Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were marginally higher during morning trading on Thursday June 28, with the complex up by an average of 0.2%.

Metal Bulletin reviews the major stories affecting the steel market over the past week.

The base metals on the London Metal Exchange are down across the board by a fairly uniform amount of between 0.1% and 0.3% this morning, Thursday June 1, with three-month copper prices off 0.3% at $5,677 per tonne.

Base metals prices are weaker this morning, Wednesday May 24, with prices down an average of 1.1% on the London Metal Exchange, as Moody’s Investors Services has cut China’s debt rating to A1 from Aa3 – the first cut since 1989.

A weaker tone has returned to the base metals on the London Metal Exchange this morning, Thursday May 18, with all the metals prices, except tin, lower.

Base metals prices are weaker again this morning, Monday May 8, with prices down an average of 0.9% on the London Metal Exchange.

US president-elect Donald Trump has vowed to kick-start funding of up to $1 trillion on infrastructure projects, and the steel and metals industry has been cheering. But analysts remain unconvinced.

It is the time of year, albeit slightly later than usual, when anyone who is anybody in the metals space hotfoots it to London for the annual shindig that is LME Dinner Week.

Tight supply of manganese ore at Chinese ports kept prices of the raw material high last week, while silico-manganese futures prices plunged which could dampen prices in the near term, sources told Metal Bulletin.

Latin America editor Ana Paula Camargo reviews the main steel market news covered by Metal Bulletin over the past week.