Russian steel mills increased their prices for November deliveries of hot-rolled (HR) and cold-rolled (CR) steel sheet in the country's Central District around Moscow on Monday October 18, despite buying interest being cooler with the end of the construction season, Fastmarkets has heard.The good demand and active purchasing by stockists at the end of September, for October deliveries, were now sl...Read More
The three-month copper contract is trading near record highs on the London Metal Exchange, cash prices are rising even faster, and inventories are descending toward zero. Try running a hedge book in those conditions.It's been a very real quandary facing the physical trade and industry, which awoke on Tuesday October 19 to find copper's cash to November spread had flared to a backwardation of more...Read More
Trafigura has been drawing down stocks of copper from London Metal Exchange warehouses to deliver to customers, mainly in Asia and Europe, amid extremely tight market conditions, the company said.A spokeswoman for the physical commodities merchant said it had fully communicated this to the LME ahead of canceling warrants."Trafigura's role is to ensure security of supply of commodities for its cust...Read More
Australia-based global miner BHP has raised its offer in a bidding war to acquire prospective Canadian nickel producer Noront Resources.The Toronto-based junior miner recommended to its shareholders in July that they accept BHP's offer, worth at that time C$325 million ($263 million), instead of a competing offer from another Australian miner, Wyloo Metals.Wyloo counteroffered, and BHP raised its...Read More
Lead's three-month price set a new year-to-date peak of $2,427 per tonne on the afternoon of Wednesday October 20, together with nickel, which rose by almost 6% to more than $21,000 per tonne, with sentiment on the London Metal Exchange still bullish.Lead's three-month price closed at $2,417 per tonne on Wednesday, a 1.7% increase from its Tuesday closing price of $2,376 per tonne. "We envisage a...Read More
Base metals prices were down across the board on both the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange this morning, Wednesday October 20, with relatively high volume being seen on the LME.After the upward spikes in LME cash prices, ahead of the October prime data, it is perhaps not surprising a reality check is underway......but once again let us see how far the pullback goes.Broader marke...Read More
Tight ferrous scrap supply in the United States export market is fueling expectations that prices for all grades could jump by as much as $40 per gross ton in November's trade, with domestic prices expected to mimic the recent surge in their exported counterparts."We're on the first stage of the rocket, and we're going to see a $100-per-ton increase by the year end. I think minimum $40 per ton nex...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday October 20 that are worth another look.Workers at steelmaker ArcelorMittal's plant in Ghent, Belgium, might go on strike from Thursday next week in a dispute over salaries, Fastmarkets heard on October 20.Trafigura has been drawing...Read More
Vietnam's Hoa Phat Steel is close to obtaining certification from the United Kingdom Certification Authority for Reinforcing Steels (Cares), which would allow it to sell its rebar to the key markets of Singapore and Hong Kong, sources told Fastmarkets this week.Obtaining the certification means that a mill is able to produce construction steel to certain standards. For instance, in Singapore, reba...Read More
A summary of Chilean copper producer Antofagasta's results for the third quarter of 2021, taken from its quarterly production report published on Wednesday October 20.In brief?EUR?Antofagasta's overall copper production in the third quarter of 2021 was 181,100 tonnes, up by 1.5% from the previous quarter on higher production at Centinela, which offset lower throughput at Los Pelambres, the company...Read More
Workers at steelmaker ArcelorMittal's plant in Ghent, Belgium, might go on strike from Thursday next week in a dispute over salaries, Fastmarkets heard on Wednesday October 20.The Ghent employees have rejected a new salary agreement offered by the company, Fastmarkets heard, but no details were revealed.Several sources familiar with the matter said that the steelworkers have filed notice...Read More
Nickel premiums were stable globally on Tuesday October 19, supported by tight inventories.Strong fundamentals continue to keep US premiums firm.Supply remains supportive of Asia premiums, but there is low liquidity with the arbitrage window closed.Europe premium is flat with liquidity still low post-LME Week.US premiums braced against headwinds, tailwindsNickel premiums were unchanged in the Unit...Read More
Lead's three-month price set a new year-to-date peak of $2,427 per tonne on the afternoon of Wednesday October 20, together with nickel, which rose by almost 6% to more than $21,000 per tonne, with sentiment on the London Metal Exchange still bullish.Lead's three-month price closed at $2,417 per tonne on Wednesday, a 1.7% increase from its Tuesday closing price of $2,376 per tonne. "We envisage a...Read More
The 300-series stainless steel scrap prices in the United States continued to rise this week on the heels of the London Metal Exchange cash nickel price climbing well over the $9-per-lb mark.The big question, according to many processors and dealers, is: "Just where is this market really going?"While volatility in the nickel contract has been the main driver of recent scrap price moves, scarcity o...Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month copper price traded slightly lower during morning trading on Wednesday October 20 following the exchange's amendments designed to maintain order in the copper market the previous day.The LME imposed a series of temporary measures to maintain an orderly copper market after wild outright and spread price moves and dwindling inventories in recent days, the exchan...Read More
Domestic and imported steel reinforcing bar prices in the United States were sideways on Wednesday October 20, but sources noted growing uncertainty around what the rest of the quarter may look like.Fastmarkets' assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), fob mill US was $49.25 per hundredweight ($985 per short ton) on October 20, unchanged since August 11 at its highest since late 2008. Notably...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices remained relatively stable on Wednesday October 20 with no trading activity. In China, market participants were cautious after the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) held meetings on thermal coal price controls on Tuesday.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $612.12 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $563.37 per tonn...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday October 20 that are worth another look.Workers at steelmaker ArcelorMittal's plant in Ghent, Belgium, might go on strike from Thursday next week in a dispute over salaries, Fastmarkets heard on October 20.Trafigura has been drawing...Read More
The price of steel hollow sections in Europe moved downward in the week to Wednesday October 20, due to recent imports and falling feedstock costs, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?1,230-1,275 ($1,432-1,484) per tonne on October 20, down from ?,?1,275-1,330 per tonne on October 13.Domestic hollow se...Read More
Fastmarkets sees upside risk to Chinese graphite prices in the fourth quarter of 2021, largely reflecting rising electricity costs and reduced power supply, as well as insufficient inventories and inadequate availability of feedstock for spherical graphite processing.High power costs and limits on energy consumption in China may make it increasingly difficult for graphite producers to stockpile ma...Read More