Major Chinese copper smelter Daye Nonferrous, at the heart of the region affected by the coronavirus outbreak, is managing to continue its copper production activities by destocking the sulfuric acid byproduct at a discount, Fastmarkets has learnt."We have no plans to declare force majeure so far," a source with direct knowledge of the matter said. "We are still receiving overseas shipments of cop...Read More
China's alumina price is on an upward trend after many alumina refineries reduced production following transportation difficulties since the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak restricted their coal and bauxite supply, several sources told Fastmarkets on Monday February 10.Despite a bullish sentiment in the market, some alumina analysts think the uptrend may not last long because China still has a lot of a...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for their latest price moves.Read More
Chinese battery materials producer GEM will prioritize delivering cargoes to overseas buyers in February amid the large-scale lockdown in Hubei province following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), a company source told Fastmarkets. GEM's Jingmen plant is located in Jingmen city, Hubei province, which has been heavily affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The plant is unable to res...Read More
Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices have increased sharply with improving demand from the country's steel mills, sources said on Wednesday February 12.A steel mill in the Izmir region has booked a US cargo, comprising 24,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $268 per tonne, 12,000 tonnes of shredded at $273 per tonne and 4,000 tonnes of bonus at $278 per tonne cfr. It was not clear whether this deal w...Read More
Demand for aluminium and steel coil in China has come under strain while the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) crisis has allowed the gears of the country's automotive sector to grind to a halt.Many manufacturing plants across China - including those in the automotive segment - have paused operations in the past two weeks to February 12 after the government extended workers' Lunar New Year holiday to...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday February 12.Key drivers The price range for ferro-titanium has been stable over the past week, with suppliers holding their offer prices against steady but low-key demand from consumers. No deals were reported, apart from in the scrap market where there were reports of almost 40 tonnes bought in the UK at the top end of the latest a...Read More
While equity markets remain buoyant on optimism that the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) may be slowing, the base metals seemed more circumspect on Wednesday February 12 as they wait to see what the fallout from the virus will be in terms of how much disruption the manufacturing sector is suffering.LME base metals prices were up by an average of 0.2%; SHFE base metals prices were mixed...Read More
Chinese battery materials producer GEM will prioritize delivering cargoes to overseas buyers in February amid the large-scale lockdown in Hubei province following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), a company source told Fastmarkets. GEM's Jingmen plant is located in Jingmen city, Hubei province, which has been heavily affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The plant is unable to res...Read More
EU domestic prices for hot-rolled coil have increased day on day due to tight supply from European mills and a lack of competitive alternatives from overseas, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday February 12.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index, domestic, ex-works Northern Europe, was ?,?476.21 ($519.73) per tonne on Wednesday February 12, up by ?,?2.64 per tonne from ?,?473.57 per tonn...Read More
Demand for aluminium and steel coil in China has come under strain while the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) crisis has allowed the gears of the country's automotive sector to grind to a halt.Many manufacturing plants across China - including those in the automotive segment - have paused operations in the past two weeks to February 12 after the government extended workers' Lunar New Year holiday to...Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices regained some losses on Wednesday February 12 after the country reported its lowest number of new coronavirus cases since late January, which generated some optimism about the outbreak being contained.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,510-3,520 yuan ($503-505) per tonne, narrowing upward by 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,270 yuan per tonne,...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday February 12 that are worth another look.China may not be the big steady steel rebar buyer that most of us in the market thought it was, the International Rebar Producers & Exporters Association (Irepas) said on February 5 with regards the impact of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).Major Chinese copper smelter Daye Nonferrous,...Read More
The price difference between scrap and rebar for Turkish mills in January this year was at its narrowest since January 2019, the International Rebar Producers & Exporters Association (Irepas) said on February 5.In fact, compared with January 2019, the spread had only ever been smaller in January 2017, according to Irepas' outlook statement.Turkish producers were also trying to widen the spread, wh...Read More
The price of steel mesh-quality wire rod was unchanged in Europe while market participants waited to see how the monthly European ferrous scrap prices would settle, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday February 12.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel wire rod (mesh-quality), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, remained at ?,?460-470 ($502-513) per tonne on February 12, the fourth conse...Read More
Turkish deep-sea scrap import prices have increased sharply with improving demand from the country's steel mills, sources said on Wednesday February 12.A steel mill in the Izmir region has booked a US cargo, comprising 24,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $268 per tonne, 12,000 tonnes of shredded at $273 per tonne and 4,000 tonnes of bonus at $278 per tonne cfr. It was not clear whether this deal w...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices remained firm on Wednesday February 12 following an announcement by Vale that it expects lower production for the quarter ending on March 31.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $87.68 per tonne, up $0.75 per tonne.62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $87.01 per tonne, up $0.75 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $88.93 per tonne, up $0.7...Read More
Prices for ferrous scrap in the Mexican domestic market were down in four grades and stable in five other grades in the week ended Friday February 7, with consumers attempting to reduce prices but meeting resistance from sellers.At least two scrap consumers in the region around the city of Monterrey announced price cuts for several grades last week, in the range of 100-150 pesos ($5-8) per tonne.M...Read More
The mood in the CIS export billet market had turned positive by the middle of the current week amid a rebound in import scrap prices in Turkey.Some CIS mills returned to the market after taking a wait-and-see position at the end of last week, and were now testing it with higher offers.CIS billet was...Read More
China may not be the big steady steel rebar buyer that most of us in the market thought it was, the International Rebar Producers & Exporters Association (Irepas) said on February 5 with regards the impact of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). In general, the demand outlook is still positive globally while developments in the automotive and industrial markets may help to support construction produ...Read More