Seaborne coking coal prices increased in the cfr China market following a strong domestic coking coal market on Wednesday August 25 and stayed largely firm in the fob Australia market amid low trading activities, market sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $391.84 per tonne, up $5.01 per tonneHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $365.31 per tonne, up $8.63 per tonnePr...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday August 25 that are worth another look.The global markets for containerized freight have entered even deeper water in recent weeks, with closures at the key port of Ningbo-Zhoushan in China leading to worsening cargo delays, port congestion and a further...Read More
Zinc producers in China's southwestern province of Yunnan should be able to fully resume their operations by mid-June, sources said.Yunnan will remove its power restrictions by the end of June that have stunted local zinc output, the provincial energy bureau said.A few zinc smelters in Yunnan have already resumed production, however, sources that spoke to Fastmarkets said.Production capa...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Recent weeks have brought two key developments with regard to trade policy on stainless steel products that will be to the detriment of consumers.In China, the country's stainless steelmakers no longer enjoy a 13% export rebate as of May 1, reducing greatly their incentive to export and instead leading them to focus on supply...Read More
An overview of the consumer electronics markets and their latest price moves in the week to Wednesday August 25.Fola Malomo, Cristina Belda and...Read More
Nickel premiums were unchanged in both the United States and China in the week to Tuesday August 24, with higher levels of spot business reported in Asia due to an opened arbitrage window between London and Shanghai.US 4x4 cut cathode premium steady, after rising by 11.1% in the previous week with market participants awaiting price direction.Spot activity up in Asia on an open arbitrage window bet...Read More
Tin ingot premiums in the United States have decreased slightly for the first time since the start of 2021 together with those in Taiwan, while in Europe, the all-time highs seen for the past two months held on as the supply tightness in the region persisted. US offers, deals still broadly around $4,000 per tonne despite imminent arrival of cargoes. Taiwan premiums fall after "hoarding" of ingot.T...Read More
Tsingshan Group has lowered its tender price for September-delivery ferro-chrome to 9,995 yuan ($1,543) per tonne, the Chinese stainless steelmaker said on Wednesday August 25.The tender price is 800 yuan per tonne (7.41%) lower than what the eastern Chinese mill - the country's largest ferro-chrome buyer - had sought for August-delivery material.While lower than the previous month's 13-year high,...Read More
Slower spot activity prevented any changes to the US Midwest aluminium premium although deals were still concluded at high end of Fastmarkets' assessment range on Tuesday August 24.While a lack of market liquidity combined with slow demand kept European and Asian premiums static, Brazilian premiums rose slightly thanks to higher offers.US Midwest market flat after reaching record highPremiums in E...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices suspended their upward trend on Wednesday August 25 amid a drop in sales volumes.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,200-5,230 yuan ($803-808) per tonne, unchangedRestocking demand continued to weaken due to traders' concerns about high prices in September.End users slowed their procurement rates slightly to see if spot prices would drop...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday August 25.Key drivers The titanium alloy market was steady in the assessment week, with suppliers holding their offer prices steady ahead of an expected renewal of demand from steelmakers for both prompt and fourth-quarter deliveries. Industry sources reported hearing some offer prices close to $8 per kg, with the emergence of some...Read More
Stainless steel prices continue to register new highs around the end of the first half of 2021 and steelmakers continue to enjoy outsized margins.They have responded in recent months by increasing their output, which has now pushed above pre-pandemic levels and will eventually restore balance to the market.For now, though, supply gaps are still being filled and buyers find themselves competing aga...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday August 25 that are worth another look.The global markets for containerized freight have entered even deeper water in recent weeks, with closures at the key port of Ningbo-Zhoushan in China leading to worsening cargo delays, port congestion and a further...Read More
Export prices for steel billet from the Commonwealth of Independent States continued to fall in the week to Wednesday August 25, with lower sales and bids heard.Latin American demand remained strong, with a 30,000-35,000 tonne Ukraine-origin cargo sold at $610 per tonne fob Black Sea, sources said. This is $20 per tonne cheaper than in bookings in the region in the first half of August.Other marke...Read More
The Cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China, % payable of Fastmarkets' standard-grade cobalt price (low-end) 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 hydroxide p...Read More
Brazilian energy and logistics company Grupo Cosan is building a joint venture (JV) to create an integrated iron ore mining and logistics company in the country's northern Caraj??s region.Cosan's subsidiary Atl??ntico Participa???ues will own 50% of voting shares and 37% of total shares of the new joint venture, called JV Minera????o.Atl??ntico signed a memorandum of understanding with Grupo Paulo...Read More
Eight of the nine Category 1 members of the London Metal Exchange have indicated their support for continuing to trade official lunchtime prices in the open-outcry ring.Does this mean that one company does not support ring trading? And could one of the exchange's members be preparing to leave the trading floor?The exchange revealed on Monday August 9 that it had majority support for the ring, in a...Read More
The spread between prices for 65% Fe iron ore and 62% Fe products have narrowed rapidly in recent weeks due to the former weakening at a faster pace than the latter.This has resulted in a mixed long-term outlook for high-grade fines, market sources told Fastmarkets.Narrowing spreadAs hints of the central Chinese government's intention of keeping this year's output from exceeding last year's began...Read More
Hot-rolled coil (HRC) import prices to Saudi Arabia increased during the week ending Tuesday August 24; the market in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was stable, sources told Fastmarkets.The market was slow in the UAE due to the summer season as well as to a lack of new projects, sources said.Saudi ArabiaChina offered HRC at $1,020-1,040 per tonne cfr Saudi Arabia, unchanged since last week.India o...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil were fairly stable in Northern Europe and Italy on Tuesday August 24 with both buyers and sellers holding back from trading activity, sources told Fastmarkets.Buyers started to return to the market this week after a slow period earlier in August, but no deals have been heard yet because the buyers wanted to assess the market trend first.They believed that the de...Read More