Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mainly weaker on the morning of Tuesday September 7, while all but aluminium on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were down. China's imports and exports growth accelerated in August, compared with July's increases... ...this despite Covid-19 disruptions and container shortagesBase metalsThree-month base metals prices on the LME were mainly weaker th...Read More
An upcoming spate of steel mill outages in the United States could support domestic hot-rolled coil prices over the crucial contract negotiation period despite weaker demand from the automotive industry, according to market participants. Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $97.33 per hundredweight ($1,946.60 per short ton) on Friday September 3, setti...Read More
Prices for hot-rolled coil in the United States retreated to just below the $97-per-hundredweight mark after establishing a record high on the previous business day.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $96.99 per hundredweight ($1,939.80 per short ton) on Tuesday September 7, a decrease of 0.35% from the all-time high of $97.33 per cwt set on Friday Septemb...Read More
The downturn in prices for flat steel imports to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia has made buyers refrain from bookings because of their uncertainty about the market during the week ending Tuesday September 7, sources told Fastmarkets.Buyers wanted to see prices hit a market bottom before placing more orders.Saudi ArabiaChina was offering hot-rolled coil at $1,020-1,040 per tonne cfr Saud...Read More
Demand for steel rebar in the United Arab Emirates improved in the first week of September compared with August, while prices remained stable, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday, September 7.Demand picked up last week because of low stock levels and buying has been strong so far this week, sources said.Domestic rebarSince August 24, the country's biggest steel producer, Emirates Steel, has been o...Read More
The export market for steel hot-rolled coil from the Commonwealth of Independent States went down during the week ended Monday September 6 on low demand because buyers were cautious about possible further price drops.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment of the price for steel HRC, export, fob Black Sea, CIS, was $865-885 per tonne on Monday, down from $880-900 per tonne a week earlier.Sales of Ukraine-o...Read More
Mexican light vehicle production decreased by 21.44% year on year in August, according to figures released by national statistics agency Inegi on Monday September 6. Vehicle output reached 237,040 units last month, compared with 301,739 in August 2020.The country's automotive output has been limited, with...Read More
Mexican ferrous steel scrap prices inched down in the week ended Friday September 3, and market participants believe new price reductions are unavoidable.Some scrap buyers were implementing price cuts of 250 pesos ($12) per tonne last week for obsolete grades for some sellers, while others did not see any changes.But most sellers also believed that further price decreases were a certainty, includi...Read More
Turkish steel mills have resumed their deep-sea scrap bookings at fairly stable prices after a short break, market participants told Fastmarkets on Tuesday September 7.Three steel producers booked four deep-sea cargoes from various locations.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a US cargo, comprising 15,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $445 per tonne and 27,000 tonnes of shredded at $460 per...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices rebounded on Tuesday September 7, although buying activity remained sluggish for mainstream iron ore fines, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $137.97 per tonne, up by $5.59 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $138.10 per tonne, up by $5.08 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $110.69 per tonne, up by $5.99 per...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices across the board increased further on Tuesday September 7, with limited materials available for the spot market, sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $457.81 per tonne, up $7.20 per tonneHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $431.42 per tonne, up $6.31 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $283.81 per tonne, up $7.21 per tonneHard cok...Read More
The possibility of tighter production cuts in China in early 2022 has led to a drop in raw materials prices across the ferrous chain in China, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday September 7.Stricter production policies in China put pressure on scrap demandJapan-origin offers to China remain unchangedTaiwan buys containerized scrap at $450 per tonneChinaThe Chinese government's stricter stanc...Read More
China imported 97.49 million tonnes of iron ore in August, down by 3% from 100.36 million tonnes one year earlier but 10% higher month on month after a four-month decline, Chinese customs data showed on Tuesday September 7.Last month's imports are 8.99 million tonnes higher compared with July's 88.5 million tonnes.August's import levels also mark the third high point...Read More
Spot prices for hot-rolled coil prices in China's domestic market were unchanged on Tuesday September 7, subdued by continued weakness in demand but supported by the ongoing production curbs.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,800-5,850 yuan ($898-905) per tonne, unchangedThe most-traded HRC contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange hit 5,889 yuan per tonne in overnight trading, its high...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices continued to trend upward on Tuesday September 7 but trading activity fell in response to the increases.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,320-5,370 yuan ($824-831) per tonne, up by 40-60 yuan per tonneRebar futures traded above Monday's settlement price of 5,427 yuan per tonne throughout the day on Tuesday.Sellers - already expecting lower steel production rates to...Read More
The Cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets assessed Cobalt...Read More
The Cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lbtrade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets assessed...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange and the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mixed on the morning of Wednesday September 8. Aluminium, nickel and zinc prices on the LME were holding up well, while copper, tin and lead look more vulnerable.* Federal Open Market Committee member James Bullard said the Federal Reserve should start tapering, which has lifted US treasury yields and the dollar...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were mixed this morning. S&P 500 futures were unchanged in pre-opening trade.The Canadian Dollar was virtually unchanged at US78.97 cents prior to the Bank of Canada's update on Canada's monetary policy at 10:00 AM EDT. Consensus expects no change in Canada's overnight lending rate to major Canadian Banks.PayPal added $4.13 to $297.39 after announcing purchase of a Ja...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday September 6 that are worth another look.Continued low demand for aluminium in Japan, unchanged since August, has weighed on fourth-quarter negotiations for the main Japanese ports (MJP) aluminium premium, which started around August 24. Multiple sources reported on Monday September 6 that the first producer to extend the offer of $2...Read More