SHANGHAI, May 19 (SMM) – HRC futures prices closed down 0.96% at 3,722 yuan/mt today. Quotations in major spot markets were raised this week.

SHANGHAI, May 19 (SMM) – Rebar futures prices closed down 1.35% at 3,645 yuan/mt today.

SHANGHAI, May 19 (SMM) - The production of some smelters such as Anhui Huabo and Shandong Zhongqing will recover in May, while others such as Hubei Jinyang and Xinzi will undertake maintenance.

SHANGHAI, May 19 (SMM) – Electrode prices temporarily stabilised this week as raw material prices stopped falling.

SHANGHAI, May 19 (SMM) – The market prices of silicon coal went down due to falling coal prices and sluggish silicon metal market.

LME copper prices closed at $8,158.5/mt last evening, down 1.8%. Trading volume was 15,000 lots and open interest stood at 256,000 lots. SHFE 2306 copper contract finished at 65,190 yuan/mt last evening, down 0.62%. Trading volume was 34,000 lots, and open interest stood at 153,000 lots.

SHANGHAI, May 19 (SMM) – The most-traded SHFE 2306 aluminium contract opened at 18,475 yuan/mt overnight, with its low and high at 18,300 yuan/mt and 18,485 yuan/mt before closing at 18,405 yuan/mt, down 70 yuan/mt or 0.38%.

SHANGHAI, May 18 (SMM) – The most-traded DCE 2309 iron ore contract closed up 1.91% at 746.5 yuan/mt today May 18.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said on May 9 that pessimism about a weak global economy, inflation and continued turmoil in the banking industry overshadowed concerns about OPEC's production cuts, dragging down the outlook for crude oil, gasoline and diesel prices.

Following Barclays Plc, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. also advised clients in its latest report not to hold out hope that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates this year.