China's iron ore imports in January and February 2021 increased by 2.8% from 2020, data released on Monday March 8 from the General Administration of Customs of China shows.In the first two months of 2021, China's imports of iron ore totalled 181.51 million tonnes, up by 2.8% year on year from 176.6 million tonnes in 2020, customs data showed.The increase in iron ore imports...Read More

The Singapore Exchange's (SGX) 65% Fe iron ore derivatives registered another strong month in February, with 2.98 million tonnes worth of contracts being traded during the month, according to data from the exchange.While these are about half of the 6.64 million tonnes traded in January, they are higher than the 2.67 million tonnes recorded for in December and 2.26 million tonnes in November.The sl...Read More

The Cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets assessed Cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb...Read More

The Cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lbtrade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets assessed...Read More

A sharp increase in cobalt prices, coupled with a clearer medium-term demand outlook for the market, has given sellers the upper hand in metal contract discussions - a distinct change since the start of the year - according to sources that spoke to Fastmarkets.The demand picture has been brightened by strong demand from the electric vehicle (EV) market, complemented by the consumer electronics sec...Read More

Cobalt hydroxide suppliers and buyers are in a stalemate after the cobalt futures price on the Wuxi Stainless Steel Exchange tumbled late last week. Fastmarkets' assessment of the cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China was flat week on week at 93-94% of standard-grade cobalt (low end) on Friday March 5. The indicator is assessed twice weekly on Wednesdays and Fridays. Risk-...Read More

Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in China on Friday March 5.Key drivers Domestic producers raised their offers amid continued demand from traders and consumers. Producer sources said they were cautious about selling the limited amount of stock they have on hand because they have not produced any...Read More

Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in China on Friday March 5.Key drivers China's cobalt metal price fell further this past week following sharp declines in local futures prices and weak sentiment in the domestic market; most buyers preferred to buy cheap off-grade material. The Chinese...Read More

The Indian silico-manganese export market should cement recent price gains that have pushed up the high end of the range to a level last seen in April 2018 on firm domestic fundamentals that are influencing exporter offer prices, industry sources told Fastmarkets. Indian trade sources said firm domestic demand has encouraged higher export offer prices to customers in Southeast Asia, the Middle Eas...Read More

Osisko Metals (TSXV:OM) has reported assays for the first four holes drilled as part of an infill and hydrogeological program at the past-producing Pine Point zinc-lead project in the Northwest Territories, 60 km from Hay River. These drillholes targeted the R190 deposit in the West zone at Pine Point, which hosts higher-grade vertical prismatic deposits.Three of the holes were infill and the four...Read More

Rio Tinto (NYSE: RIO; LSE: RIO) is investing $2.9 million in a new plant at its Kennecott copper mine in Utah to recover tellurium, a critical mineral used to make solar panels.The plant will recover tellurium from waste already being produced as a result of the copper smelting process. It will have capacity to produce roughly 20 tonnes of tellurium per year, with production beginning in the fourt...Read More

One of the key themes that emerged from the 30th BMO Global Metals & Mining conference last week was the desire among many gold and base metal companies to increase their exposure to copper. The investment bank's fireside chats with CEOs and presentations were not open to the media, but according to highlights BMO released each day, the outlook for copper and its importance to the green energy tra...Read More

This past year has been a "challenging but exciting time" for Bluestone Resources (TSXV: BSR; US-OTC; BBSRF), says the company's CEO Jack Lundin, as the Canadian junior progressed its Cerro Blanco gold project in southeast Guatemala, about 160 km southeast of Guatemala City.Appointed just over a year ago, Lundin said that initially "it felt like drinking through a fire hose" given the abundance...Read More

Sibanye-Stillwater (NYSE: SBGL) said today that South Africa's top gold miners should merge and create a rival to the world's largest producers, Newmont (TSX: NGT; NYSE: NEM) and Barrick Gold (TSX: ABX; NYSE: GOLD), or risk being acquiCEO Neal Froneman said he believed that combining his company with Gold Fields (NYSE: GFI) and AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE: AU) would be in South Africa's national inter...Read More

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.82% to 31,496.30 and the S&P 500 gained 0.81% to finish the trading week at 3,841.94. Spot gold dropped US$35.50 per oz. to US$1,700.10.Gold Fields rose 14.4% to US$9.37. The company announced that the National Energy Regulator of South Africa had approved its electricity generation licence, which will allow Gold Fields to build a 40 megawatt solar power pla...Read More