Seaborne coking coal prices were steady on Wednesday March 27, although Chinese buyers cited the drop in domestic coke prices as the reason for their bearish outlook on the steelmaking raw material's price.On the Global Coal platform, an offer for an April-laycan branded cargo was heard at $209 per tonne fob Australia while a May-laycan unbranded cargo was offered at $205 per tonne fob Australia....Read More

Eastern promise for PolarXSPONSOREDpolarxAltech ticks boxes on path to production SPONSOREDaltech chemicalsMining Journal caught up with CEO Sam Spring and chairman Cameron McRae in London to hear about the company's plans for the year and how they find working in Mongolia.Read More

Australian iron ore producer Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) has resumed shipments of its port inventories with the reopening of the Port of Port Hedland this week, the miner said on Wednesday March 27.Operations at the port were halted last Friday due to the approach of Cyclone Veronica. The port reopened on Tuesday morning following an infrastructure assessment - after a closure totaling 92.5 hours...Read More

Following a shift to the 65% Fe fines index as the base price for some pellet contracts, Fastmarkets will begin publishing an implied spot blast furnace pellet premium over its MB 65% Fe Brazilian Iron Ore Index alongside the existing implied premium over its 62% Fe index.Fastmarkets will publish both implied premiums from April 5 - the first Friday of 2019's second quarter. The implied spot pelle...Read More

Comex copper prices rebounded in the midweek session on March 27 morning in the United States, despite disappointing US and Chinese data and with the market experiencing a bout of technical buying.The copper price for May settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange gained 1.05 cents to $2.8645 per lb. The contract has hovered around $2.90 per lb over the last several weeks...Read More

Copper premiums in the United States have risen to their highest since January 2014 due to expectations of higher demand prompting gains, while the Asian and European markets dip. US premiums at five-year high Shanghai premiums drop while expected demand influx fails to materialize Supply uptick in Europe means premiums dip in ItalyUS premium hits five-year highThe US copper cathode premium has lo...Read More

U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 6 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures were virtually unchanged following release of the January trade deficit report. Consensus was $57.50 billion versus $59.80 billion in December. Actual was $51.1 billion.The Canadian Dollar was virtually unchanged following release of Canada's January trade deficit report. C...Read More

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange consolidated during morning trading on Wednesday March 27, with price action broadly rangebound due to continued concerns over global economic growth. Weaker-than-expected manufacturing data from the United States, China and Europe in March has continued to limit commodity investment, while the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) has in...Read More

China's hot-rolled coil prices dipped on Wednesday March 27 amid subdued sentiment, with market participants expecting supply to pick up with the lifting of winter production restrictions in April.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,850-3,860 yuan ($573-575) per tonne, narrowing downward 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,790-3,800 yuan per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonneTrading activity w...Read More

The following Fastmarkets minor metals prices changed on Wednesday March 27:Minor metalsAntimony MB free market regulus, $/tonne: $7,300-7,600 per tonne from $7,400-7,700Antimony MMTA standard grade II, $/tonne: $7,250-7,550 per tonne from $7,300-7,600Antimony MB Chinese free market MMTA standard grade II, yuan/tonne: 44,000-45,000...Read More

Key data from the Wednesday March 27 pricing session in Europe.Key drivers The European ferro-titanium market has been steady over the past week, consolidating earlier gains after hitting a five-month high a week ago. There was persistent consumer demand for prompt shipment, and buying inquiries for second-quarter deliveries. Some sources reckoned that the price of prompt ferro-titanium may reach...Read More

China's new energy vehicle (NEV) subsidies in 2019 will only be payable for electric vehicles with higher driving range and energy density, while the value of the subsidy will be reduced by 50% to a maximum of 25,000 yuan ($3,725) per vehicle produced. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released the new subsidy policy for 2019 on Tuesday March 26, which shows another re...Read More

Import prices for stainless steel in East Asia remained steady over the past week amid a lack of trading activity, with sellers maintaining their offer levels despite buying interest being weak due to nickel's downtrend.Fastmarkets' weekly import price assessment for benchmark 304 stainless 2mm trimmed cold-rolled coil in East Asia was unchanged at $2,040-2,130 per tonne cif on Wednesday Marc...Read More

Chinese industrial profits were down by 14% in January-February compared with a year ago, marking the biggest fall since 2011. The data paints a worrying picture while the negative economic impact from China's deleveraging activities in 2018, as well the bitter US-China trade war, continue to take a heavy toll on major industrial sectors.The overnight release of this data put base metals prices un...Read More

Any simpleton can recognize an unfolding calamity…The two trains about to collide, the twister racing for the schoolhouse, the betrayed lover with a finger on the trigger.But you require a wider vision to perceive the chains of disaster coming together... link by fateful link…When a conductor gets his signals crossed, when the winds take a fatal shift, when someone takes the first bite...Read More

China's intention to cut the rate of value-added tax to 13% has already been credited for an increase in imported ore prices and having a bearish effect on alloys, Fastmarkets heard on Wednesday March 27.The rate of VAT in the east Asian country applicable to manufacturers will be lowered from April 1 by 3 percentage points, to 13%, with the intention of stimulating China's slowing economy.The tax...Read More

Americans seek health care in other countries for numerous reasons. Some are immigrants who prefer providers from a similar culture. Others might want a procedure that is not available in the U.S. However, the biggest factor motivating them is cost. In the U.S. we have the most expensive health care system in the world. It's not difficult to find countries that offer procedures at 30%-65% of the c...Read More

I’ve got a confession to make: I’m a terrible landlord.No, I don’t own a run-down apartment complex where people have to deal with poor living conditions. Quite the opposite in fact!When we outgrew our old home when our fourth child was born, I kept the house intending to make some extra income by renting it out. I thought it would be easy money!Boy was I in for a surprise...As I...Read More

The flighty birds congregate in the stock market. The wise owls nest in the bond market.The bond market will let you know where the economy is heading, say the veterans.It will not be so easily deceived by the Federal Reserve's false fireworks. With knowing eyes it penetrates the magician's secrets... and exposes the fraud.New York Times economics reporter Neil Irwin:Savvy economic analysts have a...Read More

The European Commission has started an in-depth investigation into Novelis' proposed acquisition of Aleris over concerns that the deal may reduce competition in the semi-finished aluminium market and lead to rising prices.US-based Novelis, a subsidiary of India's Hindalco, and Aleris are both global downstream aluminium product producers. In Europe, the two companies have operations in Belgium, Ge...Read More