Trade log for cobalt sulfate in China including transactions, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets MB. Unless otherwise stated, all prices are yuan per tonne on an ex-works basis.The cobalt sulfate, Co 20.5% min, China ex-works, adjustment to the low-grade cobalt low-end price at Co 20.5% basis is on a $ per lb basis.Fastmarkets MB prices Click here for Fastmarket MB's price assessment for coba...Read More

Every young Saudi prince knows the story.The source of their family's oil wealth starts back during the 1930s, when a small group of wildcatters drilled the Dammam No. 1 well.It was the first oil well ever drilled in Saudi Arabia.And it turned out to be a dud.So was the next. And the next. And the next.You get the point.For these early drillers, the seventh time was the charm.On December 7, 1936,...Read More

Demand for flat steel in Turkey failed to improve in March and most prices went downward, with demand unlikely to improve significantly in April, market participants told Fastmarkets on Wednesday April 3.Local producers have filled their order books until late May, they added.The price decreases in March were because of the weak demand in both local and export markets.Mayoral elections were held a...Read More

China's hot-rolled coil market was largely steady on Wednesday April 3, though exporters have started to adopt different strategies amid domestic prices gains and weak demand from abroad.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,880-3,890 yuan ($577-579) per tonne, up 20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,790-3,810 yuan per tonne, unchangedPrices in Shanghai rose during the day, even though tradi...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday April 3 that are worth another look.The United States' non-ferrous scrap export market was mixed in January, with shipments of aluminium scrap rising while those of copper scrap fell slightly compared with the same month last year.In base metals, the estimated arbitrage for shipping aluminium from warehouses in Asia...Read More

The price range for rebar produced and delivered in Northern Europe widened downward by ?,?5 per tonne amid sluggish demand and cautious buying activity, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday April 3.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic rebar in Northern Europe was ?,?535-550 ($599-616) per tonne delivered on Wednesday, down from ?,?540-550 per tonne delivered on March 27."There has n...Read More

The price for rebar produced and delivered in Southern Europe has fallen by ?,?5-30 per tonne over the past week due to softer demand, market participants told Fastmarkets on Wednesday April 3.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic rebar in Southern Europe fell to ?,?485-515 ($543-577) per tonne delivered on Wednesday, down from ?,?515-520 per tonne delivered on March 27."The Spanish ma...Read More

Turkish steel producers continued to stay away from the deep-sea scrap markets due to domestic political instability and weak demand for finished steel, sources said on Wednesday April 3.The lowest offer for HMS 1&2 (80:20) was heard at $315 per tonne cfr from a Baltic Sea supplier but the mills did not want to pay any higher than $305 per tonne, Fastmarkets was told.The mills were also waiting fo...Read More

Physical iron ore prices shot up further above the $90-per-tonne-cfr mark on Wednesday April 3 amid bullish sentiment reflected in derivatives markets. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $93.08 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $3.19 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $92.20 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $3.19 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $95.60 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $3.46 per tonn...Read More

You will recall that last Wednesday a warning was posted before the open that gold was about to break sharply lower from a bear Flag, which it did the very next day, so you had a full day of trading to prepare, either by exiting positions, placing stops or purchasing inverse ETFs or Puts, and I was pleased to learn that some of you did just that. As we can see on gold's latest 8-month chart bel...Read More

By: Ira Epstein Read More

Bitcoin's sharp rally on Tuesday was being described by some as a 'mystery surge', but it is no mystery at all for anyone who has seen the film Night of the Living Dead. Buffs may recall that the movie's flesh-eating zombies were activated by radioactive contamination from an exploding space probe that had visited Venus. Although no similar explosion has been reported by NASA, it seems entirely...Read More

Trading activity was subdued in Iran in the week ended Wednesday April 3, due to national and religious holidays in the country to celebrate the Iranian new year on March 21.Most producers were expected to return to the market on March 30, sources told Fastmarkets, adding that prices were expected to fall in line with the downtrend in the major global markets.A cargo of Iranian slab was heard book...Read More

Stocks have completely recovered from their flash bear market of late 2018.But now they face a hard question: Can already record high prices continue to rise in the face of falling corporate profits?Let's start with the "falling corporate profits" part:A business generates improving profits when the things it sells rise in price faster than the cost of production. So on the following chart you wan...Read More

Nobel Prize winning economist Robert Shiller says that the long expansion in the economy, housing and stock markets, combined with continued low interest rates, could mean the U.S. is due for a recession. However, he says that human behavior makes it very difficult to make such predictions. The Trump administration and extreme weather events haven't affected markets...yet.Robert Shiller told CNBC...Read More

Should middle America be thankful for all the "jobs" provided by the military in areas like the National Guard? That's the argument of some pro-war progressives. It's dead wrong. The massive military budget is driven by the idea that "debt doesn't matter" - a false notion that is leading us to economic devastation.Dr. Ron Paul is a physician and former twelve-term congressman from Texas who ran fo...Read More

Peter Schiff is an internationally recognized economist specializing in the foreign equity, currency and gold markets. Mr. Schiff made his name as President and Chief Global Strategist of Euro Pacific Capital. He frequently delivers lectures at major economic and investment conferences, and is quoted often in the print media, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Barron's, BusinessWee...Read More

Demand for flat steel in Turkey failed to improve in March and most prices went downward, with demand unlikely to improve significantly in April, market participants told Fastmarkets on Wednesday April 3.Local producers have filled their order books until late May, they added.The price decreases in March were because of the weak demand in both local and export markets.Mayoral elections were held a...Read More

Jason talks about the how the Fed fund futures are pricing in 1-2 rate cuts in the next 12 months and also how Larry Kudlow is now asking for 50 basis points in rate cuts.Read More

"We also found the absence of a robust legal review troubling because the DEA utilized the bulk data collected ... on an unknown number of occasions Continue...Read More