German flat steel producer Salzgitter has declared force majeure after a lightning strike over the weekend, the company's spokesman told Fastmarkets on Thursday June 10.The lightning strike on Saturday June 5 interrupted the power supply to the plant, and thus plant operations, market sources said."A lightning strike interrupted operations last Saturday. [But] we are back in operation and striving...Read More
Steel reinforcing bar prices in the United States increased again on Wednesday June 9, with another round of mill hikes expected soon.Fastmarkets' assessment for steel rebar, fob mill US was $44.50 per hundredweight ($890 per short ton) on Wednesday, up 1.14% from $44 per cwt the previous week.US marketThe increase follows recent mill hikes, rising shredded scrap prices in Chicago and Detroit...Read More
Commodities trading house Trafigura believes a slowdown in Chinese demand growth for metals will fail to dent rising prices, while also announcing record profits in the first half of 2021."What's perhaps most striking about the recovery in metals demand is that, for the first time in at least a decade, this is not just a China story," Trafigura's chief economist Saad Rahim said."If fact, if anythi...Read More
The European Commission (EC) plans to set a carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) for imports of some goods, including steel and aluminium, to prevent the risk of carbon leakage, according to a draft of the EC's proposal seen by Fastmarkets on June 10.The mechanism will integrate into the EU's current system that it established for greenhouse gas emissions allowance trading via the application...Read More
After a one-month consultation period, Fastmarkets has amended the timing specifications for its assessment of Italian SHG (special high grade) zinc premiums.The frequency of the assessments, which are currently weekly, will move to a fortnightly basis after the next assessment date on June 15. The change is due to the Italian zinc market being largely centered around long-term contracts...Read More
Marex will not proceed with its plans to list its shares on the London Stock Exchange, the brokerage firm confirmed to Fastmarkets on Thursday June 10.Marex announced its intention to hold an initial public offering (IPO) on the LSE on May 14, when commodity prices were in a rally that had taken copper and iron ore prices to all-time highs just a few days...Read More
Mining companies will need to see higher copper prices before they fell any incentive to push forward with new projects, the chief financial officer of US producer Freeport-McMoRan has said.Higher prices will also be needed to attract more sources of copper scrap, Kathleen Quirk told Deutsche Bank's 12th annual global basic materials virtual conference on Thursday June 10."We believe we'll have to...Read More
The metals and mining industry is unlikely to invest significantly in Chile until uncertainty surrounding the country's fiscal framework is resolved, the chief financial officer of Freeport-McMoRan said. Kathleen Quirk, also president of the United States-based copper producer, said that Freeport was watching developments in Chile before making any further investment decisions. "I believ...Read More
Turkish steel billet prices in both the local and export markets have decreased over the past week on limited demand, market participants said on Thursday June 10.Long steel prices in the country, on the other hand, increased slightly during the week because of higher materials costs.Most market participants in Turkey expected billet prices to increase in the next few weeks as well, because of inc...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were little changed at the 5pm close of trading on Thursday June 10, with slight increases for aluminium and nickel, while prices dipped elsewhere on the complex.The three-month copper price fell by 0.9% to $9,890 per tonne during Thursday trading, down from $9,978.50 per tonne at Wednesday's 5pm close, despite reaching an intraday high of $9,992.50...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Stainless steel prices and margins for stainless steel producers have risen notably over the past few months in both Europe and the United States, but there are now signs that the rally is petering out.A clear reason for the halt to rising prices comes from the near 20% drop in nickel prices seen in late February/early March,...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Recent weeks have brought two key developments with regard to trade policy on stainless steel products that will be to the detriment of consumers.In China, the country's stainless steelmakers no longer enjoy a 13% export rebate as of May 1, reducing greatly their incentive to export and instead leading them to focus on supply...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Bulk ferro-alloy prices have shown impressive gains again this month, with ferro-silicon, silicon metal and manganese alloy prices all making significant increases. Noble alloy markets also enjoyed upward momentum, with both vanadium and molybdenum prices rising sharply.Recovering demand from steelmakers globally, together w...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:Unprecedentedly high flat steel product pricing in the United States was forecast to persist through the current quarter and well into the second half of 2021.Actual US hot-rolled coil prices in April slightly outpaced our forecasts, with Fastmarkets' US HRC index ave...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Recent weeks have largely been a repetition of the weeks leading up to our previous tracker in mid-April. A flurry of price increases have been announced, and largely obtained, by leading steelmakers in both Europe and the United States while buyers struggle to secure spot tonnages.Although steel output is rising in both reg...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Global welded pipe prices surged in May as strong demand and still-insufficient supply lifted flat steel prices.The biggest jumps were seen in China, which was hit by the unexpected announcement of the elimination of export rebates on welded pipes in April. Chinese seaborne prices reached $1,570 per tonne fob for longitudina...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
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
Iron ore prices rose on Thursday June 10, on support from increasing steel prices, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $216.84 per tonne, up $4.17 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $219.04 per tonne, up $4.33 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $191.90 per tonne, up $4.02 per tonne65% Fe Brazil-origin fines, cfr Qingdao: $246.10 per...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were little changed at the 5pm close of trading on Thursday June 10, with slight increases for aluminium and nickel, while prices dipped elsewhere on the complex.The three-month copper price fell by 0.9% to $9,890 per tonne during Thursday trading, down from $9,978.50 per tonne at Wednesday's 5pm close, despite reaching an intraday high of $9,992.50...Read More