ASIAN MORNING BRIEF 28/08: Comex copper prices rise; South Africa manganese mine suspended; Singapore rebar import prices steady

The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Tuesday August 28.

Comex copper prices began the week on a positive note, supported by a weaker dollar and improved fundamental backdrop. Read more in our live futures report.

The London Metal Exchange was closed on Monday August 27 due to a bank holiday in the United Kingdom.

Mining operations have been suspended at the Tshipi Borwa Manganese Mine on the orders of South Africa’s Department for Mineral Resources, the mine’s owner has announced.

Import prices for rebar in Singapore held steady over the past week amid limited negotiations in the spot market.

Rerolling-grade hot-rolled coil from Turkey failed to have much of an effect on the Vietnamese import market over the past week.

Various restrictions on the production of pellets in China have continued to fuel prices for this iron ore product while weighing on demand for concentrate.

Turkey produced 22.2 million tonnes of crude steel in January-July 2018, a 2.8% increase from 21.6 million tonnes in the corresponding 2017 period, according to Turkish steel producers association TÇÜD.

GlobalOre has added Metal Bulletin’s 62% Fe Iron Ore Index – Low Alumina (MBIOI-62-LA) to its list of indices available for trading via the platform in response to requests from a number of active members in its physical trading community, the company said on Monday August 27, the day the index was launched.

What to read next
Copper in concentrate production from Ivanhoe Mines' Kamoa-Kakula complex in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) fell to 61,906 tonnes in the first quarter, down by 54% from 133,120 tonnes a year earlier, with the company now evaluating local third-party concentrate purchases to advance the ramp-up of its on-site smelter, according to an April 13 production release as the market focused its attention on the impact of global sulfuric acid shortages during CESCO Week in Chile from April 13-17.
China's planned sulfuric acid export ban from May 1, historic lows for copper concentrates treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) and a fragmenting 2026 benchmark system dominated CESCO Week 2026 in Santiago from April 13-17.
The proposal would align the index more closely with physically traded volumes in the region, and enable it to adjust to evolving market conditions. This proposal follows an observed widening of the spread between trader and smelter purchase components of the index and is aligned with a majority of market feedback. Additionally, Fastmarkets seeks feedback […]
Until now, aluminium has been hard to move, not hard to find. Global aluminium supply had remained technically intact, even as output was curtailed in parts of the Gulf, inventory buffers were drawn down or repositioned, and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz was severely disrupted.
Global aluminium producers face heightened uncertainty over power supplies, with oil and gas prices elevated by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) flows, sources told Fastmarkets.
Fastmarkets is extending the consultation period for the methodology of several of its black mass payables indicators and prices, and is also proposing changes to the names of CIF South Korea and EWX Europe black mass prices.