Base metals on the London Metal Exchange had a mixed start in morning trading on Friday November 16, with investor sentiment improving amid easing US-China trade tensions and a slight downturn in the US dollar index.Both lead and nickel futures were the biggest climbers over the morning, appreciating more than 1% respectively amid depleting LME stocks and strong demand from the electric vehicle an...Read More
Austenitic steel scrap prices fell further this week with the negative market factors that have developed in recent weeks remaining in place. The pressure on prices came from poor demand, decreasing nickel prices and a lack of confidence that the market will pick up early in 2019.In Europe, the price of imports of 18/8 stainless steel scrap solids was assessed at ?,?950-970 ($1,076-1,098) per tonn...Read More
Domestic prices for coated steel coil products in Turkey have moved down over the past week due to slow trading conditions, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday November 16."Demand is slow and sentiment is bearish, so the mills have had to decrease their prices," a trader...Read More
Metal Bulletin rounds up some of the key news and price moves across the global metal markets this week.Base metalsAntofagasta aims to increase copper capacity by 70,000 tonnes per year via a rebuild of its Los Pelambres mine in Chile at a cost of $1.3 billion, the Chilean copper producer said.The US Beer Institute has called on the United States government to scrutinize aluminium price...Read More
Astor Management, a private company based in Switzerland, plans to pursue European copper producer Atalaya Mining in the UK Supreme Court for $18 million in so-called "uptick payments", the Swiss company said on Thursday November 15.An earlier dispute over loans and investment agreements between the companies in the years between 2000 and now was settled by the UK High Court and Court of Appeal.Th...Read More
Base metals futures on the London Metal Exchange rebounded at the close of trading on Friday November 16, led by a strong performance in the three-month lead price while a marked downturn in the US dollar index prompted follow-up buying. Trading for a time above $2,000 per tonne, the three-month lead price posted significant gains amid total LME lead stocks and remained at its lowest level since 2...Read More
Chile's Copper Commission, or Cochilco, has lowered its copper price estimates for 2018 and 2019, while expecting an increase in prices for 2020, the state-run board said on Thursday November 15.In its quarterly report on the copper market, average copper prices should be $2.97 (297 cents) per lb this year, according to Cochilco, down from a previous $3 per lb forecast in July. The commission expe...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
Fastmarkets MB presents the key things we learned when the ferro-alloys community gathered for a busy week of meetings and contract negotiations in Lisbon at the 34th International Ferro-alloys Conference on November 11-13. The global vanadium deficit will continue: Ferro-vanadium and vanadium pentoxide prices sit at or near historic highs due to significant global supply concerns, and market part...Read More
Comex copper prices hit a multi-week high in morning tradingin the United States on Friday November 16, amid improving macroeconomic fundamentals and with trade talks to be held between the US and China.The copper price for December settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rose by 2.25 cents to $2.7690 per lb on Friday. Earlier in the trading session, the contract peake...Read More
The US Beer Institute has called on the United States government to scrutinize aluminium price irregularities and distortions, referring to speculative activity to warehouse and withhold metal as being among the reasons for high premiums. James McGreevy, president and chief executive officer of the Beer Institute, noted past comments by US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross that "antisocial behavio...Read More
Metal Bulletin reviews the major stories that have affected the steel market during the week ended Friday November 16.Raw MaterialsThe Singapore Exchange will launch high-grade iron ore derivatives settled against the daily MB 65% Fe Iron Ore Index published by Fastmarkets MB in the first week of December.Asia ferrous scrap prices are still falling due to weak demand from steel mills and ample sup...Read More
Cold-rolled coil and coated steel base prices declined this past week in the United States, in line with lower feedstock pricing.Fastmarkets assessed the price of domestic CRC at $45.50 per hundredweight fob Midwest mill on Thursday November 15, down by 1.1% from $46 per cwt a week earlier.Fastmarkets' assessment for the hot-dipped galvanized base price also dropped to $45.50 per cw...Read More
Domestic prices for steel coil products in Turkey were expected to move down due to limited demand, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday November 16."Demand is barely there, and there were hardly any deals done this week," a source said."There might be more activity seen next week, but most likely the mills will not be able to maintain the current level of prices," he added.Fastmarkets' weekly price...Read More
Domestic Indian prices for steel billet fell this week by at least 400 rupees ($6) per tonne, with demand for semi-finished products remaining weak on account of subdued sales of finished products such as rebar.Indian domestic secondary billets, mainly produced by the induction process, ended the week priced at 33,000-33,200 rupees ($459-462) per tonne ex-mill on Friday November 16. This was down...Read More
The latest metal markets news and price moves to start the North American day on Friday November 16. Base metals on the London Metal Exchange had a mixed start during morning trading on Friday November 16, with investor sentiment improving amid easing US-China trade tensions and a slight downturn in the US dollar index.Both lead and nickel futures were the biggest climbers over the morning, apprec...Read More
The import price for steel billet in Southeast Asia fell on Friday November 16 after suppliers offered cheaper cargoes, while negative sentiment intensified on China's possible return to the export market.Fastmarkets' daily price assessment for billet imported into Southeast Asia was $495-502 per tonne cfr Manila on Friday, widening downward by $5 per tonne from $500-502 per tonne cfr the previous...Read More
Key data for the pricing session for the week ending November 16.China Domestic ferro-chrome spot prices held stable this week on thin trading activity. The UG2 chrome ore index continued to soften amid few deals, while some players held off from buying on expectations that the price will dip further. The imported charge chrome...Read More
The following Fastmarkets noble alloys, bulk alloys and ores prices changed on Friday November 16:Noble alloysFerro-molybdenum basis 65% min, in-warehouse Rotterdam, $/kg Mo: $28.50-28.80 per kg from $28.50-29.00Ferro-molybdenum US 65-70% Mo, $/Ib: $12.90-13.30 per Ib from $12.90-13.35Ferro-vanadium basis 78% min, free delivered duty paid, $/kg: $126.00-128.00 per kg from $124.25-126.00Ferro-vanad...Read More
At Fastmarkets MB's 34th International Ferro-alloys Conference in Lisbon this week, we polled delegates about their expectations for the ferro-alloys markets in 2019. How will ferro-alloy prices move in 2019 relative to 2018? After a strong year in 2018, which has included a steady increase in manganese ore prices and multi-year highs in the vanadium market, the greatest proportion of poll respond...Read More