase" until...Read More

Markets are nervous after US President Donald Trump opened up the possibility of another front in the trade wars, this time with Mexico. Today's manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) data is likely to set the tone.Trade war rhetoric escalates with Mexico now in focus Equites continue to show weakness while haven assets shineChina's Caixin manufacturing PMI holds steady; more PMI data out...Read More

Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mostly down during morning trading on Monday June 3 after investors' appetite for commodity investment was dampened by a further escalation in trade tensions. The SHFE base metals were split into two camps this morning with copper, aluminium, tin and nickel down between 0.1% and 0.9.%, while zinc and sister metal lead were up by 0.1% and 0.8...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 8 points in pre-opening trade. Waste Management gained $1.39 to $110.74 after Stifel Nicolaus raised its target price to $120 from $110. In addition, RBC Capital raised its rating on the stock to Outperform from Sector Perform. Alphabet (GOOGL) dropped $36.50 to 1070.00 on reports that the company is the subject of an...Read More

Key data from the pricing sessions in Asia and Europe for the week ended Friday May 31.ChinaThe Chinese domestic antimony price continued to fall for the fourth consecutive week after some domestic suppliers' lowered prices further to spark buying interest. Many Chinese antimony consumers remained wary of restocking in anticipation of a further price dip in the coming weeks. Some domestic antimony...Read More

After briefly stabilizing at a recent high of $16.35-17.05 per lb following a rise since late March, the standard-grade cobalt benchmark price started to retreat in mid-May amid slowing consumer demand and sellers' profit-taking.Price moves Fastmarkets' standard-grade metal benchmark price fell 4.5% to $15.35-16.10 per lb on May 29, following several mild drops at the beginning of May after some s...Read More

Key data from the pricing sessions in Asia and Europe for the week ended Friday May 31. China  Export prices in China held steady due to continued tight silicon ore supply in the country's province of Xinjiang. Some sources say the price can be underpinned ahead of rainy season in South China which will bring more supply due to cheaper hydroelectric costs in that region. Insufficien...Read More

Chrome ore and alloy prices dropped in various global regions in the week ended Friday May 31, with bearish sentiment in China deteriorating further after the release of lower tender prices for June. Chinese domestic spot prices follow tenders downwardImport prices for charge chrome and UG2 dropTurkish lumpy ore prices hold steadyAlloy prices slide in Japan, South KoreaAlloy prices weaken in Europ...Read More

Will you still be working by age 70? It's a fair question.According to a recent survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute, nearly one-third of workers predicted they'd be working until age 70 or older, and only 10% expected to retire before 60. The reality is only 7% of the retirees surveyed worked until at least 70, and more than one third quit work before age 60. And this wasn't a fluke...Read More

The race by Tesla Inc., Samsung SDI Co. and other technology giants to secure supplies of lithium - a key ingredient in batteries for electric vehicles and smartphones - is creating a unique chance for two global mining superpowers to reap more value from their natural resources.Australia and Chile are looking to lithium to help them escape a cycle that for decades has had the two nations digging...Read More

Approximately 50 Denver-area junior high school girls began a free, week-long camp about science, technology, engineering and math today, participating in the second-ever iteration of the GE Girls program at Colorado School of Mines.GE Girls Camp is designed to encourage girls to explore the world of science, technology, engineering, math and STEM-based careers. The program started in 2011 in part...Read More

COLORADO SPRINGS - Colorado School of Mines President Paul C. Johnson has been named the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Executive Committee and Presidents' Council Chair. Along with Johnson as the newly appointed chair, the 2019-20 RMAC Executive Committee includes President Randy Rhine (Chadron State), President Sam Minner (New Mexico Highlands), President Father John Fitzgibbons (Regis), an...Read More

A new non-thesis master's degree at Colorado School of Mines will prepare scientists, engineers, economists and more to harness the torrent of large and complex digital data that has become ubiquitous throughout society.Launching this fall, the Data Science graduate program at Mines will address the unique needs of data-driven discovery and data-supported decision making, offering rigorous trainin...Read More

Trade tensions between the U.S. and China drove the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 3.01% to 24,815.04, while the S&P 500 Index lost 2.62% to finish at 2,752.06. Spot gold rose 1.58% to US$1,304.90 per ounce.Shares of Buenaventura rose US64 ? to US$15.17. The company reported first-quarter results with net income of US$27.3 million, down from US$28.4 million in the first quarter of 2018, and rev...Read More

The U.S.-China trade dispute continued to rattle investor sentiment, with the S&P/TSX Composite Index down 1.19% to 16,037.50. The bleak trade outlook also put pressure on base metals while lifting gold. The S&P/TSX Global Base Metals Index fell 1.54% to 87.51, while spot gold rose 1.58% to US$1,304.90 per oz., and the S&P/TSX Global Gold Index increased 5.98% to 190.45.The start of commercial pro...Read More

A high-grade gold discovery called the Bear-Rimini zone at Great Bear Resources' wholly owned Dixie project in the Red Lake district of Ontario drove up the company's shares 91 ? to $3.84. Drill hole 11 returned 194.21 grams gold per tonne over 2 metres, including 759.38 grams gold over 1 metre starting from 58 metres downhole, and 12.33 grams gold over 14 metres, including 30.90 grams gold over 5...Read More