Brazil's export pig iron market declined over the week to Friday October 2 on weaker market demand in China, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets assessed the price of pig iron, export, fob port of Vitoria/Rio, Brazil at $352-353 per tonne on Friday, down from $360-370 per tonne one week earlier.The only sale heard during the week was done...Read More
Export prices for Brazil-origin slab have widened upward as sellers have been probing the market and increasing offers amid higher flat steel prices and low supply.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment for steel slab export, fob main port Brazil was $480-500 per tonne on Friday October 2, widening upward by $10 from $480-490 per tonne a week earlier on September 25 and up by $40-50 per tonne from $440-45...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Europe, Asia and the United States for the week ending Friday October 2. China Tight availability of spot materials continued to consolidate the stability of domestic prices, with producers taking a firm stance on the higher costs of raw materials - including silica ore and semi-coke.The low end of export prices climbed by...Read More
The UK will maintain a tariff rate quota on certain steel imports, similar to the one currently in place, once the country has finally left the European Union.A report from the office of the UK Secretary of State for International Trade said this week that a tariff rate quota will apply to 19 steel product categories, including hot-rolled, cold-rolled and galvanized coil; carbon and stainless...Read More
Brazilian iron ore exports surged by 18.5% on the year in September, according to figures released by the country's economy ministry on Thursday October 1.Exports amounted to 37.86 million tonnes last month, compared with 31.94 million tonnes a year earlier.This is the first increase on a year-on-year...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday October 1 that are worth another look.The fast steel market recovery seen in Brazil in the past few months has led the country's steelmaker association, Instituto A??o Brasil, to revise its forecasts for 2020 up significantly from previous expectations set...Read More
Export prices for Brazil-origin slab have widened upward as sellers have been probing the market and increasing offers amid higher flat steel prices and low supply.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment for steel slab export, fob main port Brazil was $480-500 per tonne on Friday October 2, widening upward by $10 from $480-490 per tonne a week earlier on September 25 and up by $40-50 per tonne from $440-45...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
Key data from the pricing sessions in Europe, Asia and the United States for the week ending Friday October 2. China Tight availability of spot materials continued to consolidate the stability of domestic prices, with producers taking a firm stance on the higher costs of raw materials - including silica ore and semi-coke.The low end of export prices climbed by...Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month copper price made an impressive comeback on Friday October 2, gaining 3.5%, amid strong turnover, on a day of positive moves for many of the base metals.The LME three-month copper price, which had tumbled 5.1% on Thursday, in its deepest sell-off since March 18, closed the day on Friday at $6,566 per tonne, with just over 24,000 lots traded.Fastmarke...Read More
Trading activity in the seaborne coking coal market was muted on Friday October 2, which was the second day of China's "golden week" holiday marking the country's 71st national day.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $137.71 per tonne, up by $3.16 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $145.10 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $114.02 per tonne, up by $1....Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month nickel price dipped during morning trading on Friday October 2, down by 1.5% against continued selling pressure, while a slight recovery in copper buying led the red metal's price back above the $6,300-per-tonne threshold. LME nickel's outright price was recently at $14,085 per tonne on Friday morning, falling from $14,343 per tonne at Thursday's close, while...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Across the regions, producers of welded linepipe and oil-country tubular goods (OCTG) saw their margins shrink with substrate costs increasing in the third quarter of 2020.Many have been attempting to protect margins with higher prices, with varying degrees of success. Europe-origin commodity-grade steel hot-rolled coil and...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.While steel markets in Asia have demonstrated the most strength with regards to pricing through much of 2020, recent weeks have seen prices in Europe and the United States outperform those elsewhere.In a way, much of this is simply catching up on the gains already made by Asian steelmakers. They were able to obtain higher pri...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloys forecast highlights:Prices across most ore and alloy markets trended higher in September, buoyed by improving demand from steelmakers with the end of the summer holiday season in Europe and the United States, as well as maintained demand from Chinese steel mills. Tightening of alloy inventories...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 London Metal Exchange three-month copper price made an impressive comeback on Friday October 2, gaining 3.5%, amid strong turnover, on a day of positive moves for many of the base metals.The LME three-month copper price, which had tumbled 5.1% on Thursday, in its deepest sell-off since March 18, closed the day on Friday at $6,566 per tonne, with just over 24,000 lots traded.Fastmarke...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
Secondary aluminium alloy producers in the United States have continued to push offers higher in a market pressured by rising input costs and limited supply, Fastmarkets understands.Fastmarkets assessed the price for aluminium alloy A380.1, delivered Midwest at 77-79 cents per lb up on Thursday October 1, up by 1 cent from 76-78 cents per lb the previous week.The price has now risen in eight...Read More