Forecasts for growth in electric vehicle (EV) use set the scene for increased cobalt demand, but they have become the backdrop for increased volatility in prices.The mismatched timing of increased supply for, and demand from, the growing EV sector has seen cobalt prices swing to highs of nearly...Read More
Cobalt metal prices nudged higher during the first half of the week amid a slight improvement in spot inquiries but limited visibility on metal demand for 2021 is keeping the lid on more substantial gains, sources told Fastmarkets on December 16.Fastmarkets' price assessments for cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam and cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam remained trading at parity and moved t...Read More
The spot cobalt sulfate price in the domestic Chinese market continued on its uptrend midweek after suppliers either held offers firm or held out for sales in expectation of extensive restocking in January, sources told Fastmarkets on December 17.Fastmarkets' cobalt sulfate 20.5% Co basis, exw China rose to 54,000-55,000 yuan ($8,269-8,422) per tonne on Wednesday December 16, up 0.5% from 54,000-5...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday December 17 that are worth another look.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.The Shanghai...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States continued to climb toward $50 per hundredweight ($1,000 per short ton), with little spot availability and relatively long lead times maintaining record-high prices, according to market participants. Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil price, fob mill US was calculated at $49.22 per cwt ($984.40 per ton) on Thursday December 17, up by 0.68% from $48....Read More
Domestic transaction prices for hot-rolled coil increased slightly in Northern Europe day on day Thursday December 17 due to a shortage of material in the market that allowed steelmakers to push offers up further. Fastmarkets calculated its daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe at ?,?647.92 ($788.95) per tonne on Thursday December 17, up by ?,?1.92 per tonne day on...Read More
Steel billet and rebar prices in Egypt increased during the week ending Thursday December 17 because of restocking after recent price increases, although demand for billet imports was not strong, market sources told Fastmarkets.Buyers did not accept any offered price for imported billet since locally produced billet was enough to meet rebar producers' demand.Demand for rebar and billet has been sl...Read More
Steel reinforcing bar prices in the United States have continued to rise following recent mill price increases, Fastmarkets has learned. Fastmarkets assessed the price for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), fob mill US at $34.50 per hundredweight ($690 per short ton) on Wednesday December 16, up by 1.47% from $34 per cwt the previous week.US marketFastmarkets' current assessment indicates that al...Read More
Turkish domestic long steel prices continued to climb up over the past seven days to Thursday December 17 on the back of improving scrap costs. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar) domestic, exw Turkey was $5,550-5,650 lira ($711-724) per tonne on Thursday, up from the last week's 5,200-5,250 lira per tonne, including 18% VAT. ...Read More
Turkish steel mills continued to accept higher prices for deep-sea scrap cargoes on Thursday December 17 due to limited supply of the material, with prices rising by more than $7.50 per tonne day on day.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a Baltic Sea cargo, which originated from St Petersburg, priced at $444 per tonne for an 80:20 mix of No1 and No2 heavy melting scrap and at $454 per tonne...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.The bullish price run in the iron ore market continued for a sixth week in a row with the 62% Fe benchmark soaring to a near eight-year high. Looking ahead, iron ore demand in 2021 is projected to be stronger than initially expected earlier in the year. We not only anticipate continued demand growth in China, but a recovery...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices increased on Thursday December 17, amid rising concerns over limited supplies and low steel inventories, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $158.49 per tonne, up $2.04 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $158.89 per tonne, up $2.18 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $147.10 per tonne, u...Read More
Steel billet and rebar prices in Egypt increased during the week ending Thursday December 17 because of restocking after recent price increases, although demand for billet imports was not strong, market sources told Fastmarkets.Buyers did not accept any offered price for imported billet since locally produced billet was enough to meet rebar producers' demand.Demand for rebar and billet has been sl...Read More
Offers for billet exports from the Commonwealth of Independent States are being held at high levels this week amid a surge in scrap prices and long steel prices in Turkey.But with buyers largely quiet, the gap between offers and bids remains wide, market participants told Fastmarkets on Thursday December 17.Producers from Russia were heard offering billet at $580-600 per tonne fob this week.At the...Read More
Sales of passenger cars in the EU dropped by 11.99% year on year in November 2020, due to a second wave Covid-19 lockdown measures being introduced in several member states.New car sales in the European Union totalled 897,692 vehicles in November 2020, down from 1.02 million units sold in the corresponding month of 2019, the European Automotive Manufacturers Association (ACEA) said on Thursday Dec...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
The year 2020 showed how resilient steel mills are and how important it is to diversify products, the chief executive officers of three major steel producers in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries said during the keynote CEO panel of Fastmarkets' Middle East Iron & Steel virtual conference on Tuesday December 15. CEOs on the panel Ravi Singh of Bahrain's structural steel producer Su...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Thursday December 17 that are worth another look.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.The Shanghai...Read More
The global direct-reduced (DR) iron-ore pellet market - which has traditionally faced shortages - may face a material oversupply by 2025, Chris Barrington, chief advisor of the International Iron Metallics Association (IIMA), said during Fastmarkets' Middle East Iron and Steel virtual conference on Wednesday December 16. "There will be significantly more than enough potential supply to meet demand...Read More