The Turkish deep-sea scrap import market has gone quiet again after the recent upturn, with material supply being limited, while buyers were struggling with weak demand for finished steel, sources said on Wednesday April 15.The daily scrap indices went up by more than $15 per tonne on Tuesday, after deals for United States- and Baltic Sea-origin cargoes were heard at $255-257 per tonne cfr for HMS...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices were largely steady on Wednesday April 15 amid robust port prices and expectations of improving margins for Chinese mills, and despite persistent supply jitters.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $86.86 per tonne, down by $0.16 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $88.48 per tonne, down by $0.26 per tonne.58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices rose on Wednesday April 15 due to active trading in China, though demand from countries such as Japan was heard to be weak amid production cuts implemented by mills.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $130.32 per tonne, down $0.27 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $141.77 per tonne, up $3.14 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $118.01...Read More
No market has been left untouched by the escalating coronavirus pandemic, but iron ore prices have proved relatively buoyant for the past two months compared with the price plunges we have seen in other commodities.While copper and aluminium prices fell to four-year lows, the iron ore benchmark only dipped to a three-month low. The iron ore benchmark first dipped to nearly $80 per tonne in the beg...Read More
Export prices for bulk cargoes of Japanese scrap have increased by ?1000 ($9) per tonne over the past week after higher transactions were closed in Southeast Asian markets, trading sources told Fastmarkets.After six straight weeks of price decreases, Japanese export scrap prices rebounded on Wednesday April 15 amid continued demand from mills in Taiwan and Vietnam, and tighter ferrous scrap suppl...Read More
The Asian ferrous supply chain is emerging from a slowdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic ahead of the rest of the world, with demand recovering quicker here than in other regions.Key markets for flat and semi-finished steel as well as ferrous scrap in Asia are seeing prices being supported.This is in line with projections made by the International Monetary Fund about how emerging and developing...Read More
China's domestic rebar market was mixed on Wednesday April 15 amid fluctuating futures, with prices in the eastern region falling while those in the north picked up. Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,430-3,460 yuan ($486-490) per tonne, down by 40 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,430-3,460 yuan per tonne, up by 20 yuan per tonne Spot prices in eastern China dropped after rebar futures fell...Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices fell on Wednesday April 15 with sentiment dampened by losses in the futures market, while exporters awaited opportunities to sell to overseas buyers after suppliers in other regions raised their offers.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,320-3,330 yuan ($471-472) per tonne, down 10-20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,220 yuan per tonne, narrowing d...Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month aluminium price was the only metal to trade up from the previous day's close during the morning session on Wednesday April 15, with a 20,000-tonne fresh inflow of material failing to cap gains in its futures price. The LME three-month aluminium price was trading up a marginal $10 per tonne at $1,513.50 per tonne during morning trading from the $1,503.50-per-to...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for their latest price moves.Read More
Metals and wider markets are mixed this morning, Wednesday April 15, while traders brace for more economic and corporate data that will start to show the economic hit that the global economy has suffered. Banks in the United States started to report dismal earnings and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that the global economy faces the biggest slowdown since the Great Depression of the...Read More
South Korea's two largest steelmakers plan to slash their intake of import scrap over the coming months amid weak finished steel demand, market sources have told Fastmarkets.Major steel producer Posco will halt its buying of import and domestic ferrous scrap for the next two months, according to four sources dealing in the South Korea scrap market. While overall steel demand is struggling in South...Read More
Metals prices are in limbo this morning, Thursday April 16, while participants weigh up the stark truth that the global economy is experiencing a slump in demand with the potential for a rebound given all the monetary and fiscal stimulus being thrown at economies around the world. The combination of poor data summed up by the United States’ Empire State manufacturing index falling to -78.2 in...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 16 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures moved higher following release of economic news at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus for March U.S. Housing Starts was a drop to 1.307 million units from 1.599 million in February. Actual was 1.216 million. Consensus for the April Philly Fed Index was a drop to -30.00 from -12.7 in Ma...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday April 14 that are worth another look.Toyota Motor Corp has decided to again postpone the reopening of its automaking plants in Brazil by two months amid plunging demand and in order to prevent the Covid-19 virus from spreading among its workers, the company said on Monday April 13.The Covid-19 pandemic has inevitably drawn comparis...Read More
Aluminium premiums fell across the globe during the past week, on weakened demand due to Covid-19 lockdowns and a wider contango spread between cash and three-month contracts on the London Metal Exchange which is supportive to traders holding the metal.Rotterdam down amid smelters focusing on P1020A ingotsMJP premium steady on lower market liquidityUS Midwest hits lowest level since January 2018Eu...Read More
London Metal Exchange three-month base metals prices, with the exception of lead, continued their upward momentum at the close on Tuesday April 14, buoyed by positive China customs data and ebbing virus concerns in other regions, including the United States. China's trade balance figures for March, which measure the difference in value between imported and exported goods month on month, were annou...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday April 14 that are worth another look.Toyota Motor Corp has decided to again postpone the reopening of its automaking plants in Brazil by two months amid plunging demand and in order to prevent the Covid-19 virus from spreading among its workers, the company said on Monday April 13.The Covid-19 pandemic has inevitably drawn comparis...Read More
A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday April 14.Please click...Read More
The chrome ore market appreciated on Tuesday April 14 due to bullish price sentiment after South Africa's lockdown was extended beyond the original 21 days. The chrome ore UG2 index, cif China rose by 17.5% to $134 per tonne on Tuesday, after holding at $114 for the previous three weeks. A small-volume deal was reported close to the new index level for material on a vessel that was on water a...Read More