Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mixed but little changed this morning, Friday September 25, this after once again running into dip-buying on Thursday.* A late rally in US equities on Thursday lent support to broader markets.* US Congress is working on a $2.2 trillion stimulus package that could be voted on next week.* Asian-Pacific equities were for the most part stronger this...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were lower this morning. S&P 500 futures were down 14 points in pre-opening trade.Index futures were virtually unchanged following release of the August Durable Goods Orders report at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus was an increase of 1.5% versus an upwardly revised gain of 11.7% in July. Actual was an increase of 0.4% . Excluding transportation orders, consensus was an increa...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday September 23 that are worth another look.A blast furnace at Usiminas' Ipatinga unit in Brazil's southeastern Minas Gerais state caught on fire during maintenance work on Tuesday, only a month after being restarted, but there were no expectations of any effect on deliveries,...Read More
The London Metal Exchange base metals prices remained under pressure on Wednesday September 23, with the benchmark prices for all metals retreating during the day's trading.Fastmarkets analyst Boris Mikanikrezai noted that the US dollar pushed higher for a fourth consecutive day, "producing deflationary pressure on commodity prices."The general dollar index was last seen at 94.22, up by 0.24."Copp...Read More
A reduced regional surplus supported the tin trade in the United States while European traders, eyeing a rising contango, held back from the market in the two weeks to Tuesday September 22.Both tin premiums rise in the US, their first move in three months.The London Metal Exchange tin price remains near a two-year high, but is not matched by physical demand in Europe.China sees little trade, given...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday September 23 that are worth another look.A blast furnace at Usiminas' Ipatinga unit in Brazil's southeastern Minas Gerais state caught on fire during maintenance work on Tuesday, only a month after being restarted, but there were no expectations of any effect on deliveries,...Read More
Chinese nickel ore prices continued to rise in the week to Tuesday September 22, with other premiums in the region remaining stable and nickel briquette premium in the United States widening. Nickel ore price reaches new high, while premiums and other nickel products in China stay flat.US briquette premium widens slightlyPositive demand rhetoric fails to spur European premiums Nickel or...Read More
The UG2 chrome ore prices in China rose again on Tuesday September 23, with the steady downstream ferro-chrome market supporting market sentiment, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' chrome ore South Africa UG2 concentrates index basis 42%, cif China edged up by $1 per tonne or 0.7% to $139 per tonne week on week on Tuesday September 22. The index has risen for four consecutive weeks from $133 p...Read More
Aluminium and alumina producer Alcoa has launched the first low-carbon smelter-grade alumina brand, chief executive officer Roy Harvey announced at the Fastmarkets International Aluminium Conference. Speaking on Wednesday September 23, Harvey said the low-carbon alumina brand, EcoSource, will help its customers meet their sustainability goals. "We are launching a brand-new product, EcoSource, and...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday September 23 that are worth another look.A blast furnace at Usiminas' Ipatinga unit in Brazil's southeastern Minas Gerais state caught on fire during maintenance work on Tuesday, only a month after being restarted, but there were no expectations of any effect on deliveries,...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
Turkish steel mills continued to stay away from the deep-sea scrap market on Wednesday September 23, further increasing downward pressure on prices, sources told Fastmarkets.The country's steelmakers have been absent from the deep-sea scrap market since September 9, when bookings were made at $301 per tonne cfr for HMS 1&2 (80:20).Some suppliers tried to increase their offers to $305-310 per...Read More
China will aim to be carbon neutral by 2060, President Xi Jin Ping said at the General Debate of the 75th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations on Wednesday September 23."We aim to have carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions peak before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060," he said.China also aims to scale up its Intended Nationally Determined Contributions - intended reductions...Read More
Tesla will mine its own lithium, make its own lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and use more silicon and nickel in these cheaper batteries, the world's biggest EV maker said on Tuesday September 22.Tesla will simplify the process of obtaining battery-ready nickel and lithium, develop alternatives to existing aluminium alloys and recycle its own EV batteries, it added.Tesla's own 46...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday September 23 that are worth another look.A blast furnace at Usiminas' Ipatinga unit in Brazil's southeastern Minas Gerais state caught on fire during maintenance work on Tuesday, only a month after being restarted, but there were no expectations of any effect on deliveries,...Read More
Long lead times and a reduced domestic output have combined with a lack of competitive import offers to drive up the local price for hot-rolled coil in Europe, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets calculated its daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, at ?,?487.61 ($572.17) per tonne on Wednesday September 23, up by ?,?2.26 per tonne from ?,?485.35 per tonne on Tuesd...Read More
Hollow steel sections prices in Europe were unchanged this week, despite producers still pushing for higher prices, market sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday September 23.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?570-585 ($669-686) per tonne on Wednesday, unchanged week on week."New prices from some mills are up by ?,?30 per tonne, an...Read More
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has begun an investigation into alleged injurious dumping of steel rebar from Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, it said on Tuesday September 22.The probe falls under the Special Import Measures Act, and follows a complaint filed...Read More
Domestic steel mesh-quality wire rod producers in Europe managed to achieve new price gains over the past week due to limited supply and increased scrap costs, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday September 23.Northern EuropeFastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel wire rod (mesh-quality), domestic, delivered Northern Europe was ?,?460-480 ($545-568) per tonne on Wednesday, widening up...Read More
Turkish steel mills continued to stay away from the deep-sea scrap market on Wednesday September 23, further increasing downward pressure on prices, sources told Fastmarkets.The country's steelmakers have been absent from the deep-sea scrap market since September 9, when bookings were made at $301 per tonne cfr for HMS 1&2 (80:20).Some suppliers tried to increase their offers to $305-310 per...Read More