What have Metal Bulletin’s team of global market reporters been covering over the past week? Catch up with Metal Bulletin’s week-in-brief.
Zinc prices in 2015 have good prospects, with analysts predicting a deficit of metal. Metal Bulletin reporter Chloe Smith was at our zinc conference in Istanbul. Here’s what she learned.
We have been hosting a debate about the relative growth rates of usage of steel and aluminium in the auto industry. Check out all the content now. There’s a great moment with a can in the most recent video… #SteelvsAl.
ArcelorMittal explained why it sees zinc usage in the auto industry declining. Here’s what they said.
The European Galvanizers Assn begged to differ, though, and railed against what it said was “misleading information”. Read about the debate here.
Controlling capex is the mantra for mining ceos. Zinc and lead producer Nyrstar’s shares dropped by over 5% as redevelopment costs climbed at one of its operations.
Nickel’s rise this year has made it the hottest market of the year, trading from $13,977/980 per tonne at the start of January to what one trader described as a day of “climactic topping action” on Tuesday May 13 when it reached $21,090/100 per tonne.
But it fell like a stone on Wednesday on large volumes traded in Asian hours. Find out how the market moved here.
The big volumes and big price moves happened during Asian trading hours, kicking off when the Shanghai markets opened at 09:00 hours local time, 02:00 in London. It was a wild ride for pyjama-clad western traders.
‘You better stop sleeping’: MB put out a piece back in 2011 about how rising volumes in the Asian trading day highlighted the region’s interest in price direction. Step back in time here.
The LME could reinstate its silver contract after the LBMA’s decision to stop its silver fixing in August.
Find out why the contract foundered before in this piece.
Metal Bulletin’s index for copper concentrate TC/RCs moved by over $8 per tonne/0.8 cents per lb on Thursday May 15. Find out which way and why here.
Copper smelter Aurubis’s results improved, partly as a result of higher TC/RCs.
The Fanya Metal Exchange’s application to join the Minor Metals Assn has provoked intense debate. Find out more here.
What process will Fanya have to go through in order to join the MMTA?
Sweden-based alloys producer Scandinavian Steel has applied to join the Kunming-based exchange.
Kingdom Futures, a new venture by experienced LME brokers, has made a hire.
Email editorial@metalbulletin.com or tweet @metalbulletin with thoughts on zinc, the degree to which trading in your pyjamas is desirable, or the latest moves in TC/RCs.
