The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.The Covid-19 pandemic and the associated impacts on steel production, mining and manufacturing activity, end-use consumption, and trade and transportation continue to dominate ferro-alloy markets. US steel mills are operating at around 50% of capacity, with similarly low operating rates evident in Europe as well. Chinese ste...Read More
Ferro-alloys prices have generally retreated over the past month, with demand concerns gaining in prominence.The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Ferro-alloy pricing trends have generally diverged ove the past month, depending on the security of the supply-side position of the market. With most supply concerns fading with the resumption of industrial activity i...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key ferro-alloy forecast highlights:While the ferro-alloy industry's initial response to the Covid-19 outbreak was marked by rising prices primarily in response to supply-side concerns, focus has now shifted somewhat. As Chinese activity slowly returns to more normal levels, for alloys with a strong Chinese prod...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.In a webinar we conducted on Asian ferro alloys, our research team discussed the Chinese authorities' announcing some major infrastructure investments that will increase demand for steel and steel raw materials, including iron ore. Our research shows that the recent infrastructure investment announcements are equal to about...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Judging by a recent webinar we conducted on Asian ferroalloys last week, many market participants believe the steel and steelmaking raw materials' world - outside of China - will record an 'L' shaped recovery, effectively failing to recover. With crude steel production outside of China falling close to a third in April and o...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.The recent price fall in the iron ore market signals the start of a downturn, after prices averaged at the highest level in almost a year in June. A combination of both supply-related events in Brazil and demand factors in China have put pressure on prices. Vale has received permit to resume mining operations in Itabira, whi...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Stainless steel prices are relatively stable this month, showing little change since our previous tracker. Such stability masks growing issues for stainless steelmakers, however, who are increasingly unable to pass on rising costs to consumers and are, thus, facing cuts to their margins.In general, this is due to an excess of...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Stainless steel prices are on the increase in June. As far as this market is concerned, it appears as though the Covid-19 pandemic has had little impact so far, with prices on the most common grades of stainless steel just 2-4% lower than they were at the turn of the year in most markets.Even in Asia, a region often talked ab...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts is ready to view.Stainless steel prices have fared relatively well over the past couple of months in the face of the threat from the Covid-19 pandemic.In grade-304 material, the most common grade of stainless steel, prices were down by about 5-7% since the turn of the year - not bad, when compared with the falls in prices of other assets so f...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Having first hit Asia during early 2020, the Covid-19 viral outbreak is now having an even bigger impact on European countries and the US. Widespread lockdown measures have been put in place on people and industry, and economic activity has slowed markedly.For now, stainless steel markets in Europe and the US are yet to show...Read More
The global nickel market continues to suffer a disconnect between on-exchange activity and market fundamentals, with the appetite for physical material distinctly lackluster, while speculative sights are set firmly on the electric vehicle (EV) battery revolution. Shanghai Futures Exchange nickel prices continue to be volatile despite stagnating stainless steel and EV demand for nickel because of t...Read More
The three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange was higher at the close of trading on Thursday July 9, continuing to test levels last seen in January despite a volatile forward curve, while nickel lost ground into the afternoon despite high turnover across the base-metals complex.Copper's outright price on the LME closed at $6,300 per tonne on Thursday afternoon, improving from an intrad...Read More
Trading house Traxys has agreed to a partnership with Alu Iberica, which consists of the La Coru??a and Aviles aluminium smelters in Spain, sources with knowledge of the matter have told Fastmarkets.The partnership, first reported by local Spanish media, will involve Traxys marketing the two smelters' products internationally, as well as advising on the two plants' operations.The two smelters prod...Read More
New Century has achieved commercial production by processing tailings left by the Century mine, once the world's largest zinc mine located in northwest Queensland of Australia. The Australia-based company produced 34,500 tonnes of zinc metal in the second quarter of this year, up 22% year on year, it said on Monday July 6. "From a market perspective, despite the zinc price remaining near four-year...Read More
The three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange was higher during morning trading on Thursday July 9, with price action pushing firmly above nearby resistance levels, while a sizeable fresh cancellation in LME zinc stocks saw the metal's underlying price also rally. Copper's outright price on the LME was recently trading at $6,352 per tonne, climbing from a morning low of $6,246 per tonn...Read More
UK Trading house Sucden Financial has appointed ex-Soci?(C)t?(C) G?(C)n?(C)rale metals trading head Alan Burr to its London Metal Exchange metals and options desk in Hong Kong, the company said on Thursday July 9. Burr's appointment will enhance the company's Hong Kong operations, where he will focus on market-making and adding liquidity in the region, it said. His primary focus will be LME metal...Read More
The European construction industry has reported different levels of operational strength across various countries, with some projects reported as cancelled or postponed, putting pressure on demand for long steel products, sources have told Fastmarkets.For long steel products such as beams, hollow sections, rebar and wire rod, construction is a key sector for demand. With the Covid-19 pandemic and...Read More
Prices for most flat steel imports into the United States have declined alongside falling domestic prices over the past two weeks, with exporters lowering offers in order to remain competitive.But bookings have been spotty, sources said, noting that although the prices have lowered compared with two weeks ago, offer levels are still not convincing enough for US buyers to place orders for products...Read More
Domestic rebar prices decreased in Egypt over the week to Thursday, July 9 due to the lower priced offers and deals heard, sources told Fastmarkets.Egyptian rebar producers were offering rebar at E ?9,200-9,700 ($573-604) per tonne ex-works including 14% VAT this week, down from E ?9,200-10,100 per tonne ex-works previously, with deals made at E ?9,200-9,680 per tonne ex-works including 14% VAT, s...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe moved slightly upward day on day on Thursday July 9, and the steelmakers were insisting that there will be further price rises, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was calculated at ?,?404.29 ($456.93) per tonne on Thursday, up by just ?,?0.29 per tonne from ?,?404.00 per...Read More