The steel rebar and billet market in Egypt was slow during the week ending Thursday November 4, although some market participants expected rebar prices to increase because of increasing natural gas costs, sources told Fastmarkets.Local rebar producers increased their prices E ?15,000 ($952) per tonne ex-works including 14% VAT on October 20.However, the natural gas price increased to $5....Read More
Backwardations in the forward curves of most metals on the London Metal Exchange have constrained warrant trading for the past few weeks.Copper warrants, for example, have been "impossible" to trade since steep backwardations emerged in copper's forward curve in mid-October, traders widely agreed.Its cash/three-month spread was recently at a $190 per tonne backwardation on Thursday November 4, hav...Read More
Elysis, a joint-venture project between Alcoa and Rio Tinto to eliminate the emission of greenhouse gases from the industrial aluminium smelting process, has moved to the next stage of production, the companies jointly announced on Thursday November 4.Elysis is led by Alcoa and Rio Tinto, with additional investment from the governments of Canada and Quebec.It is working to commercialize a new tech...Read More
Major companies in logistics and heavy industry have come together as part of an initiative launched by the World Economic Forum at the the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference - COP26 - in Glasgow to create a critical mass of demand for low carbon technologies aimed at decarbonising heavily polluting sectors.The First Movers Coalition, announced on November 4, is a partnership between th...Read More
Eurofer has welcomed the agreement between the European Union and the United States to replace Section 232 steel and aluminium tariffs against the bloc's 27 countries with tariff-rate quotas, the European steel association said on Monday November 1.The US authorities made theannouncement, on Saturday October 30."We welcome the announcement of the agreement which could be the starting point of a ne...Read More
Zinc's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange on Wednesday November 3 touched its lowest since October 13, with prices in the base metals complex ending the day on a mixed note ahead of the US Federal Reserve Bank's Federal Open Market Committee press conference.Zinc reached $3,263 per tonne on Wednesday, its lowest price since announcements by Nyrstar and Glencore that production in Europ...Read More
Demand for low-carbon aluminium is likely to remain strong into 2022 despite tight market conditions, leading executives from Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company Norsk Hydro said.Norsk Hydro chief executive officer Hilde Merete Aasheim and chief financial officer P??l Kildemo spoke to Fastmarkets after releasing their third-quarter results last week."Demand [for low-carbon material] i...Read More
Spot copper premiums rose in Europe during the past week, while trading interest was minimal in Shanghai and the United States, with the red metal's backwardation remaining a concern.London Metal Exchange copper's cash to three-month spread was in a $275-per-tonne backwardation on Wednesday, easing from $438 per tonne on Tuesday LME on-warrant copper stocks remain below 40,000 tonnes, while C...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Alex Cook, Dalila Ouerghi...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange were up across the board on Wednesday November 3, suggesting dips are once again finding support. The European Union's manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) out on Tuesday at 58.3, while slightly weaker than September's 58.5, still showed strong expansion, which will be helping to counter the slowdown in China.U...Read More
Prices for Japanese bulk shredded scrap have tumbled over the last week amid a drop in intake from a major Japanese blast furnace (BF)-based mill and discounted sales to South Korea.In late September, sources told Fastmarkets that shredded demand at BF-based mills had benefitted greatly from the tight supply of Shindachi prime scrap, but a reduction in shredded purchase volumes in recent weeks has...Read More
Domestic stainless steel prices in China dropped sharply over the week ended Wednesday November 3, causing exporters in the country to lower their offers as well. DomesticStainless steel cold-rolled coil 2mm grade 304 domestic (Wuxi): 19,800-20,200 ($3,094-3,156) per tonne, down by 800-900 yuan per tonne from a week earlier Sentiment in the stainless steel futures market remained bearish over the...Read More
Nickel premiums remained steady in the United States, China and Europe in the week to November 3, although tight supplies and growing production disruptions are keeping prices high in the US. US nickel premiums hold at historic highsChinese premiums also stable with increased full plate imports into ChinaPremiums unchanged in Europe, with market focusing on contracts for 2022US premiums still at h...Read More
A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums from across the globe for the week to Wednesday November 3.Please click...Read More
Nickel premiums remained steady in the United States, China and Europe in the week to November 3, although tight supplies and growing production disruptions are keeping prices high in the US. US nickel premiums hold at historic highsChinese premiums also stable with increased full plate imports into ChinaPremiums unchanged in Europe, with market focusing on contracts for 2022US premiums still at h...Read More
Iron ore prices went up on Wednesday November 3 with support from the demand in low-grade fines, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $100.10 per tonne, up by $4.33 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $101.70 per tonne, up by $5.03 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $76.15 per tonne, up by $8.45 per tonne65% Fe Brazil-origin...Read More
The prevailing backwardation of London Metal Exchange tin prices continued to encourage lower offer prices in Europe and the United States, with premiums falling stateside on November 2, while premiums in Taiwan were steady despite the ongoing destocking of LME inventories. In-warehouse premiums in Rotterdam and Baltimore drop slightly amid more supply and lower offersLME stocks at 645 tonnes...Read More
Brazilian exports of iron ore slipped by 0.84% year on year in October, the country's economy ministry said on Wednesday November 3.Iron ore exports totaled 30.86 million tonnes during the month, down from 31.12 million tonnes in October 2020.Daily average volumes totaled 1.54 million tonnes, also down by 0.84% from 1.56 million tonnes in the same comparison. October had 20 workdays in both 2020 a...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices tumbled further on Wednesday November 3, which stimulated demand. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 4,950-4,980 yuan ($774-778) per tonne, down by 130 yuan per tonneRebar sellers lowered their offers in the morning on a weak futures market, a trader in Shanghai said. The January rebar futures contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange was lower...Read More
Steel scrap buyers in Taiwan were bearish about the containerized scrap market, expecting to book cargoes at lower prices in the short term, market sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday November 3. Taiwan secures lower-priced cargoesVietnam reports lower offersChina prices continue downtrend amid bearish sentiment in local marketTaiwanTaiwanese buyers have secured containerized heavy melting scrap...Read More