Iron ore prices fell on Wednesday June 16 amid market concerns of weakened demand for steel, which prompted prices to ease as well, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $214.08 per tonne, down $7.79 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $216.55 per tonne, down $6.54 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $184.92 per tonne, down $9.68 per to...Read More
The London Metal Exchange will donate $1.7 million to two multi-year projects run by charities in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) focused on reducing the number of children working in mines.The exchange announced it funding partnerships with charities Pact and The Impact Facility on Wednesday June 16.Pact will undertake a three-year project in the central and copper-belt prov...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices continued to fall on Wednesday June 16 due to sellers looking to destock.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,980-5,010 yuan ($778-783) per tonne, down by 70 yuan per tonne.Fear of further drops in end-user demand and the decline in futures prices have strengthened sellers' desire to run down...Read More
Chinese aluminium market sentiment dipped in the morning of Wednesday June 16 after the National Food & Strategic Reserves Administration announced moves to calm the overheated commodity market, yet optimism remains for aluminium's price performance in the second half of 2021. China announced on Wednesday it will release its national base metals reserves in the near term to stabilize commodity pri...Read More
The hot-rolled coil price in China's domestic market extended its losses on Wednesday June 16 after the futures price fell for a second straight day on pessimist views for near-term steel demand. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 5,440-5,480 yuan ($850-857) per tonne, down by 100-110 yuan per tonne. Two consecutive days of declines have sent the most-traded HRC contract on the Shanghai Futures Ex...Read More
Base metals prices weakened further during morning trading on the London Metal Exchange on Wednesday June 16, on news that the Chinese state reserve will sell copper, aluminium and zinc to ensure price stability. The three-month zinc price was down by 1.9% at 9am on Wednesday to $2,972 per tonne from its previous closing price of $3,029 per tonne. The metal had resisted sharp falls across the comp...Read More
Key data from the pricing session in London on Wednesday June 16.Key drivers: A pickup in activity was reported in Europe and the United States with almost 100 tonnes transacted across both grades, and sources citing demand from both users and traders. Sources also agreed that Chinese market participants...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Janie Davies, Dalia Ouerghi...Read More
An overview of the consumer electronics markets and their latest price moves.Dalila Ouerghi and Cristina Belda...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday June 16.Key drivers The ferro-titanium market was steady for the third consecutive week amid signs of consumers returning for feedstock for their third-quarter steel-smelting schedules. Spot business was quiet, with only one deal below 10 tonnes reported.Ferro-titanium suppliers are...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
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.Fastmarkets assessed Cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb at 20.10-20.70 on...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 Rotterdam, $/lb at...Read More
Chinese automotive production and sales figures both fell on a monthly and annual basis, although figures for new energy vehicles still increased, according to the data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM).Carmakers produced 2.04 million units in May, down by 8.70% month on month and 6.80% year on year, while sales came to 2.13 million units, down by 5.50% from April 2021,...Read More
Tightening supply and strong demand supported China's domestic and imported alloy markets in the week ended Tuesday June 15.Fastmarkets' price assessment for ferro-chrome, spot, 6-8% C, basis 50% Cr, ddp China, narrowed upward by 100 yuan per tonne (0.7%) to 7,600-7,800 yuan ($1,187-1,219) per tonne on Tuesday, from 7,500-7,800 yuan per tonne the previous week.Spot supply has tightened since power...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 9 points in pre-opening trade. Response to the Federal Reserve's announcement on interest rates continued this morning. The U.S. Dollar Index extended gains recorded late yesterday. Gold dropped an additional $62.80 to $1,798.80 per ounce.Investors were waiting for announcement of economic news this morning. The June...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories on Tuesday June 15 that are worth another look.With responsibilities across Tata Steel's diverse international portfolio of steelmaking assets, chief executive officer and managing director T V Narendran has a wide-ranging view of, and experience in, the global steel industry. He told Kunal...Read More
Aluminium premiums moved in different directions on Tuesday June 15, with Rotterdam premiums resuming their uptrend, the Japanese premium ticking downward from its multi-year high, and premiums in the US and Brazil steady.Rotterdam duty-unpaid ticks up againMJP premium declines on cheaper dealsUS Midwest premium steady for two weeksBrazil premium flat on thin liquidity.European premiums strong des...Read More
Keen selling was seen across the London Metal Exchange and throughout the day on Tuesday June 15, which took the price of copper to its lowest level since late April this year.Copper's three-month closing price was $9,569 per tonne, showing a 4% decrease from Monday's closing price of $9,971.50 per tonne.Its intraday low of $9,511 per tonne was the lowest price for copper since April 23, while the...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories on Tuesday June 15 that are worth another look.With responsibilities across Tata Steel's diverse international portfolio of steelmaking assets, chief executive officer and managing director T V Narendran has a wide-ranging view of, and experience in, the global steel industry. He told Kunal...Read More