Deals for Brazil-origin pig iron boosted the US import pig iron price by 6.8% in the week to Friday December 18. Fastmarkets' price for pig iron, import, cfr Gulf of Mexico, US to $495-520 per tonne on Friday, up from $470-480 per tonne a week earlier. Two deals on pig iron with February and March shipment were done at about $495-500 per tonne early this week. Another Brazil-origin...Read More
Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices continued to increase on Friday December 18, with two fresh shipments coming to light from the previous day, sources told Fastmarkets.Late on Thursday December 17, a steel producer in the northern Turkey booked a Baltic Sea cargo, comprising 13,500 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $450 per tonne, 14,000 tonnes of shredded at $460 per tonne, 3,000 tonnes of bonus al...Read More
Global mining and metals company Rio Tinto and Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel Corp have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly explore and develop technologies to transition to a low-carbon emission steel value chain, the companies said in a press release on Tuesday December 15. Both companies have the shared goal of significantly reducing carbon emissions across the entire steel...Read More
Usiminas increased its output and domestic sales volumes over the past 45 days from first-quarter and 2019 volumes, the Brazil-based flat steel producer said in a filing to Brazilian securities and exchange commission CVM.It produced 533,000 tonnes of rolled steel between November 1 and December 15, or around 11,800 tonnes per day, up by 0.2% from the daily average in January-March this year and b...Read More
The European Commission has calculated preliminary anti-dumping duties for Turkish hot-rolled coil at 4.80-7.60%, it said in a letter sent to interested parties, market sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday December 17. Provisional measures in the case, if any, will be imposed by January 14 next year, and the calculated duties can be changed at any time up to this deadline. Definitive duties are sc...Read More
Uncertainty surrounding Brexit - with no trade deal agreed yet between the United Kingdom and the European Union - has prompted spot activity in some minor metals and ferro-alloys markets, with market participants finding difficulties in moving their material across the borders. Traders in the UK have increased their orders in the last few weeks ahead of potential import duties that might be comin...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Friday December 18, during which the European aluminium pressure diecasting ingot, DIN226/A380 price climbed to its highest level since August 2015.Key drivers: European sellers continued to report strong export demand from Asia and raw materials shortages across the continent as the key tailwind for higher offers of 226 ingots, with scrap un...Read More
Following a six-week consultation period, Fastmarkets will change the frequency of its zinc spot concentrate treatment charges (TC) price assessment to fortnightly from its present monthly timing.Fastmarkets will change the frequency of its price assessment from January 2021 for MB-ZN-0110 zinc spot concentrate TC, cif China, $/tonne after receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from our reader...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States have climbed above $49.50 per hundredweight ($990 per short ton), while buyers have voiced concerns that the rapid run-up in prices may mean a potential inventory devaluation in the future. Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US rose to $49.56 per cwt ($991.20 per ton) on Friday December 18, up by 0.69% from $49.22 per cwt on Thursda...Read More
Ulas Alkan has joined VTB Capital, where he will trade a range of commodities in the base metals space, Fastmarkets understands.Alkan joins from fellow Zug merchants Cliveden where he specialized in zinc and lead, prior...Read More
The temporary closure of Japanese carmaker Honda's Swindon plant last week sparked concerns through the local downstream aluminium sector that a no-deal Brexit would prompt a chain reaction of automotive closures and sound the death knell for UK car production. Compounding this, a global pandemic, bloated freight costs, overpriced containers and the proliferation of scrap shortages have driven alu...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Friday December 18, during which the European aluminium pressure diecasting ingot, DIN226/A380 price climbed to its highest level since August 2015.Key drivers: European sellers continued to report strong export demand from Asia and raw materials shortages across the continent as the key tailwind for higher offers of 226 ingots, with scrap un...Read More
Copper and tin set further year-to-date highs during trading on Friday December 18, with the LME base metals complex in high ground in anticipation of a US economic stimulus package. The red metal's three-month price reached a new 2020 high of $8,028 per tonne during early trading on Friday, settling at $7,985 per tonne at the 5pm close - a 0.8% rise from Thursday's $7,920 per tonne close.&nb...Read More
Spot market copper concentrate treatment and refining charges were largely unchanged while the market began to conclude annual benchmark-related supply contracts, Fastmarkets heard in the week to December 18.United States mining company Freeport-McMoRan agreed 2021 copper concentrate TC/RCs with its Chinese smelter counterparts at $59.50 per tonne / 5.95 cents per lb, their lowest since 2011.Short...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:US flat product prices maintained momentum through November, with increases accelerating in early December in response to supply shortfalls, rising scrap prices, and improving demand.While we correctly forecast further pricing gains in November, actual prices surpasse...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Chinese domestic and export flat steel prices surged in November 2020, with the export hot-rolled coil index rising to $592 per tonne during the month from $519 per tonne previously, and the monthly average increasing by 7.5% over October.Economic activity in China continued to expand, with manufacturing output rising by 7.5...Read More
New rounds of price increases during the week ended Friday December 18 fueled the uptrend in South America's flat steel import market that has been seen throughout the fourth quarter, market participants told Fastmarkets.Chinese mills were no longer offering cargoes to the region for February shipment, and some had even denied orders for March and were awaiting the new year to offer cargo for Apri...Read More
Aluminium billet premiums in the United States, Europe and Asia rose on Friday December 18, with strong fundamentals supporting the increases.Low stocks propel US premium higher European spot market tight; participants focused on Q2 negotiations Bullish Q1 MJP P1020 negotiations pull Thailand premium upUnited StatesFastmarkets assessed the aluminium 6063 extrusion billet premium, delivered Midwest...Read More
Copper and tin set further year-to-date highs during trading on Friday December 18, with the LME base metals complex in high ground in anticipation of a US economic stimulus package. The red metal's three-month price reached a new 2020 high of $8,028 per tonne during early trading on Friday, settling at $7,985 per tonne at the 5pm close - a 0.8% rise from Thursday's $7,920 per tonne close.&nb...Read More
An overview of the new energy raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Susan Zou, Sybil Pan, and Sally...Read More