Copper market participants should have been gathering in Santiago, Chile, for the annual CESCO dinner on Wednesday March 25. Instead, the country's mining industry was nervously eyeing the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) pandemic, and its government was coming under increasing pressure to impose a lockdown similar to what India and South Africa have instituted.Chile has so far restrict...Read More
United States politicians agreed a $2-trillion stimulus package to support the US economy during the ongoing novel coronavirus (nCoV 2019) pandemic, and markets, especially equity markets, have reacted well.The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) closed up by 11.4% on Tuesday March 24, while Asian Pacific equity indices followed up that positive performance with gains of between 2.7% and 8% this m...Read More
Spot market prices for standard-grade and alloy-grade cobalt stabilized on Wednesday March 25 after weakening downstream demand continued to provide pressure earlier in the week.Fastmarkets' daily price assessment for cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam held at $16.15-16.55 per lb midweek, unchanged from Tuesday March 24 and down from $16.30-16.70 per lb on March 20. Fastmarkets' assessment fo...Read More
The Ministry of Transport & Communication in Zambia has recommended the all cross-border cargo shipments be suspended to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), according to a letter seen by Fastmarkets. In the letter, sent on Tuesday March 24, the permanent secretary of the country's transport authority, Misheck Lungu, suggests that the government suspend all cross-bo...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday March 25 that are worth another look.German steelmaker Thyssenkrupp has announced that it will go ahead with a restructuring plan that will eliminate 3,000 jobs after reaching an agreement with the workers' trade union, it said on March 25.Falling demand, exacerbated by the novel coronavirus outbreak (2010-nCoV) further causing m...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil have been fairly stable across Europe due to the limited trading activity that has resulted from the 2019-nCoV coronavirus pandemic, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday March 25.This price stability, however, has mainly been supported by the lack of trading and prices were likely to drop sharply when buyers return to the market, they added.To compensate for th...Read More
China's hot-rolled coil exporters were forced to cut offers on Wednesday March 25 due to cheaper material abroad, even as domestic prices gained.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,390-3,410 yuan ($479-482) per tonne, up 30 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,280-3,300 yuan per tonne, widening upward by 20 yuan per tonneSellers raised domestic prices on Wednesday on a futures rebound in the...Read More
Prices for hollow steel sections moved down across Europe over the past week, despite trading activity continuing, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday March 25.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?595-620 ($643-670) per tonne on Wednesday, down from ?,?600-630 per tonne one week previous."We are still working and are trying...Read More
The price of steel mesh-quality wire rod in the European domestic markets was unchanged this week with trading activity reported close to zero due to coronavirus (2019-nCoV) concerns, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday March 25.Trading stalled in Italy this week, following the new measures to combat the Covid-2019 pandemic introduced by the authorities.The Italian government issued a new decree...Read More
Steel rebar prices in Northern Europe have increased on limited availability, triggered by tightened quarantine measures in Italy and high transportation costs, while trading was reported to be slowing down with the 2019-nCoV coronavirus pandemic clouding the markets, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday March 25.Rebar prices in the region were heard at higher levels compared with last week due t...Read More
The global spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) is seriously limiting deep-sea scrap trading in Turkey, with market players also struggling with mill closures, sources said on Wednesday March 25.A number of steel mills in Turkey have stopped or reduced production because of the pandemic. "I heard a steel mill in the Iskenderun region halted production and two steel mills in the Izmir region...Read More
Export prices for Japanese ferrous scrap continued to fall over the week to Wednesday March 25, but tighter supply offered some support to prices for Shindachi busheling, market sources have told Fastmarkets.Japanese scrap traders expected difficulties in procuring Shindachi material in the short term after carmaker Toyota closed several production lines for 3-9 days from Wednesday. And fellow car...Read More
National lockdowns in India and South Africa raised concerns about supply in the seaborne iron ore market on Wednesday March 25 and caused prices to rise for two consecutive days after a massive drop on Monday. Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $87.34 per tonne, up $3.37 per tonne 62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $88.82 per tonne, up $3.32 per tonne 58% Fe fines high-gr...Read More
The Iranian export market for steel billet was largely inactive in the week to Wednesday March 25, with a sharp drop seen in demand both in the domestic market and most export outlets, Fastmarkets has heard.The decline in demand was a result of the time given to celebrations of the Iranian new year on March 20-23, and a state of semi-lockdown announced in the country for the next two weeks due to...Read More
Small, induction furnace mills producing secondary billet and rebar in India have started shutting down their meltshops amid the lockdown mandated by prime minister Narendra Modi on March 24 to control the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)."I have received notification from some of these mills that they will stop production," a steel trader handling Indian cargoes said on March 25.Howeve...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices regained some strength on Wednesday March 25 on a pick-up in buying activity amid rising futures. Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,470-3,500 yuan ($491-495) per tonne, up 20 yuan per tonne Northern China (Beijing): 3,380-3,400 yuan per tonne, narrowed upward by 20 yuan per tonne A trader in eastern China said his sales volume during the day was about a third higher th...Read More
The trading of metals into India is likely to be severely affected by difficulties in opening letters of credit (LCs) now that the country is locked down to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday March 25.The Indian government imposed the 21-day nationwide lockdown beginning Wednesday, which includes strict curfew measures on the country's 1....Read More
Prices for hollow steel sections moved down across Europe over the past week, despite trading activity continuing, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday March 25.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?595-620 ($643-670) per tonne on Wednesday, down from ?,?600-630 per tonne one week previous."We are still working and are trying...Read More
Turkish carmakers Oyak Renault, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mercedes-Benz T? 1/4 rk and Ford Otosan have all announced production stops this month because of concerns about the spread of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)."We [will] gradually and temporarily suspend most of our operations as of March 26, 2020, in Oyak Renault automotive factories. [A] production resumption date will be shared again acc...Read More
Turkish carmakers Oyak Renault, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mercedes-Benz T? 1/4 rk and Ford Otosan have all announced production stops this month because of concerns about the spread of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)."We [will] gradually and temporarily suspend most of our operations as of March 26, 2020, in Oyak Renault automotive factories. [A] production resumption date will be shared again acc...Read More