A summary of Antofagasta's production results for the first quarter of 2021, as stated in its quarterly production report published on Wednesday April 21.In brief Overall copper production fell in the first quarter of 2021, with the decline mainly driven by lower grades at the company's Los Pelambres mine. Los Pelambres produced 84,000 tonnes of copper in the first quarter, a drop of 9% year on ye...Read More
A summary of China's ores and alloys exports for March 2021.In brief China's ferro-silicon exports rose dramatically in March from the prior month given Malaysia, one of the three major ferro-silicon producers, has experienced an electricity shortage and production there has declined. Chinese ammonium paratungstate (APT) exports increased last month with most orders signed in...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Charlotte Radford, Cristina Belda...Read More
Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices have rebounded once again with fresh bookings done following successful Turkish export rebar and billet sales, market participants said on Wednesday April 21. A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a European cargo, comprising 22,500 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) and 12,500 tonnes of a mixture of plate and structural (P&S) and HMS 1 at an average price of $42...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday April 21. Key driversThe ferro-titanium market drops to its lowest price level since early-January due to a slow demand, with some suppliers accepting weaker offer prices. Busier trading into the United States and Asia and firm scrap prices stemmed steeper losses, sources said.The market is seen finely...Read More
Offer prices for ferrous scrap imports into China increased sharply on Wednesday April 21 amid bullish sentiment in the key supplier, Japan.The highest offers heard were at $520-530 per tonne cfr north China, equivalent to $510-520 per tonne cfr east China.Bid prices were heard at $495-500 per tonne cfr north China, equivalent to $485-490 per tonne cfr east China.Sentiment in the Japanese market h...Read More
Base metals prices on London Metal Exchange were up across the board this morning, Wednesday April 21, but those on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mainly weaker, as were broader markets, while haven assets were bid for.The spread of the Covid-19 pandemic is becoming polarized on a regional basis......this could threaten the global recovery and travelTension rises on Russia-Ukraine border Base...Read More
Mineral processing company Green Lithium announced on Tuesday April 20 that it has secured funding of ?631,000 ($880,000) from the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) to support the construction a large-scale lithium refinery in the UK."Currently, there is no commercial lithium refining capability of scale in Europe," a statement on...Read More
A summary of Australian spodumene concentrate miner Pilbara Minerals' results for the first quarter of 2021, released on Wednesday April 21.In brief Spodumene output for the quarter ended March increased by 22.14% from the December quarter, to serve increasing demands for spodumene concentrate from existing customers,...Read More
Domestic prices for European heavy steel plate increased again in the week to Wednesday April 21, supported by rising slab costs and a redirection of plate supplies from the spot market to projects, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel domestic plate, 8-40mm, exw Southern Europe, was ?,?840-850 ($1,012-1,024) per tonne on April 21, up by ?,?30-40 per tonne from ?...Read More
Market sentiment in the European hot-rolled coil segment has remained bullish so far this week, with buyers struggling to secure volumes from both domestic and overseas suppliers, sources told Fastmarkets in Wednesday April 21. Fastmarkets calculated its daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe at ?,?956.25 ($1,151.90) per tonne on Wednesday, up by ?,?2.50 per tonne fr...Read More
Sentiment in the European cold-rolled coil market has remained bullish due to material shortages at domestic mills and limited oversea alternatives, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday April 21.As a result of the tight supply, buyers have been ready to accept higher prices for CRC materials, but the number of deals has been nominal because mills were either holding back from offering in the spot...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday April 21 that are worth another look.Over July 2020 to March 2021, BHP's metallurgical coal production volume came to 29 million tonnes, down by 2% year on year, BHP's latest quarterly report on April 21 shows.Bipartisan...Read More
Prices for steel hollow sections in Europe moved higher on Wednesday April 21 because feedstock costs were continuing to climb, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?1,050-1,120 ($1,265-1,349) per tonne on April 21, up from ?,?950-1,050 per tonne on April 14."Prices have increased very quickly and aggressivel...Read More
European steel H-beam prices were unchanged week on week on Wednesday April 21, with producers starting a new push for increases, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets assessed the weekly price for steel beams, domestic, delivered Northern Europe, at ?,?750-780 ($903-940) per tonne on Wednesday, unchanged week on week."Exports from the European mills are at a good level. There is currently no...Read More
Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices have rebounded once again with fresh bookings done following successful Turkish export rebar and billet sales, market participants said on Wednesday April 21. A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a European cargo, comprising 22,500 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) and 12,500 tonnes of a mixture of plate and structural (P&S) and HMS 1 at an average price of $42...Read More
Offer prices for ferrous scrap imports into China increased sharply on Wednesday April 21 amid bullish sentiment in the key supplier, Japan.The highest offers heard were at $520-530 per tonne cfr north China, equivalent to $510-520 per tonne cfr east China.Bid prices were heard at $495-500 per tonne cfr north China, equivalent to $485-490 per tonne cfr east China.Sentiment in the Japanese market h...Read More
A summary of BHP's operational review for iron ore for its financial third quarter ended March 31, 2021, as released on Wednesday April 21.In briefTotal production of iron ore for the nine months ended March 31 was 188.3 million tonnes (211.3 million tonnes on 100 % basis), up by 4% year on year. Iron ore production in January-March was at 59.9 million tonnes, down by 4%...Read More
The Iranian export slab price surged by $70-85 per tonne in a recent tender held by one of the country's major slab producers, Khouzestan Steel, supported by demand in the major outlets and a global uptrend in the slab sector.A cargo comprising 30,000 tonnes of slab to be shipped in mid-June was traded at $720 per tonne fob southern Iranian ports early in the week of Monday April 19, up from $635-...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices increased on Wednesday April 21 on the news that the country's Ministry of Industry & Information Technology (MIIT) will not permit the steel industry to increase capacity in 2021. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 5,040-5,070 yuan ($776-780) per tonne, up by 40 yuan per tonne MIIT made the statement in a work report on April 20, and is not the first time the ministr...Read More