An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Dalila Ouerghi and...Read More
Steel rebar prices in Northern Europe inched down from historical highs in the week to Wednesday September 1, but sources expect the market to hold steady in September due to resuming construction activity and limited imports, sources told Fastmarkets.Trading activity in the region has not fully recovered from the holiday lull but the outlook for September is quite positive, sources said."Construc...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices were up in both the cfr and fob markets on Wednesday September 1, although sources at two major mills in China said they did not want to buy at such high prices.Domestic first-tier coking coal prices in China, meanwhile, increased in fourth-quarter long-term contracts and coke prices increased for the eighth round since the start of August, sources said. Fastmarket...Read More
Turkish steel producers made no new scrap bookings on Tuesday August 31, however a deal from the previous Friday came to light, which lowered prices, market participants said.The European-origin cargo was heard late on August 27, after the closing of the daily indices, and was followed by a public holiday in both Turkey and the United Kingdom on August 30.The cargo was booked by a steel mill in th...Read More
Activity in the European hot-rolled coil market remained limited on Wednesday September 1, with mills keeping prices stable and buyers demanding price decreases, sources told Fastmarkets.Market sources believe that the situation is unlikely to change in September - buyers have sufficient stocks and producers have good order books, so both sides can maintain a "wait-and-see" stance.Buyers believe t...Read More
With Italian steelmaker AFV Beltrame Group's recently announced investment in a new green steel plant in Romania, chief executive Carlo Beltrame is looking to futureproof the company ahead of the upcoming green steel revolution. In discussion with Fastmarkets' Carrie Bone, he outlined the changes and challenges anticipated for decarbonizing the steel industry."Why green? Because when we started on...Read More
European prices for ferro-silicon were likely to set more record highs in the near term, with the market already at levels not seen since Fastmarkets started to assess the market in the late 1990s.A combination of firm fundamentals, an acute container shortage, record high freight rates, and production and transportation issues were all set to boost the metals markets at least through December and...Read More
Aluminium's three-month price had the strongest growth in the complex this month, trading at $2,726.50 per tonne on Tuesday August 31, while most other prices on the London Metal Exchange were lower than on August 2. Aluminium closed at $2,718 per tonne on Tuesday, a rise of 2.6% from last Friday's price of $2,649.50 per tonne and up from $2,615 per tonne at the start of August. Bullish funda...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday August 31 that are worth another lookWith Italian steelmaker AFV Beltrame Group's recently announced investment in a new green steel plant in Romania, chief executive Carlo Beltrame is looking to futureproof the company ahead of the upcoming green steel revolution. In...Read More
The European hot-rolled coil (HRC) market remained calm on Tuesday August 31 while buyers remained in a "wait-and-see" mode, sources told Fastmarkets.Although both buyers and sellers have returned to the market after a traditionally slow August, they have been taking their time to assess market trends. Buyers' sentiment has been largely negative due to lower iron ore costs, uncertainty over automo...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday August 31 that are worth another lookWith Italian steelmaker AFV Beltrame Group's recently announced investment in a new green steel plant in Romania, chief executive Carlo Beltrame is looking to futureproof the company ahead of the upcoming green steel revolution. In...Read More
Aluminium premiums increased on Tuesday August 31 across the globe, with tight supply, an opened arbitrage window in China, and overall bullish sentiment providing market tailwinds and supporting all-time highs.Premiums up in Rotterdam on insufficient supplyUS Midwest premium stable at record highPremiums rise in Shanghai amid wide arbitrage profitsImproved market sentiment drives MJP premiums upw...Read More
A summary of Chinese lithium producer Ganfeng Lithium's financial results for the six months ending June 30, 2021, released by the company on Tuesday August 31.In briefGanfeng Lithium's revenue for the first half of 2021 totalled 4.06 billion yuan ($627.45 million), up by 70.27% year...Read More
An overview of the chrome ore and alloy markets in Asia, Europe and the United States on Tuesday August 31 and their latest price moves.China Spot domestic ferro-chrome prices tumbled after Tsingshan lowered its September tender price by 800 yuan ($123) per tonne. Production in Inner Mongolia has recovered to June levels but supply uncertainty remains due to an unstable electricity supply and new...Read More
The mood in the European hot-rolled coil market soured in the week ended Friday August 27 after both buyers and producers started to return after the summer holiday in August.Trading activity has been limited while buyers follow a wait-and-see strategy.Buyers expect domestic coil prices to decline in September due to lower raw material costs.Demand outlook for the automotive segment - one of the k...Read More
Mexican steel scrap prices continued to decrease in the week ended on Friday August 27, as most steelmakers applied price cuts because of competition from imported material.Scrap consumers have been pushing through a series of weekly price cuts due to pressure from lower international prices.Fastmarkets' assessment of the steel scrap No1 busheling, consumer buying price, delivered mill Monterrey&n...Read More
Turkish steel producers made no new scrap bookings on Tuesday August 31, however a deal from the previous Friday came to light, which lowered prices, market participants said.The Baltic-sea cargo was heard late on Friday August 27, past the closing of the daily indices, and was followed by a public holiday in both Turkey and the United Kingdom on Monday August 30. The cargo was booked by a steel m...Read More
With Italian steelmaker AFV Beltrame Group's recently announced investment in a new green steel plant in Romania, chief executive Carlo Beltrame is looking to futureproof the company ahead of the upcoming green steel revolution. In discussion with Fastmarkets' Carrie Bone, he outlined the changes and challenges anticipated for decarbonizing the steel industry."Why green? Because when we started on...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mainly firmer on the morning of Tuesday August 31, while those on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were more mixed.This comes despite the release of some weaker-than-expected Chinese manufacturing numbers. The US dollar index was, however, weaker. China's manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) fell to 50.1 in August from 50.4 in July. China'...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday August 31 that are worth another lookWith Italian steelmaker AFV Beltrame Group's recently announced investment in a new green steel plant in Romania, chief executive Carlo Beltrame is looking to futureproof the company ahead of the upcoming green steel revolution. In...Read More