Brazil's automotive production dropped by 24.8% year on year in October amid a global microchip shortage and a stoppage of truckers in the Port of Santos, S??o Paulo.Light vehicle production totaled 177,900 units last month, compared with 236,500 units a year earlier.Anfavea, the national association of motor vehicle manufacturers, said that production was affected by suspensions among carmakers b...Read More
Carbon offsets and trading are an effective and quick way to contend with a future global ecosystem of green taxes, or the "green taxonomy," a sustainability consultancy said"Companies need to realize that states are very actively preparing tax and duties plans to favor green products, and this will result in new barriers to entry," carbon specialist and Keops Consulting founder Milena L??pez told...Read More
The governments of the United Kingdom, India, Germany and Canada have announced a pledge to purchase low carbon-emission steel under the Industrial Deep Decarbonization Initiative (IDDI), it was announced on Tuesday November 9.The group of countries announced its intention to buy low-carbon steel and concrete at the UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, in Glasgow, with specific interim targets by...Read More
Denis Reuter, chief operating officer of major German recycler TSR, has been appointed as president of the Bureau of International Recycling's (BIR) ferrous division.Reuter succeeds outgoing president Gregory Schnitzer of Sims Metal Management, who had been appointed to the post in November 2018.In his capacity as division president, Reuter will become a member of the BIR executive committee and w...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday November 9 that are worth another look.Carbon offsets and trading are an effective and quick way to contend with a future global ecosystem of green taxes, or the "green taxonomy," a sustainability consultancy said.Growing consumer appetite for sustainable products...Read More
Mexican ferrous scrap prices were little changed in the week ended Friday November 5, with buyers passing on minor price adjustments to certain grades.Scrap sellers were putting strong pressure on clients, trying to apply price increases after the United States market reached settlements for November with increases of $20 per gross ton in prime scrap grades, and $40-60 per gross ton on most obsole...Read More
Alumina export volumes from Brazil increased by 84.73% in October 2021 compared with the corresponding month in 2020, with both the Alunorte and Alumar refineries shipping more material, according to data published by the coutnry's ministry of economy on Monday November 8.Brazilian alumina exports totaled 901,012 tonnes in October, a significant rise from 487,742 tonnes a year before.Cargoes shipp...Read More
Domestic steel rebar prices in Russia's Central Federal District around Moscow were largely stable during the seven days up to Monday November 8, because of slow activity after a national holiday and Covid-19 restriction measures.Market participants continued to report that the available volumes of rebar were limited. This was mostly due to mills giving priority to replenishing their trade houses'...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday November 9 that are worth another look.Carbon offsets and trading are an effective and quick way to contend with a future global ecosystem of green taxes, or the "green taxonomy," a sustainability consultancy said.Growing consumer appetite for sustainable products...Read More
Sellers of physical copper are holding out for a higher premium for 2022 contracts in the United States.No major deals were reported by the end of the American Copper Council (ACC) fall meeting in Miami, Florida this past week, although there was talk of a US copper premium in the 10-cents-per-lb range.In the US, Fastmarkets assessed the copper grade 1 cathode premium, ddp Midwest US at 8-9 cents...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
The three-month copper contract is trading near record highs on the London Metal Exchange, cash prices are rising even faster, and inventories are descending toward zero. Try running a hedge book in those conditions.It's been a very real quandary facing the physical trade and industry, which awoke on Tuesday October 19 to find copper's cash to November spread had flared to a backwardation of more...Read More
Manganese ore and alloy markets, which normally perform in a positively correlated manner, have been decoupling since October, with prices for manganese ore strengthening whereas those for silico-manganese in China have been falling. Fastmarkets reviews the main reasons why prices for manganese ore have lost their stickiness to alloy prices in China, the world's largest manganese ore consumer, acc...Read More
Base metal futures prices were largely down across the London Metal Exchange complex at the 5pm close of trading on Tuesday November 9, despite gains made on Monday.Prices reversed across the board on the LME, initially trending higher before eventually scaling back by the close.The US Dollar Index rose throughout the day, supporting this price move. It was up to 94.05 by 5pm, from 93.96 at 9am.Th...Read More
Seaborne coking coal cfr prices declined sharply on Tuesday, with a lower offer price emerging and previously stranded Australian coal becoming available to Chinese end users.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $562.62 per tonne, down by $26.32 per tonneHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $505.02 per tonne, down by $12.63 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $4...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices fell on Tuesday November 9 amid weak demand for steel in northern China (due to the colder weather) and rising inventories at Chinese ports, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $92.30 per tonne, down $1.52 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $93.46 per tonne, down $1.09 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qi...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
European steel companies must scale up their decarbonization technologies within the coming decade or risk exhausting their allocated emissions allowances early, according to a report released on Tuesday September 14.The report, "Steeling for Net Zero," by climate researcher Industry Tracker, found that selected European steel companies have less than 26% of their carbon budget remaining and must...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:US prices for hot-rolled coil moved in line with our forecasts in August, averaging $1,910 per ton, within 1% accuracy of our forecast of $1,925 per ton. The market has achieved much-needed stability in recent weeks, with prices fluctuating in the range of $1,900-1,94...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.As we approach the end of the first half of 2021, steel markets in Europe and the United States continue to heat up. This six-month period is largely unprecedented, with both steel prices and steelmakers' margins hitting a number of new record highs throughout.The rally is likely nearing its end, however, with global steel ou...Read More