European steelmakers will attempt to increase domestic prices for hot-rolled coil despite poor demand, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday May 27.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was unchanged day on day at ?,?407.50 ($446.38) per tonne ex-works on May 27.Wednesday's index was calculated based on "workable" prices heard at ?,?400-410 per tonne ex-wor...Read More
The price for steel H-beams in Southern Europe inched downward on Wednesday May 27 with producers unable to maintain their previous offer prices despite rising feedstock costs in the region, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel beams, domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?530-550 ($581-602) per tonne on Wednesday, unchanged week on week."It's still not busy...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap import market was quiet on Wednesday May 27, with market participants returning after a four-day lockdown, sources told Fastmarkets.The whole country was under lockdown to prevent the further spread of the Covid-19 virus during the Eid al-Fitr celebrations - which are held to mark the end of Ramadan and took place between the night of Friday May 22 and the...Read More
Seaborne premium hard coking coal prices dropped further on Wednesday May 27 after buyers heard lower offers from traders.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $114.30 per tonne, down $1.06 per tonne Premium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $121.70 per tonne, down $2.67 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $91.31 per tonne, up $0.58 per tonneHard coking coal, cfr Jin...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices regained some stability with active trading on Wednesday May 27, after falls the previous day that were triggered by an easing of supplies from Brazil.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $95.37 per tonne, up by $0.09 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $98.00 per tonne, up by $0.03 per tonne.58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $84....Read More
The annual sitting of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference - widely known as the 'twin sessions' - in Beijing released a series of stimulus packages for the development of China's economy amid the Covid-19 pandemic.Market participants harbor mixed sentiment over the impact of the policy measures. Here are eight...Read More
China is considering setting up a national iron ore fund to support the development of its domestic iron ore production, China Iron & Steel Association (Cisa) chairman He Wenbo said.The fund will use an estimated 90 billion yuan ($12.57 billion) from tax levies to support domestic iron ore development and ensure that China is capable of meeting up to 20% of its total iron ore demand.Income tax fro...Read More
A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums from across the globe for the week to Wednesday May 27.Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month aluminium price held above $1,500 per tonne during morning trading on Wednesday May 27, despite a fresh inflow of 19,275 tonnes of material into LME sheds in Malaysia as of 9am.The LME three-month aluminium contract was the only base metal to make modest gains this morning, most recently trading around $1,522 per tonne, up $2.50 per tonne from the previous day...Read More
Broad markets and the metals were mixed this morning, Wednesday May 27, while participants brace for what United States President Donald Trump's response will be to China's plans to impose national security laws in Hong Kong, which he said will be announced by the end of the week. China's CSI 300 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng indices were weaker this morning, while in other areas the focus seems to be...Read More
Cobalt hydroxide payables continued to climb in the first half of the week, with buyers accepting higher offers and the market for June and July cargoes tightening considerably after the past two weeks of restocking. Fastmarkets' cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China rose to 65-67% of the standard-grade metal price (low-end) on Wednesday May 27, up from 64-66% on Friday May 22....Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday May 27.Key drivers Europe ferro-titanium market drops 20 cents over the week, breaking a steady run of prices for seven straight weeks, amid quiet spot business activity. Deals reported as low as $4.20 per kg, although the bulk of assessments put the price range a bit higher.Expected renewed demand from consumers in the steel sector...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in China on Wednesday May 27. Key driversDomestic price slid after some producers cut offers further to secure business and generate cash to mitigate their financial strains. A number of other suppliers were reluctant to lower their offers much due to suffering losses at the current price.Many domestic consumers refrained from replenishment this...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 5 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures were virtually unchanged following release of economic news at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus for April Durable Goods Orders was a drop of 19.0% versus a decline of 16.6% in March. Actual was a drop of 17.2%. Excluding Transportation Orders, April Durable Goods Orders was a drop of...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday May 26 that are worth another look.Workers at Tata Steel's plant at IJmuiden in the Netherlands staged a lightning protest on May 26, but output was unaffected, the company said.Japanese steel producers which use electric-arc furnaces (EAFs) are being forced into raising their purchasing prices for ferrous scrap feedstock despite t...Read More
The International Copper Study Group (ICSG) has cut its 2020 global mined copper forecast by 950,000 tonnes, equivalent to nearly 4 million tonnes of copper concentrates output, citing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.The copper research group now expects a 3% year-on-year decline in world mined copper output in 2020, citing lockdowns that have been in place since March, the group said on Thurs...Read More
LME three-month base metals prices, apart from zinc, closed up on Tuesday May 26, in part driven by the impact of China's ongoing monetary easing policy and the onset of economic restarts across Europe. A speech given today by People's Bank of China governor Yi Gang buoyed London Metal Exchange base metals prices at the beginning of the day's trading, according to INTL FC Stone's Natalie Scot...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday May 26 that are worth another look.Workers at Tata Steel's plant at IJmuiden in the Netherlands staged a lightning protest on May 26, but output was unaffected, the company said.Japanese steel producers which use electric-arc furnaces (EAFs) are being forced into raising their purchasing prices for ferrous scrap feedstock despite t...Read More
The International Copper Study Group (ICSG) has cut its 2020 global mined copper forecast by 950,000 tonnes, equivalent to nearly 4 million tonnes of copper concentrates output, citing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.The copper research group now expects a 3% year-on-year decline in world mined copper output in 2020, citing lockdowns that have been in place since March, the group said on Thurs...Read More
The disconnect between London Metal Exchange and SHFE aluminium prices has opened an arbitrage window to China, but the international aluminium market is wary of taking advantage of it, Fastmarkets understands.The front month aluminium contract on the SHFE last traded at 13,235 yuan ($1,855.41) per tonne on Tuesday May 26, while the LME aluminium three-month price closed at $1,506.50 per tonne on...Read More