A summary of the financial performance by Tubacex, the Spanish manufacturer of seamless stainless steel tube, in the third quarter of 2020.In brief The market environment in July-September was still characterized by huge uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The global recession continued to affect major investment-related decision-making in the energy sector, which led to an overall demand dr...Read More
A summary of Swiss stainless steelmaker Swiss Steel Group's (formerly Schmolz + Bickenbach) financial results for the third quarter of 2020, July to September.In brief Year-on-year results were down for the third consecutive quarter, but sales volumes for the second half of the latest quarter were on a par with the equivalent period in 2019 First signs of improvement seen in the automotive...Read More
Despite a quicker-than-expected recovery across certain regions following the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic and expectations of a stronger recovery overall in 2021, a return to pre-coronavirus levels next year is unlikely, delegates attending Fastmarkets' International Ferro-alloys Conference heard."In the space of steel and ferro-alloys, if we are able to manage the Covid-19 pandemic...Read More
The chrome ore and alloy markets in China fell in the week to Tuesday November 10 in response to lower November ferro-chrome tender prices from major Chinese stainless steelmakers, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' chrome ore South Africa UG2 concentrates index, basis 42%, cif China edged down by $3 per tonne or 2.2% to $136 per tonne on Tuesday, from $139 per tonne the previous week.Ferro-chr...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 16 points in pre-opening trade.Index futures were virtually unchanged following release of U.S. economic news at 8:30 AM EST. Consensus for the October Consumer Price Index was an increase of 0.1% versus a gain of 0.2%. Actual was unchanged. Excluding food and energy, consensus for the October Consumer Price Index was...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday November 10 that are worth another look.Prices for steel billet imported to Southeast Asia have been heavily inflated amid bullish Chinese steel markets this week, market participants told Fastmarkets on November 10.The licenses for an additional 30,000...Read More
A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday November 10. Please click...Read More
Tin was the LME outlier on Tuesday November 10, with its price down 0.02% from Monday's close - when markets were boosted by Joe Biden's success in the US election and news of an effective vaccine against Covid-19 emerged. All other LME base metals closed up on the previous day's afternoon kerb on Tuesday, with most prices across the complex rangebound following a rally the previous day.But the ca...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing sessions on Tuesday November 10 in China, Europe and the United States.China The UG2 chrome ore market retreated with damped sentiment after leading Chinese stainless steelmakers lowered their November ferro-chrome tender prices by $15 per tonne month-on-month. Some liquidity was reported, with buyers looking for material, but the main sellers were absent from th...Read More
Seaborne prices for high-grade manganese ore were unlikely to spend much time at levels below $4 per dry metric tonne unit (dmtu) based on today's cost curve, an analyst said on Tuesday November 10.Speaking during Fastmarkets' International Ferro-alloys Conference, when asked about the floor price for manganese ore, Kevin Fowkes of AlloyConsult said that high stocks could continue to put pressure...Read More
Huasheng alumina refinery in Guangxi province, southern China, has started operations on its second production line that will add 1 million tonnes per year of alumina capacity to an already oversupplied market, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday November 9. "I heard their second operation line was ready for production and they began putting raw material into the newly-built operation line in late...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday November 10 that are worth another look.Prices for steel billet imported to Southeast Asia have been heavily inflated amid bullish Chinese steel markets this week, market participants told Fastmarkets on November 10.The licenses for an additional 30,000...Read More
The European titanium markets look set to remain buoyant through 2021 and well into 2022, with a shortage of titanium scrap underpinning both feedstock and alloy prices, according to industry sources.The titanium scrap market may be in deficit until at least early 2022, sources said, and aerospace - a key supply sector - is expected to struggle to recover output after the Covid-19 p...Read More
Steel scrap prices in Mexico rose again in all regions of the country during the week ended Friday November 6 amid strong demand and limited supply, with special interest from buyers in the obsolete grades like plate and structural scrap, turnings and shredded scrap.Prices were stronger in Mexico's central Baj?-o region, where buyers in San Luis Potos?- state were avidly seeking material and payin...Read More
The European titanium markets look set to remain buoyant through 2021 and well into 2022, with a shortage of titanium scrap underpinning both feedstock and alloy prices, according to industry sources.The titanium scrap market may be in deficit until at least early 2022, sources said, and aerospace - a key supply sector - is expected to struggle to recover output after the Covid-19 p...Read More
The Turkish steel mills remained out of the deep-sea scrap markets on the second working day of the current week, but were expected to resume their bookings with support from fresh rebar export sales, sources said on Tuesday November 10.Turkish steelmakers booked 11 deep-sea cargoes last week but stepped away from the market at the beginning of this week, when the exchange-rate value of the countr...Read More
Base metals prices on both the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange were mainly lower this morning, Tuesday November 10, while prices consolidated after Monday's double dose of positive news - that of Joe Biden winning the US presidential election and Pfizer announcing progress toward a potential Covid-19 vaccine. Asian Pacific equities mainly higher on the back of the vaccine news....Read More
First Cobalt Corp and Glencore have agreed to discuss a long-term feed purchase contract instead of the tolling arrangement originally contemplated. The Canada-headquartered company, which is working to recommission and expand a currently idled cobalt refinery in Canada, said it had decided to be a market purchaser of feedstock, rather than a toll refiner.The change in approach towards feed purcha...Read More
There are tremendous opportunities for manganese and vanadium in the global trend of electrifications, and the battery sector will outpace the steel industry in terms of boosting demand growth for those materials, delegates heard at Fastmarkets' International Ferro-alloys virtual conference on Tuesday November 10. Competitive cost and comparatively diverse supply are likely to dictate the shift in...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:?EUR? Flat steel product prices in the United States moved largely in line with our expectations in October, although the increases slightly outpaced our projections. US hot-rolled coil prices averaged $655 per ton in October, exceeding our forecast price of $640 per...Read More