ArcelorMittal has restarted the No3 blast furnace at its Tubar??o facility in Brazil's southeastern Esp?-rito Santo state, on Sunday October 25, the company announced.The equipment has an output capacity of 2.8 million tonnes per year of crude steel and has been halted since April because of the adverse economic situation from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic."The decision aims to supply client...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday October 28 that are worth another look.Both the North American and Brazilian markets have strong growth potential stemming from infrastructure-related activity, Gerdau's global chief financial officer Harley Scardoelli told attendees at Fastmarkets' 2020 Steel Success Strategies Online conference on October...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States declined for the second consecutive day due to diminishing spot market activity and a lack of availability from steel producers, according to market participants.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $33.52 per hundredweight ($670.40 per short ton) on Wednesday October 28, down by 1.1% from $33.89 per cwt on Tuesda...Read More
Premiums for lead in India have risen amid calls for increased regional production in the week to Tuesday October 27, while lead and zinc premiums in other regions remained flat over the period, despite increased spot-market interest in both the United States and Europe.Increased demand for industrial production boosts Indian lead premiumUS zinc and lead premiums unmoved despite improved spot appe...Read More
The investment environment in Europe is supportive of the creation of a local electric vehicle (EV) battery value chain, delegates heard during a panel discussion at the Lithium Supply & Markets conference on Tuesday October 27. Infinity Lithium chief executive officer Ryan Parker and Savannah Resources CEO David Archer said they were receiving support from European Union institutions to advance t...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday October 28 that are worth another look.Both the North American and Brazilian markets have strong growth potential stemming from infrastructure-related activity, Gerdau's global chief financial officer Harley Scardoelli told attendees at Fastmarkets' 2020 Steel Success Strategies Online conference on October...Read More
The three-month nickel price on the LME was weaker at the close of trading on Wednesday October 28, down by more than 1% against spread tightness and selling pressure, in addition to a steady rise in the US dollar index.London Metal Exchange lead futures, meanwhile, bucked the downward trend to end the day as the only positive close. Nickel's outright price on th...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices were up on Wednesday October 28 amid an uptrend in the futures market, which was prompted by low steel reinforcing bar (rebar) inventories, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $116.87 per tonne, up $1.74 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $117.10 per tonne, up $1.09 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qing...Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month nickel price made significant gains in the morning session on Wednesday October 28, rising 2.5% from the previous day's close to hit an intraday high of $16,310 per tonne - a fresh year-to-date high. LME nickel futures bucked the complex's current sideways trading trend, in which most metals continue to wax and wane in line with the US equities markets, on Wed...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Approaching the end of the calendar year, steelmakers and consumers enter a busy period of contract negotiations for supply for 2021 or at least the first quarter or half year.With the sharp increases in spot market steel prices during recent months, steelmakers are understandably looking to take advantage and secure higher c...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Prices for most ferro-alloys maintained their upward momentum into October, solidifying previous gains and reflecting the improved demand from steelmakers, the rebuilding of depleted inventories, and the supply-side concerns following both planned and unplanned outages. Gains were noted for ferro-silicon, silicon metal, mang...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-dipped galvanized coil in Northern Europe increased in the week to Wednesday October 28, supported by reduced availability of the material in the spot market and strong demand from the automotive sector, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel HDG, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was ?,?600-620 ($709-733) per tonne ex-works on October 28,...Read More
An overview of the consumers electronics markets and their latest price moves.Read More
Copper miner KAZ Minerals is set to be taken into private ownership after its largest shareholders, including Vladimir Kim, offered $2.47 billion to buy out the rest of the company's stakeholders.The bid of 640 pence ( ?6.40, $8.34) per share is being led by the company's chairman, Oleg Novachuk, and Kim, Kazakhstan's richest man. Kim was a non-executive director and chairman of the company when i...Read More
The three-month nickel price on the LME was weaker at the close of trading on Wednesday October 28, down by more than 1% against spread tightness and selling pressure, in addition to a steady rise in the US dollar index.London Metal Exchange lead futures, meanwhile, bucked the downward trend to end the day as the only positive close. Nickel's outright price on th...Read More
Nickel premiums in all global regions were static in the week to Tuesday October 27 due to a high London nickel price and low arbitrage opportunities. China sees minimal trade with importing incentive still low. European trade inhibited by higher London Metal Exchange prices and lower contango. Spot trade subsides in the United States after a burst last week. Wider arb loss limits Chi...Read More
A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums from across the globe for the week to Wednesday October 28.Please click...Read More
A summary of the third-quarter results for 2020 from Eramet published on Wednesday October 28. Eramet sales fell in the third quarter of 2020 due to a sharp decline in raw materials sales prices, with manganese ore prices falling by 26% and ferro-nickel prices down 17%.Nickel ore prices, meanwhile, were up 35%.Manganese alloy production and sales fell by 1.6% to...Read More
US President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation ending the 10% duties on Canadian aluminium entering the country, under the condition imports do not surge in the coming months. The proclamation on Tuesday October 27 follows an announcement from the US Trade Representative (USTR) on September 15 ending Section 232 tariffs on Canada which had just been reimposed in August. Similarly to that...Read More
Brazilian flat and long steel producer Gerdau is optimistic about the country's steel demand in 2021, chief executive officer Gustavo Werneck said on Wednesday October 28."We are foreseeing a growth of steel demand somewhere between 6-8% [in 2021] compared with 2020," Werneck said. Brazilian apparent steel consumption is expected to fall by 4.7% this year, to 20 million tonnes from 20.98 million t...Read More