A large gap between bids and offers for deep-sea steel scrap imported into South Korea has blocked any chance of deals for the material in the past week, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday November 19.South Korean mills reduce bid pricesTokyo Steel announces drop in domestic scrap buy pricesMajor steelmakers in China lower local scrap buy prices again; buyers' interest for imports minimalSouth Kor...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed, but largely up at the 5pm close on Friday November 19, after a week of choppy trading."We seem to be following a similar pattern to last week," Marex LME desk analyst Alastair Munro said."Macro-inspired weakness during the first part of the week has given way to a bout of short-covering [activity] into the weekend," he added.The three-mon...Read More
An overview of the aerospace materials markets and the latest price moves.Jessica Long, Zihao Li and...Read More
Importers of ferrous scrap were lured back to market in the week ended Friday November 19 by lower prices, which were precipitated by a period of lackluster buying activity.?EUR?Turkish mills' import prices rebounded by the week's end after deals at lower prices?EUR?US sales halted with exporters reluctant to reduce their selling prices?EUR?Vietnamese buyers were actively seeking more material aft...Read More
Mining and metals companies say they're serious about transitioning to a sustainable economy, but whether they can afford to is another matter.Achieving decarbonization throughout the supply chain is going to require a huge amount of investment in technology to reimagine production processes and redesign existing sites.Last week, the International Aluminium Institute estimated that to decarbonize...Read More
Spot prices for hot-rolled coil in China continued to edge lower on Friday November 19, while futures prices rose sharply in the last trading hour before the closing bell.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,630-4,680 yuan ($725-733) per tonne, down by 20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan) weekly assessment: 4,600-4,650 yuan per tonne, down by 280-300 yuan per tonneSpot HRC prices in east...Read More
China's nickel pig iron (NPI) prices declined in the week to Friday November 19 amid bearish sentiment in the domestic stainless steel market, though those for nickel ore held steady.Fastmarkets assessed prices for nickel pig iron, high-grade NPI content 10-15%, spot, ddp China was 1,460-1,490 yuan ($229-233) per tonne on Friday, down by 10-20 yuan per tonne from 1,480-1,500 yuan per tonne a week...Read More
Silicon prices fell for a second consecutive week in the United States, with some domestic buyers saying the global price rally had ended after prices retreated from early November's all-time high.But prices in China, where the rally originated, have begun to move in the opposite direction, posting gains in the week to Friday November 19."The panic is over, prices have come down and I have ze...Read More
The United Kingdom inter-merchant light iron steel scrap spot price was steady for the third consecutive week on Friday November 19, but strong demand is expected to push up prices by the end of the month against relatively tight supply, trade sources said.The UK market is at its highest level so far this year and any move up to ?200 ($270) per tonne would be the first time the British market has...Read More
Aluminium billet premiums were steady across the globe on Friday November 19, remaining close to all-time highs.EuropeEuropean billet premiums are unchanged this week at record highs but liquidity is low, with most buyers covered until the end of the year.Fastmarkets assessed the aluminium 6063 extrusion billet premium, ddp North Germany (Ruhr region) at $1,450-1,500 per tonne on November 19, unch...Read More
The Vietnam import ferrous scrap market saw limited spot trade in the week to Friday November 19, with Vietnamese steelmakers and traders waiting for prices to reach a bottom before purchasing again.A transaction for a bulk cargo of heavy melting scrap was heard concluded recently.It came to light this week that there was a transaction concluded at $540 per tonne cfr Vietnam on a 90-day letter of...Read More
Handan city, a major steelmaking hub in northern China's Hebei province, has issued production curbs on key sectors for the rest of 2021 to fight against air pollution during the smog-prone winter heating season. From Thursday November 18 until the end of the year, steel mills in the city are required to cut their blast furnace (BF) production by up to 100%, depending on the grades assigned to the...Read More
The price of stainless steel in the European domestic market remained unchanged this week, but ongoing tightness could see prices move up before the end of the year, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday November 19.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for stainless steel cold-rolled sheet 2mm grade 304 base price domestic, delivered Northern Europe was unchanged week on week at ?,?1,850-1,900 ($2,09...Read More
Importers of ferrous scrap were lured back to market in the week ended Friday November 19 by lower prices, which were precipitated by a period of lackluster buying activity.?EUR?Turkish mills' import prices rebounded by the week's end after deals at lower prices?EUR?US sales halted with exporters reluctant to reduce their selling prices?EUR?Vietnamese buyers were actively seeking more material aft...Read More
An overview of the new energy materials markets and their price moves in the week to Friday November 19.Susan Zou, Yingchi Yang and...Read More
Domestic hot-rolled coil prices in Northern Europe and Italy were stable on Friday November 19 due to slow trading activity, sources have told Fastmarkets.Northern European steelmakers continued to give discounts for fourth-quarter-rolling HRC. Coil for prompt shipment became available in the spot market at lower prices because it was originally intended for shipment to automotive sector buyers.De...Read More
No trading activity was reported in the export pig iron market from the Commonwealth of Independent States in the week ended Thursday November 18, although the market was firm amid bullish suppliers.Fastmarkets' price assessment for high-manganese pig iron, export, fob main port Black Sea, CIS was $530-540 per tonne on November 18, narrowing upward from $520-540 per tonne a week before."Suppl...Read More
Eastern China's rebar prices increased slightly on Friday November 19 following futures' gains due to heightened market expectations that banks will loosen loans to housing companies.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 4,670-4,710 yuan ($732-738) per tonne, up by 10-20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing) weekly assessment: 4,440-4,480 yuan per tonne, down by 80-120 yuan per tonneMarket participa...Read More
Slow demand and cheaper imports have quashed attempts by steel rebar producers in Poland to boost prices, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday November 19.Trading activity in the Polish rebar market has been slow this week, those sources said - because local distributors and stockholders have enough material in stock, they have not been looking to make bookings.As well, end-user demand from the cons...Read More
Crude steel output in Germany increased by 7% year on year in October, the German steel federation, WV Stahl, said on Friday November 19.German crude steel production totaled 3.66 million tonnes in October, up from 3.42 million tonnes in October last year.Steel output from Germany's basic oxygen furnaces - mainly used in the production of flat steel - rose by 13.2% year on year to...Read More