Brazilian domestic flat steel prices have reached a ceiling this month, with no additional room for price increases, according to Carlos Loureiro, president of national flat steel distributors' association, Inda.The price level reached a maximum after increases of around 10% were applied in early June, and distributors are already having problems passing on the adjustment to their clients.Fastmark...Read More
The automotive industry is rapidly evolving toward an autonomous and electric future, and steel is well-prepared to grow alongside it, representatives from Nucor and Cleveland-Cliffs said during a panel at Fastmarkets' 2021 Steel Success Strategies Industry Briefing.Steel "offers an enormous combination of solutions that are easily implemented into the next version of vehicles," Dan Gordon, senior...Read More
Aluminium premiums diverged again on Tuesday June 22, with Rotterdam premiums increasing, while the Japanese premium fell and the US premium was unchanged.Rotterdam premiums boosted by demand, logisticsMJP ticks down, South Korea unchangedUS Midwest premium steady for three weeksStrong demand, high freight rates boost Rotterdam premiumsPremiums in Rotterdam continued to climb, due to strong demand...Read More
Consumers have to accept a green premium in order to achieve net-zero emissions targets in the steel sector, Steel Dynamics Inc (SDI) president and chief executive officer Mark Millett said during a keynote address on Monday June 21 at Fastmarkets' 2021 Steel Success Strategies Industry Briefing."Otherwise it won't work," Millett said, adding that "net zero remains aspirational for now," and that...Read More
China imported 111,432 tonnes of steel scrap in May, surpassing the total of 109,978 tonnes of its imports of the steelmaking raw material in the first four months of 2021, according to the latest Chinese customs data.Last month's imports are also 56% higher than those imported in April.Of the total, 79,327 tonnes - or 71.2% - originated in Japan. South Korea remained China's second-largest scrap...Read More
The steel rebar and billet market in the United Arab Emirates was slow because buyers are waiting for new local rebar prices to be announced, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday June 22.Local rebar producers should announce their new prices soon, sources said.Some market participants expect prices to roll over, while other expect discounts due to weak global prices.Fastmarkets' weekly price assess...Read More
A summary of China's battery raw materials exports for May 2021.In brief Exports of cobalt tetroxide fell in May amid falling downstream demand for batteries used in consumer electronics outside of China as a result of a lack of semi-conductor chips and a resurgence...Read More
Join Fastmarkets and the London Metal Exchange on Tuesday June 29 for a webinar about European aluminium premiums ahead of the launch of the LME's new cash-settled futures contract.The LME will launch its new European duty-paid aluminium premium cash-settled contract on July 19, which is settled against Fastmarkets' benchmark aluminium P1020A premium, in-whs dp Rotterdam.The LME previously la...Read More
Glencore will restart operations at its Mutanda copper-cobalt facility toward the end of 2021, and plans to return the asset to normal production in 2022, the global miner said on Tuesday June 22.Glencore placed the facility, which is in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on care and maintenance in late 2019 following a slump in cobalt prices.Mutanda can produce around 25,000 tonnes per year....Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday June 22 that are worth another look.Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Europe remained in a wide range on June 22, with some buyers ready to accept high prices for material with shorter lead times,...Read More
Join Fastmarkets and the London Metal Exchange on Tuesday June 29 for a webinar about European aluminium premiums ahead of the launch of the LME's new cash-settled futures contract.The LME will launch its new European duty-paid aluminium premium cash-settled contract on July 19, which is settled against Fastmarkets' benchmark aluminium P1020A premium, in-whs dp Rotterdam.The LME previously la...Read More
Nickel continued to experience the strongest rebound on the London Metal Exchange on the morning of Tuesday June 22, while most metals also trended upward following last week's slumps. Nickel was up by 1.6% at 9am on Tuesday, at $17,730 per tonne. This adds to a 1.7% gain at the end of Monday, when the contract closed at $17,450 per tonne. The stainless steel additive was back to levels seen a wee...Read More
The Turkish steel mills have been staying away from deep-sea scrap purchases because of weak rebar sales and a sufficiency of scrap stocks, market participants told Fastmarkets on Tuesday June 22.The most recent deals were heard on June 15, when two United States-origin cargoes were sold.A mill in the Marmara region bought those cargoes, which comprised HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $500 and $501 per tonne,...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices tumbled further on Tuesday June 22 on weakening demand caused by falling futures.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,800-4,840 yuan ($743-749) per tonne, down by 80 yuan per tonne The October rebar futures contract traded below Monday's settlement price of 4,991 yuan per tonne throughout Tuesday, which kept the spot market bearish.Buyers booked limited quantities and...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Europe remained in a wide range on Tuesday June 22, with some buyers ready to accept high prices for material with shorter lead times, sources told Fastmarkets.Northern European steelmakers have been reported to have good order books, and they have been holding back from making official offers. The region's mills were sold out of HRC until fourth-quarter roll...Read More
Offers of steel rebar and wire rod from the Commonwealth of Independent States were lowered somewhat over the week ended Monday June 22, with the intention of drawing in customers amid a lack of demand and growing competition with Turkish suppliers.Turkish mills were offering rebar for export at $730 and $760 per tonne fob on an actual weight basis at the end of last week, compared with $750-780 p...Read More
Mr Xu Kuangdi, the former president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said at a symposium on Monday June 21 that using scrap in steelmaking would be an "effective and realistic" way for China to achieve carbon neutrality in the steel sector and it should be "strongly encouraged" nationwide, sources said.The symposium was organized by the China Iron & Steel Association (Cisa) for the national...Read More
Offers of steel rebar and wire rod from the Commonwealth of Independent States were lowered somewhat over the week ended Monday June 22, with the intention of drawing in customers amid a lack of demand and growing competition with Turkish suppliers.Turkish mills were offering rebar for export at $730 and $760 per tonne fob on an actual weight basis at the end of last week, compared with $750-780 p...Read More
A summary of China's battery raw materials imports for May 2021.In brief Imports of cobalt intermediates declined from April amid logistical disruptions while buying appetite thinned compared with the first quarter due to falling downstream cobalt salts prices.Imports of cobalt metal slightly decreased on a month-on-month basis but almost doubled year on year, with cargoes booked via short-term co...Read More
Mr Xu Kuangdi, the former president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said at a symposium on Monday June 21 that using scrap in steelmaking would be an "effective and realistic" way for China to achieve carbon neutrality in the steel sector and it should be "strongly encouraged" nationwide, sources said.The symposium was organized by the China Iron & Steel Association (Cisa) for the national...Read More