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
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.While a world leader in many areas, the United States is a relatively small player when it comes to stainless steel. It produces a small amount of material, both in absolute and relative terms (i.e. compared to the size of its population), while a large share of its industry is in the hands of bigger European companies. Never...Read More
An overview of the new energy materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
The zinc price was the hardest hit as most base metals finished below their psychological price levels on Friday January 15, with a high US dollar resulting in further signs of consolidation taking hold at the London Metals Exchange.Zinc's three-month price closed 2% lower on Friday at $2,699 per tonne, compared with Thursday's closing price of $2,757 per tonne, which was also a 0.6% decrease...Read More
Annual zinc ingot supply contracts in Northern Europe and Italy have been negotiated for 2021 at markedly lower premiums than in previous years. Deals for 2021 contracts have been reached with premiums on a duty-paid fca basis via Antwerp and Rotterdam at $95-110 per tonne level, sources told Fastmarkets, while some market participants said that anything above $105 per tonne was "unachievable" dur...Read More
An overview of the new energy materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
Prices for molybdic oxide and ferro-molybdenum came under pressure from profit taking in the second half of the week ended Friday January 15, and gave up some of their recent gains following swift gains earlier in January. Fastmarkets' assessment for ferro-molybdenum 65% Mo min, in-whs Rotterdam fell slightly to $24.60-25.10 per kg on January 15, from $24.70-25.20 per kg two days earlier.Fast...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Europe, Asia and the United States for the week ended Friday January 15. China Domestic spot ferro-silicon prices resumed their upward trend, prompted by rising futures prices. The current level is the highest since December 2018.The most-actively traded May ferro-silicon futures contract price on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange closed at 7,930 yuan ($1,226)...Read More
Copper concentrate TC/RCs remained at low levels as of January 15, with smelters in China continuing to purchase available spot cargoes when offered, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' copper concentrates TC index, cif Asia Pacific was $40.10 per tonne, down marginally from $40.30 per tonne a week ago.Deals to smelters were done at TC/RCs in the range of $44/4.4 cents -...Read More
An overview of the new energy materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
An overview of the aerospace materials markets and their latest price moves.Ewa Manthey and Michael Greenfield...Read More
Sentiment in the key global scrap markets has turned negative in the week to Friday January 15, with buying activity dipping on expectations of a correction in prices, led by a week-long absence from the markets by Turkish buyers after a prolonged period of soaring prices.Turkish prices drop $20 per tonne before weekendUS export prices up on recent tradesBuyers withdraw from market in Vietnam on e...Read More
The British light iron market hit ?150 per tonne in the week ending Friday January 15, a level last seen almost eight years ago, amid firm fundamentals, reduced supplies coming into yards and strong export demand, trade sources said.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap 5C, loose old light, domestic, delivered inter-merchant, UK, was ?140-150 ($191-205) per tonne on Friday, up fro...Read More
Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices have gone down sharply on a fresh Baltic Sea cargo deal sold at the end of the week, sources said on Friday January 15.A steel mill in northern Turkey booked a Baltic Sea cargo at $460 per tonne cfr on a heavy melting scrap 1&2 (80:20) basis. The cargo composition was not clear at the time of publication.This was compared with the US cargo sold at $485 per tonn...Read More
The base metals on the London Metal Exchange were mainly weaker this morning, Friday January 15, while those on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mainly firmer in line with the stronger Chinese fundamentals. US President-elect Joe Biden proposed a $1.9 trillion rescue packageUS Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said the central bank would not be raising rates anytime soonBase metals Three-month...Read More
An overview of the new energy materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
China's domestic battery-grade lithium carbonate prices rose by 5.6% to a 14-month high on Thursday January 14, 2021 on tightening spot supply while battery-grade lithium hydroxide also surged by 10.3% week on week on low availability of cheap materials, Fastmarkets heard.China's battery-grade lithium carbonate price hit a 14-month high on reduced spot supply, with most producers insisting on high...Read More
Fastmarkets is proposing to amend the pricing holiday schedule for its cobalt hydroxide payable indicator.Fastmarkets plans to align the pricing holiday schedule for its cobalt hydroxide payable indicator with public holidays in China instead of those in England and Wales due to the fact that the assessment tracks activity on a cif China basis.The detailed specifications for this assessment are li...Read More
There was no clear trend for South American flat steel import prices in the week to Friday January 15, with clients in no rush to secure new deals yet amid static or slightly higher new offers from all origins.Market participants reported signs of short selling from some traders and lower offers from privately owned mills in China, while the larger producers were trying to maintain or increase pri...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States slipped from an all-time high to just under $57 per hundredweight ($1,140 per short ton) on Friday January 15, but remain poised to rebound amid tight supply, Fastmarkets understands.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $56.92 per cwt ($1,138.40 per ton) on January 15, down by 1.86% from a record high of $58...Read More