Latest market news

Amag’s earnings up in 3Q but down in year so far

  • : Metals
  • 24/10/31

Austrian aluminium producer Amag posted higher revenues and earnings on the year in the third quarter, but both fell in the first nine months of the year amid challenging market conditions.

Amag's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) rose by 8.3pc on the year to €52.2mn ($56.6mn) in the third quarter of this year, while Ebitda over the first nine months of the year fell 11.1pc to €147.6mn.

Revenues climbed 7.1pc on the year to €370.9mn in July-September, on shipment volumes that rose by 2.4pc on the year to 109,100t. Revenues reached €1.079bn in the first nine months of this year, down 5.6pc from the previous year, and shipments fell 1.3pc to 323,300t over that period.

"With the economic situation in many European countries remaining subdued, we have so far succeeded in generating solid earnings through product mix shifts and a high degree of flexibility," chief executive Dr Helmut Kaufmann said. "Nevertheless, the weak industrial economy in Europe is leading to increasing pressure on prices and volumes in numerous industries."

Amag confirmed its Ebitda target for 2024 at €160-180mn.


Related news posts

Argus illuminates the markets by putting a lens on the areas that matter most to you. The market news and commentary we publish reveals vital insights that enable you to make stronger, well-informed decisions. Explore a selection of news stories related to this one.

24/10/31

First northwest European HRC options trade on CME

First northwest European HRC options trade on CME

London, 31 October (Argus) — Options contracts settled against the Argus northwest European hot-rolled coil (HRC) index traded today for the first time since their launch on the CME Group exchange more than two years ago. An option on the northwest European HRC contract on CME (EHR) traded today at a premium of €20/t for the right to buy a strip for the first quarter of 2025 (50 lots or 1,000t of January, February and March) at €700/t. Options are a financial contract offering the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an underlying asset — in this case the EHR futures contract — for a specific price at a specific point in time. The right to buy is called a call option; the right to sell a put option. The buyer pays a premium to have this right, which is typically used to protect against an adverse market move. The Argus northwest European HRC index stood at €558.75/t on Wednesday, while the January-March futures contracts are currently trading at about €620/t, putting the call option above the current spot market price and forward curve for the contracts in question. Market participants suggested the trade could be part of a ‘short collar' strategy, in which someone who is ‘long' on the underlying futures contract (trading on anticipation of an upwards move) buys a put option (the right to sell at an agreed price) to protect their long position for a premium, but then sells a call option to receive a higher premium to offset the cost of the put. CME Group launched the EHR futures contract in March 2020. Since then more than 3.6mn t of steel futures have traded, with more than 1mn t this year alone. Open interest — a measure of liquidity measuring the volume of open contracts — currently stands at a record high of more than 230,000t. Options were added in May 2022. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Codelco Cu output recovers in 3Q


24/10/31
24/10/31

Codelco Cu output recovers in 3Q

London, 31 October (Argus) — Chilean state-owned Codelco's copper output fell on the year in January-September, but rose in the third quarter. January-September production fell by 5pc to 918,000t. Chief executive Ruben Alvarado attributed this to a fatal accident in March at the Radomiro Tomic unit that halted operations for over a month, as well as delayed start-up at the Rajo Inca unit. Despite declining ore levels at some key deposits, third-quarter copper production was up by 1.5pc on the year, at 338,000t. Adjusted January-September earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation increased by 21pc on the year to $4bn, reflecting higher copper prices. The company expects production from the Andes Norte expansion at its El Teniente unit to start in the first quarter of 2025, while the Andesita project should come on line in the next few months. Rajo Inca should be on stream before the year's end. By Roxana Lazar Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

US economy grows by 2.8pc in 3Q, led by consumers


24/10/30
24/10/30

US economy grows by 2.8pc in 3Q, led by consumers

Houston, 30 October (Argus) — The US economy grew by an annualized 2.8pc in the third quarter, led by consumer and government spending and exports. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth slowed from 3pc in the second quarter, the Commerce Department reported today. Personal consumption grew at a 3.7pc pace, up from 2.8pc in the second quarter and 3.5pc a year earlier. Today's GDP estimate is the first of three for the quarter, and comes in slightly below analyst estimates in a Trading Economics survey of 3pc growth. The latest figure marks a 10th quarter of GDP growth since a 1pc contraction in the first quarter of 2022. It comes ahead of a closely fought presidential election on 5 November in which the health of the economy is a major issue. Exports grew by 8.9pc in the latest quarter compared with 1pc in the second quarter. Imports, which subtract from growth, grew by 11.2pc. Government spending, including investment for defense, rose by 5pc following 3.1pc growth in the second quarter. Private domestic investment slowed to 0.3pc growth from 8.3pc growth. Residential investment fell by 5.1pc, as the housing market remains in a downturn, after declining by 2.8pc in the second quarte r. By Bob Willis Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Glencore base metals output falls in 3Q, FeCr rises


24/10/30
24/10/30

Glencore base metals output falls in 3Q, FeCr rises

London, 30 October (Argus) — Global mining group Glencore's output of copper, zinc and cobalt fell slightly on the year in the third quarter, while its nickel production registered a larger decrease and ferro-chrome output increased sharply. Glencore produced 242,600t of refined copper in July-September, down by 2pc from the same quarter last year. Production for January-September totalled 705,200t, down by 4pc on the year, although the decrease was equivalent to 2pc when factoring in the sale of the Cobar mine in Australia in June last year. Cobalt production fell by 2pc on the year to 10,600t and was down by 18pc for January-September at 26,500t, pressured by lower run rates at the Democratic Republic of Congo's Mutanda mine that were planned in response to a weaker cobalt pricing environment. Zinc output decreased by 5pc to 226,400t in the third quarter and by 4pc on the year in January-September. The lower volumes this year were attributed to decreased output from the Antamina mine in Peru as a result of a mining sequence that has exhibited lower zinc grades and higher copper grades, and disruption to operations at the McArthur River operation in Australia in the first quarter as the result of a tropical cyclone. These headwinds were partially offset this year by the ramp-up of the Zhairem operation at Glencore's Kazzinc business in Kazakhstan. Nickel output fell by 18pc on the year to 18,100t in the third quarter, with the decrease attributed to the transition of Glencore's Koniambo operation in New Caledonia into care and maintenance in February. That also pushed January-September production down by 9pc on the year to 62,300t, with the decrease partially offset by higher volumes from the Murrin Murrin mine in Australia. Glencore's ferro-chrome production surged by 89pc on the year in the third quarter to 295,000t, lifting January-September output to 894,000t, a 2pc increase from the same period in 2023. Ferro-chrome output in the first half of 2024 had lagged the previous year by 16pc, which Glencore attributed to the continued idling of its Rustenburg smelter, for which a restart was pending an improvement to the cost and price environment. The group did not state in its results whether the third-quarter jump in ferro-chrome output was the result of any restart to operations at the Rustenburg smelter. Additional factors that could drive ferro-chrome output increases would include higher production rates and fewer offline days at Glencore's other smelter complexes in South Africa. By Ronan Murphy Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Finland's Terrafame to cut battery jobs on EVs slowdown


24/10/30
24/10/30

Finland's Terrafame to cut battery jobs on EVs slowdown

London, 30 October (Argus) — Finnish battery chemicals maker Terrafame is set to cut its workforce on slowing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and battery materials, joining a growing number of companies adjusting their operations in view of challenging market conditions. "According to the company's initial estimate, the maximum personnel reduction need would be 75 person-years," the firm said, nearly 10pc of its 826-strong workforce as of the end of last month. The firm is also looking to shift employees to part-time positions and change job descriptions. The news is the latest in a series of blows for the Finnish firm, after reporting a 34pc year-on-year fall in battery chemicals sales revenue over the first half of this year. And in April, the firm temporarily halted one of its battery chemicals plants after several weeks of workers strikes. Terrafame has supply agreements with German cathode active materials producer Umicore , American-French-Italian carmaker Stellantis and French carmaker Renault for high-grade nickel sulphate to be used in EV batteries. By Chris Welch Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Generic Hero Banner

Business intelligence reports

Get concise, trustworthy and unbiased analysis of the latest trends and developments in oil and energy markets. These reports are specially created for decision makers who don’t have time to track markets day-by-day, minute-by-minute.

Learn more