The latest Market Talks covering Commodities. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires throughout the day.
0314 GMT - Iron ore prices are higher in early Asia trade, thanks to a temporary decline in port arrivals, pre-holiday restocking by steel mills and elevated freight costs, says Huatai Futures analysts. They note gains are likely to be capped by ample seaborne supply and weak mill profitability. China's iron-ore arrivals are sharply lower, while global shipments remain elevated, showing near-term supply is tighter but may recover into the next cycle, they say. Demand recovery appears limited by weak steel-mill margins. The most actively traded January iron ore contract on the Dalian Commodity Exchange is 1.5% higher at CNY745.5 a ton. (jiahui.huang@wsj.com; @ivy_jiahuihuang)
0252 GMT - Palm oil rises in early Asian trading, driven by output worries amid El Nino conditions affecting both Malaysia and Indonesia, AmInvestment Bank says in a note. Technical analysis suggests CPO futures may see some consolidation or profit-taking near resistance levels, it says. The market is likely to adopt a buy-on-dips strategy as long as prices remain above 4,850 ringgit-4,900 ringgit a ton, it adds. AmInvestment Bank expects palm oil prices to face resistance at 4,956 ringgit a ton and find support at 4,891 ringgit a ton. The Bursa Malaysia Derivatives contract for November delivery is up 22 ringgit at 4,951 ringgit a ton. (yingxian.wong@wsj.com)
0249 GMT - Zijin Mining's multimetal synergies should reinforce its earnings resilience, say DBS Group Research analysts in commentary. The Chinese miner is a key beneficiary of the broad-based rally across metals such as gold and copper, the analysts say. They expect the company to progressively restore its copper output through 2H as certain mines' production recover and ramp up. The lithium segment could also be a key contributor, with output expected to accelerate in 2H, the analysts say. DBS maintains its buy rating and target prices of 51.00 yuan for its Shanghai-listed shares and 55.00 Hong Kong dollars for its Hong Kong-listed shares, citing rising volume growth and high mining margins. Shares last at 33.07 yuan in China and HK$36.28 in Hong Kong. (megan.cheah@wsj.com)
0222 GMT - Copper edges lower in early Asian trading due to profit-taking. The metal has risen in recent sessions as supply side issues continue, ANZ analysts say. Top producer Chile posed its weakest second-quarter output in at least 19 years, they say. The country cuts its full-year production forecast for a second straight quarter and now expects a 2.6% decline, ANZ adds. The three-month LME copper contract is 0.2% lower at $14,389.00 a ton. (tracy.qu@wsj.com)
0048 GMT - Gold falls in early Asian trade, with spot gold 0.1% lower at $4,423.34 a troy ounce. The precious metal faces near-term headwinds including the risk of a U.S. sticky inflation reading this week, that could reinforce expectations of a rate hike, says Peter A. Grant, vice president and senior metals strategist at Zaner Metals in a note. Stronger-than-expected economic data, such as last Friday's robust U.S. jobs report, also uphold risk-on sentiment and lower immediate safe-haven demand for gold, he adds. Higher rates typically diminish the allure of the non-interest-bearing precious metal.(amanda.lee@wsj.com)
2217 GMT - Westgold Resources is poised to provide a new outlook this week, prompting Ord Minnett to consider what it might look like. Analyst Paul Kaner expects FY27 output of 405,000 oz of gold at an all-in sustaining cost of A$2,957/oz. "Thereafter, we see production growing to 484,000 oz by FY29 (consensus 508,000 oz) driven by Bluebird and the expansion of the Northern Ops milling infrastructure," Ord Minnett says. It expects growth capital of some A$720 million over the three years through FY29. That reflects spending on the mill expansion at the Meekatharra/Cue hubs offsetting the deferral of Higginsville capital as the company contemplates a 4 million tons/year expansion using ore from the Fletcher deposit. Ord Minnett retains a buy call on Westgold, which ended last week at A$6.48.