Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Monday August 10 that are worth another look.Production activity has come under threat at Belarus Steel Works (BMZ) with workers protesting against the result of the country's presidential election on Sunday August 9.Liberty House Group,...Read More
Steel market participants anticipate China's "dual circulation" policy will to boost steel demand for the remainder of 2020, with the more self-reliant economic model aiming to offset slowdowns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and US-China political tensions. Chinese President Xi Jinping announced in late July that China will focus on a "dual circulation" development model, which ensures a more sel...Read More
Fastmarkets is proud to launch its first monthly Ferrous Analytics report, which will help subscribers keep track of hot metal costs and steel production spreads in China, as well as key pricing components of the steelmaking raw materials supply chain in Asia.Readers will find raw material-finished steel spreads, iron ore differentials and scrap differentials all calculated and condensed...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday August 11 that are worth another look.China is turning to mergers, acquisitions and mine shutdowns to maintain its drive toward energy reform and the use of fewer fossil fuel resources.Zinc premiums in Singapore and Malaysia...Read More
Ferrous scrap prices in the Mexican steelmaking regions of Monterrey and Baj?-o increased week on week because of continued improvement in demand.Many market participants reported average price increases of 200 pesos ($8.91) per tonne for most grades of scrap during the week ended Friday August 7, while other, less common price increases were reported in the range of 150-400 pesos ($6.68-17.82) pe...Read More
A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday August 11.Please click...Read More
After a consultation period, Fastmarkets will amend the specifications of its hot-dipped galvanized steel import price assessment, cfr South America, with effect from Friday August 14.The consultation ran from July 14 to August 11 and laid out Fastmarkets' proposal to change the thickness specification in the price assessment for steel hot-dipped galvanized coil, import, cfr main ports South Ameri...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday August 11 that are worth another look.China is turning to mergers, acquisitions and mine shutdowns to maintain its drive toward energy reform and the use of fewer fossil fuel resources.Zinc premiums in Singapore and Malaysia...Read More
Sometimes it is better to let a situation speak for itself. Alcoa, Rio Tinto Aluminium, Novelis, Constellium, Arconic, Kaiser Aluminum, Tri-Arrows Aluminum, American Metal Chemical Corp, Hydro Extrusion North America, JW Aluminum, Real Alloy, Reynolds Consumer Products, Scepter, Silberline Manufacturing Co, Smelter Service Corp and Wagstaff. The US Aluminum Association, which represents more than...Read More
Zinc premiums in Singapore and Malaysia have dropped to their lowest annual level - and since Fastmarkets began assessing the market - while stocks begin to pile up in regional warehouses, trading sources said.Fastmarkets assessed the zinc SHG 99.995% ingot premium, fca Singapore at $85-95 per tonne on Tuesday August 11, down from $90-100 per tonne the week previously and $100-110 per tonne at the...Read More
The three-month price of lead on the London Metal Exchange was the standout performer at the close of trading on Tuesday August 11, climbing by 3% and breaking past nearby resistance, while a continued uptick in producer inflation from the US further supported buying momentum in the afternoon.Lead's outright price on the LME closed at $1,960.50 per tonne on Tuesday afternoon, recovering from an in...Read More
Seaborne premium hard coking coal prices were relatively flat on Tuesday August 11 due to a lack of transactions, but the premium mid-volatility hard coking coal price was under pressure, sources said.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $104.51 per tonne, down $0.05 per tonne Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $115.84 per tonne, down $0.04 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBC...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices rose on Tuesday August 11, with supply concerns developing because the Chinese government may extend the processing time for import licenses, while the high price for mid-grade fines has pushed mills to adjust their brand usage.Fastmarkets iron ore indices(Comparisons with August 7 due to National Day holiday in Singapore on August 10.)62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $121.09 pe...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.?EUR? US domestic prices for hot-rolled coil have moved down in line with our expectations, averaging $508 per tonne in July compared with our forecast price of $519 per tonne. While we are forecasting coil price increases in August, we have revised our expectations downward. Although steelmakers are reporting improving dema...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.The price for steel scrap in China has risen recently, amid high mill operating rates and at a time of heavy rain, but it remains at a premium to hot metal, we estimate. Heavy rains in China tend to increase the moisture content of iron ore stockpiles, which can cause issues during the sintering process, and this may have en...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Trading activity at a minimumWelded pipe trading activity has been slow globally over July 2020, and while the holiday-period slowdown is partly to blame in several countries, disruptions to projects caused by the Covid-19 pandemic were obviously the main cause. In this context, substrate costs were driving much of the prici...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Global markets for coated steel continue to run at different speeds with regards to pricing at the start of the summer season in the northern hemisphere. In Asia, prices continue to rise although, as we note in our Asia analysis this month, much of this is merely cost inflation with steelmakers passing on higher substrate cos...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloy forecast highlights:Numerous ore and alloy markets enjoyed upward pricing momentum in the first half 2020, with supply-side constraints supporting prices despite collapsing demand from steelmakers and other key end users. While supply side issues related to Covid-19 lockdowns have been resolved,...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Heavy rains in China, which can negatively affect iron ore supplies and pig iron production, and bolster demand for scrap, continued in July 2020. Although this was more an upside risk to our bearish base case one month ago, Chinese scrap prices remained strong. The firm prices gained support from the rains and from a more g...Read More
The latest forecast from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.As we enter the summer season across the northern hemisphere, almost half a year has passed since the Covid-19 pandemic began to seriously affect Europe and the United States.One would not really be able to tell that such a dramatic event had occurred by looking at stainless steel prices, however, because they are more or less...Read More