The Turkish steel mills continued their silence in the deep-sea scrap markets for another day on Wednesday November 14, because of a softening rebar market and increasing scrap supply in Europe, Fastmarkets was told.After booking two cargoes from the United States late last week, Turkish mills paused their purchases. Meanwhile, rebar prices have shown a downturn with news of recent sales at $506-5...Read More
Iron ore prices were mixed on Wednesday November 14 with supply tightness and higher premiums reported for December-arrival Pilbara Blend fines.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $75.91 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $0.18 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $75.71 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $0.18 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $78.25 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $0.53 per tonne.MB 58% F...Read More
Vietnam, a major consumer of scrap in Asia, has purchased at least 30,000 tonnes of Japanese H2 materials this week.Deals involving at least two bulk shipments bound for southern Vietnam were heard concluded around $329-330 per tonne cfr Vietnam.This suggests that fob Japan prices have fallen further from last week's level of ?34,700-35,000 ($305-307) per tonne after a tender held by the Kanto Te...Read More
China's domestic rebar market maintained its downward trend on Wednesday November 14 despite rising futures. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 4,390-4,430 yuan ($631-637) per tonne, down 20-30 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 4,180-4,230 yuan per tonne, down 70 yuan per tonneAmid deteriorating air quality in northern China over the past couple of days, a few steel mills in the region have...Read More
Manganese ore prices are overheated compared with production costs and manganese alloy prices, making them prone to a decline next year, panelists said at Fastmarkets' 34th International Ferro-alloys conference in Lisbon this week. Manganese ore prices have trended higher since May this year. Fastmarkets MB's 44% manganese ore index was last calculated at $7.13 per dry metric tonne unit dmtu,...Read More
Special steelmaker Voestalpine attributed an 11% fall in its earnings for the first half of 2018 to continuing global trade conflicts, it said late last week.The Austrian company reported a decline of 11.2% in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) over April-September 2018, the first half of its financial year, to ?,?860 million ($969 million). This compared with...Read More
Vanadium prices will find a much higher base than their 2015 lows when they inevitably fall, due to a structural shift in the global vanadium market, according to Amy Bennett, principal consultant at Fastmarkets MB. "Ferro-vanadium will not stay above $100 per kg for eternity [and] at some point there will be less of a panic to get material," delegates heard at Fastmarkets' 34th International Ferr...Read More
Prices for hollow steel sections in Northern Europe were flat this week amid stable market conditions, Fastmarkets heard on Wednesday November 14.Fastmarkets' domestic price assessment for commodity-size, grade-S235 square hollow sections made in Northern Europe was ?,?640-660 ($720-743) per tonne delivered on November 14, unchanged week on week.Last week, hollow section prices widened by ?,?10 pe...Read More
Turkish steel pipe export prices continued to weaken amid limited interest for the material in the country's major export markets, sources said on Wednesday November 14.Steel pipe producers in Turkey were offering 2mm wall thickness EN10219-standard, grade-S235 tube at around $600-610 per tonne fob, compared with last month's offers at $640-650 per tonne.Fastmarkets' monthly...Read More
Special steelmaker Voestalpine attributed an 11% fall in its earnings for the first half of 2018 to continuing global trade conflicts, it said late last week.The Austrian company reported a decline of 11.2% in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) over April-September 2018, the first half of its financial year, to ?,?860 million ($969 million). This compared with...Read More
Primary aluminium stocks at the three main Japanese ports (MJP) of Osaka, Nagoya and Yokohama slipped 1% month on month in October, according to the latest data from major Japanese trading house Marubeni Corp. The data, which was published on Wednesday November 14, also shows that total aluminium stocks at the three ports came to 317,300 tonnes at the end of last month. On a y...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil (HRC) are down over the past week in Southern Europe, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday November 14.The decrease was the result of slow trading and competitive import offers from Turkey, market participants said.Southern EuropeFastmarkets' domestic price assessment for HRC in Southern Europe was ?,?480-525 ($540-591) per tonne ex-works on November 14, down f...Read More
European prices for mesh-quality wire rod rose across the Northern and Southern parts of the continent on Wednesday November 14, with the volume available in the EU's import quota continuing to go down.Fastmarkets' weekly domestic price assessments for mesh-quality wire rod in both Southern and Northern Europe narrowed upward to ?,?540-560 ($608-630) per tonne delivered on Wednesday, from ?,?535-5...Read More
Nickel premiums in China, the United States and Europe remained unchanged over the week amid limited activity, an unstable import window in Shanghai and participants' absence from the market. An open but unstable import window kept premiums in Shanghai flat Subdued activity in the US nickel market maintains premiums European nickel market quiet with long-term in focusShanghai nickel premiums uncha...Read More
The latest news and price moves to start the Asian day on Thursday November 15.Base metal prices on the London Metal Exchange were predominantly higher at the close of trading on Wednesday November 14, boosted by a steady rebound in global benchmark crude oil futures and a marginal retreat in the United States' dollar index. Read more in our live futures report.Here are how prices looked at the cl...Read More
The latest metal markets news and price moves to start the North American day on Wednesday November 14. Base metals on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower during morning trading, with prices weakened by a prolonged sell-off in crude oil markets while continued strength in the US dollar index increased downward pressure. Falling by just under 1% over the morning, the three-month nickel...Read More
Good morning from Fastmarkets MB's offices in Asia as we bring you the latest news and pricing stories on Wednesday November 14.Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange weakened during Asian morning trading on Wednesday, with the release of lackluster Chinese data failing to offset the downward pressure being exerted by a strong dollar.Check Fastmarkets MB's live futures report here.Opt...Read More
Primary aluminium stocks at the three main Japanese ports (MJP) of Osaka, Nagoya and Yokohama slipped 1% month on month in October, according to the latest data from major Japanese trading house Marubeni Corp. The data, which was published on Wednesday November 14, also shows that total aluminium stocks at the three ports came to 317,300 tonnes at the end of last month. On a y...Read More
Nickel premiums in China, the United States and Europe remained unchanged over the week amid limited activity, an unstable import window in Shanghai and participants' absence from the market. An open but unstable import window kept premiums in Shanghai flat Subdued activity in the US nickel market maintains premiums European nickel market quiet with long-term in focusShanghai nickel premiums uncha...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were predominantly higher at the close of trading on Wednesday November 14, boosted by a steady rebound in global benchmark crude oil futures and a marginal retreat in the dollar index.Following a decline in the oil price this morning due to increasing concerns over a global slowdown economic growth, it bounced 1.47% over the course of the...Read More