CAPITAL MARKETS

Nickel, copper fall

While palladium continues to rise

This article is 6 years old. Images might not display.

At least four people are thought to have died of the coronavirus in Wuhan, China.

The illness is being compared to the SARS virus, which killed hundreds of people in Asia in the early 2000s.

After heavy falls in stocks in Shanghai and Hong Kong yesterday, Wall Street fell about 0.3%.

ASX futures were down 2 points.

Gold was steady at US$1558.20 an ounce, while palladium added another 0.6% to a new record high of $2239/oz.

Nickel dropped 2.6% in London to $13,584 per tonne, a 2020 low, while copper fell 1.7% to a two-week low of $6128.50/t.

"Most metals made the session lows in the London AM, with heavy turnover noted," Marex Spectron's Dee Perera said.

"On the wires from the World Economic Forum in Davos which began today, Trump commented that the second phase of US-China trade deal is to begin soon and the relationship with China has never been better."

The MySteel 62% Australian iron ore fines price rose 0.5% to $96/t ahead of the start of Chinese New Year on Friday.

TOPICS:

Expert-led Insights reports and Analytics tools built on robust data, rigorous analysis and expert commentary covering mining Risk, Projects, ESG, Leadership, and Investor Sentiment.

Expert-led Insights reports and Analytics tools built on robust data, rigorous analysis and expert commentary covering mining Risk, Projects, ESG, Leadership, and Investor Sentiment.

editions

Investor Sentiment Insights 2026

Discover what investors have planned for mining in 2026 in our industry-leading survey

editions

World Risk Insights 2025 (feat. MineHutte ratings)

A detailed analysis of mining investment risks across 120 jurisdictions globally, assessed across six risk categories and an industrywide survey.

editions

ESG Index 2025: Benchmarking the Future of Sustainable Mining

The ESG Index provides an in-depth evaluation of the ESG performance of 60+ of the world’s largest mining companies. It assesses companies across 10 weighted indicators within 6 essential ESG pillars.

editions

Leadership Insights 2025

Leadership Insights reveals key trends in priority mining issues through interviews with 15+ top mining company executives and an industrywide survey.