Daily Nickel/Stainless Steel Briefing 

• Nickel closed Thursday's trading session at $7.39/lb ($16,300/tonne). Indicators at 5:45 am CST today show nickel trading around $.08/lb lower. Stockpiles of nickel stored in LME licensed warehouses rose on Thursday and started today reading just shy of the 200,700 tonne level. Shanghai nickel rose to 129,190 y/t overnight. LME finally got a slap on the wrist in the form of a fine for its lack of involvement in the March 2022 nickel price surge. Stay safe out there and have a great weekend!
  
• Average price of LME traded cash nickel so far this month - $7.31/lb
  

    Thursday's market review - London copper hits five-month high breaking above $10,000/t mark - London copper prices hit a five-month high on Thursday breaking above a major psychological mark of $10,000 ... - more

   UK watchdog fines London Metal Exchange over handling of 2022 nickel crisis -  Britain's financial regulator fined the London Metal Exchange on Thursday for allowing nickel prices to surge out of control three  .. - more

• FCA fines LME £9.2 million for failings during nickel crisis - more
• Final Notice - pdf here

   India: Ferro chrome prices remain stable; OMC chrome ore auction receives soft response - Indian high-carbon ferro chrome (HC60%, Si:4%) prices remained largely stable, inching down slightly by INR 350/t ($4/t) ... - more

   How Donald Trump's tariffs are wreaking chaos in the British metal industry - Over the preceding weeks, Marcegaglia, the stainless steel company whose long products division he headed up, had rushed to melt ... - more

   Sudbury, Ont., mayor not phased over what tariffs could mean for nickel mining - Sudbury's mayor says he's not worried that an ongoing trade war between Canada and the United States will hurt the city's nickel .... - more

   Other News

• Trump invokes emergency powers to expand critical mineral production - more
• Finland ranked happiest country in the world. The U.S. falls to its lowest-ever position - more
  

  Economic Stats and Prices (posted in Friday edition)

  Daily Nickel/Stainless Steel Briefing 

• Nickel closed Wednesday's trading session at $7.42/lb ($16,360/tonne). Indicators at 5:30 am CST today show nickel trading around $.01/lb lower. Stockpiles of nickel stored in LME licensed warehouses fell on Wednesday and started today reading just over the 200,400 tonne level. Shanghai nickel slipped to 129,670 y/t overnight. The LME nickel chart for March continues to shadow the Euro/US Dollar chart. Stay safe out there and have a great day!
  
• Average price of LME traded cash nickel so far this month - $7.32/lb
  

    Wednesday's market review - Copper hits fresh peaks as speculators make more tariff bets - U.S. and London copper prices scaled fresh multi-month highs on Wednesday as speculators extended buying on ... - more

   Philippines gives India nickel sales pitch as it tries to move away from China - Philippines realises it is too risky to depend solely on China, which imports nearly 98 per cent of its nickel, analysts say - more

   China: Ferro chrome prices remain largely steady w-o-w - The ferro chrome market remained largely stable w-o-w, with a slight uptick in high-carbon prices, while medium-carbon tags remained unchanged. - more

   Exclusive: EU proposes cutting steel imports by 15% as Trump tariffs bite -  The European Union will tighten steel import quotas to reduce inflows by a further 15% from April, a senior EU official said on Wednesday... - more

• EU to ramp up trade defence with Steel Action Plan - more

   Other News

• Putin Allies Woo Trump with Rare Earth Mineral Deposits - more
  

  Economic Stats and Prices (posted in Friday edition)

  Daily Nickel/Stainless Steel Briefing 

• Nickel closed Tuesday's trading session at $7.39/lb ($16,285/tonne). Indicators at 5:20 am CST today show nickel trading around $.12/lb higher. Stockpiles of nickel stored in LME licensed warehouses rose on Tuesday and started today reading just over the 201,300 tonne level. Shanghai nickel rose to 131,660 y/t overnight. LME traders have traded nickel back to the $16,500 tonne level this morning, and at least for the time, show little enthusiasm to take it much higher. Stay safe out there and have a great hump day!
  
• Average price of LME traded cash nickel so far this month - $7.31/lb
  

    Tuesday's market review - Copper slides from 5-mo high - Copper prices on the London Metals Exchange (LME) slipped from a five-month high on Tuesday, though China’s stimulus plan and a weak US dollar ... - more

   Fitch Ratings Revises Some Metals and Mining Price Assumptions - (excerpt) Our assumptions for iron ore, nickel, zinc and cobalt are unchanged. We have added price assumptions for 2028 to the set. US trade... - more

   Taiwan's stainless steel prices expected to rise for Apr - The nickel pig iron price upward in early March boosted stainless steel prices in China, adding LME nickel price standing firm at US$16,000/ton, Indonesia ... - more

   Russian billionaire Potanin eyes rare earth metals exploration - Russian billionaire Vladimir Potanin, CEO and shareholder of metals giant Nornickel, said on Tuesday he is considering projects in rare earths, noting ... - more

   Walhi blames nickel mining as severe floods hit villages in Morowali - Heavy rainfalls accompanied by strong winds struck Bahodopi Sub-district in Morowali Regency, Central Sulawesi, on Sunday night, March 17,... - more

• Indonesia's largest nickel processor of Morowali unscathed by floods - more

   Other News

• Is Elon Musk’s behavior hurting SpaceX? Unfounded claims and public feuds raise concerns - more
  

  Economic Stats and Prices (posted in Friday edition)

  Daily Nickel/Stainless Steel Briefing 

• Nickel closed Monday's trading session at $7.44/lb  ($16,410/tonne). Indicators at 5:25 am CST today show nickel trading around $.03/lb lower. Stockpiles of nickel stored in LME licensed wareouses fell on Monday and started today reading just shy of the 200,800 tonne level. Shanghai nickel slipped to 129,490 y/t overnight. Euro is up this mornng, but nickel is trading under selling pressure... at least for the moment. Stay safe out there and have a great day!
  
• Average price of LME traded cash nickel so far this month - $7.31/lb
  

    Monday's market review - Metals rise on dollar weakness, but trade jitters cap gains - Metals were mostly trading higher on the London Metals Exchange on Monday, supported by a weaker dollar, although ... - more

   Taiwan to keep anti-dumping duties on China, South Korea stainless steel for 5 years - Taiwan will maintain anti-dumping duties on stainless steel from China and South Korea for five years, its finance ministry ... - more

   China’s crude stainless steel production grows by 7.54% in 2024 - In 2024, China's crude stainless steel production totaled 39.44 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 7.54%. The apparent consumption was ... - more

   The US remained ArcelorMittal’s largest market in 2024 - In 2024, the United States remained the largest sales market for the global steel company ArcelorMittal, although sales in this area decreased by 5% ... - more

 Electric vehicle adoption is stumbling, but still growing amid geopolitical clashes - Among his Day One executive orders, President Donald Trump declared that his administration would eliminate what he called ... - more

   Courtesy AISI - In the week ending on March 15, 2025, domestic raw steel production was 1,667,000 net tons while the capability utilization rate was 74.9 percent. Production was 1,696,000 net tons in the week ending March 15, 2024, while the capability utilization then was 76.4 percent. - more

   Quick Reference and Comparison Guide - Difference Between Monel, Inconel, Incoloy, Hastelloy and Stainless Steel - more

   Other News

• AI that can match humans at any task will be here in five to 10 years, Google DeepMind CEO says - more
• What If Trump Is Serious About Annexing Canada? - more
• Another tiny Pacific nation courts China for deep-sea mining riches - more

  Economic Stats and Prices (posted in Friday edition)

  Daily Nickel/Stainless Steel Briefing 

• Nickel closed Friday's trading session at $7.51/lb  ($16,560/tonne). Indicators at 5:45 am CST today show nickel trading around $.03/lb higher. Stockpiles of nickel stored in LME licensed warehouses rose on Friday and levels ended the week reading just shy of the 200,900 tonne level. Shanghai nickel rose overnight to 133,900 y/t. LME nickel continues to rise and in our opinion, the Euro strengthening against the U.S. Dollar appears to be the primary reason why. There are some legitimate concerns about Indonesia production and new taxes on their nickel and the Philippines trying to duplicate what Indonesia did, but so far, we aren't seeing numbers to back up the concerns. Today we start the last two weeks of the 1st quarter of 2025. Stay safe out there and have a great week!
  
• Average price of LME traded cash nickel so far this month - $7.30/lb
  

    Friday's market review - Copper slips from fresh peak - Copper prices recoiled from a five-month peak on Friday, as disappointing loans data from top metals consumer China and concerns around US tariffs ... - more

    Elbow's Up: Indonesia's Strategic Grip on Nickel Supply Drives Global Prices Higher as EV Sales Surge 30% - The nickel price has increased by nearly a dollar per pound (over $2,000 per ton), breaking out of a ... - more

• Indonesia Tsingshan raises export prices for fifth consecutive times in Mar - more

    Zimasco placed under corporate rescue - Zimasco has been placed under corporate rescue after Avim Investments, which became a major creditor due to the ferrochrome giant’s contract breach, successfully... - more

   Trump's U.S. mining push a hard sell for Japan's trading houses - President Donald Trump's call for increased mining in the U.S. will likely require subsidies to persuade Japanese trading houses to invest in high-risk... - more

   Other News

• Tariff tracker: Confused by the trade war? Here's where things stand today - more
• Tariff Tensions: How Protectionism is Reshaping Commodity Markets - more
• US Recession Risks Remain in Focus - more

  Economic Stats and Prices (posted in Friday edition)

  Daily Nickel/Stainless Steel Briefing 

• Nickel closed yesterday's trading session at $7.49/lb ($16,505/tonne). Indicators at 6:00 am CST today show nickel trading around $.08/lb higher. Stockpiles of nickel stored in LME licensed warehouses rose on Thursday and or the first time since August 2021, LME nickel stockpiles read over the 200,000 tonne level. They actually read just shy of the 200,600 tonne level. Shanghai nickel rose to 133,660 y/t overnight. The Euro continues to increase against the U.S. Dollar, and this is helping boost nickel's traded price. Stay safe out there and have a great weekend!
  
• Average price of LME traded cash nickel so far this month - $7.28/lb
  

    Yesterday's market review - Copper retreats from five-month high on disquiet over trade war - Copper prices slipped on Thursday after touching a five-month peak as worries about global growth overshadowed ... - more

   South Korea imposes 4-month provisional AD on Chinese stainless plates - Less than two months after issuing a preliminary anti-dumping (AD) ruling on hot-rolled stainless steel plates from China, South Korea's ... - more

   EU safeguard proposals disappoint steel stainless sector - The European Commission’s safeguard measure review has not met the expectations of the EU’s stainless steel mills or processors. - more

   Commodities tune out of Trump's noise to trade fundamentals - Dial out the noise and focus on the fundamentals is a tactic that may work best for global commodity markets as they navigate the mounting ... - more

   India: Ferro chrome prices stable even as trades continue at routine pace - Indian high-carbon ferro chrome (HC60%, Si:4%) prices were steady last week, going up marginally by INR 250/t ($3/t) compared to the ... - more

   How China has been playing the long game, quietly building its global reserves in critical minerals - Report by AidData, a research lab at US's College of William and Mary, shows China has financed forays into a ... - more

   From soup cans to airplanes, steel and aluminum are a fundamental part of American life - Steel and aluminum are ubiquitous in Americans’ lives. A stainless steel refrigerator holds aluminum soda cans. A stainless ... - more

   Other News

• Where will the metals for the robot revolution come from? - more
• As Social Security faces an uncertain future, some question whether the program should be privatized - more
• U.S. Develops Military Plans for Panama Canal - more
• Americans worry Trump too closely aligned with Russia, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds - more
• Indonesian watchdog demands prosecution for environmental crime ‘cartels’ - more

  Economic Stats and Prices (posted in Friday edition)

  Daily Nickel/Stainless Steel Briefing 

• Nickel closed Wednesday's trading session at $7.55/lb  ($16,635/tonne). Indicators at 5:30 am CST today show nickel trading around $.11/lb lower. Stockpiles of nickel stored in LME licensed warehouses rose on Wednesday and started today reading just 26 tonnes shy of the 200,000 tonnes level. Shanghai nickel ticked lower to 133,310 y/t overnight. Commodity trading board ismostly red this morning and LME nickel is trading lower as well. Tariff's dominate the conversation as downstream steel and aluminum users realize the immediate effect of the tariff's. Stay safe out there and have a great Thursday!
  
• Average price of LME traded cash nickel so far this month - $7.27/lb
  

    Wednesday's market review - Copper touches multi-month peaks on China, U.S. tariffs - Copper prices hit multi-month highs on Wednesday as traders prepared for potential U.S. tariffs, while investor sentiment ... - more

   Molybdenum Market Update – March 12, 2025 - The overall situation of the domestic molybdenum market remains weak, with a buyer's market holding a significant advantage amid the interplay of bullish and ... - more

   Nickel Industries - (quote) The Company is currently subject to a 10% royalty on its nickel ore sales (both saphrolite and limonite). The proposed royalties are between 14% to 19%, depending on the prevailing ... pdf here

• Battery Metal Nickel Rattled By Indonesian Events - more
• Indonesia tax revenues hit by falling commodity prices, official says - more

   NUM worried about ‘possible bloodbath of job losses’ on multiple fronts - The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is worried about a “possible bloodbath of job losses” across multiple sectors, including steel, .... - more

  The European Commission's decision on steel import quotas shocked Eurofer lobbyists - Eurofer sought a 50% reduction in quotas for flat rolled products, as well as a 32-41% increase in the protective duty  ... - more

• US tariffs threaten the future of European steel industry – EUROFER - more
• Canada and the EU swiftly retaliate against Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs - more

   Steel and Aluminium Dues Hurt U.S. Neighbors Most - How will the Trump administration's 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports, in effect as of today, affect the United States' trading partners? Model ... - more

• AISI Statement on Implementation of Additional Steel Tariffs - more

   Other News

• Ailing Swedish EV battery firm Northvolt files for bankruptcy - more
• US Commerce chief says nothing will stop metals tariffs, will add copper protections - more
• Walmart Gets an Earful From China Over Response to Trump Tariffs - more
• The Border Trade That Could Collapse Due to Tariffs - more
• Many Americans see Trump's actions on economy as too erratic, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds - more

  Economic Stats and Prices (posted in Friday edition)

  Daily Nickel/Stainless Steel Briefing 

• Nickel closed Tuesday's trading session at $7.48/lb  ($16,500/tonne). Indicators at 5:20 am CST today show nickel trading around $.11/lb  higher. Stockpiles of nickel stored in LME licensed warehouses rose on Tuesday and started today reading just under the 199,700 tonne level. Shanghai nickel rose to 133,680 y/t overnight. Nickel continues its Euro fueled bullish run today, both trading at levels not seen since October. U.S. markets were riled for a second day yesterday after another drama filled on again, off again, tariff threat laden, work day. By days end, U.S. officials had agreed to sit down with Canadian officials and negotiate, and retaliatory electrical surcharges and threats of doubling of steel and aluminum tariffs were put on hold. While two parties talking is always better than saber rattling, the U.S. president's insistence in making Canada a U.S. state makes it hard to believe much will be accomplished. It has been said numerous times that investors and markets do not like not knowing what is going on, and right now, that would be an understatement. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was challenged on her claim yesterday that "Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people, and the president is a staunch advocate for tax cuts.”, by attacking the reporter for questioning her. If this is actually what the Trump administration thinks about tariff's, then we suspect a long summer of "tax cuts" in our future. Stay safe out there and have a great hump day! 
• Average price of LME traded cash nickel so far this month - $7.24/lb
  

    Tuesday's market review - Copper rises with support from weaker dollar, decline of available LME stocks - Copper prices rose on Tuesday as support from a weaker dollar and a decline in available inventories ... - more

   More mining smelters at risk of closure due to rising costs and falling ferrochrome prices - More mining smelters in South Africa will likely close down due to higher costs of production that are impacting operators ... - more

   China’s stainless steel production to increase to support nickel pig iron prices - Chinese stainless steelmakers were expected to increase output in March, further supporting nickel pig iron prices and putting ... - more

• Baosteel Desheng installs VOD system for high-grade stainless steel production - more

   Indonesian miners group urges government to reconsider royalty hike plan -  Indonesian Mining Association on Tuesday urged the government to reconsider a plan to hike royalty rates for mining products as.. .. - more

   Trump metals tariffs draw swift EU retaliation -  President Donald Trump's increased tariffs on all U.S. steel and aluminum imports took effect on Wednesday, stepping up a campaign to reorder global trade in favor .. - more

   Other News

• Ontario Hits Back Against Trump Tariffs with Tax on Power Exports - more
• Trump raises Canadian steel, aluminum tariffs to 50% in retaliation for Ontario energy duties - more
• Former Philippines President Duterte forced onto plane to The Hague after ICC arrest, his daughter says - more
• Trump rejects pleas from business for more clarity on tariffs: ‘They always say that’ - more
• MySteel 2025 Global Ni & Cr, Stainless Steel and Coal & Coke Industry Conference - pdf here
• Series of violent weekend incidents in Greater Nouméa area - more

  Economic Stats and Prices (posted in Friday edition)

  Daily Nickel/Stainless Steel Briefing 

• Nickel closed Monday's trading session at $7.52/lb  ($16,570/tonne). Indicators at 5:40 am CST today show nickel trading around $.05/lb  lower. Stockpiles of nickel stored  in LME licensed warehouses rose to read just over the 199,300 tonne level yesterday. Shanghai nickel rose to 132,990 y/t overnight. US stock markets fell hard yesterday after President Trump refused to dismiss the risk of a recession. Nickel held strong thru the day, but in after market sales the stock rout even pulled nickel lower. And with a surging Euro to support it, nickel continues to struggle this morning. Stay safe out there and have a great day!
• Average price of LME traded cash nickel so far this month -  $7.22/lb
  

    Monday's market review - Copper under pressure from tariffs and growth angst -  Copper prices slipped on Monday as the market focused on the negative consequences for global economic growth and ... - more

   Taiwan’s stainless steel export price hits new high in Jan - Taiwan’s import and export volumes of stainless steel declined simultaneously in January. - more

   SunSirs: Cost Support Was Strong, and Stainless Steel Prices Slightly Increased This Week  - According to the price monitoring of SunSirs, the price of stainless steel has slightly increased this week. - more

   Critical mineral prices spike in China as export curbs bite - Prices of some rare metals have nearly doubled this year as Beijing and Washington tussle for control of global resources - more

   Nickel miners dig up Indonesia’s Gebe Island despite Indigenous and legal opposition - Abdul Manan Magtiblo watched the excavator dump a piece of Gebe Island into the back of a truck. Barely a thicket remained ... - more

   Courtesy AISI - In the week ending on March 8, 2025, domestic raw steel production was 1,671,000 net tons while the capability utilization rate was 75.0 percent. Production was 1,696,000 net tons in the week ending March 8, 2024, while the capability utilization then was 76.4 percent. - more

   Other News

• Global Terrorism Index 2025 - pdf here
• US firms’ default risk hits 9.2%, a post-financial crisis high - more
• Tesla Sales Fall Off A Cliff Globally, Including Germany, Australia, And China - more
• BlackRock’s Fink says Trump deportations will have severe impact on agriculture, construction - more
• Freeport-McMoRan hopes Trump declares copper a critical mineral - more

  Economic Stats and Prices (posted in Friday edition)

  Daily Nickel/Stainless Steel Briefing 

• Nickel closed Friday's trading session at $7.49/lb ($16,510/tonne). Indicators at 5:30 am CST today show nickel trading around $.03/lb  higher. Stockpiles of nickel stored in LME licensed warehouses fell on Friday and ended the week reading just over the 197,800 tonne level. The daily reading came within 510 tonnes of the 200,000 tonne level on Thursday. Shanghai nickel continues its bullish run, up to 132,680 y/t overnight. So what happned since our last update. The long delayed Canadian and Mexican tariff's went into place and just as quickly, much of it was delayed yet again. We may stop reporting on tariff's untul they have been in place for 48 hours, because the only ones that seem to stick are the ones against China - now up to 20%, or when you add it to the 25% that has been in place for awhile now - 45% across the board. This week, the 25% tariff on aluminum and steel is supposed to go into effect (12th).... maybe. In regard to the latter, and of great interest to some of our readers, HS chapter 73 (fasteners) appears to be completely included this time around (more). Tariff uncertainties, and a potential trade war to follow, are keeping world markets in flux. Nickel rose late in the week, trading in territory it hasn't seen since mid October. There was talk that some of the nickel operations in Indonesia are shutting down for various reasons, including, in some cases, a lack of feed stock. A decade ago, what happened in Indonesia, did not matter to world supply and demand numbers. Now, its the single most important country to the supply variable. If the London Metal inventory numbers mean anything, we still have plenty of excess supply out there. Those same numbers show cancelled warrants have jumped in the last few weeks, and there was a time that meant demand might have increased. Time will tell. Here are your average prices for February, compared to January. Nickel - $6.93/lb compared to $6.97/lb in January; Chrome - $5.18/lb compared to $5.20/lb; Molybdenum - $21.13/lb compared to $21.20/lb. 
• Thank you very much for all the well wishes that we discovered in the email this weekend. Please forgive me for not answering them individually, but know they were greatly appreciated. As to what happened, without being too indelicate, let's just say that my doctor's advice to drink lots of water was in hindsight, probably not the best advise. After suffering in pain for 5 days, we went to the emergency room Tuesday after the morning update - and did not get out of the hospital until early Friday morning. Back in the Middle Ages, when all sorts of new weapons of torture were being invented, someone came up one day with the idea for the Foley catheder. Of course, we kid - now that we can. Once they got me cleaned out they had to keep me under observation as my kidneys had come dangerously close to shutting down and my blood toxicity was way up. And since they are not sure what caused this debacle, they left me with the Foley intact. So, I am just beginning on a journey to learn about the why it happened. If I can offer an advise, if you strain to go number one but can't more than a tinkle, and your stomach starts to swell and the pain grows, don't mess around and hope it gets better like we did. 
• Average price of LME traded cash nickel so far this month - $7.17/lb
  

    Friday's market review - Copper eases on weak China data, risk-averse investors - Copper prices slipped on Friday on weak trade data from top metals consumer China, selling by miners and as investors ...- more

   Sumitomo cuts nickel output forecast in Madagascar due to system glitches - Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp on Monday slashed its output estimate of nickel at its Ambatovy project in Madagascar due to ,,, - more

   Indonesia Mulls Tax Hikes on Miners Due to Budgetary Pressures - Indonesia is proposing hiking royalties paid by miners in a bid to bolster public finances that are being strained by President Prabowo Subianto’s... - more

• 54 smelters in operation, 60 in the process of securing permits: BKPM - more

   Ban on nickel ore exports will also hurt PHL - While the Philippines plan ot ban nickel ore exports could trigger a global supply squeeze and raise prices, ir could also result in lower earnings for exporters.... - more

   Merafe may idle up to two-thirds of ferrochrome production - Merafe Resources could mothball up to two-thirds of ferrochrome production in terms of a business review which is expected to be completed by May. - more

   Nickel CEO says Canada can ship its critical minerals ‘anywhere’ in the world amid U.S. tariffs - The CEO of one critical mineral company says Canada provides nearly half of all nickel supplies to the U.S. and could ... - more

• Canadian Tariffs Will Undermine U.S. Minerals Security - more
• Tariffs on Canadian Potash Imports - more  (surprised Canada has not attached a 25%+ export duty or export freeze on necessities like potash, nickel, lumber, oil, etc.)

   Other News

• Prabowo’s golden dream and Indonesia’s ‘dark’ realities collide - more
• The US vs China: the race for Africa’s critical minerals - more
• Study underway in New Caledonia to determine future status - more
• Who holds US national debt? - more
• Has President Trump Learned the Right Economic Lessons from President McKinley? - pdf here
• Letter from US Steel Industry to President Trump - pdf here

  Economic Stats and Prices (posted in Friday edition)

  Daily Nickel/Stainless Steel Briefing 

• Nickel closed Monday's trading session at $7.22/lb ($15,915/tonne). Indicators at 5:25 am CST today show nickel trading around $.01/lb lower. Stockpiles of nickel stored in LME licensed warehouses rose on Monday and read just over the 195,350 y/t overnight. Shanghai nickel ticked higher to 127,210 y/t overnight. Nickel continues to trade north of the February trend lines, but uncertainty over the impact of U.S. tariff's appear to be tamping down any over-enthusiasm. Your author is heading to the hospital this morning, as last weeks self diagnosis was wrong and the medicine the doctor put us on appears to have given up. If we are admitted, and I suspect that is a good possibility, I will not be able to update this site until I am home. Please forgive me for any delay in the daily updates. In the mean time, stay healthy and have a great day!
  
• Average price of LME traded cash nickel so far this month - $7.08/lb
  

    Monday's market review - Copper pressured by US tariff threat, but China data supports - Copper prices came under pressure on Monday from the threat of tariffs on U.S. imports, but stronger industrial activity... - more

   SMM Exclusive: Overview of China Metal Production in February 2025 and March Forecast - SMM's monthly metal production data is scheduled for release at each month-end, aiming to uncover the true ... - more

   Tsingshan cuts Indonesian nickel output due to tight ore supplies - Top nickel producer China’s Tsingshan has cut ferronickel production in Indonesia due to persistent shortages of ore caused by delays to mining ... - more

• Indonesia’s Nickel Boom Is Forcing Its Own Smelters to Shut Down - more

   Courtesy AISI - In the week ending on March 1, 2025, domestic raw steel production was 1,641,000 net tons while the capability utilization rate was 73.7 percent. Production was 1,721,000 net tons in the week ending March 1, 2024, while the capability utilization then was 77.5 percent. - more

   Other News

• ‘No room left’ for a deal: Trump says Canada, Mexico tariffs take effect Tuesday - more
• Trump Tariffs: Tracking the Economic Impact of the Trump Trade War - more
• Trump pauses all US military aid to Ukraine after clash with Zelenskiy - more

  Economic Stats and Prices (posted in Friday edition)

  Daily Nickel/Stainless Steel Briefing 

• Nickel closed Friday's trading session at $7.04/lb ($15,525/tonne). Indicators at 5:20 am CST today show nickel trading around $.08/lb  higher. Stockpiles of nickel stored in LME licensed warehouses rose on Friday and end the day, week and month reading just over the 195,150 tonne level. Shanghai nickel rose to 127,090 y/t overnight. Nickel is trading higher this morning, possibly because the Euro is spiking against the U.S. Dollar. We would like to introduce a new site advertiser. Nickel Systems is a fastener distributor like few others. While much of the fastener industry stays away from stocking what many in the industry call "exotic materials", Nickel Systems makes this their primary inventory. Check out the line card on their web site and if you are an end user, or fellow fastener distributor, this is contact information worth keeping handy We welcome them as an ess advertiser. Stay safe out there and have a great week!
• Average price of LME traded cash nickel so far this month - $6.93/lb (Feb average)
  

    Friday's market review - Copper slips to lowest in over two weeks on trade war fears - Copper slumped to the weakest in more than two weeks on Friday, weighed down by worries about a trade war in retaliation ... - more

   China's ferro chrome prices remain firm w-o-w despite softening demand - The ferro chrome market experienced stable pricing conditions, with prices for high- and medium-carbon ferro chrome remaining unchanged. - more

   Taiwan’s Sinkang expects clearer stainless steel market conditions in Q2 - Stainless steel prices have been supported to a certain extent recently by the rise in raw materials. The steel market is paying attention... - more

   Will EU's Clean Industrial Deal benefit stainless steel producers? - European stainless steel producers will be hoping to benefit from a new Clean Industrial Deal, unveiled by the European Commission yesterday... - more

   Exclusive: Canada to extend mineral exploration tax credit for two more years, minister says - Canada will extend a tax credit on mineral exploration for two additional years as part of the government's move to... - more

   In Brazil, mining giant Vale is sued over metal contamination found in Indigenous peoples - Brazil’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office is suing the giant mining company Vale, the Brazilian government and the Amazon ... - more

   Other News

• Trump makes US copper mining a focus of his domestic minerals policy - more
• Top Pitfalls to Avoid When Modernizing Your Warehouse - more
• China's earliest fire-making toolset from 7,000 years ago unearthed in Jiangsu Province - more

  Economic Stats and Prices (posted in Friday edition)