German independent metals distribution company Kl??ckner & Co is to team up with Swedish start-up H2 Green Steel to become one of the first distributors of near-zero carbon emissions "green steel."Announcing the partnership on Thursday October 7, Kl??ckner & Co said that it would be supplied annual quantities of up to 250,000 tonnes of green steel from 2025 onwards, which would represent a su...Read More
Southern Europe's domestic prices for steel wire rod slid further, pressured by weak demand, although the downward trend is expected to stop due to increased production costs, Fastmarkets heard on Wednesday October 6.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel wire rod (mesh quality) domestic, delivered southern Europe was at ?,?750-780 ($867-902) per tonne on Wednesday, down by ?,?10-20 per to...Read More
Trading activity in the European hot-rolled coil market remained limited on Thursday October 7, but buyers are expected to resume purchasing activity later this month, sources told Fastmarkets.Although most European buyers have sufficient flat-steel stocks to last until the end of the year, they will need to negotiate deals for first-quarter delivery coil no later than November, market participant...Read More
Turkish steel producers have continued booking deep-sea scrap cargoes for November shipment on Thursday October 7, aided by improving demand for billet and finished long steel products, market participants told Fastmarkets.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a European cargo, comprising HMS 1&2 (75:25) at $440 per tonne, shredded at $455 and bonus at $460 per tonne cfr. And a steel produc...Read More
Rising freight costs and increased buying interest from neighboring Asian markets led to an increase in Bangladesh import steel scrap prices in recent days, sources said on Thursday October 7.Bangladesh container import prices jumpSouth Korea purchases deep-sea scrap amid high Japanese pricesTaiwan buyers quiet after early-week buyingBangladeshContainerized imports of scrap were sold to Bangladesh...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices in the fob market on Thursday October 7 were largely flat amid limited trading activity in the market, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $603.28 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $565.14 per tonne, unchangedPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $404.05 per tonne, down by $0.48 per tonne ...Read More
Iron ore trading liquidity was still limited on Thursday October 7, mainly due to China's Golden Week holiday, but improving supplies from Brazil were helping to stabilize prices, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $117.02 per tonne, up $0.31 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $119.87 per tonne, up $0.24 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade pr...Read More
Fastmarkets analyst William Adams and reporter Sofia Okun size up the lithium market ahead of LME Week, which begins Monday October 11.This year has been fast and furious for the lithium market, with prices rising 135-265%, depending on location and type of lithium salt. Spodumene prices are up by 470% since the start of the year. This follows the depressed state that the market was in last year.T...Read More
Most base metals on the London Metal Exchange opened higher on Thursday October 7 amid thin trading on the last day of a week-long holiday in China. "Despite some macro headwinds over China's property debt, the semiconductor shortage, global inflation, shipping delays and high shipping costs, metals remain quite buoyant overall," Will Adams, Fastmarkets' head of base metals and battery research, s...Read More
Fastmarkets analysts Andrew Cole and Andy Farida and reporter Thorsten Schier size up the nickel market ahead of LME Week, which begins Monday October 11.Nickel prices have been capped by the $20,000-per-tonne level this year, failing to sustain a meaningful break higher despite attempts in February and again repeatedly during July-September. The London Metal Exchange three-month price peaked at $...Read More
Fastmarkets analyst James Moore and reporter Ana de Liz size up the zinc market ahead of LME Week, which begins Monday October 11.LME zinc prices have underperformed relative to the rest of the base metals complex in 2021. This is partly the result of zinc outperforming in 2020, but it also reflects the expectation of significant mine capacity additions that were set to keep the refined market ove...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were up across the board on the morning of Thursday October 7, which was in line with the stronger tone in Asia-Pacific equities and the pullback in oil prices.Brent crude oil price pulls back to $81 per barrel from Wednesday's high at $83.48 per barrel.Russia offers to increase natural gas supply to Europe.Base metalsAll of the LME base metals showe...Read More
The Cobalt alloy grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lbtrade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets assessed Cobalt alloy grade,...Read More
The Cobalt standard grade, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb trade log including business, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets publishes trades logs for its key price assessments and indices to bring more transparencyinto the markets it covers and the pricing process it applies.Fastmarkets assessed Cobalt standard grade,...Read More
Slovak ferro-alloys producer OFZ Slovakia has cut more than half of its ferro-alloy production with immediate effect due to energy prices that have surged more than six-fold recently, an industry source told Fastmarkets.The company, which produces ferro-silicon and manganese alloys, has shut four out of its seven operating furnaces, including two ferro-silicon furnaces, a silico-manganese furnace...Read More
British Steel has announced a low-carbon steel making roadmap which outlines how it will achieve its net-zero emissions target, the company announced on Thursday September 7. The company has pledged to invest in a range of technologies to deliver net-zero steel by 2050 and significantly reduce its CO2 intensity by 2030 and 2035, in line with UK commitments to the Paris Agreement.Earlier this...Read More
Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were up across the board on the morning of Friday October 8, while those on the London Metal Exchange were for the most part stronger, as were Asia-Pacific equities.* Today’s focus will be on the US employment report.* Market participants relieved that US Senate agreed to lift debt limit ceiling until December.* Oil prices and US treasury yi...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 index futures were up 11 points in pre-opening trade.Index futures were virtually unchanged following release of the September Employment Report at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus for September Non-farm Payrolls was an increase of 460,000. Actual was an increase of 194,000. Consensus for the September Unemployment Rate was a slip to 5.1% from...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Wednesday October 6 that are worth another look.Significantly rising energy prices have forced European steelmakers to look for ways to compensate for surging production costs, but mills lack a unified approach to the problem; some are introducing energy surcharges while others...Read More
Brazilian mineral production rose by 9.61% year on year in January-August 2021 amid the inauguration or reopening of some iron ore operations in the country, national mining institute Ibram said on Wednesday October 6.The country produced 833 million tonnes in the first eight months of 2021, up from 760 million tonnes a year before, according to the association. In the same period, mining revenues...Read More