Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday June 30 that are worth another look.The definitive decision in the European steel safeguard case review failed to adjust the level of quotas to collapsed demand following Covid-19 crisis and is a "deep disappointment," European steel association Eurofer and European trade union IndustriAll said in a joint statement on June 30.Chine...Read More
After dwindling throughout 2019, Turkish exports of reinforcing bar to the United States surged during the first half of 2020; Fastmarkets examines the domestic and global factors that limited those shipments - and drove their return.Turkish rebar exports to the US through the first six months of 2020 reached 231,569.9 tonnes, accounting for 44.4% of the total 521,002 tonnes of rebar shipped to US...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.US ERW under pressure through 2021 Electric-resistance welded oil country tubular goods prices are not expected to rebound in the United States this year while demand continues to fall. Only modest price gains are expected in the first half of next year, until inventories are brought in line with demand. We expect an an...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
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday June 30 that are worth another look.The definitive decision in the European steel safeguard case review failed to adjust the level of quotas to collapsed demand following Covid-19 crisis and is a "deep disappointment," European steel association Eurofer and European trade union IndustriAll said in a joint statement on June 30.Chine...Read More
The mining industry does a huge amount of good for local communities, to say nothing of its essential contribution to society through the materials it produces. Unfortunately, it all too often manages to give itself a bad name, worsening negative perceptions of the sector through accidents, spills and a failure to act as a steward of the environments in which it operates. In the past month alone,...Read More
Swiss metal merchant MRI Trading has appointed Markus Nunnenmacher as its new chief executive officer, with longstanding head Iain Paterson stepping down from the role effective from July 1."This change represents an agreed retirement transition process whereby Iain Paterson will continue to serve as the President of the Board of Directors of MRI for...Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month copper price closed above $6,000 per tonne for the first time since January 23 on Tuesday June 30.The price was buoyed by high-volume trading amid supply concerns brought on by the closure of Codelco's Chuquicamata smelter in Chile amid the Covid-19 infection in the country.The LME three-month copper price closed up by a fairly modest 0.8% at $6,015 per tonne...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices across the board stayed relatively flat on Tuesday June 30 due to a lack of trading, Fastmarkets heard. Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $113.46 per tonne, down $0.11 per tonne Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $122.80 per tonne, down $0.01 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT:...Read More
Asian-Pacific equities and pre-market major western equity index futures were stronger this morning, Tuesday June 30, while base metals prices were for the most part firmer too - this despite Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell saying the US economy faces "extraordinary uncertainty". China's manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) climbed to 50.9 in June, from 50.3 in May, but Japan's in...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
Fastmarkets has corrected its assessment of the price for European high-carbon ferro-chrome, which was published incorrectly on Friday June 26 due to a rounding error.The lower end of the weekly assessment of the price for MB-FEC-0004 ferro-chrome, high carbon, 6-8.5% C, basis 60-70% Cr, max 1.5% Si, delivered Europe, has been corrected to $0.82 per lb Cr from $0.825 per lb Cr in Price Book and $0...Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month copper price closed above $6,000 per tonne for the first time since January 23 on Tuesday June 30.The price was buoyed by high-volume trading amid supply concerns brought on by the closure of Codelco's Chuquicamata smelter in Chile amid the Covid-19 infection in the country.The LME three-month copper price closed up by a fairly modest 0.8% at $6,015 per tonne...Read More
Solgold is set to take 100% control of its Ecuador copper-gold mine named Alpala, with the latest buy-out attempt from a company that holds a minority stake in the project, Fastmarkets understands.Solgold commenced an offer to buy all shares of Cornerstone Capital Resources, which holds a 15% stake in the Alpala project, Solgold said on Tuesday June 30. Alpala, located in the...Read More
Swiss metal merchant MRI Trading has appointed Markus Nunnenmacher as its new chief executive officer, with longstanding head Iain Paterson stepping down from the role effective from July 1."This change represents an agreed retirement transition process whereby Iain Paterson will continue to serve as the President of the Board of Directors of MRI for...Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month copper price rose during morning trading on Tuesday June 30, surpassing resistance at $6,000 per tonne against a narrowing forward curve, while nickel futures maintained gains made on Monday. LME copper's outright price was recently at $6,001 per tonne, up from Monday's closing price of $5,961.50 per tonne, while turnover was moderate at just over 6,200 lots a...Read More
Chinese non-ferrous scrap importers largely stayed on the sidelines during June, with a lack of detail surrounding China's renaming of certain scrap metal as renewable materials causing participants to refrain from making any purchases. "Today is the last day of June and nothing new on customs codes and inspection procedures has been released from Chinese customs yet," an industry source said. The...Read More
Asian-Pacific equities and pre-market major western equity index futures were stronger this morning, Tuesday June 30, while base metals prices were for the most part firmer too - this despite Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell saying the US economy faces "extraordinary uncertainty". China's manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) climbed to 50.9 in June, from 50.3 in May, but Japan's in...Read More
Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) export slab prices remained stable in the week to Monday June 30 amid scarce offers and generally weak demand globally, sources said.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab, export, fob Black Sea, CIS was $370-375 per tonne on June 30, unchanged week on week.Mills shipping material from the Black Sea basin preferred to wait and see to asses...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe increased day on day on Tuesday June 30, despite the slow pace of demand recovery, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was calculated at ?,?396.88 ($446.38) per tonne on Tuesday, up by ?,?1.88 per tonne from ?,?395.00 per tonne on June 29.Tuesday's index was based on "wor...Read More