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
Base metal prices on the London Metal Exchange continued to edge up on the morning of Wednesday June 22, with comments by the United States Federal Reserve chairman on future actions by the central back easing tapering concerns."To reassure the markets, US Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said: 'We will not raise interest rates pre-emptively because we think employment is too high [or] becau...Read More
Iron ore prices rose on Wednesday June 23 amid improved sentiment because of the possible easing of blast furnace restrictions in China's Tangshan province and the sharp rise in coal prices, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $216.01 per tonne, up by $1.69 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $219.34 per tonne, up by $3.34 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grad...Read More
The already short supplies of steel wire rod and rebar in the north of Europe are likely to get even tighter in the coming weeks after a fire led to the suspension of operations at the Thy-Marcinelle long steel mill in Belgium, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday June 23. Steel production at the Riva Group plant in Charleroi was suspended for three weeks on Monday, June 21 after a fire affected...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday June 23 that are worth another look.Swedish special steel producer Ovako is to collaborate with carmaker Volvo Group, Hitachi ABB Power Grids, H2 Green Steel and Nel Hydrogen to invest in hydrogen production at Hofors in Sweden, it has been announced.Read More
Turkish steel producers have extended their absence in the deep-sea scrap market due to weak rebar sales, market participants told Fastmarkets on Wednesday June 23.Steelmakers have now been absent from the market since June 15, when two cargoes were sold into Turkey from the United States.A mill in the Marmara region bought both cargoes, comprising HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $500 and $501 per tonne, plus...Read More
China is moving a step closer toward a national plan for the trading of carbon emission permits with the release of guidelines by the Shanghai Environment & Energy Exchange (SEEE) on Tuesday June 22.This follows decade-long pilot projects in several provinces and cities including Shanghai.The SEEE, China's first trading platform for environmental and energy sectors, will be the sole marketplace fo...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.United States sheet prices hit record highs again in May, with upward momentum carrying into June. Actual US HRC prices averaged $1,712 per tonne in May, largely in line with our forecast of $1,698 per tonne. Strong underlying supply-and-demand conditions both in the US and globally are supporting prices as well as long lead...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:?EUR? US sheet prices hit record highs again in May, with upward momentum persisting into June. Actual US hot-rolled coil prices averaged $1,553 per ton in May, largely in line with our forecast of $1,540 per ton. Prices remain supported by strong underlying sup...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange continued to trade higher across the board during the day on Wednesday June 23. Prices across the complex followed their recent upward momentum during Wednesday's trading as a result of pacified market sentiment following the testimony given by Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell to Congress on Tuesday. "In his testimony, Powell's tone was relativ...Read More
A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums from across the globe for the week to Wednesday June 23.Please click...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday June 23 that are worth another look.Swedish special steel producer Ovako is to collaborate with carmaker Volvo Group, Hitachi ABB Power Grids, H2 Green Steel and Nel Hydrogen to invest in hydrogen production at Hofors in Sweden, it has been announced.Read More
Steel billet export prices from the Commonwealth of Independent States dropped on Wednesday June 23 after some bookings done at lower levels came to light.CIS suppliers' orders were supported by demand from Turkey, although deals were done at discounted levels.A cargo of Russia-origin billet was sold to the country at $665 per tonne cfr late last week. Considering the recent increase in....Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday June 23 that are worth another look.Swedish special steel producer Ovako is to collaborate with carmaker Volvo Group, Hitachi ABB Power Grids, H2 Green Steel and Nel Hydrogen to invest in hydrogen production at Hofors in Sweden, it has been announced.Read More
Swedish special steel producer Ovako is to collaborate with carmaker Volvo Group, Hitachi ABB Power Grids, H2 Green Steel and Nel Hydrogen to invest in hydrogen production at Hofors in Sweden, it has been announced.The project will look to enable climate-neutral steel production and to build hydrogen-powered heavy vehicles. It is building Sweden's largest fossil-fuel-free hydrogen facility, it sai...Read More
Prices for steel hollow sections in Europe rose on Wednesday June 23 following an increase in feedstock costs, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?1,370-1,420 ($1,632-1,692) per tonne on June 23, up from ?,?1,320-1,340 per tonne on June 16.The price of hot-rolled coil, the feedstock for hollow sections...Read More
Prices for cargoes of steel billet imported into the Philippines have fallen because of a deluge of material being offered into Southeast Asian markets amid a lack of buying interest in China, Fastmarkets heard on Wednesday June 23.Bid prices in China have fallen to around $650-655 per tonne cfr for 3sp billet over the first three days of this week, down from $670 per tonne cfr on Friday amid weak...Read More
Steel billet export prices from the Commonwealth of Independent States dropped on Wednesday June 23 after some bookings done at lower levels came to light.CIS suppliers' orders were supported by demand from Turkey, although deals were done at discounted levels.A cargo of Russia-origin billet was sold to the country at $665 per tonne cfr late last week. Considering the recent increase in....Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday June 23 that are worth another look.Swedish special steel producer Ovako is to collaborate with carmaker Volvo Group, Hitachi ABB Power Grids, H2 Green Steel and Nel Hydrogen to invest in hydrogen production at Hofors in Sweden, it has been announced.Read More
Buyers in South Korea have been willing to pay higher prices for Japanese scrap recently, outbidding Chinese buyers, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday June 23.The South Korean market has been highly interested in higher-quality scrap from Japan in recent months amid high special steel demand and rising scrap intake at some basic oxygen furnaces (BOFs) due to carbon neutrality policie...Read More