The inter-merchant spot price for light iron scrap in the United Kingdom was steady in the week ended Friday December 20, consolidating gains of ?15 per tonne made over the month.A solid increase in European steel scrap export prices has been support to the British market.The UK market, both on an inter-merchants level and to steel mills, has been strengthening over the fourth quarter - exporters...Read More
The price of ferrous scrap imported into India increased this week as traders hold on to their material in the hope of achieving higher sales in January, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday December 20.Fastmarkets' steel scrap, shredded, index, import, cfr Nhava Sheva was $296.05 per tonne on Friday, up from $290.75 per tonne a week earlier.Deals were heard for shredded at $290 and $300 per tonne f...Read More
Turkish steel producers have continued to stay out of deep-sea scrap markets at the end of the week to focus on finished steel sales, sources said on Friday December 20.The mills have booked several cargoes in the previous weeks for January and February shipments and went quiet earlier this week in response to rising offers, Fastmarkets was told.Turkish producers booked two deep-sea cargoes at the...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices fell across the board on Friday December 20 amid fresh emergency pollution curbs imposed in the steelmaking hub of Tangshan.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $91.63 per tonne, down $2.14 per tonne.62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $90.72 per tonne, down $2.14 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $91.46 per tonne, down...Read More
Seaborne cargoes of premium hard coking coal were sold to China below prevailing prices on Friday December 20.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $135.78 per tonne, up $1.66 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $147.47 per tonne, down $0.66 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $122.33 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $134.99 per tonne, unchangedLow...Read More
Export prices for Chinese hot-rolled coil prices rose further on Friday December 20 despite a stable domestic market amid increased buying in South Korea and Pakistan.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,870-3,880 yuan ($552-553) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,640 yuan per tonne, unchangedTrading remained moderate in the domestic market, amid relatively low inventory levels.Most m...Read More
Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were split into two camps during the morning trading session on Friday December 20, with nickel outperforming the rest of complex with a 1.2% gain.The most-traded March nickel contract rose to 112,110 yuan ($15,995) per tonne at the close of the morning trading session, up by 1,330 yuan per tonne from Thursday's close of 110,780 yuan per tonne.Th...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and their latest price moves.Read More
An overview of the Chinese minor metals markets and the reasons for their latest price moves.Read More
The price of stainless steel flat products was unchanged in Europe this week - participants expect this stability to remain in place until at least the first week of January, during which time the market will be largely shut for the holiday season, they told Fastmarkets on Friday December 20.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for stainless steel cold-rolled sheet, 2mm, grade 304, transaction dom...Read More
The prices of austenitic grades of stainless steel scrap were largely unchanged this week - participants noted that any increase in the cost of nickel will be balanced out by the stronger pound against the dollar, they told Fastmarkets on Friday December 20.Fastmarkets' assessment of the stainless steel scrap 316 solids, domestic, delivered merchants UK price was ?1,120-1,180 ($1,463-1,541) per t...Read More
Ferrous scrap prices in Asia are showing mixed signs in the lead up to the year-end vacation period of Christmas and New Year. Taiwanese buyers have eased purchases amid expectations of more stable prices in the near term once sellers in the United States stop business activities. However, Vietnamese buyers have been paying higher for purchases of both Japanese and American scrap. Vietnam Fastm...Read More
Most copper scrap discounts in the United States increased as the Comex copper price continued to strengthen week on week. Fastmarkets assessed the copper scrap No1 copper (also known as brass mills' bare bright), discount, buying price, delivered to brass mill US, at 12-14 cents per lb on Wednesday December 18, increasing from 11-13 cents per lb the week before.Also registering 1-cent gains were...Read More
Base metals prices other than lead closed higher on the London Metal Exchange on Thursday December 19, bolstered by an injection of liquidity into China's open markets, while a weaker US dollar index also proved supportive.Three-month prices trading mixed this morning but ultimately gathered upward momentum after the People's Bank of China (PBoC) injected 30 billion yuan ($4.3 billion) into financ...Read More
All Fastmarkets prices and premiums due to be published at 4pm London time on Thursday December 19 were delayed due to a technical error. The prices were published six minutes late; the Fastmarkets pricing database, MInD, for all prices has now been updated. The prices affected by the delay include: Aluminium P1020A premium, in-whs dup Rotterdam, $/tonne Alumina index, fob Australia, $/tonne ...Read More
All Fastmarkets prices and premiums due to be published at 4pm London time on Thursday December 19 were delayed due to a technical error. The prices were published six minutes late; the Fastmarkets pricing database, MInD, for all prices has now been updated. The prices affected by the delay include: Aluminium P1020A premium, in-whs dup Rotterdam, $/tonne Alumina index, fob Australia, $/tonne ...Read More
The Chinese ferro-silicon market has been steady over the past week amid firm quotations from producers.Fastmarkets' price assessment for ferro-silicon 75% Si min, in-whs China was 5,900-6,000 yuan ($843-857) per tonne on Wednesday December 18, unchanged for the second straight week. Market participants told Fastmarkets some ferro-silicon production in northwestern China is likely t...Read More
Most copper scrap discounts in the United States increased as the Comex copper price continued to strengthen week on week. Fastmarkets assessed the copper scrap No1 copper (also known as brass mills' bare bright), discount, buying price, delivered to brass mill US, at 12-14 cents per lb on Wednesday December 18, increasing from 11-13 cents per lb the week before.Also registering 1-cent gains were...Read More
Turkish steel mills have continued to stay away from the deep-sea scrap markets on Thursday December 19 and are focusing on finished steel sales, participants told Fastmarkets.Mills in the country went quiet earlier this week after booking two deep-sea cargoes at steady prices of $299-300 per tonne cfr for Baltic Sea-origin HMS 1&2 (80:20).The offers for deep-sea scrap then increased to $305-310 p...Read More
What's in store for the steel and scrap markets in 2020? There is a good mix of opportunities and threats in the global ferrous trading environment in 2020, according to five major traders with supply chains out to the far reaches of the world. China's volatile policy changes, blooming markets in South Asia, a global trade war and excess steel supply will continue to have significant sway over the...Read More