Sentiment in the Commonwealth of Independent States export steel billet market was increasingly bullish on Tuesday December 1 due to tighter availability of material, sources told Fastmarkets. Billet offers were still heard at $500-510 per tonne fob Black Sea from some Russian and Ukrainian suppliers, according to the market sources. But most producers were reportedly out of the market and reconsi...Read More
The export market for long steel products from the Commonwealth of Independent States increased again in the week to Monday November 30 supported by long lead times and a global steel market uptrend. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), export, fob Black Sea, CIS was $540 per tonne on Monday, up from $490 per tonne fob a week earlier. Offers for Russia-origi...Read More
The mining industry must apply the correct cultural mindset to its operating principles in order to avoid any repeat of tragic events such as the destruction of one of Australia's oldest Aboriginal heritage sites, a director of the International Council On Mining And Metals (ICMM) has said.According to Nicky Black, at least three key principles must be in place from the outset: robust management s...Read More
No changes were reported in the premium for direct-reduced (DR) iron ore pellet for the fourth quarter of 2020, although sources told Fastmarkets they expect growth in the first quarter of 2021 on strong demand.Fastmarkets' iron ore DR-grade pellet premium to 65% Fe fines index, Middle East reference was $24 per tonne on Monday November 30, unchanged month on month.Fastmarkets' index for iron ore,...Read More
Turkish steel producers have continued to hold back from further deep-sea scrap purchases because of increasing prices, sources said on Tuesday December 1.The mills booked at least 10 deep-sea cargoes last week, and have since stepped back from the deep-sea markets.But market participants still expected them to book more cargoes, thanks to good demand for finished steel and billet, and improving p...Read More
Iron ore seaborne prices stayed relatively stable on Tuesday December 1 due to less physical trading despite the rise in swaps, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $132.13 per tonne, up $0.50 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $131.90 per tonne, up $0.51 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $122.70 per tonne,down $0.42 per...Read More
The seaborne low-vol pulverized coal injection (PCI) price increased to $100 per tonne cfr China on tight supply, sources said, while several sources do not believe China's ban on Australian coal will be removed any time soon.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $101.97 per tonne, up $0.57 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $165.00 per tonne, down $0.03 per tonneHar...Read More
A number of Chinese dealers and business entities are taking over Japanese scrapyards, or setting up scrap businesses in Japan, to secure sufficient supply of the steelmaking raw material for steel mills in China, market sources told Fastmarkets this week."Their main aim is to secure ferrous scrap supply for Chinese buyers when [China's] import ban is lifted and ferrous scrap is allowed to be impo...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices maintained a downward trend on Tuesday December 1 amid inactivity, eating into producers' profits. DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 4,030-4,060 yuan ($612-617) per tonne, down by 30 yuan per tonneRebar producers are making 250-300 yuan per tonne of rebar sold now, which is down by 200 yuan per tonne from margins 10 days ago, an industry analyst in Shanghai said. Pric...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were once again mainly stronger this morning, Tuesday December 1, helped by strong Chinese Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) data, but Shanghai Futures Exchange prices were more polarized.Chinese Caixin manufacturing PMI climbed to 54.9 in November, up from 53.6 in OctoberJapan's manufacturing PMI climbed to 49 in November, up fro...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 transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies. Fastmarkets assessed...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 transparency into the markets it covers and the pricing process...Read More
After being badly hit by Covid-19, chromium metal prices have started to rebound on transport disruptions and high production costs, adding to a more positive outlook for 2021. Fastmarkets' price assessment for chromium alumino-thermic 99% min, in-whs Rotterdam, was at $5,700-6,050 per tonne on Friday November 27, up by $200 per tonne (3.5%) from $5,500-5,850 per tonne a week earlier and rising fo...Read More
Cobalt sulfate prices in China softened in the first half of last week but a firm cobalt raw materials market helped to limit the downturn.Fastmarkets' assessment for cobalt sulfate, 20.5% Co basis, exw China, was at 53,500-54,500 yuan ($8,129-8,281) per tonne on Friday November 27, unchanged from two days earlier, when it fell by 500 yuan per tonne (0.9%) from 54,000-55,000 yuan per tonne on Nove...Read More
An overview of the chrome ore and alloy markets and their latest price moves.China The UG2 chrome ore price fell again after Tsingshan's lower December ferro-chrome tender price dampened market sentiment. Buyers made aggressive bids amid high port inventories and a bearish market outlook. Domestic spot ferro-chrome prices...Read More
Pfizer (PFE), a Dow Jones Industrial stock moved above $40.40 to an all-time high extending an intermediate uptrend. The stock responded to news that the United Kingdom has given fast track approval for Pfizer's COVID 19 vaccine.Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), a NASDAQ 100 stock moved above $94.28 to an all-time high extending an intermediate uptrend. Pre-opening Comments for Wednesday December...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday November 30 that are worth another look.Italian authorities will finalize their takeover of a share in flat steel producer ArcelorMittal Italia on December 10, trade unions Fiom-Cgil and Uilm said on November 30.The first deal for...Read More
Alcoa Corporation will sell its Warrick Operations rolling mill near Evansville, in the US state of Indiana, for $670 million - including $587 million in cash - to Kaiser Aluminum, with the transaction expected to close by April 2021, Alcoa said on Monday November 30.Alcoa will continue to operate the smelter - which has capacity of 269,000 tonnes per year - and power plant at the location. The ro...Read More
Copper and aluminium prices reached new year-to-date highs at the close of trading on the London Metal Exchange on Monday November 30, while the rest of the base-metals complex showed dips in their three-month prices.Copper rose to $7,580 per tonne at 5pm on Monday, up by 1% from Friday's closing price of $7,499.50 per tonne and setting a new year-to-date high.The red metal also went up to $7,708....Read More
The latest data for the global manganese ore market for the week ended November 30, 2020.Read More