The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.This month's key North American steel forecast highlights:?EUR?On the back of US steelmakers' $50- to $60-per-ton price hikes in late April, domestic hot-rolled coil prices improved to a monthly average of $493 per ton in May, up from $488 per ton in April. In contrast, both cold-rolled coil and hot-dipped galvanized sheet p...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.In previous reports, we noted that upside risks to our forecasts existed. These were based on Chinese steel production, and in turn alloy consumption, outperforming our expectations.Chinese crude steel production is rising each month in a year-on-year comparison, prompting our revised view that Chinese alloy consumption will...Read More
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.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 are ready to view.The recent announcement about Vale's resumption of operations in Brazil, along with new concerns about a slump in demand because of heavy rainfall in China, has resulted in the end of the iron ore price rally. There has also been pressure from tight steel spreads, with the operating margins for Chinese steel mills shrinking...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Iron ore prices climbed further last week and we expect the elevated levels to remain into the next month. In particular, further upside will come from blast furnace (BF) capacity, which was reduced in Europe, Japan and the United States and has now come back online after restrictions started to be removed. With Covid-19 spr...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Iron ore prices have shot up as market participants have judged the supply risks from Covid-19 higher at this point in time when there is already a tight seaborne market. Despite the efforts to ramp up, Vale is struggling to catch up with its pre-dam disaster export volumes and its slow recovery has only been hit further by...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
Asian equities markets were stronger this morning, Monday July 6, and that has helped drive gains averaging 0.8% across the three-month base metals prices on London Metal Exchange.But the strength in markets is happening despite many headwinds with the out-of-control spread of Covid-19 in the United States and other parts of South America and while US-China relations are deteriorating.* Germany...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 40 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures were spurred by overnight strength in international equity markets. The Shanghai Composite Index was notably stronger, up 5.71% to a 30 month high of 3,332.88.Tesla added $69.34 to $1,275.41 after Deutsche Bank raised its target price from $900 to $1000.Harley Davidson (HOG...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Friday July 3 that are worth another look.Production resumes at Hydro's Paragominas mine and Alunorte alumina refinery. The power supply to the Paragominas bauxite mine, in the state of Par?? in northern Brazil, has been restored, producer Hydro said on Friday July 3.The volume of recoverable copper reserves at Rio Tinto's Oyu Tolgoi...Read More
The power supply to the Paragominas bauxite mine, in the state of Par?? in northern Brazil, has been restored, producer Hydro said on Friday July 3. With production at Paragominas now resumed, alumina refining is being ramped back up at the company's Alunorte refinery. Three power transmission towers overturned on June 20, causing a power outage at Paragominas, Fastmarkets reported earlier. "The t...Read More
The volume of recoverable copper reserves at Rio Tinto's Oyu Tolgoi mine has dropped by 15% in the latest mine plan, according to a regulatory filing released on Friday July 3. The reductions have been significant at Oyu Tolgoi, which is one of the world's largest known copper and gold deposits. The Australia-listed miner said the estimate of recoverable copper from the Mongolian project was now 6...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Friday July 3 that are worth another look.Production resumes at Hydro's Paragominas mine and Alunorte alumina refinery. The power supply to the Paragominas bauxite mine, in the state of Par?? in northern Brazil, has been restored, producer Hydro said on Friday July 3.The volume of recoverable copper reserves at Rio Tinto's Oyu Tolgoi...Read More