Base Metals and Minerals

It was cynical bears versus newfound bulls last night as Wall Street recovered from early selling. Dow down 40.

Investors shrugged off an ugly jobs read, closing out the week on a positive note ahead of what should be the start of an ugly reporting season next week.

Wall Street was happy with FASB changes and G20 progress last night. Dow up 200.

It’s the deal you have when you’re not having a deal, and it’s a cracker.

Wall Street reversed an early drop to kick off the new quarter on a positive note. Dow up 150.

History shows April is usually a cracker month for the Australian stock market.

It was a case of bad quarter, great month as March wrapped up on Wall Street with the Dow up 86. (Locked for subscribers until 10:00 AEDT)

Record surpluses and excess capacity at a time of weak demand are likely to keep a lid on aluminium prices, with only a modest recovery expected in coming years.

The rally hit a snag last night as the US government suggested GM may have to go into bankruptcy. Dow down 254.

Standard Chartered suggests the Chinese stimulus package will help but won’t push commodity prices significantly higher, though there are still opportunities in the sector according to Deutsche Bank.