ASIAN MORNING BRIEF 12/12: LME copper price jumps on LME; Saudi Arabia’s rebar imports hit by weak domestic demand; Middle East steel market outlook picks up on higher oil pricing

The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Wednesday December 12.

Base metal prices rose on the London Metal Exchange by the close on Tuesday December 11, with copper surging after market sentiment was boosted by positive news of easing tensions between China and the United States. Read more in our live futures report.

Here are how prices looked at the close of trading:

Saudi Arabia has not imported rebar in 2018 and cannot utilize its full production capacity due to weak domestic demand, Ahmed Al-Hussain, rebar director of Saudi National Committee for Steel Industry, said at Fastmarkets MB’s Middle East Iron and Steel Conference in Dubai on December 11.

The outlook for the Middle East steel market is improving because of higher oil prices, Abu Bucker Husain, chief executive officer of United Arab Emirates-based Al Ghurair Iron & Steel, said in his presentation at the Dubai conference on Tuesday.

Flat steel import prices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been stable over the past week due to limited demand near year end, sources said on Tuesday.

US ferrous scrap exports were pushed higher in October, with lower ferrous scrap export prices sparking healthy demand from Mexico and Asia and offsetting significantly reduced shipments to Turkey.

Brazil’s Companhia Brasileira de Alumínio will invest 30 million Reais ($7.7 million) to increase its aluminium billet production capacity, the company’s primary operations director, Luis Jorge Nunes, told Fastmarkets MB on Monday.

TradeCloud is set to allow its users to report business concluded on the platform to Fastmarkets automatically, TradeCloud CEO Simon Collins said.

What to read next
After a consultation period, Fastmarkets will clarify and amend some of the specifications for MB-ZN-0005 Zinc SHG min 99.995% ingot premium, ddp Midwest US, US cents/lb; MB-PB-0006 Lead 99.97% ingot premium, ddp Midwest US, US cents/lb; MB-SN-0011 Tin grade A min 99.85% ingot premium, ddp Midwest US, $/tonne; MB-NI-0240 Nickel 4x4 cathode premium, delivered Midwest US, US cents/lb; MB-NI-0241 Nickel briquette premium, delivered Midwest US, US cents/lb; and the corresponding all-in prices for all of these, including the quality, unit and location.
Fastmarkets will discontinue its assessment of the MB-CU-0410 copper rod premium, ddp Midwest US, US cents per lb, from November 6. After a consultation period, which ended on Wednesday October 8, Fastmarkets will discontinue the premium due to low market liquidity and a lack of demand. Fastmarkets received only neutral or indifferent feedback during the consultation […]
Vitol is expanding its presence in copper trading with senior hires and a cautious, long-term strategy. The move highlights the growing role of metals in energy traders’ portfolios as markets shift post-Ukraine conflict.
Chinese cobalt refiners are preparing to use cobalt metal as feedstock for sulfate and tetroxide production, as tightening supply and price rallies on cobalt hydroxide from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have made smelters look for alternatives, market sources told Fastmarkets.
Fastmarkets proposes to include additional EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) costs in its benchmark aluminium P1020A premium fca dp premium assessments for Italy (MB-AL-0316), and Spain (MB-AL-0319) from January 1, 2026, when the definitive period of the EU’s CBAM is set to begin. The MB-AL-0316 aluminium P1020A premium fca dp Italy and MB-AL-0319 aluminium P1020A premium fca dp […]
LME zinc stocks have fallen to their lowest levels since April 2023 but traders suggest the withdrawals are driven more by warehouse activity and speculation than genuine demand. Meanwhile, Europe’s sluggish consumption contrasts with swelling inventories in China.