Bargain hunting has returned to the base metals complex in the morning of Friday April 13, lifting prices on the London Metal Exchange by 0.6% on average.

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange are for the most part weaker this morning, Wednesday March 21, with all of the metals, except lead and tin, showing average losses of 0.3%. Copper is down by 0.4% at $6,732 per tonne, while lead is up by 0.4% at $2,360 per tonne and tin is little changed.

China’s return to the market after a week-long break for Lunar New Year has not brought with it a rush to restock and that has led to some disappointed selling across the base metals traded on the London Metal Exchange, with the complex down by an average of 0.9% this morning, Monday February 11.

Primary steel producers in India want the country’s minimum import price (MIP) regime to last beyond August 5, 2016, and to be expanded to include steel products not covered by the current regulations.

Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange are down across the board by an average of 0.5% this morning, Monday March 26, led by a 1.1% fall in copper to $6,577 per tonne.

The graphite electrodes used in electric-arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking have changed from being a commodity to a strategic material, with prices surging last year amid drastic changes in market conditions, an industry conference has heard.

An escalation in the United States’ trade war with China, with another $200 billion of Chinese goods now potentially facing tariffs, has rattled base metals prices during early trading on Wednesday July 11.

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd (HKEx) posted a 73% increase in profit attributable to shareholders in the first half of 2015 to HK$4.10 billion ($527.8 million) due to its commercialisation strategy for the LME, higher trading and clearing fees and increased market activity.

Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were weaker on the morning of Thursday December 6, with the complex down by an average of 0.9%. Continued weakness in equities, bond yields and increased trade tensions between the United States and China seem to be weighing on sentiment.

History shows that crises such as the Wuhan coronavirus have a relatively short-lived impact on global financial markets. Commodities such as soybeans, metals and paper have longer-term issues to worry about.