European domestic prices for stainless steel scrap have increased over the past week, supported by the higher cost of nickel, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday August 7.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for stainless steel scrap, 18/8 solids, domestic, delivered merchants UK, was ?850-880 ($1,118-1,157) per tonne on Friday, up by ?10 per tonne from ?840-870 per tonne on July 31.The assessme...Read More
Ferrous scrap prices in all the key global markets continued to increase in the week ended Friday August 7 on stable demand from end-users and high prices for downstream steel products.Turkey continues to purchase material at higher pricesUS export prices and volumes riseVietnam chooses US-origin scrap on narrowing differential with JapanTaiwan prices continue uptrendIndia prices return to pre-pan...Read More
Brazilian slab export prices increased in the week ended Friday August 7, with recent deals closed at higher levels and producers trying to push for new price increases in the next few weeks.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab, export, fob main port Brazil, reached $405-410 per tonne on Friday, up by $10-15 per tonne from $390-400 per tonne a week before.Recent deals for Brazilian...Read More
Offers of steel billet to foreign customers from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) region had gone up by the end of this week following the continuing uptrend in the scrap sector, Fastmarkets heard on Friday August 7.But trading activity was limited, even though some customers accepted the higher prices.Fastmarkets' steel billet index, export, fob Black Sea, CIS, was $404 per tonne on A...Read More
European stainless steel prices have remained stable over the past week due to the seasonal demand slowdown, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday August 7.Fastmarkets' assessment of the price for stainless steel cold-rolled sheet, 2mm, grade 304, transaction domestic, delivered North Europe, was ?,?1,900-1,950 ($2,254-2,314) per tonne on August 7, unchanged week on week.The assessment was...Read More
Mexican production of light vehicles increased by 0.65% year-on-year in July 2020, according to national automotive association Amia.The country produced 294,946 light vehicles in the month, compared with 293,035 units a year before, according to the figures released on Thursday August 6.The results were better than expected, according to...Read More
Brazilian automotive output dropped by 36.2% year on year in July but increased by 73% sequentially, with automakers gradually resuming operations that were halted in previous months due to the Covid-19, according to figures published by national automotive association Anfavea on Friday August 7.Production of light vehicles in the country totaled 170,300 units last month, down from 267,000 units i...Read More
China's finished steel exports continued to fall on a year-on-year basis in July, but imports maintained an upward trend, according to customs data released on Friday August 7.July exports: 4.18 million tonnes, down by 25% from July 2019,...Read More
The aluminium industry neither deserves nor can afford the shock that would come from the United States' reintroduction of Section 232 tariffs on imports from Canada, according to Aluminum Association president and chief executive officer Tom Dobbins. Citing the latest government data from the US Census Bureau, Dobbins noted that US imports of primary aluminium from Canada were nearly 5% lower in...Read More
Brazil-based steelmaker Gerdau expects the metal spread in its North America division to remain stable in the coming months after the company was able to secure ferrous scrap at competitive prices, chief executive officer Gustavo Werneck said on Wednesday August 5.The company's metal spread - the premium between finished steel prices and scrap costs - averaged $415 per short ton in North America d...Read More
The Midwest aluminium premium soared by 5 cents on Friday August 7, logging its largest increase since Fastmarkets began assessing this premium in January 2003, with traders boosting offers on replacement cost considerations after the US reintroduced Section 232 tariffs on Canadian aluminium.Fastmarkets assessed the aluminium P1020A premium, ddp Midwest US at 16-17 cents per lb on August 7, up by...Read More
Brazilian slab export prices increased in the week ended Friday August 7, with recent deals closed at higher levels and producers trying to push for new price increases in the next few weeks.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab, export, fob main port Brazil, reached $405-410 per tonne on Friday, up by $10-15 per tonne from $390-400 per tonne a week before.Recent deals for Brazilian...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Asia, Europe and the United States for the week ending Friday August 7.China Seaborne 37% manganese ore prices rose again after some miners increased their offers on a steady appetite among buyers looking to average their purchasing costs at relatively lower levels. The seaborne 44% price moved up as well, partly buoyed by the rising portside prices. Portside...Read More
No negotiations were again reported in the United States' spot pig iron market during the week ended Friday August 7, because steel mills' utilization rates remained low, Fastmarkets understands.But one deal was heard under long-term agreement at $340 per tonne cfr from Brazil. That would be "more or less in line with the spot market level," one buyer said. Meanwhile, other sources estimated that...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
The London Metal Exchange is looking for ways to boost its options market, which has been struggling for some years to replicate the growth seen in the same sector among its peers.The exchange has launched a consultation, scheduled to end on July 29, on developing electronic options via a new trading platform while retaining its current inter-office options trading structure.Items up for discussio...Read More
Joshua Olmsted, currently senior vice president, will take the role of president and chief operating officer for the Americas region at Freeport-McMoRan on September 1 this year, when Harry Conger retires, the company said on Friday August 7. Working for Freeport for 28 years, Olmsted has been senior vice president for the North American copper division since late 2015. He previously took manageri...Read More
The three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange was the laggard at the close of trading on Friday August 7, with news of planned restarts at several of Chilean producer Codelco's operating facilities suppressing buying momentum.Meanwhile, lead futures declined by more than 2% but stayed above nearby support levels into the close.Copper's outright price on the LME closed at $6,308 per ton...Read More
Iron ore prices decreased on Friday August 7, with China's strong iron ore imports data for July potentially easing the uptrend and bullish sentiment, resulting in a correction in prices, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $119.21 per tonne, down $2.06 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $119.16 per tonne, down $2.02 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade pr...Read More
Seaborne premium hard coking coal prices went down slightly on Friday August 7 following the latest transactions, while market participants analyzed the possible reasons for the price decrease, Fastmarkets heard.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $104.56 per tonne, down $1.35 per tonne Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $115.88 per tonne, down $0.50 per tonneHard coking co...Read More