Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States have risen yet again to an all-time high after buyers perceived that the tight availability of spot material likely will not loosen up before domestic mills begin a series of maintenance outages.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $61.17 per hundredweight ($1,223.40 per short ton) on Tuesday February 23, an incre...Read More

Brazilian steelmaker Companhia Sider??rgica Nacional (CSN) expects one more domestic price increase for March, after raising prices by around 15% in February, commercial director Luis Martinez said on Tuesday February 23.The expected increase will be mostly aimed at hot-rolled and cold-rolled coil, with the company remaining cautious about competition with coated steel imports. Martinez forecast a...Read More

Steel scrap prices in Mexico resumed their downtrend in the week ended Friday February 19, especially in obsolete grades, with deals reported at lower prices because of energy and gas shortages in the country.A wide range of price cuts were reported, depending on volumes and grades. Most market participants saw price reductions of 300-600 pesos ($15-29) per tonne during the week, while some buyers...Read More

Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday February 23 that are worth another look.A sustained rally in oil prices has contributed to a recent spike in freight rates for bulk shipments of steel products, sources told Fastmarkets on February 23.Industry association Verband Deutscher Metallh??ndler (VDM)...Read More

A bearish pall is emerging for the iron ore pellets market amid growing supply from Brazil and a shift in demand toward fines with the expected easing of sintering restrictions in China. Improved demand for finesChinese steelmakers will likely increase their consumption of iron ore fines once the winter heating season in China ends. Sintering restrictions imposed at the start of the heating season...Read More

Consolidation seeped into the complex on the London Metal Exchange during trading on Tuesday February 23, with copper the only one to close higher and most metals posting lower closing prices versus Monday, when all reached new 2021 highs.Nickel's three-month price, which reached $20,110 per tonne on Monday - the mosthighest level since May 2014 - was under selling pressure on Tuesday and fel...Read More

Iron ore prices went into reverse on Tuesday February 23 amid a correction after the surge on Monday, sources told Fastmarkets, but robust demand means prices should not fall much further.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $173.05 per tonne, down $2.91 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $173.52 per tonne, down $2.46 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qi...Read More

Seaborne premium hard coking coal prices in both the fob and cfr markets fluctuated on Tuesday February 23, while most market participants, uncertain where prices will go, adopted a wait-and-see attitude, sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $138.78 per tonne, up $1.73 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $220.28 per tonne, down $3.11 per tonne Hard cokin...Read More

With less than one day left...by Chris Marcus of Arcadia EconomicsWith less than one day left in what some long-time silver veterans are calling the most important COMEX options expiration and delivery period in silver history, the price appears to have been "spoofed" to right under the $28 level.Of course the significance of the $28 level is tied to the COMEX silver options board, where there is...Read More

WHAT A BUNCH OF CRAP!!by Harvey Organ of Harvey Organ BlogFEB 22/COMEX OPTIONS EXPIRY TOMORROW//GOLD ROSE $30.00 TO $1808.65//SILVER UP 74 CENTS TO $27.96 AND BROKE THE 28 DOLLAR BARRIER IN THE ACCCESS MARKET// GOLD TONNAGE STANDING AT THE COMEX; 112.92 TONNES/SILVER STANDING 11.9 MILLION OZ//CORONAVIRUS UPDATES/VACCINE UPDATES// CHINA STOPS EXPORTS OF RARE EARTHS TO THE USA//IRAN VS USA: IRAN DEM...Read More

The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Chinese export prices for seamless oil country tubular goods (OCTG) and linepipe barely moved in February 2021, after rallying in January, because the holidays to celebrate the Lunar New Year curbed market activity sharply.With the holiday now ended, we have seen some sharp jumps in round billet prices and we expect there to...Read More

Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.As the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic began to bite, many observers confidently predicted that the end was nigh for global economic activity. Governments around the world closed their economies as the only tool available to li...Read More

Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.The U.S has increased tariffs on $200bn of Chinese goods to 25%, from 10%, impacting a number of metals. Commentary below comes from the Wood Mackenzie metals team:Copper By Wood Mackenzie Senior Consultant, Yanting Zhou"Previous...Read More

Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.Read More

RAPAPORT... The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has recently received "a number of" lab-grown or treated stones carrying natural-diamond reports and fake inscriptions, the organization warned.Clients submitted the stones for updated reports or verification services, but the grading documents that came with the goods did not match the stones, the GIA explained Tuesday. The weights and g...Read More

Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.The coronavirus pandemic has had a massive impact on every part of the global economic system. In response, unprecedented stimulus measures have boosted many countries’ debt-to-GDP ratios to levels not seen since WWII. But even...Read More

RAPAPORT... Lucara Diamond Corp.'s sales fell in 2020 as the miner held back special-sized rough from its Karowe mine in Botswana in the first half amid weak market prices."The measures that Lucara took early in the pandemic, including the decision not to sell rough diamonds in excess of 10.8 carats..., helped protect and support prices for large, high-value diamonds that account for more than 70%...Read More

RAPAPORT... The diamond and jewelry trade had a relatively successful holiday season, considering the difficult consumer and trading conditions it experienced in 2020. However, rough and polished inventories remain at reasonable levels, even though production has increased and trading has improved, Rapaport Senior Analyst Avi Krawitz explained in the quarterly Diamond Trends Webinar last week.Whil...Read More

Access our research platformsSign-in to our platforms to access our extensive research, our latest insight, data and analytics and to connect to our industry experts.Back before coronavirus knocked “normal” out cold, the key issues for miners were sub-investment prices, rising requirements for ESG and decarbonisation. How things change. So while our base case view is that the recession...Read More

A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday February 23.Read More