FIS CASTAWAY – EPISODE 13

This week the team talk $6 million dollar bail, Cape splits, and EU travel bans; all this is alongside our usual in depth analysis of the supply and demand factors affecting commodity market prices.   Available now on the FIS website (www.freightinvestorservices.com/media )   Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/7yMLsm5s8tLtrCQr7bG8wD?si=FW6Rvj9HRjClAx3vRjq8iw   And Apple https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/fis-castaway/id1507094242  

Steel futures up on mixed Coronavirus news

Iron ore futures extended gains on Wednesday as investors assessed risks from the Coronavirus pandemic.   There are worrying signs that the outbreak has worsened in Brazil, with the nation recently surpassing the mark of one million confirmed cases and 50,000 deaths.   Latest figures showed that Brazil added new deaths, bringing the total to …

Pre-holiday restocking lifts iron ore futures

Iron ore futures moved above $99 on restocking ahead of the Chinese holiday.   It was a busy day for iron ore traders as a flurry of trades were transacted as steel mills look to restock ahead of the Dragonboat festival holiday on Thursday and Friday.   Some trade sources are expecting more spot supply …

Futures fall but iron ore supply chain ‘super-stretched’

Iron ore futures fell below $100 on Monday amid a seasonal slowdown in Chinese activities.   According to latest data from Steelhome, Chinese iron ore port stockpiles gained for the first time since April to 108.4 million tonnes (up +0.56% w/w), as Australia and Brazil ramped up its iron ore production. Cargoes shipped via Australia’s …

Iron ore holds at $100 as Brazil supply fears ease

Iron ore futures held at around $100 on Friday as supply concerns eased.   Latest data showed that Brazil’s iron ore exports increased by 1.4 million tonnes during the first nine days of Jun to 1.64 million tonnes per day.   Meanwhile, Vale is gradually resuming operations at its Itabira complex after receiving the green …

ShipShape: The Long and Winding Road

It is one of the best-known Beatles songs from their final studio album Let It Be, but it also encapsulates perfectly the challenge many commodity markets face as they begin to recover from the enormous disruption of Coronavirus.   The pandemic has impacted every metric you can think of: quantitative easing, government debt, unemployment, share …