Brazilian domestic flat steel prices increased in June and local steelmakers have announced another round of price rises for July. Brazilian flat steel producers successfully applied price increases for all their products, mainly because of low competition from imported material and higher costs. Fastmarkets' monthly price assessment for steel hot-rolled coil, domestic, monthly, exw Brazil wa...Read More
Flat steel producer HBIS Group Serbia plans to restart its blast furnace No1 on August 16 this year, the company said on Monday June 14.The furnace was shut down on July 5, 2020, due to "the [Covid-19] pandemic... and the market situation that prevailed at that time," the steelmaker said.The majority of European flat steel producers had idled equipment or reduced their output...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
The three-month price of copper was down 0.6% from Friday's close on the morning of Monday June 14, while most other prices on the London Metal Exchange rose despite low traded volumes due to public holidays in China and Australia.The three-month copper price was at $9,943 per tonne on Monday at 9am, falling from $10,003.50 per tonne at Friday's close, which was the first time the metal had closed...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
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 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 three-month price of copper was down 0.6% from Friday's close on the morning of Monday June 14, while most other prices on the London Metal Exchange rose despite low traded volumes due to public holidays in China and Australia.The three-month copper price was at $9,943 per tonne on Monday at 9am, falling from $10,003.50 per tonne at Friday's close, which was the first time the metal had closed...Read More
There was little liquidity in the iron ore market on Monday June 14 due to Chinese market participants being away for the Dragonboat Festival. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $220.77 per tonne, up $1.51 per tonne 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $221.62 per tonne, up $0.37 per tonne 58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $195.22 per tonne, up $2.44 per tonne 65...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
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
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
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
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
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
There was little liquidity in the iron ore market on Monday June 14 due to Chinese market participants being away for the Dragonboat Festival. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $220.77 per tonne, up $1.51 per tonne 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $221.62 per tonne, up $0.37 per tonne 58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $195.22 per tonne, up $2.44 per tonne 65...Read More
Tungsten West is in the "advanced stages" of preparing its initial public offering in London's AIM market, with production at the Hemerdon mine to start next year.The UK-based tin and tungsten mining company acquired the Hemerdon mine, located in the south west of England, in 2019. The mine has a projected output of 3,800 tonnes per year of contained tungsten and 500 tpy of contained tin, and shou...Read More
The European ferro-silicon market moved up by almost 5% over the week to Friday June 11, with new deals reported by both traders and producers amid tight domestic supplies, limited replacement options from overseas and steady demand, according to trade sources.There has been reduced domestic production in Europe since Ferroglobeidled its production in late 2019, with only a small amount of output...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Europe declined in the week to Friday June 11, but they remained at a high level.Buyers have been holding back from acquiring large volumes of coil at high prices, preferring whenever possible to pause their purchases to better monitor global trends while also waiting for the European Commission (EC) to conclude its safeguarding investigation.On Friday, the E...Read More