Seaborne iron ore concentrate and pellet prices fell during the week to Friday November 5 amid weaker demand from Chinese steel mills, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indicesPellet premium over 65% Fe fines, cfr China: $55.70 per tonne, up by $8.60 per tonne66% Fe concentrate, cfr Qingdao: $117.73 per tonne, down by $19.75 per tonne65% Fe blast furnace pellet, cfr Qingdao: $169.69 pe...Read More
Turkish steel mills were quiet at the beginning of the week but are expected to book more deep-sea cargoes for December shipment, market participants told Fastmarkets on Monday November 8.The most recent deep-sea trade was recorded at the end of the last week, when a steel mill in the Izmir region booked a Baltic Sea cargo consisting of 11,000 tonnes of heavy melting scrap 1&2...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were mixed this morning. S&P 500 futures were unchanged in pre-opening trade.U.S. equity index futures were virtually unchanged following release of the October Producer Price Index at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus calls for an increase of 0.6% versus a gain of 0.5% in September. Actual was an increase of 0.6%. Excluding food and energy, consensus was an increase of 0.5% ver...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mainly weaker on the morning of Monday November 8, but those on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mainly firmer as they followed the strength seen on the LME on Friday.US Congress' passing of the long-awaited infrastructure bill bodes well for the metals Chinese trade data show a record surplus, but weaker than expected imports highlight weaker...Read More
Hong Kong-based scrap processor Chiho Environmental Group plans to expand its footprint among Chinese recycling operations with the opening of a new yard in the east of the country, the company said on Friday November 5.A recycling park in Taizhou in Zhejiang Province is the result of a joint investment totaling 243 million yuan ($38 million) by Chiho-owned firms Scholz and Chiho Tiande, Chiho sai...Read More
Chinese battery materials producer Huayou Cobalt has signed a cooperation framework agreement with Shanghai-listed Hubei Xingfa Chemicals Group Co Ltd to produce the raw materials for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.On Sunday November 7, Huayou Cobalt announced that the two companies will work together to build an integrated system that incorporates the selection and mining of phosphate ore...Read More
The domestic market for hot-rolled coil in Europe remained quiet on Monday November 8, with prices showing little change, sources told Fastmarkets.Producers were, however, looking to achieve higher prices for the first quarter of 2022 because of the surging costs for raw materials, transport and energy.Expected restocking activity at distributors was also supporting market sentiment. Notably, seve...Read More
The publication of Fastmarkets' monthly blister copper refining charge for October was delayed due to a reporter error. Fastmarkets' pricing database has since been updated with the following price, originally scheduled to be published on last working day of October. Fasstmarkets' price assessment for opper blister 98-99% RC spot, cif China was $150-170 per tonne on Friday October 29 and as u...Read More
Nickel pig iron (NPI) prices in China slid from an all-time high in the week to Friday November 5 in tandem with movements on exchanges, though tight supply amid power cuts in the country kept them supported.Fastmarkets' price assessment for nickel pig iron, high-grade NPI content 10-15%, spot, ddp China was at 1,490-1,510 yuan ($233-236) per nickel unit last Friday, narrowing downward by 10 yuan...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices in cfr and fob markets diverged on Monday November 8 with previously stranded Australian coal entering China.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $588.94 per tonne, down $11.31 per tonneHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $517.65 per tonne, down $7.58 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $402.65 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $...Read More
China's decarbonization drive could result in increased demand for graphite electrodes amid the global trend toward more steelmaking based on electric-arc furnaces (EAFs), although supply risks may continue in the near term against a backdrop of energy controls, sources have told Fastmarkets."[Increased] EAF [usage] could be a general trend for steelmaking in China, [because this] is what national...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States moved back above $94 per cwt on Monday November 8, but most participants feel prices in this market are still trending downward as a whole.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $94.11 per hundredweight ($1,882.20 per ton) on Monday November 8, up by 1.38% from $92.83 per cwt on Friday and down by 0.59% from $94.67...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday November 8 that are worth another look.The United States is looking carefully at steel projects in Southeast Asia in which China has invested, after US trade representative Katherine Tai said that she supported updating US trade laws to combat the circumvention of...Read More
Turkish steel mills were quiet at the beginning of the week but are expected to book more deep-sea cargoes for December shipment, market participants told Fastmarkets on Monday November 8.The most recent deep-sea trade was recorded at the end of the last week, when a steel mill in the Izmir region booked a Baltic Sea cargo consisting of 11,000 tonnes of heavy melting scrap 1&2...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mainly weaker on the morning of Monday November 8, but those on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mainly firmer as they followed the strength seen on the LME on Friday.US Congress' passing of the long-awaited infrastructure bill bodes well for the metals Chinese trade data show a record surplus, but weaker than expected imports highlight weaker...Read More
(Recasts, updates prices) By Pratima Desai LONDON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Copper prices rose on Monday asstrong export growth data from top consumer China, fallinginventories and the passing of a $1 trillion U.S. infrastructurebill boosted sentiment, though gains were capped by concern overChinese demand. Benchmark copper on the London Metal Exchange (LME)was up 1.2% at $9,637 a tonne at 1658 GMT. The...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Friday November 5 that are worth another look.ArcelorMittal will suspend production as its Sestao plant in Spain until early 2022 to carry out upgrade works to double capacity, a company representative told Fastmarkets.Low-carbon...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Friday November 5 that are worth another look.ArcelorMittal will suspend production as its Sestao plant in Spain until early 2022 to carry out upgrade works to double capacity, a company representative told Fastmarkets.Low-carbon...Read More
Major companies in logistics and heavy industry have come together as part of an initiative launched by the World Economic Forum at the the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference - COP26 - in Glasgow to create a critical mass of demand for low carbon technologies aimed at decarbonising heavily polluting sectors.The First Movers Coalition, announced on November 4, is a partnership between th...Read More
Steel prices in the United States are poised to continue decreasing at a slow pace in the coming months, Luxembourg-based steelmaker Ternium said on Wednesday November 3.Supply and demand fundamentals have started to normalize in the country, but remain far from balance, according to Ternium chief executive officer M??ximo Vedoya.Among the drivers for lower prices, the CEO cited capacity usage in...Read More