The latest metal markets news and price moves to start the North American day on Monday December 17. Base metals price on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower during morning trading, with most metals broadly rangebound during the low-volume morning session, while looming US-China trade tensions keep investors cautious.The three-month aluminium price consolidated lower and continues to trade...Read More
Prices for steel plate in the United States continued to hold their ground over the past week, while mills were hinting at another price hike in January 2019, according to market participants.Fastmarkets AMM's price assessment for cut-to-length plate was unchanged at $49.50 per hundredweight ($990 per short ton) on Friday December 14. Lead times averaged five to six weeks, sources said, with...Read More
Fastmarkets MB organized a North Africa Steel Summit on Thursday December 13 in Dubai, which immediately followed the Middle East Iron and Steel Conference.What follows are the main topics discussed at the summit by two key Egyptian speakers.1) Egypt has over 13 million tonnes per year of steel production capacity, which according to Nourhan Ashry, vice president at Ashry Steel - Egyptian tube and...Read More
Major Vietnamese integrated steel producer Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corp is undercutting international competitors with its new hot-rolled coil (HRC), billet and wire rod offers for February delivery and shipment.The company's hot-rolled products are being offered at very competitive levels to the domestic and regional markets, at either in line with prices for cargoes from international origins, or...Read More
Turkish domestic scrap prices have continued to slip lower in line with the falling finished steel prices over the past week, sources said on Monday December 17.Fastmarkets MB's weekly price assessment for domestic auto bundle (DKP grade) ferrous scrap was TRY1,490-1,710 ($278-319) per tonne delivered, widening down from TRY1,590-1,710 per tonne on December 10.Several steel mills in the country cu...Read More
United States-based specialty chemicals company Albemarle Corp has signed a deal that creates a joint venture with Mineral Resources Limited (MRL) to develop a battery-grade lithium hydroxide plant in Western Australia. The $1.15 billion agreement gives Albemarle a 50% stake in MRL's Wodgina hard rock lithium mine and will see the companies eventually develop an integrated lithium hydroxide operat...Read More
Physical iron ore prices were mixed on Monday December 17 after a jump above $70 per tonne cfr China last Friday.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $70.74 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.27 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $70.27 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.27 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $72.04 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.13 per tonne.MB 58% Fe Premium Index: $63.67 p...Read More
Seaborne iron ore concentrate and pellet prices recorded a mixed performance in the week to Friday December 14.Fastmarkets' weekly MB 66% Fe Iron Ore Concentrate Index stood at $87.61 per tonne cfr China last Friday, up by $1.53 per tonne from December 7.The daily Fastmarkets MB 65% Fe Iron Ore Index averaged $83.60 per tonne cfr China last week, compared with an average of $82.96 per tonne cfr Ch...Read More
The seaborne coking coal spot market started the week on a quiet note, with the price difference between the Chinese and ex-China markets leaving participants baffled on Monday December 17.In the meantime, a South Korean steelmaker and a major miner have agreed on a contract price of $145 per tonne fob Australia for shipments of low-vol pulverized coal injection (PCI) materials made in the October...Read More
Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) has made the first shipment of its new 60.1% Fe West Pilbara fines. The maiden shipment of the product departed from Western Australia's Port of Port Hedland for China's Hunan Valin Steel, the miner said on Sunday December 16.The first few months of shipments of West Pilbara fines have been priced against a 62% Fe index...Read More
China's steel futures fell during morning trading on Monday December 17 while the raw materials contracts were largely steady.Futures closing prices - morning session Shanghai Futures Exchange May rebar: 3,419 yuan ($495) per tonne, down 34 yuan per tonneMay hot-rolled coil: 3,430 yuan per tonne, down 33 yuan per...Read More
Good morning from Fastmarkets MB's offices in Asia as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Monday December 17.Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were broadly higher during Asian morning trading on Monday, with zinc and nickel registering the biggest gains. Tin and lead bucked the trend to weaken slightly.There was a slightly firmer tone across the SHFE base metals c...Read More
The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Tuesday December 18.Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower at the close of trading on Monday December 17, capped by broad strength in the US dollar index while investors remain cautious ahead of the the forthcoming Federal Reserve meeting in the United States. Read more in our live futures report.Here are how pric...Read More
Base metals price on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower during morning trading on Monday December 17, with most metals broadly rangebound during the low-volume morning session, while looming US-China trade tensions keep investors cautious. The three-month aluminium price consolidated lower and continues to trade below $1,950 per tonne, shrugging off a 5% increase in LME stocks after just...Read More
According to China's National Bureau of Statistics released on Friday, China's primary aluminium output increased in November despite a falling price on the Shanghai Futures Exchange, leaving some market participants doubtful.After dropping three consecutive months, China's monthly aluminium output reached 2.82 million tonnes in November, which marked a 3.9% increase from 2.715 million in October...Read More
Arbitrage for copper, aluminium, zinc and nickel imported into China on Monday December 17*Copper -$140.8 (-973.85yuan)Aluminium -$422.13 (-2,919.65 yuan) Zinc -$35.2 (-243.43 yuan) Nickel $128.99 (892.13 yuan) *Fastmarkets calculates the physical arbitrage for import into China daily by using SHFE front-month and LME three-month prices...Read More
Both European and Chinese antimony prices were unchanged in the pricing week ending on Friday December 14 amid thin trading activities and persistently weak demand from downstream markets.Chinese market stagnates with unrest between sellers and consumers Fastmarkets MB's price assessment for MMTA standard grade-II antimony, delivered duty-paid, in China stood at 49,500-50,000 yuan ($7,170-7,242) p...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Shanghai, New York and London in the week ended Friday December 14. United States The grade 553 silicon price fell for a ninth consecutive month because buyers remain supplied by contracts which has led to slow spot trading. The price could find upward support soon, though because spot activity is expected to be busier next year due to the decrease...Read More
The three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were for the most part little changed this morning, Monday December 17. The exception was zinc, the price of which was up by 1.3% at $2,565 per tonne. The three-month copper price was down by $1.50 per tonne at $6,139 per tonne.Volume across the complex has been above average with 6,271 lots traded as at 7.53am London time.The preciou...Read More
Turkish steel producers remained out of the deep-sea scrap markets because of weakening demand for finished steel and falling prices, sources said on Monday December 17.Although some suppliers in the Baltic region reduced their offers to $300-305 per tonne cfr levels for HMS 1&2 (80:20), mills in Turkey were not enticed."I heard offers from Baltic Sea are at $300 per tonne cfr and little above, bu...Read More