Domestic prices for steel hot-rolled coil increased again across Europe in the week to Friday November 20, due to tight supply from both domestic and overseas suppliers.Fastmarkets calculated its daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, at ?,?541.25 ($641.66) per tonne on Friday, up by ?,?16.15 per tonne week on week and by ?,?44.75 per tonne month on month.Friday's index...Read More
European steel association Eurofer has filed a request to the European Commission to extend safeguard measures beyond their original expiration date of June 30, 2021, Yuriy Rudyuk, partner at Brussels-based law firm Van Bael & Bellis, said during a Steel Trade Day webinar on November 20. Eurofer filed a complaint on November 3, 2020, according to Rudyuk. The EC opened an investigation in late Marc...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday November 23 that are worth another look.European steel association Eurofer has filed a request to the European Commission to extend safeguard measures beyond their original expiration date of June 30, 2021, Yuriy Rudyuk, partner at Brussels-based law firm Van...Read More
Graphite consumers outside Asia, especially those in Europe and the United States, could diversify their supplier base because of skyrocketing costs for freight from China and the strength of the East Asian country's yuan, although it will remain a major exporter of graphite, according to market sources.China accounted for over 60% of the world's total output of flake graphite during 2019 and is a...Read More
The London Metal Exchange base metals complex had a small collective dip at the close of trading on Monday November 23, correcting after most base metals had gone to multi-year or year-to-date highs in the preceding week.Sentiment was cautious at the end of Friday with the three-month prices of metals such as copper, lead and nickel rallying and up by about 2%, but with market participants worried...Read More
Copper production could resume at Lundin's Candelaria copper mine in Chile after the company agreed a new collective bargaining agreement with a portion of striking workers there, Fastmarkets understands.Lundin reached a deal with around 550 workers from the AOS Union who had been striking over payment while workers...Read More
Seaborne hard coking coal fob Australia prices have eased on Monday November 23 amid talk in the market of Chinese buyers possibly re-selling cargoes that have been floating on water, sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $99.22 per tonne, up $0.82 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $160.27 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $90.53 per tonne...Read More
Steel billet producers in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) were looking for higher prices again on Monday November 23, citing a surge in scrap costs and a strong international long steel market.But trading was quiet because buyers were not able to keep up with the rocketing offer prices, Fastmarkets heard.Offers for steel billet from Russian and Ukrainian mills were heard within the ra...Read More
Commodities trader Trafigura and local government body Entreprise G?(C)n?(C)rale du Cobalt (EGC) have penned an offtake agreement specifically for the supply of artisanal cobalt in a deal designed to concurrently formalize the sector. This could make artisanally mined cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) a more attractive prospect to multinational companies that demand greater supply c...Read More
Lundin Mining has agreed a 30-month collective labor agreement with around 550 workers at its Candelaria copper unit in northern Chile, partially ending a month-long walkout at the site.On Friday November 20, the Canada-headquartered miner said the Candelaria AOS Union in Chile had accepted the company's latest offer, which was presented to the union on November 12.The miner still n...Read More
Copper production could resume at Lundin's Candelaria copper mine in Chile after the company agreed a new collective bargaining agreement with a portion of striking workers there, Fastmarkets understands.Lundin reached a deal with around 550 workers from the AOS Union who had been striking over payment while workers...Read More
Zambia's Court of Appeal has ruled that Vedanta can proceed to arbitration with state mining firm ZCCM, in a dispute over the Indian mining major's copper assets in the central south African nation.Vedanta's 79.4% owned Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) in Zambia were seized and ordered to be liquidated in May 2019 over alleged mismanagement. The assets at the heart of dispute are KCM's Nc...Read More
Hammerer Aluminium Industries (HAI) has been provisionally certified against the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) 'Performance Standard' for responsible production, sourcing and stewardship of aluminium. The certification is for HAI's remelting and casting operations at the Santana SRL facility in Romania. The plant's operations include the production of extrusion billets and rolling ingots...Read More
London Metal Exchange three-month base metals prices remained broadly unchanged - amid an upbeat sentiment on Monday November 23 - from the previous Friday's session, when most prices rallied on account of momentum-based trading.Nickel's three-month price hit $16,200 per tonne as of 9:20am on Monday, a 0.3% increase from Friday closing price of $16,151 per tonne. AstraZeneca's announcem...Read More
The Chinese price for nickel pig iron (NPI) continued to drop in the week to Friday November 20, with the falling price of domestic stainless steel and some traders' sell-offs at lows dragging prices down, sources said. Fastmarkets assessed the price of nickel pig iron, high-grade NPI content 10-15%, spot, ddp China at 1,070-1,100 yuan ($163-168) per nickel unit on Friday, down by 60-70 yuan per n...Read More
Cold-heading quality (CHQ) and high-carbon wire rod prices in the United States rose on Friday November 20 amid higher scrap prices and increased demand. Fastmarkets' monthly assessment for steel wire rod (high carbon), fob mill US rose by 2.8% to $37.25 per hundredweight ($745 per short ton) on Friday November 20 from $36.25 per cwt previously, where the price had remained since September 18.Fast...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in the United States have surged on confirmed buying activity and incredibly thin spot availability, prompting at least one electric-arc furnace (EAF) coil producer to quietly communicate a base price increase to customers, Fastmarkets has learned.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, fob mill US was calculated at $38.80 per hundredweight ($776 per short ton) on Mo...Read More
Domestic steel rebar suppliers to Russia's Central Federal District around Moscow have increased their offer prices slightly, tracking higher export offers, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday November 23.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), domestic, cpt Moscow, Russia, was 41,000-41,500 roubles ($538-544) per tonne including 20% VAT on Monday, up from 40,000-41,...Read More
Flat steel suppliers to Russia's Central Federal District around Moscow are insisting on higher prices due to the uptrend in the export market, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday November 23.Hot-rolled sheetFastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel hot-rolled (HR) sheet, domestic, cpt Moscow, Russia was at 45,000-48,000 roubles ($590-629) per tonne including 20% value-added tax on Monday Sept...Read More
Turkish domestic scrap prices have continued to increase over the past week in line with the rise in imported scrap values, sources said on Monday November 23.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap, auto bundle scrap, domestic, delivered Turkey, was 2,250-2,545 lira ($293-332) per tonne on Monday, up from the 2,230-2,455 lira per tonne of last week.The movement came after steel mills...Read More