Iron Climbs as Traders Eye Steel Demand, Supply Fears

Iron ore futures extended gains for a third day to reach the highest since January as investors weigh strong domestic demand in China and supply worries from Brazil. The recovery in the production from steel mills in China is boosting sentiment, while iron ore port stockpiles declined to the lowest in more than three years …

Commodities Bounce Back on Chinese Stimulus Anticipation and Vaccine Hopes

Freight prices jumped on Monday with front month Capesize futures up over 10% on anticipation of a large stimulus package out of China later this week. This created a knock-on effect into the smaller vessels with the Panamax front month futures up over 5%. Oil futures performed well with a USD 3.00 move higher, as …

DCE rallies on high demand and tightening supply

Chinese futures rose on better Chinese iron ore demand, while tight port inventory and slow shipment continued to support price upticks. As such, the most-actively traded iron ore futures on the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE), for September delivery, jumped by 5.41% on-day to RMB 691.50 per tonne on Monday. Following the rally, the steel rebar …

Fitch Solutions Cuts Aluminum Outlook Amid Risks for Metals

Aluminum will average $1,600 a ton this year, according to Fitch Solutions, which cut its forecast from $1,850 as demand prospects weaken. Global consumption will decline 1.1% this year due to disruption from pandemic, especially closures of major car manufacturers, according to note Demand in China will fall 2% NOTE: LME aluminum last traded at $1,470/ton; YTD …

Iron Jumps as Brazil Virus Cases Stoke Supply Concerns

Iron ore futures head for the highest close in four months on supply concerns, as the number of coronavirus infections in major producer Brazil continues to soar. Brazil added more cases after a record number of infections Friday, overtaking Spain as the nation with the world’s fourth- highest number of confirmed Covid-19 patients. Brazil’s new …

Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance: Rio Tinto’s first blockchain trade

Mining major, Rio Tinto’s first blockchain iron ore trade with Baosteel this week may set the trend for more such trades to come. The paperless trade transaction was done via the Contour trade finance blockchain platform, that breaks away from the traditional paperwork when documents were normally couriered for inspection. This ‘breakaway’ buried the image …

DCE ends in high notes

Chinese futures ended the week on high note, due to better buying interests over tightness in port inventory. The most-actively traded iron ore futures on the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE), for September delivery, hiked by 3.33% on-day to RMB 668 per tonne at Friday. Following the rally, the steel rebar contract on the Shanghai Futures …

China’s Industrial Economy Improves While Consumers Remain Wary

China’s industrial output increased in April for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak, adding to early signs of a recovery that economists cautioned would be slow and challenging. Industrial output rose 3.9% from a year earlier, reversing a drop of 1.1% in March, data showed Friday. Fixed-asset investment decreased 10.3% in the first four …

DCE rebounds for the second day on better output

Chinese futures continued to rally for second consecutive day on higher production and margins. The most-actively traded iron ore futures on the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE), for September delivery, hiked by 1.09% to RMB 647.50 per tonne at Thursday. On the contrary, the steel rebar contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange had slid slightly with …