Coal and Steel

Have coal prices now seen their cyclical lows or are declines structural? The answer is important to an efficient but debt-heavy Whitehaven Coal.

Wrap of events affecting the market on Friday night and the weekend and a preview of the week ahead.

After a flat session, Wall Street remains poised just under the top of the long-standing trading range. Dow up 18. (Accessible only for subscribers before 10:15 AEST)

Fortescue Metals benefitted from a stronger iron ore price in the March quarter but brokers doubt the rally will be sustained.

JP Morgan posted a less bad then expected result last night and lit a fire under the US financials sector. Dow up 187. (Accessible only for subscribers before 10:15 AEST)

Word is Saudi Arabia and Russia plan to reach an agreement on oil production before the Doha meeting. Oil and metal prices have jumped as a result. Dow up 164. (Accessible only for subscribers before 10:15 AEST)

For the second session in a row, the Dow gave up a 150 point gain to close modestly changed, this time down 20. (Accessible only for subscribers before 10:15 AEST)

Breakdown in mineral sands discipline; support for gold; copper vulnerable to downside; nickel still loss-makiing; Oz iron ore shipments decline; steel margins expand.

Wrap of events affecting the market on Friday night and the weekend and a preview of the week ahead.

Suddenly Wall Street is concerned about the rise in the yen, and the subsequent prospect of Japanese rates going even further into the negative. Dow down 174. (Accessible only for subscribers before 10:15 AEST)