Zinc producers in China's southwestern province of Yunnan should be able to fully resume their operations by mid-June, sources said.Yunnan will remove its power restrictions by the end of June that have stunted local zinc output, the provincial energy bureau said.A few zinc smelters in Yunnan have already resumed production, however, sources that spoke to Fastmarkets said.Production capa...Read More
European steel companies must scale up their decarbonization technologies within the coming decade or risk exhausting their allocated emissions allowances early, according to a report released on Tuesday September 14.The report, "Steeling for Net Zero," by climate researcher Industry Tracker, found that selected European steel companies have less than 26% of their carbon budget remaining and must...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:US prices for hot-rolled coil moved in line with our forecasts in August, averaging $1,910 per ton, within 1% accuracy of our forecast of $1,925 per ton. The market has achieved much-needed stability in recent weeks, with prices fluctuating in the range of $1,900-1,94...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.As we approach the end of the first half of 2021, steel markets in Europe and the United States continue to heat up. This six-month period is largely unprecedented, with both steel prices and steelmakers' margins hitting a number of new record highs throughout.The rally is likely nearing its end, however, with global steel ou...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:?EUR? US sheet prices hit record highs again in May, with upward momentum persisting into June. Actual US hot-rolled coil prices averaged $1,553 per ton in May, largely in line with our forecast of $1,540 per ton. Prices remain supported by strong underlying sup...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloy forecast highlights:Bulk and noble alloys both moved largely in line with our price forecasts globally over the past month, though several markets surprised to the upside, exceeding our forecast gains. Stronger-than-forecast pricing momentum was primarily triggered by supply shortages in numerous...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Bulk ferro-alloy prices have shown impressive gains again this month, with ferro-silicon, silicon metal and manganese alloy prices all making significant increases. Noble alloy markets also enjoyed upward momentum, with both vanadium and molybdenum prices rising sharply.Recovering demand from steelmakers globally, together w...Read More
The latest forecasts and analysis of the ferrous scrap and iron metallics market from the Fastmarkets research team are ready to be viewed.Stifled automotive output this year, driven by a supply shortage of semiconductor chips used in vehicles, has tightened prime scrap availability and widened the spreads between this grade of steelmaking raw material and obsolete scrap.While wide prime-over-obso...Read More
Stainless steel prices continue to register new highs around the end of the first half of 2021 and steelmakers continue to enjoy outsized margins.They have responded in recent months by increasing their output, which has now pushed above pre-pandemic levels and will eventually restore balance to the market.For now, though, supply gaps are still being filled and buyers find themselves competing aga...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Recent weeks have brought two key developments with regard to trade policy on stainless steel products that will be to the detriment of consumers.In China, the country's stainless steelmakers no longer enjoy a 13% export rebate as of May 1, reducing greatly their incentive to export and instead leading them to focus on supply...Read More
Alumina exports from Brazil totaled 586,458 tonnes in September, a 3.32% year-on-year fall from 606,626 tonnes, according to data published by the economy ministry on Wednesday October 5.That decrease was due to lower shipments from the S??o Lu?-s port, in the country's northeastern Maranh??o state. Alumar, an alumina refinery owned by Alcoa, South32, Rio Tinto and Alumina Ltd, is located in Maran...Read More
Trafigura Pte is developing a program that will provide its customers with data on the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in its nickel and cobalt supply chains, the physical trading company said.The service will have a particular focus on the company's electric vehicle (EV) customers and will be provided by Circulor, a blockchain-based supply chain traceability and CO2 emissions tracking services pro...Read More
Vale has resumed activities at its On??a Puma nickel unit in Brazil after a legal injunction re-established the facility's operating license, the company said in a filing with securities and exchange commission CVM on Thursday October 7.On??a Puma, located in Brazil's northern Par?? state, had been stopped on Monday October 4 following the suspension of its operating permit by state environme...Read More
Diversified miner BHP and United States copper cable and wire manufacturer Southwire have completed their first carbon-neutral copper transaction involving delivery from BHP's mines in Chile to Southwire's processing activities in the US state of Georgia, the miner said.The pilot involved tracing BHP copper cathode and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through Southwire's rod production op...Read More
Brazil-based multi-metal producer Nexa Resources has resumed activity at its San Gerardo zinc-lead open-pit mine in central Peru after a week-long stoppage caused by community blockades, the company said on Wednesday October 6.In a filing to the Peruvian securities and exchange commission, SMV, Nexa said operations began to reopen early in the week and by Wednesday had returned to full capacity.Ro...Read More
Fastmarkets analyst James Moore and reporter Yasemin Esmen size up the lead market ahead of LME Week, which begins Monday October 11.Ambitious expansion of secondary lead capacity and strong tolling activity at Chinese smelters have driven a rapid increase of lead inventories in China. And SHFE warehouse stocks have surged to record levels, going above 200,000 tonnes this year.High shipping costs...Read More
The premium for fourth-quarter supply of aluminium ingot to main Japanese ports (MJP) rose to its highest level in six years, continuing its upward climb despite a marked slowdown in domestic consumption in Japan.Currently, domestic market fundamentals stand in stark contrast to a tightly supplied global market where premiums are supported by firm demand. Sources, weighing in on why premiums have...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States rose for the first time this month, while some buyers said that they were delaying purchases because they expect material will be cheaper in the coming weeks.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $97.94 per hundredweight ($1,958.80 per short ton) on Thursday October 7, up by 0.64% from $97.32 per cwt on Wednesday O...Read More
Transactions for hot-rolled coil in Europe remained limited on Wednesday October 6, with buyers and sellers preferring to avoid transactions until the price trend becomes clearer, sources told Fastmarkets.Most European buyers have sufficient flat steel stocks to last until the end of the year. Buyers will have to return to the market in November at the latest because they will need to plan for the...Read More
German independent metals distribution company Kl??ckner & Co is to team up with Swedish start-up H2 Green Steel to become one of the first distributors of near-zero carbon emissions "green steel."Announcing the partnership on Thursday October 7, Kl??ckner & Co said that it would be supplied annual quantities of up to 250,000 tonnes of green steel from 2025 onwards, which would represent a su...Read More