Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday June 2 that are worth another look.The Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) has initiated an inquiry as to whether imports of heavy steel plate from four nations and the island of Taiwan cause injury to domestic producers.Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) has signed a provisional power supply agreement with Zambian state-owned uti...Read More
The Northern European hot-rolled coil market was largely stable on Tuesday June 2, with prices remaining under pressure from slow demand, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe was calculated at ?,?403.00 ($448.44) per tonne on Tuesday June 2, up by ?,?0.50 per tonne from ?,?402.50 per tonne on Monday.Tuesday's index was calculated ba...Read More
Flat steel import prices in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia increased this week, but buyers preferred to wait to see whether price increases would be permanent, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday June 2.The reason for rising prices was the strong domestic demand in China.No deals were heard during the past week and steel demand was still soft after the Islamic holy month of Ramadan that...Read More
With competition in the global steel markets remaining fierce, Fastmarkets provides an update on the new, progressing and closed trade cases from around the world in May 2020.The case list below includes only updates. For other continuing cases this year, see the updates for January, February, March and April this year.1. Egypt: finished steel2....Read More
The prices for steel billet and rebar in the United Arab Emirates have increased over the past week, with demand improving after the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, as well as the easing of restrictions under the Covid-19 pandemic, market sources said on Tuesday June 2.Market participants in the UAE were expecting demand to improve in late May, when the Islamic holy month of Ramadan ended with the Eid al-Fit...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices continued to trend upward on Tuesday June 2 amid stronger demand stimulated by rising futures.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,590-3,620 yuan ($503-508) per tonne, up by 20 yuan per tonneBuyers raised their procurement rates amid a strengthening futures market, which pushed up spot prices.But some markets participants have expressed concerns over the possibility o...Read More
Ferrous scrap prices in Mexico were stable or down in the steelmaking regions of Bajio and Monterrey during the week to Tuesday June 2 due to currency moves and the weak performance of the steel sector.At least two steel plants in the Baj?-o region announced a cut of 100 pesos ($4.50) per tonne in scrap values, which was reflected in lower prices for most grades assessed by Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets...Read More
The latest forecasts from Fastmarkets' team of analysts are ready to view.Ferrous scrap consumption rates of Chinese integrated mills appear to have declined this year on a per-tonne basis. This year has seen the ratio of pig iron to steel output tighten, leaving increasingly less room for scrap consumption. Over the first four months of 2020, the pig iron-to-steel ratio has been above the pr...Read More
Turkish steel producers continued their deep-sea scrap purchases for July shipments at firm prices on Tuesday June 2, sources told Fastmarkets.A steel producer in the Iskenderun region booked a US cargo, comprising 21,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (90:10) at $259 per tonne, 4,000 tonnes of shredded at $261 per tonne and 5,000 tonnes of plate & structural scrap (P&S) at $266 per tonne cfr on June 2. T...Read More
CIS export billet prices increased on Tuesday June 2, with China resuming bookings and accepting higher prices, sources told Fastmarkets.The increased cost of iron ore, an upswing in China's domestic rebar market and production cuts planned in Tangshan province supported interest in imported billet.Fastmarkets' daily index for iron ore 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao was $101.32 per tonne on June 2, up...Read More
The prices for steel billet and rebar in the United Arab Emirates have increased over the past week, with demand improving after the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, as well as the easing of restrictions under the Covid-19 pandemic, market sources said on Tuesday June 2.Market participants in the UAE were expecting demand to improve in late May, when the Islamic holy month of Ramadan ended with the Eid al-Fit...Read More
Indonesian state-owned steel producer PT Krakatau Steel recorded its first profit in over a decade in the first quarter of 2020, aided by considerable cost cutting, the company announced.$74.1-million net profit for Q1 2020 (vs $62.3-million net loss in Q1 2019)Operating costs fell 31% year on year to $46.8 million.$130 million of spending cuts (cost reductions in energy, consumables and utilities...Read More
Bulk alloys markets in Europe are coming under sustained pressure from weak demand, with prices for manganese alloys dropping through May, while ferro-silicon prices have been falling since April, sources said.Elsewhere, silico-manganese export prices have also been dropping in India, where recent restarts in production may be short-lived while producers consider cuts to stem or even reverse price...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 EU's plan to make electric vehicles a centerpiece of the continent's economic recovery has injected significant confidence into the global cobalt market, and has also renewed momentum for responsible sourcing across the whole supply chain, according to the head of Eurasian Resources Group (ERG).Recent government and industry association initiatives across the EU may also provide the boost requ...Read More
Spain's steel production declined in April due to Covid-19-related restrictions, with output sinking below the figures reached over the "worst months of the financial crisis in 2008," Unesid, the country's steel association, said.Last week, the Spanish government extended its Covid-19 lockdown for the fifth time until June 7, discarding the original end date of May 24.The steel sector was allowed...Read More
Indonesian state-owned steel producer PT Krakatau Steel recorded its first profit in over a decade in the first quarter of 2020, aided by considerable cost cutting, the company announced.$74.1-million net profit for Q1 2020 (vs $62.3-million net loss in Q1 2019)Operating costs fell 31% year on year to $46.8 million.$130 million of spending cuts (cost reductions in energy, consumables and utilities...Read More
Brazil's iron ore exports in May fell by over a quarter compared with the same period a year earlier.It exported 21.50 million tonnes of the steelmaking raw material last month, which is 28.2% lower than the 29.87 million tonnes it shipped out in May last year, according to figures released by the country's economy ministry on Monday June 1.Iron ore prices have been on the rise amid concerns about...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday June 2 that are worth another look.The Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) has initiated an inquiry as to whether imports of heavy steel plate from four nations and the island of Taiwan cause injury to domestic producers.Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) has signed a provisional power supply agreement with Zambian state-owned uti...Read More
A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday June 2.Read More