The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.US market at risk of slidingPrices for pipe products were at a floor in the United States in mid-August, and have been broadly stable at that level since the start of the second quarter, but they are at risk of declining further in the coming months.Drilling rig counts have yet to find a floor and have fallen below most esti...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:US domestic prices for hot-rolled coil moved down in line with our expectations, averaging $461 per ton in July versus our forecast price of $460 per ton. Although domestic HRC prices slipped to less than $450 per ton in late July/early August, we maintain the view th...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloy forecast highlights:Prices across most ferro-alloy markets trended stable to lower in August as demand remained subdued in major markets, apart from China where steel output continues to rise at a rapid pace, supporting demand for ferro-alloys. As alloy makers seek to remedy supply/demand imbalan...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.In the year 2020 to date in late August, the Fastmarkets 62% Fe iron ore benchmark has powered along and reached six-year highs, supported by Chinese demand, and despite the global economic uncertainty created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Iron ore demand has weakened almost everywhere except in China, where it has continued to...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.There has been an increasing bullishness in Chinese steel market sentiment recently, with rising post-Covid-19 optimism about the country's economy for the second half of 2020, especially after the government announced an infrastructure spending boost. Although we believe that high prices are justified, they remain far from...Read More
The price of hollow steel sections in the Northern European domestic market went up this week because of the current price surge in raw materials, market sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday September 2.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?550-570 ($658-681) per tonne on Wednesday, up from ?,?540-565 per tonne one week earlier.The...Read More
The price of steel H-beams in the European domestic market has been largely stable over the past week following modest increases in the previous seven days, with further gains depending on demand in the weeks ahead, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday September 2.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel beams, domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?535-565 ($640-675) per tonne on Wedn...Read More
The spread between copper scrap and refined copper continued to widen in August amid the copper price rally and minimal buying interest from the Chinese due to logistics and customs clearance worries in the coming months.Fastmarkets assessed the price of copper scrap No 2 copper (birch/cliff) imported into China 94-96% LME/Comex discount, cif China basis at 32-36 cents per lb on Friday August 28,...Read More
Traders who recently left copper merchants Werco are setting up a base metals unit at Vanomet in Zug, Switzerland, Fastmarkets understands. Theresa Nepote, Simon Zahno and Marcel Lustenberger, who made up the bulk of Werco's Swiss trading team, left the company in July. The unit, which is...Read More
A western aluminium producer has concluded a deal for delivery throughout the fourth quarter to main Japanese ports (MJP) at a premium of $88 per tonne on a cif basis, market participants told Fastmarkets on Wednesday September 2. The sale is the first from a producer this quarter and comes after several trader sales were reported. Sources close to the matter also confirmed on Wednesday that a tra...Read More
Domestic Chinese copper cathode premiums dropped sharply in the week to Tuesday September 1 to their lowest level in six months, while a climbing outright metal price and tight forward spreads kept premiums in Europe and the United States unchanged. Demand falters in China amid oversupply European cathode availability high; market quiet Rio Tinto's Kennecott mine closure keeps US marke...Read More
The Chinese spot nickel pig iron (NPI) price rose to its highest level of this year on Friday August 28, supported by decent demand, high costs and a rising London Metal Exchange nickel price. Fastmarkets assessed the nickel pig iron, high-grade NPI content 10-15%, spot, ddp China price at 1,130-1,150 yuan ($165-168) per nickel unit on Friday, the highest so far this year and a level last see...Read More
Chinese premiums of nickel plate remained weak, but prices of nickel pig iron (NPI), nickel ore and nickel sulfate all refreshed the highest level hit this year while premiums in the United States were unmoved amid a holiday trading hiatus, Fastmarkets heard.Chinese prices of NPI, nickel ore and nickel sulfate all up, while nickel plate premiums unchanged. US premiums static due to holidaysStronge...Read More
Iranian export billet and slab prices increased in the week to Wednesday September 2, with fresh transactions completed at higher rates after semi-finished values edged up in Asia, sources told Fastmarkets.Mobarakeh Steel sold a cargo of slab at $425 per tonne fob Black Sea this week and its subsidiary Hormozgan Steel sold another cargo at $422 per tonne fob last week, market participants sai...Read More
Turkey exported 511,188 tonnes of flat steel products in July 2020, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), up by 10.36% year-on-year from 463,220 tonnes exported in July 2019.The main reason for the increase was the rise in tonnages of cold-rolled coil and coated coil exports in July.Turkey made several export deals for hot-dipped galvanized coil in May and June, which were deliver...Read More
Producers of steel mesh quality wire rod in the south of Europe push for higher prices on increased feedstock costs and a demand recovery, while in the north prices were flat after an increase last week, source told Fastmarkets on Wednesday September 2. Southern Europe Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel wire rod (mesh-quality), domestic, delivered Southern Europe increased to ?,?4...Read More
Bullish rebar suppliers in the south of Europe have pushed their prices upward on the firmness of scrap costs and a post-holiday pick-up in demand, while in the north of the region prices only narrowed upward following an increase last week, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday September 2.Southern EuropeFastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, delivered S...Read More
Turkey imported 659,179 tonnes of flat steel in July 2020, up by 8.24% from 608,982 tonnes in July 2019, Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) said this week.The reason for the increase in imports was strong buying in May, when orders to be delivered in June were placed, Fastmarkets understands.Demand for flat steel is currently moderate in Turkey but prices have been increasing in line with rising...Read More
The Turkish steel producers have resumed their deep-sea scrap purchases for September shipments at higher prices, market sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday September 2.After booking six deep-sea cargoes totaling around 220,000 tonnes last week, the mills in Turkey stopped their scrap purchases on August 26.But two steel mills came to the market and paid higher prices for fresh deep-sea cargoes...Read More
Prices for cargoes of H2-grade heavy scrap exported from Japan hit a ceiling over the past week amid static levels of demand from South Korea and Taiwan, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday September 2.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel scrap H2, export, fob main port Japan, was ?27,500-28,500 ($260-269) per tonne on Wednesday, unchanged week on week. But it followed two weeks of consecuti...Read More