Declining market activity due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and competitively priced imports worked in tandem to lower steel reinforcing bar prices in the United States, market participants said. Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), fob mill US narrowed lower to $29-29.50 per hundredweight ($580-590 per short ton) on Wednesday May 6, down from $29-30 per cwt pre...Read More
The Brazilian steel industry currently has 12 blast furnaces and a number of meltshops and rolling mills that are at a standstill because of the lack of demand resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, according to national steel association Instituto A??o Brasil."April was the worst month for sales since 1995," A??o Brasil executive president Marco Polo de Mello Lopes said on Thursday May 7 after a m...Read More
Demand for imported steel billet and domestic steel reinforcing bar (rebar) in Egypt remained weak in the week to Thursday May 7, with no improvement anticipated soon due to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and the Covid-19 pandemic, sources told Fastmarkets.No new billet deals were heard over the past week, sources said.Ramadan, traditionally a slow month for trade in Muslim countries, bega...Read More
Trading activity in the Commonwealth of Independent States' export billet market switched to China in early May, while other outlets remained quiet due to the religious holidays in the Middle East, Africa and part of Asia as well as the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.A 40,000-tonne cargo of Russian billet was reported sold to China through a trader at slightly below $370 per tonne cfr, equivalen...Read More
Italian steel producers have begun to restart their operations after the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown measures were eased in the country from the start of this week, Fastmarkets heard on Thursday May 7.European steelmakers reduced output and temporarily idled equipment in March and April due to the poor demand under the lockdown conditions and other quarantine measures implemented across the region,...Read More
Mining companies are looking to trading houses and specialist funds for credit since lower metal prices and enforced shutdowns have restricted cashflow. Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, Ecuador, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa are among major mining nations to order mine closures as part of countrywide lockdowns designed to protect against the spread of the Covid-19 disease. Cashflow-limit...Read More
The price of alloy steel scrap in the United Kingdom and Europe moved up this week on low availability and slightly higher nickel costs, Fastmarkets heard on Thursday May 7. Fastmarkets' weekly assessment for stainless steel scrap 18/8 solids domestic, delivered merchants UK was ?730-800 ($902-988) per tonne on May 7, up by ?30-50 per tonne since May 1. With important sources of stainless steel...Read More
The price of ferrous scrap imported into India was largely stable in the week to Thursday May 7 with trading activity still on hold while a lockdown remained in place for many parts of the country, sources have told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets calculated the steel scrap, shredded, index, import, cfr Nhava Sheva, India, at $257.98 per tonne on Thursday, broadly stable from $259.38 per tonne on May 1.Al...Read More
Turkish billet prices have gone down during the past week amid falling imported scrap prices and limited demand, sources said on Thursday May 7.A Turkish steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a European cargo at $236 per tonne cfr for HMS 1&2 (80:20) and $245 per tonne fob bonus-grade scrap at the end of the last week, sending the daily indices down by around $4...Read More
Turkish steel mills stayed away from deep-sea scrap purchases on Thursday May 7 due to weak finished long steel demand in the country's export markets, sources said.Steel producers in Turkey have avoided the deep-sea markets since the end of last week, when a steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a European cargo at $236 per tonne cfr for HMS 1&2 (80:20) and $246 per tonne cfr for bonus, send...Read More
Brazil-based steelmaker Gerdau expects the level of long steel sales in North America and the gap between ferrous scrap costs and finished steel prices to remain stable during the second quarter, when compared with January-March figures.Gerdau chief executive officer Gustavo Werneck said the current spread was $422 per short ton in North America, an increase of $20 from the levels seen in Jan...Read More
Steady buying of the three-month zinc contract on the London Metal Exchange took the price above $2,000 per tonne on Thursday May 7 for the first time since March 11. Zinc's outright price on the LME was recently at $2,008.50 per tonne, building on gains made over Wednesday afternoon, while turnover was high at some 4,000 lots exchanged by 10am London time. This comes despite well-stocked LME zinc...Read More
A summary of Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing's (HKEX) results for the first quarter of 2020. In brief: Revenue and other income was 7% lower than the first quarter of 2019. Core business revenue was up 19% year on year, driven by a 20% increase in headline average daily trading volume (ADV), which yielded an increase in trading and clearing fees. Profit attributable to shareholder...Read More
Broader markets were mixed this morning, Thursday May 7 after Wednesday's employment data in the United States knocked market confidence, but with a barrage of data expected today and Friday, the market is braced for a reality check. Not, all the data released so far has been bad though; the all-important Chinese trade data for April showed a surprise 3.5% rise in exports compared w...Read More
Charles Li, chief executive of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd (HKEX) will not seek reappointment at the end of his current contract, the exchange announced on Thursday May 7.It means Li will leave his role as CEO of HKEX, which owns the London Metal Exchange, in October 2021.Li confirmed his full commitment to continuing to lead the organization until that date, or earlier, should a...Read More
Cobalt trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets. Unless otherwise stated, all prices are per lb on an in-warehouse (in-whs) basis. Delivered prices are netted back.Fastmarkets prices Click here for Fastmarkets' price assessment for cobalt, standard-grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $ per lb.Click here for Fastmarkets' price assessment for cobalt, alloy-grade, in-whs Rotterdam,...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in London on Thursday May 7.Key drivers Cobalt metal prices remained under pressure from weak demand, trading at levels last seen in August 2019, according to Fastmarkets data. Sellers have steadily reduced their offers in order to lock-in scarce spot sales, although prices were not yet considered...Read More
The Potos?- zinc and lead mining region in Bolivia will remain closed until at least May 31, according to a recent announcment by its mayor, Luis Alberto L??pez.The announcement, reported in regional newspaper El Potos?-, was an extension of previous guidelines and included mining. Industry in the area has been locked down since late March because...Read More
A summary of Canadian minor metals and specialty chemicals producer 5N Plus fiscal results for the first quarter of 2020. In brief: 5N Plus improved net earnings due to expansion into products with higher value-added content, but revenue was down as a result of relatively lower metal prices for the period. Overall sales volumes were higher year on year. Mandatory plant shutdowns ordere...Read More
A summary of stainless steel producer Aperam's results for the first quarter of 2020.In brief Sales, shipments and adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (Ebitda) were down year on year due to the coronavirus-driven downturn.The company reported a "seasonally...Read More