The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.United StatesDomestic prices for hot-rolled coil (HRC) in the United States averaged $1,316 per tonne in February 2021, and Fastmarkets' research team expects prices to maintain that momentum through March and April.Flat steel product prices in the country continue to be supported by exceedingly tight supply, reflecting prod...Read More
The strength of the economic recovery in China in 2020 defied the expectations of most market observers. According to estimates by Fastmarkets, apparent consumption in the country rose by 9% in 2020 compared with a 12% fall in the rest of the world.Crucially, this increase in supply was a response to a boom in steel demand in the East Asian nation. In the first quarter of 2020, demand (or real con...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloy forecast highlights:?EUR?In a strong start to the year, January saw ore and alloy pricing gains across all markets priced by Fastmarkets - with the exception of Chinese silicon metal export prices, which retreated slightly last month after posting impressive gains in December 2020.The combination...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.We spoke in our previous tracker of stainless steel prices ending 2020 on a high. That trend has continued during early 2021 and, in fact, the upward rally in prices has increased its momentum.Compared with the monthly price increase of some 5% seen at the end of 2020, prices for grade-304 stainless steel in al...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Prices of stainless steel are generally set to reach highs for the year as 2020 comes to a close. For the most common nickel-containing grades of stainless steel, this upward trend is being driven above all by rising nickel prices, which themselves are hitting relatively high levels into the end of 2020.The price increases si...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.While much commentary has been written about Asian economies performing far better than those elsewhere this year during the global Covid-19 pandemic, it is stainless steel markets in Europe and the United States that are ending the year in better shape than their Asian counterparts.We do not talk of demand levels or demand g...Read More
Domestic prices for steel hot-rolled coil substantially increased across Europe over the week to Friday March 12, driven by a material shortage and strong demand.In addition, most European steelmakers have been delaying their order deliveries, market sources said.Fastmarkets calculated its daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, at ?,?793.00 ($947.48) per tonne on March 1...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view. This month's key North American steel forecast highlights: US hot-rolled coil prices continued to move in line with our forecasts in February, although actual prices again modestly exceeded our forecasts. Domestic HRC prices averaged $1,194 per ton in February, exceeding our forecast price of $1,150 per ton for the month. U...Read More
The Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) has certified primary aluminium smelter Albras under its Performance and Chain of Custody (CoC) standards, the organization announced on Monday March 15.Albras, located at Barcarena in northern Brazil, has capacity for production of 460,000 tonnes per year of aluminium. The smelter is owned 51% by Norsk Hydro and 49% by Nippon Amazon Aluminium Co (NAACO)....Read More
Glencore has undergone a major restructuring of its leadership teams, with a number of senior departures and new roles for existing department heads.Kenny Ives, Tor Peterson and Nico Paraskevas will leave the company in the coming months, stepping down from their roles as head of nickel, head of coal and head of copper marketing respectively. The trio will stay on for a few months...Read More
Operations at Glencore's Murrin Murrin nickel and cobalt plant in Western Australia have been reduced after an equipment failure with an acid tank, a source with knowledge of the matter told Fastmarkets. "There was a minor operating incident in the acid plant at the end of last week. Operations are running, but at a lower level while the repairs are being carried out," the source said on Monday Ma...Read More
Volkswagen has placed a $14-billion battery cell supply order with battery maker Northvolt for the next 10 years, the Swedish company said on Monday March 15, making Northvolt the carmaker's "strategic lead supplier for premium battery cells for Volkswagen Group in Europe." The Swedish battery also said it will sell its share in joint venture Northvolt Zwei, one of the partnership's factories base...Read More
The publication of Fastmarkets' assessment of the aluminium 6063 extrusion billet premium, cif Thailand was delayed due to a reporter error.The premium is published every four weeks on a Friday and should have been published on March 12. It was instead published on Monday...Read More
In her early career, La Farga chief executive Inka Guix? had not considered working for the business founded by her father and grandfather, but in her late-20s she accepted an invitation to join the company and assist in its expansion. She recounts her route to the top of the business and discusses the outlook for copper with Andrea Hotter. If Inka Guix? had taken her teacher's advice not to go...Read More
Prices for carbon steel plate in the United States held steady while spot trading was virtually suspended because US mills have not yet opened order books for May. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel cut-to-length plate carbon grade, fob mill US held at $54.50 per hundredweight ($1,090 per short ton) on Friday March 12. The assessment has gained 118% since descending to its 2020 low of...Read More
Slab producers from the Commonwealth of Independent States raised prices further for overseas customers during the week to Monday March 15 as some accepted higher levels in the most recent round of sales.Around 25,000-30,000 tonnes of Ukraine-origin slab was heard booked in Turkey last week within the range of $740-750 per tonne cfr. This nets back to $715-730 per tonne given freight costs of $20-...Read More
Flat steel prices in the Brazilian domestic market remained stable in March, but despite a lack of buying interest a 12% price increase is being planned for April due to the low availability of coil.Fastmarkets' monthly price assessment for steel hot-rolled coil, domestic, monthly, exw Brazil, remained at 5,848-5,858 Reais ($1,054-1,055) per tonne on Friday March 12, unchanged from the previous mo...Read More
Italian domestic steel scrap prices increased in the month to Monday March 15, following the rise in prices seen globally since mid-February, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' monthly price assessment for steel scrap, No E3 (old thick scrap), domestic, delivered mill, Italy was ?,?335-345 ($400-412) per tonne on March 15, up by ?,?20-25 per tonne month on month from ?,?310-325 per tonne.The as...Read More
Turkish deep-sea scrap import markets were quiet on Monday March 15 with mills holding back from making bookings following the latest correction in prices, sources said.At the end of the last week, two Baltic Sea cargoes were booked at $435-437 per tonne cfr on an HMS 1&2 (80:20) basis, sending the daily scrap indices down by $15.61 per tonne day on day on Friday.This led the steel mills to retrea...Read More
Domestic ferrous scrap prices in Germany increased significantly in the month to Monday March 15, supported by the trend in international trading, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' monthly price assessment for steel scrap No E3 (old thick steel scrap), domestic, delivered mill, Germany, was ?,?360-370 ($430-442) per tonne on March 15, up by ?,?20-30 per tonne from ?,?330-350 per tonne in mid-F...Read More