European lead smelter Berzelius Metall has declared force majeure on supply contracts after floods that have caused chaos in northern Germany and Belgium forced the closure of its Stolberg smelter.Fastmarkets' calls to Berzelius were not answered, while an email to parent company EcoBat Technologies was not responded to by the time of publication.But sources in the lead market confirmed to Fa...Read More
Premiums for copper cathodes in Shanghai's bonded zone traded in the week to Tuesday July 20 at their highest levels since May, while market sources in the United States speculated about possible rises.Premiums in Shanghai rise on strong domestic marketFresh pandemic concerns damp Southeast Asia demandUS premiums steady at high levels.China premium rebounds stronglyChina's import appetite for copp...Read More
London-listed Chilean copper miner Antofagasta maintained its annual guidance of 730,000-760,000 tonnes of copper production for 2021, despite output dipping in the second quarter.The company warned that drought conditions at its Los Pelambres mine are the worst than they have been for 12-years, and that guidance could be impacted unless rain returns.In brief: Antofagasta's copper production was 1...Read More
Premiums for nickel products in China and the United States rose in the week to Tuesday July 20 amid improved arbitrage terms and tight supply. The European premium was unchanged amid stable demand, but the outlook for the market is positive.Improved arbitrage in China stimulates sentimentSpot supply shortage pushes up US premiumEuropean market flat, but outlook is bullishArbitrage opportunities p...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States climbed closer to $92 per hundredweight ($1,840 per short ton) on Wednesday July 21, setting a new record for the second time this week.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $91.78 per hundredweight ($1,835.60 per short ton) on July 21, an increase of 0.48% from $91.34 per cwt on Tuesday July 20 and 0.49% higher th...Read More
Galvalume prices in the United States hit a record high for the seventh consecutive month thanks to ongoing tight supply and strong demand. Fastmarkets' monthly price assessment for steel coil Galvalume, fob mill US was at $98 per hundredweight ($1,960 per short ton) on Tuesday July 20, up by 8.29% from $90.50 per cwt in June and nearly triple the $33.25 per cwt recorded in the same month las...Read More
Prices in the United States for domestic and imported carbon steel wire rod rose by $40 per ton in July, nearing an all-time high for domestic product and a record for imports.Fastmarkets' monthly assessment for steel wire rod (low carbon) industrial quality, fob mill US was $55-57 per hundredweight ($1,100-1,140 per short ton) on Tuesday July 20, up by 3.70% from 53-55 per cwt on June 1...Read More
Belgian flat steel re-roller NLMK La Louviere has declared force majeure after a fire at its rolling mill, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday July 21.The fire at La Louviere's hot-rolling mill occurred on July 17. It was extinguished within about 30 minutes and there were no injures, according to a company spokesperson."The equipment installed during the [recent] modernization of the mill was n...Read More
A weaker United States ferrous scrap export market is stoking fears that prices could retreat in the August domestic trade after recyclers on the East Coast lowered their selling prices by $10-25 per gross ton in a tell-tale sign.International steel mills have lowered their import prices for US ferrous scrap grades - including heavy melt - this week, citing inflation, higher oil prices and th...Read More
Stainless steel scrap prices in the United States have continued to post slight gains, but the uptrend has begun to show signs of slowing down."Pittsburgh processors are sort of holding back on going higher [with prices], but I know higher is out there," one dealer said, adding that "immediate future demand is hot" and he thinks supply is not going to keep up.As of Tuesday July 20, the London...Read More
Iron ore prices fell on Wednesday July 21 due to steel production cuts in some Chinese provinces for the second half of 2021, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $214.79 per tonne,down $6.25 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $216.17 per tonne,down $6.85 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $176.44 per tonne,down $5.83 per tonne65% Fe...Read More
Import prices for high-grade ferrous scrap HRS101 into China were stable on Wednesday July 21 amid limited spot trading activity, sources told Fastmarkets.Major steel mills continued to view offers for imported cargoes as excessively high and unreflective of market fundamentals in China, especially with steel production cuts dampening spot demand."Now is not a good time to do scrap imports because...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices stayed large stable in both the cfr and fob market on Wednesday July 21 because buying interest is weak facing the elevated offers, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $211.08 per tonne, down $0.19 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $309.31 per tonne, up $0.20 per tonne Hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $178.42 pe...Read More
BHP produced 41 million tonnes of metallurgical coal at its Queensland operations in Australia in its 2021 financial year ended June 30, according to its latest production report published on Tuesday July 20.The total is down by 1% year on year and within its guidance of 39-41 million tonnes. The miner said it produced 11.82 million tonnes of the steelmaking raw material in the April-June period,...Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices largely softened on Wednesday July 21 amid a fluctuating futures market, with participants weighing the possible effects of expected production cuts against an ongoing summer lull. DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,860-5,880 yuan ($905-908) per tonne, narrowing by 10-50 yuan per tonne from 5,850-5,930 yuan per tonneThe most-traded October HRC contract ende...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices picked up slightly on Wednesday July 21 following major mills raising ex works prices.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,230-5,250 yuan ($808-811) per tonne, up by 10 yuan per tonneEastern China major rebar producer, Shagang, raised their ex works price by 250 yuan per tonne to 5,550 yuan...Read More
Base metal futures dipped in morning trading on the London Metal Exchange on Wednesday July 21, as markets globally took pause after a whipsaw start to the week.Nickel three-month futures led the pack down, dropping 1.31% against Tuesday's 5pm close to $18,420 per tonne.Three-month zinc was the second-biggest faller, down 0.83% at $2,938 per tonne.Overall volume was muted, with copper three-month...Read More
Global zinc premiums remained steady in the week to Tuesday July 20, while United States lead premiums surged on tight supply, sources told Fastmarkets.Northern European premiums stable despite demand concernFloods in Europe discourage local downstream consumers and US lead supplyUS lead up again on supply shortage, zinc holdsChinese market quiet during renewed power cut policy in YunnanUS lead pr...Read More
An overview of the consumer electronics markets and their latest price moves.Janie Davies, Cristina Belda and...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Janie Davies, Declan...Read More