Seaborne iron ore prices rose on Thursday October 14 amid active trading activity in the spot market and at Chinese ports because of a slight increase in buying interest, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $125.91 per tonne, up by $1.74 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $127.60 per tonne, up by $2.51 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premiu...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices in the cfr China market increased on Thursday October 14 due to necessary restocking activities from Chinese steel mills; fob prices remained largely flat, market sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $610.15 per tonne, up $1.30 per tonneHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $562.53 per tonne, up $3.07 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, fob D...Read More
Imported billet prices into Egypt increased in the week to Thursday October 14, but appetite for imports was still weak because of the "Advance Cargo Information" system (ACI), sources told Fastmarkets.The ACI system has been in effect since October 1 for all imports to Egyptian seaports. ACI is a World Customs Organization protocol that provides real-time information on transactions and operation...Read More
Spot prices for hot-rolled coil in China narrowed on Thursday October 14, while futures prices edged higher on expectations that production curbs in north China could extend into early 2022.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,740-5,790 yuan ($892-900) per tonne, narrowing by 40-90 yuan per tonneOn Wednesday, China's industry and environment ministries released the plan for steel production curbs i...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Janie Davies, Alex Cooks...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices in the cfr China market increased on Thursday October 14 due to necessary restocking activities from Chinese steel mills; fob prices remained largely flat, market sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $610.15 per tonne, up $1.30 per tonneHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $562.53 per tonne, up $3.07 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, fob D...Read More
China's domestic demand for stainless steel has weakened in the past few week due to a widespread electricity shortage across the country, which weighed on prices in the week to Wednesday October 13.DomesticStainless steel cold-rolled coil 2mm grade 304 domestic (Wuxi): 21,000-21,200 ($3,260-3,291) per tonne, narrowed downward by 200 yuan per tonne from September 29. The power shortage has resulte...Read More
There was a mixed outcome in settlement negotiations for domestic steel scrap deliveries to UK steelmakers in October, with suppliers resisting downward pressure from consumers because of firm export markets, trade sources said on Thursday October 14.Scrap suppliers won increases across the board for low residual and clean grades of scrap, with rollovers agreed in contracts for other grades assess...Read More
Domestic rebar and wire rod prices increased sharply in the week ended October 14 due to rising scrap costs and a weaker lira, sources said.Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices increased in the past week due to limited supply and firm demand from Turkish steelmakers. The most recent deep-sea scrap import trade was reported on Wednesday October 13, when a steel mill in the Izmir region paid $480 pe...Read More
The European Commission (EC) has extended anti-dumping duties on imports of wire rod from China until 2026, the Official Journal of the European Union said on October 13.The EC concluded that dumping would likely recur if the current measures were allowed to lapse. This followed an expiry review lodged by the European steel association, Eurofer, in July 2020 on behalf of...Read More
There was a mixed outcome in settlement negotiations for domestic steel scrap deliveries to UK steelmakers in October, with suppliers resisting downward pressure from consumers because of firm export markets, trade sources said on Thursday October 14.Scrap suppliers won increases across the board for low residual and clean grades of scrap, with rollovers agreed in contracts for other grades assess...Read More
Rio Tinto will test the use of biomass in place of coking coal in the steelmaking process in a small-scale pilot plant, in an attempt to cut the industry's carbon emissions through the use of innovative technologies, it announced on Thursday October 14.Over the past decade, the company has developed a laboratory-proven process that combines the use of raw, sustainable biomass with microwave techno...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday October 14 that are worth another look.Rio Tinto will test the use of biomass in place of coking coal in the steelmaking process in a small-scale pilot plant, in an attempt to cut the industry's carbon emissions through the use of...Read More
Supply concerns continue to support zinc's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange, which reached a peak of $3,837.50 per tonne on the morning on Thursday October 14, with most other base metal prices also starting the day higher. Reports that Nyrstar - one of Europe and the world's major zinc producers - is set to cut production by up to 50% at its three European smelters in response to th...Read More
The Port of Los Angeles plans to operate around the clock seven days a week to address a growing backlog of shipments waiting in cargo containers anchored offshore to be unloaded at the port.The port announced the move on Wednesday October 13, joining a similar effort that began at the nearby Port of Long Beach in September.The port is figuring out the details of how it will work with supply chain...Read More
Demand for imported steel scrap in South Korea has continued to rise despite the closure of an electric-arc furnace (EAF) in the country and a sharp jump in prices from key supplier markets, sources said on Thursday October 14.An EAF owned by a medium-sized South Korean steelmaker has been closed due to an accident at the plant, Fastmarkets first heard on October 5. Sources told Fastmarkets that...Read More
An overview of the consumer electronics markets and their latest price moves.Fola Malomo and Janie...Read More
Regulation has been an important driver for the push toward clean energy technologies but industry has accelerated this mindset, the chief executive officer of Nth Cycle said.According to Megan O'Connor, the past several administrations in the United States have prioritized establishing a domestic supply of critical minerals used to power the energy transition. "Whether rare earths for critical de...Read More
The Port of Los Angeles plans to operate around the clock seven days a week to address a growing backlog of shipments waiting in cargo containers anchored offshore to be unloaded at the port.The port announced the move on Wednesday October 13, joining a similar effort that began at the nearby Port of Long Beach in September.The port is figuring out the details of how it will work with supply chain...Read More
Diversified miner South32 is to buy a 45% interest in the Sierra Gorda copper mine in Chile from Sumitomo Metal Mining, the Australian company said on Thursday October 14.The acquisition is consistent with its strategy to reshape South32's portfolio for a low-carbon future, it said, producing materials critical for global decarbonization and the energy transition.Sierra Gorda, located in the Antof...Read More