The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.In the iron ore market, supply issues including heavy rains at the start of the year, followed by staffing problems during the Covid-19 pandemic, have affected exports from Brazil. This has helped Australia gain a larger market share, but since June, Brazilian export volumes have returned to levels last seen before the...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Chinese blast furnace (BF) utilization rates have stagnated and iron ore port stock volumes are rising, reaching their highest levels since March, which suggests that iron ore supply is becoming excessive while demand is not growing. Unsurprisingly, prices dropped last week and we expect the trend to continue. The market has...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.We do not consider the average iron ore fines price for September so far above $125 per tonne cfr Qingdao to be sustainable. The bullishness is not likely to last in the long term as we expect Chinese demand growth to slow down. A key factor boosting Chinese steel demand so far has been the stimulus policies from the authori...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Having found it easier to increase prices than their counterparts in Europe and the United States during the past few months, Asian stainless steelmakers now face a number of concerns.In the short term, Asian prices have moved down in recent weeks while those in Europe and the US are on the up. This is mostly a reflection of...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view. A look at stainless steel price movements through August reveals the ongoing battle being faced by stainless steelmakers in Europe and the United States while they try to pass on rising costs to consumers. In these regions, prices on most grades of stainless steel are little changed from July, rising by around 2% at most -...Read More
The latest forecast from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.As we enter the summer season across the northern hemisphere, almost half a year has passed since the Covid-19 pandemic began to seriously affect Europe and the United States.One would not really be able to tell that such a dramatic event had occurred by looking at stainless steel prices, however, because they are more or less...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Stainless steel prices are relatively stable this month, showing little change since our previous tracker. Such stability masks growing issues for stainless steelmakers, however, who are increasingly unable to pass on rising costs to consumers and are, thus, facing cuts to their margins.In general, this is due to an excess of...Read More
The three-month price of tin on the London Metal Exchange was the laggard at the close of trading on Monday October 26, losing just under 2% of its price against the highest daily volume count since September 23, while selling pressure saw the LME copper price sink below nearby support levels over the afternoon.Tin's outright price on the LME closed at $18,050 per tonne on Monday, recovering from...Read More
Domestic prices for steel hot-rolled coil across Europe were fairly stable over the week to Friday October 23, but the mills were expected to increase their spot-market offer prices soon.Fastmarkets calculated its daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, at ?,?496.67 ($588.80) per tonne on Friday, up by ?,?0.84 per tonne week on week and by ?,?9.06 per tonne month on month...Read More
Aurubis, Europe's largest copper producer, sees its multi-metal strategy as a competitive advantage against a backdrop of precarious market conditions, with executive chairman to the board Roland Harings highlighting the company's acquisition and integration of Belgian-Spanish recycler Metallo as a step change in optimizing production. Despite pandemic-related setbacks, the German-based producer o...Read More
Fastmarkets' research team took the number one spot on the base metals predictions leaderboard for the third quarter of 2020 with a 98.83% accuracy score while ED&F Man Capital Markets' Edward Meir clinched the top spot for precious metals predictions over the period with a 93.31% accuracy rating. For steel raw materials, ABN Amro's Casper Burgering was number one with an accuracy score of 89.47%....Read More
There was a surge in buying activity in the Chinese copper scrap market in the second half of October after the release of a long-awaited announcement that the purchase of high-purity scrap will be permitted as a recyclable copper material from next month. "Everyone has returned to the market to buy [non-ferrous scrap] since the announcement," a trader source said. With overseas copper scrap more...Read More
Three-month base metals prices on the LME were lower in morning trading on Monday October 26, with tin suffering the most after doubts emerged over the US coronavirus stimulus package and with a steady uptick in the US dollar index. Tin's outright price on the London Metal Exchange was recently trading at $17,865 per tonne on Monday morning, down by just under 3% from Friday's closing price o...Read More
Uncertainty about next year's aluminium fundamentals and consumer hesitance to commit to long-term, large-tonnage contracts has Alvance chief operating officer Guillaume De Goys expecting an active spot market in 2021. In a normal year for the global aluminium market, negotiations for annual supply of the light metal begin in mid-September and conclude between late October and November. But with u...Read More
The price of nickel ore in China was unchanged in the week to Friday October 23, supported by an already tight market and concerns of disrupted supply from the Philippines due to the latter's upcoming rainy season, market sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets assessed the price of laterite ore with 1.5% Ni content, cif China, at $73-75 per tonne on Friday, unchanged from a week earlier and at its h...Read More
Prices in the Commonwealth of Independent States export slab market continued softening in the week to Monday October 26, with several bookings reported done at lower prices in the main traditional outlets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab, export, fob Black Sea, CIS was $435-440 per tonne on October 26, down from $445-455 per tonne fob a week ago.Market sources from Italy report...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe inched up day on day on Monday October 26, with market sources expecting steelmakers to push prices up further due to reduced availability of the material, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets calculated its daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe at ?,?497.92 ($590.29) per tonne on Monday October 26, up by ?,?1.25 per...Read More
Domestic steel rebar prices in Russia's Central Federal District around Moscow remained broadly stable this week, despite producer attempts to raise prices for November deliveries, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday, October 26.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, cpt Moscow, Russia was 40,000-41,000 roubles ($526-539) per tonne on October 26, incl...Read More
Prices for flat steel imported into South America have remained mostly stable over the week to Friday October 23 while hot-rolled coil (HRC) prices increased amid strong offers from Chinese exporters, sources told Fastmarkets.Steelmakers from China have been more insistent on sustaining price increases after their return from the country's Golden Week holiday (October 1-8) and, therefore, have bee...Read More
Turkish steel mills have returned to the market to book as many as six cargoes, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday October 26. News of several cargoes came to light late on Friday after the Fastmarkets' index calculation had closed for the day, and additional cargoes were sold on Saturday. Two UK deals came to light over the weekend, with one confirmed to have been sold Saturday. Both comprised HM...Read More