SMM Morning Comments: Crude Oil Rose while Ferrous Metals Dropped

Published: Feb 25, 2022 11:36 (GMT+8)
Source: SMM
The US dollar fell slightly in early trading today because investors believed that US sanctions on Russia were weaker than expected. Meanwhile, the market speculated that the US Fed will not raise interest rates sharply at the March meeting.

SHANGHAI, Feb 25 (SMM) - The US dollar fell slightly in early trading today because investors believed that US sanctions on Russia were weaker than expected. Meanwhile, the market speculated that the US Fed will not raise interest rates sharply at the March meeting.

On the aspect of crude oil, as of 9: 54 a. m., US oil rose by 2.7%, while Brent Crude rose by 2.78%. The tense Russia-Ukraine conflict still kept the international crude oil futures on the rise today, even though the US indicated that it would continue to reserve oil, and the latest sanctions from the US yesterday did not include restricting Russian crude oil supply.

In the domestic metal market, there were gains and losses in early trading today, with SHFE nickel leading the decline by 0.79%, SHFE aluminium dropping slightly by 0.44,% and SHFE zinc falling by 0.36%. The rest metals slightly rose, with SHFE tin leading the increase by 0.62%, SHFE copper and lead rising slightly by about 0.3%.

Prices of all ferrous metals dropped. The prices of iron ore and rebar fell 2.28% and 2.19% respectively. The hot-rolled coil and stainless steel prices also fell more than 1%. The decline of coke and coking coal was slightly narrower than that of overnight, with coke dropping by 1.56% and coking coal dropping slightly by 0.23%.

On the overseas market, LME aluminium stopped rising and fell 1.49% in early trading, and LME nickel dropped 0.93%. LME Zinc fell by 0.88%. LME copper and lead rose slightly by about 0.4%.

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM's internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or for more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn
For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn
Related News
Centinela Union to Vote on Wage Offer Next Week, Expected Rejection Could Trigger Strike Process
42 mins ago
Centinela Union to Vote on Wage Offer Next Week, Expected Rejection Could Trigger Strike Process
Read More
Centinela Union to Vote on Wage Offer Next Week, Expected Rejection Could Trigger Strike Process
Centinela Union to Vote on Wage Offer Next Week, Expected Rejection Could Trigger Strike Process
Luis Redlich, president of the Centinela District union at Antofagasta Minerals’ Centinela copper mine, said the union will vote on the company’s wage proposal next week. He described negotiations as having reached an impasse and expects members to reject the offer, which would initiate the strike process. Redlich acknowledged that workers’ demands were high but said he believed an agreement could still be reached through government mediation. Centinela produced approximately 174,300mt of copper in concentrate last year. Antofagasta had previously planned to invest $3.7 billion to expand the mine, but is reassessing the project following Chile’s increase in mining taxes. Under Chilean law, if the offer is rejected, the parties must enter a five-day government mediation process, which can be extended by another five days, before a legal strike can take place. Any production stoppage at Centinela would weaken Antofagasta’s ability to meet its second-half output targets, while its full-year copper production guidance of 650,000–700,000 tonnes is already under pressure.
42 mins ago
High copper prices and raw material shortages constrain each other, with overseas copper scrap coefficients remaining stable [SMM Weekly Review on Secondary Copper Raw Materials Outside China]
53 mins ago
High copper prices and raw material shortages constrain each other, with overseas copper scrap coefficients remaining stable [SMM Weekly Review on Secondary Copper Raw Materials Outside China]
Read More
High copper prices and raw material shortages constrain each other, with overseas copper scrap coefficients remaining stable [SMM Weekly Review on Secondary Copper Raw Materials Outside China]
High copper prices and raw material shortages constrain each other, with overseas copper scrap coefficients remaining stable [SMM Weekly Review on Secondary Copper Raw Materials Outside China]
53 mins ago
2026 SMM National Day Holiday Processing Enterprise Holiday Survey - Copper Plate/Sheet and Strip [SMM Analysis] [SMM Analysis]
58 mins ago
2026 SMM National Day Holiday Processing Enterprise Holiday Survey - Copper Plate/Sheet and Strip [SMM Analysis] [SMM Analysis]
Read More
2026 SMM National Day Holiday Processing Enterprise Holiday Survey - Copper Plate/Sheet and Strip [SMM Analysis] [SMM Analysis]
2026 SMM National Day Holiday Processing Enterprise Holiday Survey - Copper Plate/Sheet and Strip [SMM Analysis] [SMM Analysis]
With the National Day holiday approaching, SMM surveyed the production plans of 10 large, medium, and small copper plate/sheet and strip enterprises, with a combined annual capacity of 1.24 million mt. The specific holiday arrangements are as follows:
58 mins ago
SMM Morning Comments: Crude Oil Rose while Ferrous Metals Dropped - Shanghai Metals Market (SMM)