Turkish steel mills again stayed away from the deep-sea scrap market on Wednesday August 12, while finished steel prices edged lower, sources told Fastmarkets.No new deep-sea cargoes were heard on the market today, continuing a trend of silence, although falling finished steel prices are beginning to weigh on market sentiment and purchasing decisions. The price of rebar in Turkey's domestic...Read More
A summary of Swedish state-owned iron-ore producer LKAB's financial results for the second quarter of 2021, ended June 30.In brief Iron ore output for the second quarter at LKAB was on a par with the previous year. Production was still suffering the effects of a seismic event at the Kiruna mine more than a year ago. At present, production in Kiruna is at around 90% of capacity, and recovery works...Read More
ArcelorMittal is to pilot the use of bio-coal as a partial replacement for fossil coal in the blast furnace at its steelmaking site in Ghent, Belgium, as a step toward cutting its carbon emissions, the company announced on Wednesday August 11.ArcelorMittal Ghent has taken this step on its decarbonization journey, it said, by choosing to use high-quality bio-coal as a raw material for its steel pro...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices continued to increase in the cfr China market on Thursday August 12 and rose slightly in the fob market due to tight supply and good procurement demand, sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $222.37 per tonne, up $0.28 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $196.16 per tonne, up $0.25 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $340.19 p...Read More
Iron ore prices fell on Thursday August 12, on weakening market sentiment prompted by limited demand and thin liquidity, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $162.96 per tonne, down $2.52 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $163.19 per tonne, down $2.78 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $130.72 per tonne, down $3.56 per t...Read More
Activity in the key Bangladesh and Vietnam deep-sea import scrap markets have increased in recent days, with mills in the countries increasingly interested in bulk shipments, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday August 12.Deep-sea bulk deal heard in VietnamBangladesh bulk inquiries pick upTaiwan spot prices start to reboundChina scrap import prices remain static amid weak demandVietnamVietnam retu...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices fell on Thursday August 12, with end-user demand falling away due to heavy rainfall across large parts of the country.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,200-5,230 yuan ($803-808) per tonne, down by 30 yuan per tonneHeavy rain hit a large parts of China in recent days, interrupting construction activity and disrupting the transportation of rebar from warehouses.More h...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in China's domestic market pulled back on Thursday August 12, with market participants shifting their focus away from expectations of a drop in supplies after weak lending data sparked concerns over liquidity.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,790-5,810 yuan ($894-897) per tonne, down by 30-50 yuan per tonneThe most-traded HRC contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange moved...Read More
China's stainless steel prices fell in both the domestic and export markets in the week ended Wednesday August 11 due to weakening demand and declines in nickel futures. The three-month nickel contract on the London Metal Exchange ended the official trading session on Wednesday at $18,902 per tonne, down by $983 per tonne (4.9%) from $19,885 per tonne on July 30.China's domestic stainless steel fu...Read More
Tesla, the United States-based manufacturer of electric vehicles (EVs), is implementing a blockchain solution for end-to-end cobalt traceability in partnership with Glencore, China Molybdenum (CMOC) and Eurasian Resources Group (ERG), Glencore announced in a press release dated Thursday August 12.The Re|Source blockchain platform that Tesla is piloting was founded by Glencore, CMOC and ERG, and wa...Read More
The Cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb 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 standard grade, in-whs...Read More
The Cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lbtrade 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....Read More
A summary of Swiss long stainless steelmaker Swiss Steel Group's - formerly Schmolz + Bickenbach - financial results for the second quarter (April-June) of 2021.In brief Sales for the second quarter of 2021 rose by 72.1% year on year due to good demand from the automotive industry as well as from the mechanical and plant engineering industry.Higher stainless steel prices - primarily derived f...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures advanced 3 points in pre-opening trade.Walt Disney added $5.71 to $185.00 after reporting higher than consensus fiscal third quarter revenues and earnings. Wal-Mart added $0.41 to $149.47 after Stifel Nicolaus raised its target price from $150 to $155.Target advanced $1.18 to $263.06 after Stifel Nicolaus raised its target pri...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday August 11 that are worth another look.ArcelorMittal will start up a third rolling mill at its Jo??o Monlevade long steel plant in Brazil's southeastern Minas Gerais state in January 2022, due to strong demand and...Read More
A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums from across the globe for the week to Wednesday August 11.Please click...Read More
Tin's three-month price reached yet another all-time peak of $35,795 per tonne on Wednesday August 11 on the London Metal Exchange. Most other base metals, copper being the sole exception, were also up while the US Dollar Index pulled back slightly.Months-long supply tightness and continued demand for tin meant that its three-month price has risen by 70% since the start of the year, having been $2...Read More
Spot ferro-chrome prices in China continued to correct downward after peaking at a 13-year high point at the end of July, despite the continuing output restrictions caused by power supply limitations in a number of production regions.Fastmarkets' price assessment for ferro-chrome, spot, 6-8% C, basis 50% Cr, ddp China, fell by 400-500 yuan to 10,400-10,800 yuan ($1,603-1,665) per tonne on Tuesday...Read More
Union leaders and the operating company of Chile's Escondida mine have agreed terms on a new collective bargaining agreement, potentially avoiding a proposed strike at the world's largest copper mine.In a statement reported in the Chliean daily El Mercurio, operating company Minera Escondida said: "The company and the directors of the Union No1 have concluded negotiations [on a] collecti...Read More
Swiss trader ArrowMetals & Trading is building a base metals concentrates desk, having hired three traders in the past month.Julian Gonzalez, Raphael Senn and Javier Villegas, all formerly of Cliveden Trading, have recently joined Arrow to trade copper, zinc and...Read More