ASIAN MORNING BRIEF 16/05: LME base metals split; bullion banks to lose precious metals business to exchanges; European ferro-chrome benchmark expected to have staying power in short term

The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Wednesday May 16.

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed again at the close of trading on Tuesday May 15, with aluminium and zinc rising while copper, lead and tin declined. Read more our live futures report.

Here are how prices looked at the close of trading:

Meanwhile, the new and tighter global regulatory environment has left bullion banks in a state of transformation, with exchanges seizing the opportunities created as a result.

In ores and alloys, market acceptance of the quarterly European ferro-chrome benchmark system will continue for at least the short term, according to market participants polled by Metal Bulletin.

Industrial action has halted traffic along a key road for moving semi-carbonate manganese ore from mines in Hotazel in South Africa’s Northern Cape.

In the steel market, Finnish stainless steelmaker Outokumpu has signed an agreement with Swedish engineering group Sandvik to acquire full ownership of the Fagersta stainless steel wire rod mill in Sweden for €18 million ($21.53 million).
Russia’s Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) might delay a restart of the melt shop at its MMK Metalurji unit in Turkey due to uncertainty in the market stemming from the Section 232 investigation in the United States and the start of a safeguard investigation in the European Union.

Steel Dynamics Inc has acquired CSN LLC from Brazilian iron ore and steel producer Cia Siderurgica Nacional for $400 million in cash.

German steelmaker ThyssenKrupp expects “continued stable and high prices on the commodity and material markets” for the remainder of its financial year, which will end on September 30, 2018.

The graphite electrodes used in electric-arc furnace steelmaking have changed from being a commodity to a strategic material, with prices surging last year amid dramatic changes in market conditions, attendees of an industry conference were told.

What to read next
Fastmarkets has corrected the pricing rationale for MB-AL-0302 aluminium 6063 extrusion billet premium, ddp North Germany (Ruhr region), $/tonne, which was published incorrectly on Friday April 19. No prices were corrected.
The low-carbon aluminium differential in the US made its first move on Friday April 5 since Fastmarkets launched it five months ago.
Brazil's aluminium industry is further enhancing its sustainability by boosting renewable energy use and recycling, while mitigating risk from high-carbon imports
German copper producer Aurubis is among the least likely to consider reducing capacity despite record low treatment charges (TCs), according to its chief executive officer
European copper demand, particularly for wire rod, remains strong and seems to be outpacing broader macro-economic growth in the region, the chief executive officer of German producer Aurubis has said.
The process to place the smaller and less efficient of the two processing plants at Los Bronces on care and maintenance is expected to be completed by mid-2024 and comes as the company pushes value over volume, the chief executive officer of Anglo American Chile said