New products
On 11 March 2019 we launched seven new cash-settled futures: two hot-rolled coil, two aluminium premiums, alumina, cobalt and molybdenum. We've developed this new suite of products to specifically reflect global metals markets’ needs to help to reduce losses and protect against volatile prices.
Full details of index providers and contract specifications are set out below.
Listen to these webinars to find out more about the new contracts.
One further futures contract and two options contracts in this suite of products will follow at a later date (subject to regulatory approval and rulebook consultation).
Aluminium suite
Three new contracts have expanded our offering to the aluminium supply chain, giving producers and consumers a transparent pricing solution for premiums and the alumina industry:
- LME Alumina (CRU/Fastmarkets MB)
- LME Aluminium Premium Duty paid US Midwest (Platts)
- LME Aluminium Premium Duty Unpaid European (Fastmarkets MB)
Index providers
| Contract name | Price Reporting Agency | Index name |
| LME Alumina (CRU/Fastmarkets MB) | CRU/Fastmarkets | CRU Alumina Price Index/Fastmarkets MB Alumina Index FOB BunburyAustralia ($ per tonne) |
| LME Aluminium Premium Duty paid US Midwest (Platts) | Platts | Platts Aluminium Transaction Premium DDP US Midwest |
| LME Aluminium Premium Duty Unpaid European (Fastmarkets MB) | Fastmarkets | Fastmarkets MB Aluminium P1020A In-Warehouse Rotterdam Duty-Unpaid |
Day-delayed pricing and trading summaries for each contract will be available on following pages from Tuesday 12 March 2019 onwards:
- LME Alumina (CRU/Fastmarkets MB)
- LME Aluminium Premium Duty paid US Midwest (Platts)
- LME Aluminium Premium Duty Unpaid European (Fastmarkets MB)
Contact our Product Development Team for more details on these new aluminium products.
Electric vehicle battery metals
As part of our commitment to provide the electric vehicle industry with transparent pricing solutions in the coming years, we’ve launched a new cash-settled contract for cobalt. This product will complement our existing physically-settled contract and give market participants greater choice:
Index provider
| Contract name | Price Reporting Agency | Index name |
| LME Cobalt (Fastmarkets MB) | Fastmarkets | Fastmarkets MB Cobalt Standard Grade free market $/tonne in warehouse |
We are also exploring additional risk management tools for the electric vehicles industry, in particular for lithium - visit our electric vehicles battery metals section for more information.
Day-delayed pricing and trading summaries will be available the LME Cobalt (Fastmarkets MB) page from Tuesday 12 March 2019 onwards.
Get in touch for details on the new cobalt contract and our future plans in the electric vehicle battery space.
Ferrous
In an increasingly volatile market, to sit alongside our steel scrap and rebar contracts we’ll be launching two new hot-rolled coil (HRC) contracts in Q1:
We are also working to deliver a further HRC contract - LME Steel HRC N. Europe - in response to feedback from market participants.
Index providers
| Contract name | Price Reporting Agency | Index name |
| LME Steel HRC FOB China (Argus) | Argus | Argus HRC FOB Tianjin China |
| LME Steel HRC N. America (Platts) | Platts | Platts TSI HRC US EXW Indiana |
Day-delayed pricing and trading summaries for these contracts will be available on the following pages from Tuesday 12 March 2019:
Our Product Development Team have more information on the ferrous suite, including the new contracts.
Minor metals
In addition to our new cash-settled cobalt contract which forms part of our EV battery metals offering, we’ve also developed a cash-settled molybdenum contract designed to provide the best on-exchange hedging solution for this market:
Index provider
| Contract name | Price Reporting Agency | Index name |
| LME Molybdenum (Platts) | Platts | Platts Molybdenum Oxide Daily Dealer (Global) |
Day-delayed pricing and trading summaries will be available on the LME Molybdenum (Platts) page from Tuesday 12 March 2019.
Precious metals
To complement our LMEprecious offering, introduced in July 2017, we’ll be launching two options contracts in due course:
- LME Gold options
- LME Silver options.
For more details on the new contracts speak to our Precious Metals Team.
Member notices
- LME Clear Notice 19 012 Margin Parameters - new products
- 18 194 Consultation on Proposed Amendments to the LME and LME Clear Rules - Strategic Pathway Initiatives and Misc Rule Amendments
- 18 195 Market Engagement on Trial of Electronic Closing Prices and Trade-at-Settlement Order Books
- 19 020 New cash-settled futures specifications published
- 19 043 New cash settled futures fees
Contact us
For further information please email our Sales team.