Zinc Falls From 3-Month High on Rising Supply

Zinc retreated from its highest close since February as pandemic-driven supply disruptions ease. Zinc’s backwardation on the London Metal Exchange narrowed Tuesday in a sign that supply is set to recover. Mines are gradually resuming production as virus restrictions ease and Chinese smelters are boosting runs. Investors will focus on China’s policy-setting National People’s Congress …

China May Tighten Australian Coal Imports Amid Tensions

China may tighten Australian coal imports amid recent tensions between the two countries, according to a daily note from China Coal Market, which is affiliated with China Coal Transport and Distribution Association. * If the curbs are put in place, Australian coal prices will be hit, said the note * NOTE: China targeted Australian coal …

Iron Ore Gains as Mills Shell Out Premium in Tight Market

Iron ore is on an extraordinary rally this month as growing optimism about China stimulus fuels a market already concerned about one of its biggest suppliers. The futures contract in China has surged more than 16% in May alone as stronger-than-expected demand combined with Brazil’s emergence as the world’s new coronavirus hotspot, spurring concerns that …

China Is Now India’s Biggest Iron Ore Buyer, And Wants to Import More

May 19 — China was India’s largest purchase of iron ore in the fiscal year ended March 31, and the buyer reportedly has plans to import even more ore from the sub-continental Asian nation. China bought 30.8 million tons of iron ore from India during the period, two and a half times more than the …

DCE jumps for the fifth day on stimulus expectation

Chinese futures jumped for the fifth consecutive trading day on anticipation of further infrastructure stimulus introduced during the National’s People Congress. Thus, the most-actively traded iron ore futures on the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE), for September delivery, hiked further by 3.64% day-on-day to RMB 711 per tonne on Tuesday. Similarly, the steel rebar contract on …

Capesize extends positive run on better bunker prices

Capesize market continued its positive run with more fixings and stronger Pacific market that drove better freight rates. As such, the Capesize 5 time charter average rose by $481 to $2,875 on Monday, as some trade participants were heard to do “bottom picking” after another round of short covering. Driven by better Capesize rates, the …

Shale production tumbles as VLCC armada heads east

Oil production from the top seven shale regions in the U.S. is set to tumble to levels not seen since 2018 as drillers scale back in response to the recent price collapse, the Energy Information Administration said. Crude output from seven major shale formations expected to fall by a record 197,000 barrels per day in …

China construction in the bubble, iron ore demand risk remains

Ferrous Sector Money Flow: DCE iron ore aggregated open interest is up 38.97% from April 29th and reached the highest level in Q2, coking coal decreased by 18.55% during the same period. Steel, coke and flat glass used in house construction remained stable on open interest. Investors should be aware of money flow out of …

China Mulls Targeting Australian Wine, Dairy on Coronavirus Spat

Australian exports of wine, seafood, oatmeal, fruit and dairy are in danger of being targeted by China if Beijing decides to escalate a row over Canberra’s calls for an investigation into the origin of Covid-19, according to people familiar with the matter Chinese officials have compiled a list of potential goods that it could target …

Repeat of Oil’s Sub-Zero Plunge Unlikely as June Expiry Nears

Oil’s historic crash below zero looked increasingly like an aberration as the June contract rose for a fourth day in its last session of trading before expiring. Amid growing signs of a nascent recovery in demand, deepening production cuts and optimism that the world is getting closer to finding a vaccine for the coronavirus, futures …