Imports of finished steel to the United States fell month on month in November due to lower bloom, billet and slab volumes, according to US Census Bureau data.The US imported 1.24 million tonnes of steel products in November, down 9.5% from 1.37 million tonnes in October, preliminary Census data showed.Imports of bloom, billet and slab dropped 27.4% to 170,272 tonnes in November from 234,434 tonne...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Welded linepipe and OCTG prices have been rising globally despite weak demand - the recent surge in steel and raw material prices forced mills to raise their offers.While new prices were accepted by the available buyers in North America, demand for HSAW and ERW dried up in Europe while customers take a wait-and-see approach....Read More
Deep-sea ferrous scrap cargoes were sold off both US coasts at significantly higher prices over the past week, and global competition for raw materials shows no sign of cooling. Turkey is officially back in the US market, with one sale reported, but some participants have attributed the unusually quiet mood in recent weeks to clandestine deals being conducted quietly in an attempt to keep a lid on...Read More
Turkish steel producers made no deep-sea scrap purchases on Wednesday December 23 although prices remained firm thanks to the support of strong steel and billet values, sources said.Late on December 21, a steel mill in northern Turkey booked a Baltic Sea cargo comprising 12,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20), 6,000 tonnes of plate & structural scrap (P&S) and 5,000 tonnes of a mixture of busheling and...Read More
Seaborne iron prices fell further on Wednesday December 23, in response to the downtrend in futures and rising rebar inventories in northern China.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $162.03 per tonne, down $2.50 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $162.36 per tonne, down $2.71 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $151.54 per tonne,...Read More
Sellers of Japanese scrap are looking to the domestic market instead of exports because of the higher margins that can be found there, market participants told Fastmarkets on Wednesday December 23.The massive increases in domestic scrap purchase prices by major Japanese mini-mill Tokyo Steel have also supported sentiment.The price-benchmark setter increased its purchase price for the 10th time in...Read More
Demand for Turkish steel remains robust in export destinations despite the recent strengthening of trading regulations, speakers at Fastmarkets' Middle East Iron and Steel virtual conference Turkey panel session on Thursday December 17 said.On November 13, the European Commission (EC) made imports of hot-rolled flat steel from Turkey subject to registration upon arrival into the European Union; an...Read More
Seaborne premium hard coking coal and hard coking coal cfr prices jumped on the latest transactions on Wednesday December 23. Fastmarkets indices Premium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $103.76 per tonne, up $1.08 per tonne Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $195.76 per tonne, up $5.56 per tonne Hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $90.05 per tonne, unchanged Hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $185 per tonne...Read More
China resuming steel scrap imports in 2021 will directly affect global steel markets because of supply shortages, speakers on the Turkey panel at Fastmarkets' recent Middle East Iron and Steel virtual conference said. China will end the ban on imports of ferrous scrap on January 1 after it reclassified certain qualities steelmaking raw materials under the new regulations. On Decemb...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices experienced a sharp retreat on Wednesday December 23 after several days of sharp increases, amid falling futures and weaker demand.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,460-4,480 yuan ($681-685) per tonne, down by 220 yuan per tonneThe sharp price increases over the first two days of this week kept demand at a minimum, which led sellers under pressure to destock to slas...Read More
An overview of the consumer electronics markets and their latest price moves.Ewa Manthey, Dalila Ouerghi and Michael Greenfield in London, Susan Zou...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Charlotte Radford, Cristina Belda and Declan Conway contributed...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday December 23.Key drivers The ferro-titanium price jumped by more than 5% in the week to Wednesday December 23, reaching a peak last seen in November 2012 when the price range was assessed at $7.90-8.25 per kg.Market activity has slowed close to the end-of-year holiday season, although deals were reported at higher...Read More
The publication of Fastmarkets' cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China, was delayed on December 23 because of a reporting error. The Fastmarkets price book and database have both since been updated. The affected price is: MB-CO-0021 Cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China, % payable of Fastmarkets' standard-grade cobalt price (low-end) For more information or t...Read More
The Cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China, % payable of Fastmarkets' standard-grade cobalt price (low-end) trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets assessed Cobalt hydroxide p...Read More
The Cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lbtrade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies....Read More
The Cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets assessed Cobalt standard grade,...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in China on Wednesday December 23. Key driversDomestic antimony ingot suppliers raised offer prices significantly in response to mounting buying interest.The lingering difficulty in sourcing ore from overseas market continues to lend solid support to domestic antimony prices because suppliers have become more cautious about selling cargoes on hand wi...Read More
The price paid both for low-carbon and high-carbon ferro-chrome have strengthened amid persistent worries about soaring international freight costs.Despite mixed fortunes in end-user demand such as aerospace and automotive, these concerns have resulted in firmer demand for material from consumers wanting to avoid a shortage of feedstock Low carbon ferro-chrome delivered in Europe was stable at the...Read More
Both spot and futures silico-manganese prices in China have risen significantly over the past month, helped by comparatively limited availability of spot cargoes at Chinese smelters' warehouses and steady demand from steel mills, market sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment of silico-manganese 65% Mn min, max 17% Si, in-whs China was 6,100-6,200 yuan ($932-947) per tonne on...Read More