Spot prices for hot-rolled coil in China resumed their decline on Friday September 17 after tighter production curbs failed to offset demand concerns.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,730-5,780 yuan ($888-896) per tonne, down by 50 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): weekly assessment: 5,700-5,740 yuan ($883-889) per tonne, down by 80-90 yuan per tonne A number of Chinese provinces, includi...Read More
China's domestic magnesium prices rose sharply in the week to Friday September 17 in response to notification of restricted operations at companies within the region that have both high energy consumption and high pollution output (Two Highs).The notice was issued by the Yulin Municipal Development and Reform Commission on September 13. The city of Yulin in Shaanxi province is the magnesium produc...Read More
The upward trend in China's domestic rebar prices came to an end on Friday September 17, mainly due to a drop in demand for replenishment stocks, sources told Fastmarkets.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,580-5,620 yuan ($865-871) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Beijing) weekly assessment: 5,300-5,340 yuan per tonne, up by 50-60 yuan per tonneEnd-user demand in eastern China was stable on Fr...Read More
An overview of the aerospace materials markets and the latest price moves in the week to Friday September 17.Jessica Long, Ruby Liu and Carrie Shi in Shanghai, Fola Malomo,...Read More
Prices for steel billet exports from the Commonwealth of Independent States remained firm over past the week, supported by demand from China.Having sold a significant part of their October allocations and even part of their November allocations to China in the week to September 3, CIS mills were mainly in wait-and-see mode and not hurrying to sell their remaining volumes.Rare indications of offers...Read More
The flat steel market in Turkey remained slow during the week ended Friday September 17 because of decreasing prices, sources told Fastmarkets.Most producers decreased their prices during the week, but it did not help to stimulate buying due to falling global raw materials prices.Fastmarkets' daily calculation of its index for 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao was $101.95 per tonne on September 17, fallin...Read More
Domestic steel wire rod prices in Poland were flat in the week to Friday September 17, but buyers were expecting the previous downtrend to resume in October and therefore were holding back from trading, Fastmarkets has heard.The Polish wire rod market was quiet during the assessment week with limited trading, according to sources."Activity is weak. Everyone is waiting for a price reduction," one d...Read More
Turkish steel mills withdrew from the deep-sea scrap markets after booking several cargoes for October shipment, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday September 16.Turkish steelmakers have booked at least five deep-sea cargoes so far in the reported week from the United States, Canada and Baltic Sea. Market participants generally agree that most steelmakers in the country have replenished their sto...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday September 16 that are worth another look....Read More
Trading activity remained slow in the European hot-rolled coil market on Thursday September 16 because buyers held back from deals while they wait for a clearer price trend, sources told Fastmarkets.Buyers are waiting for the new quota period, which will start on October 1. Market sources said that large volumes of steel products are sitting in European Union ports awaiting customs clearance at th...Read More
Global trade flows of cobalt metal have been frozen by logistics disruptions including high freight costs and a shortage of available containers, market participants have told Fastmarkets.Cobalt metal is a highly liquid commodity, with traders moving metals on their books around the globe depending on price differentials between Asia and Europe.But in the past 2-3 months, such trade flows have bee...Read More
London Metal Exchange base-metals prices were mostly lower at the 5pm close of trading on Thursday September 16, with a rise in the US dollar and the intended release of more metal from China's reserves weighing on the complex.The US Dollar Index reached its highest on Thursday since August 27, with an intraday high of 92.97. The index was well bid, with investors expecting a hawkish view from the...Read More
The largest steelmakers in Bangladesh were largely out of the market for containers of steel scrap on Thursday September 16 following recent deep-sea cargo bookings, market participants have told Fastmarkets.In deals done last week, two deep-sea cargoes were booked to a mill in Bangladesh from the United States West Coast at $530 per tonne cfr for shredded, while a second mill booked deep-sea mate...Read More
The Russian government is considering a near-threefold rise in the minerals extraction tax (MET) on iron ore from 2022 in order to balance the federal budget, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday September 15.The current MET on conditioned ores of ferrous metals in Russia is applied at 16.8%. This is calculated from a fixed base rate of 4.8% multiplied by a coefficient, which is currently 3.5, ac...Read More
Steel rebar and billet buyers in Egypt are waiting for prices to fall further before placing orders, sources told Fastmarkets.Global billet and rebar prices have recently been weakening; buyers in Egypt are waiting for prices to flatten before placing orders.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel billet import, cfr main port Turkey was $610-620 per tonne on September 16, falling from $620-...Read More
Increasing steel production rates in Japan are making Japanese yards increasingly reluctant to offer cargoes to China, market sources told Fastmarkets this week. Better margins to be found in Japan's domestic marketTaiwan continues to chase containerized cargoesContainer scrap offers to Bangladesh fall amid sluggish demandChinaA slowdown in downstream demand has continued to weight on spot demand...Read More
Deliveries of stainless steel in China have been disrupted by an outbreak of Covid-19 in the major production hub of Fujian, but the resultant tightened supply failed to support stainless steel prices in the week ended Wednesday September 15.DomesticStainless steel cold-rolled coil 2mm grade 304 domestic (Wuxi): 19,000-19,700 ($2,949-3,057) per tonne, down by 300-500 yuan per tonne from a week ear...Read More
Domestic prices for steel wire rod in Italy have widened downward over the past seven days amid sluggish buying, a decline in scrap prices and the availability of cheap imports, Fastmarkets heard on Wednesday September 15.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel wire rod (mesh quality), domestic, delivered southern Europe, was ?,?800-845 ($945-998) per tonne on Wednesday, widening downward b...Read More
The largest steelmakers in Bangladesh were largely out of the market for containers of steel scrap on Thursday September 16 following recent deep-sea cargo bookings, market participants have told Fastmarkets.In deals done last week, two deep-sea cargoes were booked to a mill in Bangladesh from the United States West Coast at $530 per tonne cfr for shredded, while a second mill booked deep-sea mate...Read More
Steelmaker Arvedi is in the process of purchasing fellow Italian stainless steel producer Acciai Speciali Terni (AST) from Thyssenkrupp, the German steelmaker said on Thursday September 16.The sale, which is subject to approval by Thyssenkrupp's supervisory board and merger control clearance, also includes associated sales organizations in Germany, Italy and Turkey. The sale is expected to be comp...Read More