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 prefer to focus on raising the price of steel, sources told Fastmarkets on the sidelines of the Made in Steel 2021 trade fair in Milan, Italy.In October, prices for gas...Read More
Domestic steel reinforcing bar prices in the United States were sideways this week, with the combination of demand and backlogs expected to sustain what many market participants believe is a price peak.Fastmarkets' assessment for steel reinforcing bar (rebar), fob mill US was $49.25 per hundredweight ($985 per short ton) on Wednesday October 6, unchanged since August 11 but up by 65.55% from $29.7...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mainly down on the morning of Wednesday October 6, which was in line with the weakness in Asia-Pacific equities.Brent crude oil price back above $82 per barrel - adding to inflationary pressures......could be another factor to force central banks' hands in policy tightening.There are also fears that China's Evergrande debt problem is not the onl...Read More
Turkey's steel and industrial gas producer Habas is planning to start hybrid vehicle production at a former Honda plant, according to a report seen by Fastmarkets.Honda terminated vehicle production in its plant in Kocaeli, Turkey, in September 2021. Habas is in touch with almost 30 engineering companies to start hybrid...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 met...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
London Metal Exchange base metals closed mostly down on Wednesday October 6, with most of the market closely watching macroeconomic developments in China and the United States.Still, analysts noted that while risks from macroeconomic events put downward pressure on base metals prices, a lack of supply across commodities continues to keep metals relatively range-bound."Our base metals in contrast r...Read More
A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums from across the globe for the week to Wednesday October 6. Please click...Read More
Iron ore prices were largely stable on Wednesday October 6 amid low liquidity in both the physical and futures markets during the Chinese Golden Week holidays, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $116.71 per tonne, up $0.13 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $119.63 per tonne, up $0.29 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $90.31 per to...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....Read More
Bids and offers for seaborne coking coal on an fob Australia basis strengthened on Wednesday October 6 amid firm demand and limited supply, 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: $404.53 per tonne, up by $8.55 per tonneHard coking...Read More
London Metal Exchange base metals closed mostly down on Wednesday October 6, with most of the market closely watching macroeconomic developments in China and the United States.Still, analysts noted that while risks from macroeconomic events put downward pressure on base metals prices, a lack of supply across commodities continues to keep metals relatively range-bound."Our base metals in contrast r...Read More
Key data from Fastmarkets' pricing session in Europe on Wednesday October 6.Key driversEuropean ferro-titanium and titanium scrap markets extended their steady trend for a fifth consecutive week, with suppliers holding offer prices against expected renewed demand from steel mills.Deals were reported within current price ranges, but the bulk of expected renewed quarterly demand from steel mills for...Read More
The tin market has yet to solve the supply-demand imbalance evident throughout this year, but artisanal mining has become an even more crucial part of the market, panelists at the AMT Virtual Tin Market Forum noted on October 6.Thethree-month tin price on the London Metal Exchange has traded on average above$30,000 per tonne since June, rising by around 70% since January of thisyear. The stee...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
Philippine steelmakers have come back to the import market for steel billet while key buyers in China are celebrating National Day holidays, sources said on Wednesday October 6.Russian 5sp 125mm electric-arc furnace (EAF) billet was sold at $690-693 per tonne cfr Philippines this week, several key market participants told Fastmarkets on Wednesday.A European trader said that the 125mm EAF billet ca...Read More
A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums from across the globe for the week to Wednesday October 6. Please click...Read More
Metal market participants have been forced to take creative approaches to ensure they can continue trading amid an intensely challenging freight environment, sources told Fastmarkets.A global logistics crisis has dragged on through the summer and into the autumn of 2021, highlighted by a continued shortage of vessels and containers, together with port congestion across the globe. Quarantines relat...Read More
Turkey's steel and industrial gas producer Habas is planning to start hybrid vehicle production at a former Honda plant, according to a report seen by Fastmarkets.Honda terminated vehicle production in its plant in Kocaeli, Turkey, in September 2021. Habas is in touch with almost 30 engineering companies to start hybrid...Read More
Fastmarkets analyst Boris Mikanikrezai and reporter Yasemin Esmen size up the copper market ahead of LME Week, which begins Monday October 11.While copper had a good start to the year, benefiting from the broad reflationary trade that lifted all the metals, it has come under pressure since its peak in May mainly due to a deterioration in the macroeconomic environment.The peak in copper prices came...Read More