The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of base metals analysts are ready to view, including an upgrade to our aluminium price forecasts.Aluminium: Price forecasts raisedWe correctly expected the macro reflationary theme to raise the prices for all base metals but, with it being the base metal with by far the weakest fundamentals, we had expected the price of aluminium to underperform relative...Read More
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
The United Kingdom and Australia secured a free trade deal on Tuesday June 15, which marks the first agreement negotiated from scratch since Britain's departure from the European Union.The UK government has hailed the agreement as an important step in building new trade relationships post Brexit. Previous deals reached with other nations such as Japan and Norway were built upon existing arrangemen...Read More
Weakness was evident across the base metals in London and Shanghai on the morning of Tuesday June 15 despite pre-market Western equity index futures driving higher and high volumes traded on the London Metal Exchange.14,205 lots had been traded on the LME by 5.52am London time compared with typical volume of 6,000 lots at this timeMarkets seem to be nervous about the measures China's authorities m...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices mostly edged upward on Tuesday June 15 despite limited liquidity and the downtrend in the financial markets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $221.87 per tonne, up by $1.10 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $223.09 per tonne, up by $1.47 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $194.60 per tonne, down by $0.62 per tonne65% F...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
The steel rebar price in Russia's Central Federal District around Moscow was largely unchanged over the past week, with market participants believing the price has touched a ceiling and not expecting further rises. Most local producers were still holding back their offers for July, although sources told Fastmarkets they expect a rollover of the latest prices. Tula Steel was heard offering rebar to...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
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday June 14 that are worth another look.Brazilian steelmaker Usiminas will restart its No2 blast furnace (BF) at the Ipatinga mill, in southeastern Minas Gerais state, after almost eight months of downtime, the company said in a filing...Read More
With long steel prices in Europe reaching historically high levels, construction activity is slowing in some regions due to reduced supplies and delays, with some market sources fearing a decline in industrial activity long term.Surging pricesLong steel prices in the European Union started increasing in the third quarter of 2020 on a pick-up in consumption and a recovery from the impact of the Cov...Read More
Zinc concentrate treatment charges (TCs) edged higher in mid-June, with more material from mines in China and elsewhere boosting supplies, while the power cut problems that affected smelters in Yunnan province are seemingly resolved.Terms rise with smelters well-coveredTenders hit solid market prices Mining output rise boosts supplyFastmarkets' zinc spot concentrate TC, cif China rose to $70-85 pe...Read More
Manganese ore prices dropped on Friday June 11 after buyers in China staged resistance to rising offer prices from miners and liquidity decreased. Fastmarkets' index for manganese ore 44% Mn, cif Tianjin was calculated at $5.12 per dry metric tonne (dmtu) on Friday, down by 3.21% from $5.29 per dmtu a week earlier.Fastmarkets' manganese ore index 37% Mn, cif Tianjin edged down by 0.21% t...Read More
Fastmarkets has settled its premium for the supply of aluminium to main Japanese ports (MJP) in the third quarter of 2021 at $172-185 per tonne over the London Metal Exchange cash price. The premium is 20.20% higher than the second-quarter benchmark of $148-149 per tonne and more than double the third-quarter of 2020 which settled at $75-79 per tonne cif MJP. The premium has risen for th...Read More
The price of ferro-titanium scrap in the United States has fallen for the first time since August 2020 following a push-back by ferro-titanium manufacturers who are facing weaker US prices for their products, some market sources said.Just over a month ago, scrap prices were reportedly rising by 5-10% week on week amid an extreme shortage related to a decline in aircraft building during the Covid-1...Read More
Futures prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed at the close on Monday June 14, with a quiet day of trading for such metals as copper due to the Dragon Boat Festival holiday observed in China. Nickel logged the biggest price gain on Monday, with the three-month contract rising by 1.39% to $18,480 per tonne from Friday's closing price of $18,227 per tonne and by 3.29% from the...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday June 14 that are worth another look.Brazilian steelmaker Usiminas will restart its No2 blast furnace (BF) at the Ipatinga mill, in southeastern Minas Gerais state, after almost eight months of downtime, the company said in a filing...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
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday June 14 that are worth another look.Brazilian steelmaker Usiminas will restart its No2 blast furnace (BF) at the Ipatinga mill, in southeastern Minas Gerais state, after almost eight months of downtime, the company said in a filing...Read More
Canada-based Nouveau Monde plans to recycle its active anode graphite flake while developing its sustainable graphite project, company founder Eric Desaulniers has told Fastmarkets.Nouveau Monde has set up a partnership with lithium-ion battery recycling company Lithion Recycling, also based in Canada, to reclaim the graphite that would normally be unusable when battery anode materials are recycle...Read More
Metals continue to languish in high ground during morning trading on Monday June 14, with tin being the exception as it continues to push higher on strong fundamentals due to supply disruptions. Broader markets generally upbeat with some, including the S&P 500 Index, near record highs. US 10-year treasury yields have fallen, not on haven buying, but because the market seems more sure that central...Read More