Imports of steelmaking raw materials into the United States fell by 14.56% month on month in April, primarily due to reduced inflows of direct-reduced iron (DRI) over the period, according to the latest data from the US Census Bureau.Raw materials imports totaled 901,825 tonnes in April, compared with 1.06 million tonnes in March and 851,028 tonnes in February.US imports of ferrous scrap...Read More
Ferrous scrap exports from the United States increased by a marginal 1.07% month on month in April, according to the latest data from the US Census Bureau.Ferrous scrap exports totaled 1.63 million in April, compared with 1.61 million tonnes in March and almost 1.36 million tonnes in February.Exports to Turkey, usually the United States' biggest customer, dropped by more than half month over month...Read More
ArcelorMittal has made a $10 million investment in renewable energy technology company Heliogen from its innovation fund for sustainability, it announced on Tuesday June 8.The XCarb innovation fund is part of ArcelorMittal's wider sustainability initiative, launched to drive progress toward carbon-neutral steel production.In addition to the $10 million investment, ArcelorMittal and Heliogen have s...Read More
Turkish steelmakers resumed their deep-sea scrap purchases to refresh stocks after some fresh finished steel sales were concluded, market participants told Fastmarkets on Tuesday June 8.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a Baltic Sea cargo, comprising HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $501 per tonne and bonus at $511 per tonne cfr. The cargo breakdown was not clear at the time of publication.This was the...Read More
Iron ore prices pushed up on Tuesday June 8, despite sintering restrictions being imposed on steelmakers in China's steelmaking hub Tangshan, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $209.50 per tonne, up $7.08 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $211.81 per tonne, up $7.63 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $182.87 per tonne,...Read More
A return to trading in Europe's last open-outcry venue might be short-lived, with major brokers skeptical of a future making markets on the London Metal Exchange's "ring" even after the bourse said it would reopen in September.The LME said on Tuesday June 8 that trading would resume on the boisterous London venue, which in various forms has been a center point for global metal marke...Read More
The London Metal Exchange will enhance its off-warrant stock reporting, including limiting the warranting of metal that has not previously been disclosed in off-warrant stock reports, the exchange said on Tuesday June 8.The responses to the LME's discussion paper were generally supportive of the exchange taking a greater physical market role with respect to the off-warrant stock report, the LME sa...Read More
London Metal Exchange chief executive officer Matthew Chamberlain said he hopes the new changes to the exchange's market structure will increase volumes and be long-term changes."Do I think that we'll be able to get more business as a result of the changes we're making? Yes I do," Chamberlain said on Tuesday June 8. "It's always a little bit speculative in this business, people always say I will t...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in China's domestic market fell slightly on Tuesday June 8, with the futures prices extending their decline in the morning before clawing back some losses in the afternoon.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,450-5,520 yuan ($853-864) per tonne, widening by 10-50 yuan per tonne.The most-traded HRC futures contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange touched a one-week low of 5,1...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...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.Read More
Trafigura's head of metals and minerals, Amin Zahir, is leaving the trading company, Fastmarkets heard on Tuesday June 8.The move will mean that Trafigura's metal unit heads - Kostas Bintas, Socrates Economou, Philippe Muller and Gonzalo De Olazaval - will report directly to chief executive officer Jeremy Weir, who himself has a background in metals.Trafigura made record profits last...Read More
The antimony market weakened further in May amid declining cif prices from China, which were mirrored in Europe. But the market has been showing increasing disparity with some producers offering material at higher levels due to low inventories in Rotterdam for prompt delivery.In China, the antimony price has moved steadily lower since peaking at 69,000-70,000 yuan ($10,833-10,990) per tonne in ear...Read More
Prices for steel scrap imported into China were unchanged on Tuesday June 8 amid scarce spot market activity.Fastmarkets' daily price assessment for steel scrap, heavy recycled steel materials, cfr China, which takes into account prices at ports in eastern China, was $510-530 per tonne on Tuesday, unchanged from a day earlier.No new bids were heard on Tuesday, with the latest bid coming in on Mond...Read More
A rise in Covid-19 cases in China's Guangdong province in recent weeks has led to tighter controls and rigorous testing at the huge Yantian International Container Terminal (YICT), causing extended delays in southern China.YICT is one of China's busiest container ports, handling around 13 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) each year, according to The Maritime Executive news website.Althoug...Read More
LME base metals have looked tired, having lost their upward momentum in the past few days, but underlying support looks plentiful, with all the base metals on the SHFE being in positive territory this morning, Wednesday June 9.* US 10-year treasury yields have fallen, not on haven buying, but because the market seems more sanguine that central banks will not rock the boat anytime soon...* ...but w...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were slightly higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 4 points in pre-opening trade. The Canadian Dollar was quiet at US82.78 cents prior to news from the Bank of Canada. Its overnight lending rate for Canada's major banks to be announced at 10:00 AM EDT is expected to remain unchanged at 0.25%.UPS (UPS $209.76) is expected to open higher after the company raised...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday June 7 that are worth another look.ArcelorMittal is seeking approval from European authorities for its acquisition of steelmaking assets in France that belong to Liberty Steel, the European Commission (EC) said on June 7.Fresh deals for the supply of aluminium ingot...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were largely down at the 5pm close on Monday June 7, with the exception of lead which held strongly amid the ongoing and tightly contested presidential election in Peru. "Lead and zinc are trading in their own tandem due to the close presidential election call in Peru," Fastmarkets analyst Andy Farida said. The lead price closed at $2,153 per tonne t...Read More
Physical commodities trading company Trafigura Pte Ltd and agricultural commodities firm Yara International ASA have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate on the development and promotion of ammonia as a clean fuel in shipping, Trafigura said. The companies have also agreed to explore opportunities to work together on certain clean green and blue ammonia fuel infrastructure and...Read More