A rebound is underway across a broad set of markets, with China’s CSI 300 index up by 2.5% this morning, after China’s central bank pumped money into the financial system and appears to be working to stabilize markets and calm fears.Most Asian equity indices are rebounding. Gold prices are retreating as they pull back from Friday's highs. US 10-year government bond yields are firmer...Read More
U.S. equity index futures continued to recover this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 42 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures were bolstered by a recovery in the Shanghai Composite Index, up 36.68 points to 2783.29 in overnight trade.Tesla jumped another $118.75 to $898.75 after Argus Research raised its target price from $556 to $808.McKesson added $3.21 to $147.11 after reporting higher...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday January 31 that are worth another look. Imports of hot-rolled stainless steel sheet and coil from China, Taiwan and Indonesia now need to be registered on entering the European Union and could be subject to retroactive duties later in the year.The supply-demand dynamics in the global copper market were likely to turn into a defic...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday January 31 that are worth another look. Imports of hot-rolled stainless steel sheet and coil from China, Taiwan and Indonesia now need to be registered on entering the European Union and could be subject to retroactive duties later in the year.The supply-demand dynamics in the global copper market were likely to turn into a defic...Read More
European steel association Eurofer forecasts a modest recovery in apparent steel consumption in 2020, with risks relating to import volumes, Eurofer said on January 30."2019 was another challenging year for the steel sector, with declines in steel consumption and import levels, which - while down compared to 2018 - were still very high compared to historical levels," director general of Eurofer, A...Read More
Heavy rainfall in the Brazilian southeastern state of Minas Gerais has caused interruptions for some railway operators transporting iron ore for exports, but the impact has been minimal, companies told Fastmarkets on Wednesday January 29.January 2020 has had the highest rainfall rate in 110 years, the Minas Gerais' state governor office said on Wednesday. Vale, the world's largest iron ore pr...Read More
The Wuhan coronavirus will likely influence fundamentals in China's steel market and Chinese export trends in the near future, sources told Fastmarkets this week.Industry sources have sketched out a number of scenarios that may happen, especially if the situation becomes drawn out and restrictions on travel and transportation persist into the foreseeable future."If logistical restrictions continue...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday January 31 that are worth another look. Imports of hot-rolled stainless steel sheet and coil from China, Taiwan and Indonesia now need to be registered on entering the European Union and could be subject to retroactive duties later in the year.The supply-demand dynamics in the global copper market were likely to turn into a defic...Read More
Trade disputes and geopolitical uncertainties had already made the prospects for global economic growth uncertain. A coronavirus has now added to the challenges facing financial markets.The epicenter of the virus is Wuhan, an important commercial hub in China that is home to 11.9 million people, including the country's largest student population. It is also a manufacturing hub, with around 500 fac...Read More
The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for rebar, wire rod, steel beams and other long steel products.Latest transaction: rebarRebarEast China, domestic, grade III 16-25mm...Read More
The London Metal Exchange will on February 1 introduce a reporting process that will increase transparency into levels of off-warrant stocks. The exchange announced the plans in November 2019 and aims to attract more metal back in LME sheds. It is controversial, but its passage into the LME rulebook on February 1 follows a consultation last year. Some market participants are now saying the LME sho...Read More
Copper has attempted to rebound since early September following a marked sell-off in the summer months where macro and fundamental forces have been prevalent.On the macro front, copper has benefited from a slight easing in US-China trade tensions and more monetary policy easing across the globe - including China, where copper consumption is the most exposed - that has shored up investor sentiment....Read More
The increasing consumption of scrap and a potential shift toward the electric-arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking route from the basic oxygen furnace (BOF) route in China are medium- to long-term threats to demand for steelmaking raw materials, while in the near team coking coal import volumes will continue to be affected by iron ore procurement strategies.This was the basis of Fastmarkets research team...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday January 31 that are worth another look. Imports of hot-rolled stainless steel sheet and coil from China, Taiwan and Indonesia now need to be registered on entering the European Union and could be subject to retroactive duties later in the year.The supply-demand dynamics in the global copper market were likely to turn into a defic...Read More
While markets in China catch up after more than a week of holiday, most base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange are rebounding because China’s sell-off has not been as severe as feared.SHFE copper price fell 7%, which was limit down, but were recently quoted off by 6.5%, suggesting some buying has started to emerge. Gold prices also pulled back from Friday's highs.China’s CSI 300...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures advanced 21 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures responded to news that the Chinese central bank injected monetary stimulus into the Chinese economy valued at $173 billion.The Shanghai Composite Index plunged 229.92 to 2746.61 on its first day of trade following the Chinese New Year holiday. The 7.72% drop implies a reco...Read More
Base metals prices have reacted quite aggressively to the spread of the coronavirus, more so than most equity markets, leaving markets sending out different signals. While it is too early to say how this will unfold, here are some early concerns and observations.Once the outbreak of the coronavirus became widely reported in mid-January, various markets reacted differently and continue to do so. Ba...Read More
The London Metal Exchange three-month lead price was higher by close of trading on Friday January 31, regaining the bulk of losses made earlier in the week against moderately low turnover, while tin futures similarly made gains over the afternoon.Lead's underlying price on the LME closed at $1,879 per tonne this afternoon, recovering from an intraday low of $1,828 per tonne, while turnover was at...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their price moves from the past week.Read More
The price of stainless steel in the European domestic market was unchanged this week, despite monthly allow surcharges increasing slightly for February, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday January 31.In fact, prices are more likely to move down than up because of recent losses in the nickel market, sources said. The February surcharges are based on alloy component prices during the period December...Read More