Key data from the pricing sessions in Europe, Asia and the United States for the week ending Friday October 2. China The seaborne price for the low-grade manganese ore slid further amid weakening market sentiment, falling portside prices and growing stocks. High-grade index was supported higher after miners refused to lower offers and some Chinese buyers accepted the price. Ports...Read More
Fastmarkets' copper concentrate treatment and refining charge (TC/RC) index moved down slightly on Friday October 2, with market activity light due to China's Golden Week National Day holiday (October 1-8).Fastmarkets' copper concentrates TC index, cif Asia Pacific was at $45 per tonne / 4.5 cents per lb on October 2, down from $45.50 per tonne / 4.55 cents per lb on September 25.Smelters elsewher...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves. Read More
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, 2020 was expected to be an important year for the rollout of 5G networks, with more operator launches globally and declining prices for smartphones and other 5G devices.While the rollout has been disrupted in the short term, the increase in remote working caused by lockdown measures has underscored the need for greater bandwidth capacity along with fast and reliable...Read More
Steel producers in Turkey returned to the deep-sea scrap markets on achieving lower prices in the week ended Friday October 2, while the Asian markets were largely stable amid reduced availability and holiday absences in the territory.Turkish steel mills resume deep-sea bookings, prices downSentiment in US export market negative, with falling pricesVietnamese import prices stable on reduced supply...Read More
The market for inter-merchant light iron scrap in the UK was steady for the third consecutive week on Friday October 2, with tighter supplies meeting firm demand from major shredders, industry sources told Fastmarkets.The supply issues were due to lower volumes being generated from heavy industry while the demand was for material to be used as feedstock in the steelmaking sector, they added.Fastma...Read More
Turkish steel mills continued booking deep-sea scrap at the end of the week after achieving lower deal prices, sources said on Friday October 2.A steel mill in the Marmara region paid $289 per tonne cfr for a Baltic Sea cargo of HMS 1&2 (80:20), while another mill in the same region booked two European cargoes at $284 per tonne cfr on an HMS 1&2 (80:20) basis. ...Read More
Chile expects investment of $74.05 billion in 49 new mining projects during the 2020-29 period, mainly in the copper sector, the country's mining ministry and the Chilean copper commission, Cochilco, said on Wednesday September 30.The latest list of investments in the Chilean mining industry represents an increase of $1.54 billion from $72.5 billion in the previous report, published last year. Som...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were for the most part weaker this morning, Friday October 2, but our focus is on the broader markets because US President Donald Trump has tested positive for Covid-19, which in itself is a major development, but is also going to have ramifications on the run-up to the presidential election on November 3.Pre-market major western equity index futures...Read More
Nornickel, which had three industrial accidents within seven weeks in the middle of this year and gave up most of its profit for the first half due to a record environmental fine, announced this week that it would invest $1.3 billion in safety improvements in Siberia.Despite a 7% increase in revenues in the first half, Nornickel saw its profit drop by 98.5% compared with the first six months of 20...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves. Read More
European and United States' lithium battery-grade spot prices held steady over the week to Thursday October 1, with the market cautious amid continued Covid-19 uncertainty while lithium technical-grade hydroxide spot prices fell again on subdued demand. Europe and US battery-grade lithium spot prices held steady in the seven days to Thursday October 1 after posting losses the previous week. Fastma...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States have hit a year-to-date high, thanks mostly to tight supply, Fastmarkets understands. Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $30.99 per hundredweight ($619.80 per short ton) on Friday October 2, up by 1.3% from $30.59 per cwt on Thursday October 1 and 3.3% higher than $30 per cwt a week ago on September 25. US hot b...Read More
South American import prices for flat-rolled steel were mostly down in the week ended Friday October 2, with new offers from China being slightly lower before that country's Golden Week national holiday, amid reports of short-selling in the region.Fastmarkets assessed the price of steel hot-rolled coil, import, cfr main ports South America, at $540-565 per tonne on Friday, falling by $5 per tonne...Read More
Turkish prices in the domestic market for hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG) and color-coated coil (pre-painted galvanized iron or PPGI) decreased in the week to October 2 while demand was moderate, sources told Fastmarkets.Some market participants told Fastmarkets they expect a decrease in flat steel prices in Turkey because of weakening steel scrap prices.Fastmarkets' daily index for steel scrap,...Read More
Fastmarkets' Ferrous Analytics report helps subscribers keep track of hot metal costs and steel production spreads in China, along with key pricing components of the steelmaking raw materials supply chain in Asia.Read More
Domestic steel rebar prices in Poland have kept increasing in the past week, pushed by strong buying activity and short supply, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday October 2.Fastmarkets' latest price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, exw Poland, narrowed upward to 2,000-2,050 zloty ($521-535) per tonne on October 2, from 1,960-2,050 zloty per tonne one week earlier.The price w...Read More
As competition in the global steel markets remains fierce, Fastmarkets provides an update on the new, progressing and closed trade cases from around the world in September 2020.The case list below includes only updates. For other continuing cases this year, see the updates for August, July, June, May, April, March,...Read More
Steel producers in Turkey returned to the deep-sea scrap markets on achieving lower prices in the week ended Friday October 2, while the Asian markets were largely stable amid reduced availability and holiday absences in the territory.Turkish steel mills resume deep-sea bookings, prices downSentiment in US export market negative, with falling pricesVietnamese import prices stable on reduced supply...Read More
The import pig iron market in the United States softened again during the week to Friday October 2 amid a global slowdown, Fastmarkets has heard.Fastmarkets' price assessment for pig iron, import, cfr Gulf of Mexico, US, softened to $370-375 per tonne on Friday, from $380-387 per tonne one week earlier."The US market [for pig iron] is very quiet these days and, with...Read More