Spot interest in copper concentrate has been minimal in the week to Friday September 30, ahead of China's National Day holiday. Clean tonnages for smelter purchase were in the mid-$60s, below the Copper Smelters Purchase Team's fourth quarter pricing floor of $70 per tonne. A community blockade at MMG's Las Bambas complex in Peru, which started two weeks ago, could...Read More
The liquidation of Zambia's Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) will continue after the high-profile arrest of the provisional liquidator appointed by former president Edgar Chagwa Lungu.Milingo Lungu, the lawyer appointed to run Zambia's biggest integrated copper producer, has been arrested and charged with money laundering, according to a statement from the Zambian government on Wednesday September 29.&n...Read More
Brazilian slab export prices were stable in the week ended Friday October 1, but sources remained concerned about recent price cuts in other regions that could affect the market.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab, export, fob main port Brazil was unchanged at $780-800 per tonne on Friday.Producers tried to maintain offers at around $800 per tonne fob, but buyers were resistant.Inv...Read More
Due to a technical error, the September monthly averages for the following prices were noted as being for October rather than September.MB-STE-0009 - Steel galvanized coil 1mm export, fob main port China, $/tonneMB-STE-0141 - Steel billet import, cfr Manila, $/tonneMB-STE-0144 - Steel hot-rolled coil index export, fob main port China, $/tonneMB-STE-0145 - Steel cold-rolled coil export, fob China m...Read More
Price for cold-rolled and galvanized steel sheet in the United States held steady after market participants perceived an emerging balance among overall supply, inventory and demand trends for the fourth quarter.Fastmarkets' weekly assessment for steel cold-rolled coil, fob mill US was unchanged at $110 per hundredweight ($2,200 per short ton) on Thursday September 30. The assessment has risen 185....Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil in Europe were fairly stable on Friday October 1 because buyers held back from making new deals, sources told Fastmarkets.Buyers have paused purchases because they anticipate that domestic mills will soon accept lower prices. In addition, the stocks of European distributors were sufficient so they felt no pressure to get additional volumes in the short run, sour...Read More
Flat steel prices continued to fall in Turkey during the week ended Friday October 1 because of weak demand, sources told Fastmarkets.Buyers wanted to prices to flatten before placing orders and end-user demand was also weak, sources said.Domestic pricesFastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel hot-rolled coil, domestic, exw Turkey was $880-900 per tonne on October 1, falling from $890-920 pe...Read More
Demand for coated steel coil in Turkey was very weak during the week to Friday October 1, with prices decreasing further, sources told Fastmarkets.Stock levels for the product were enough for buyers to wait and see how low prices would go, sources said.Hot-rolled coil prices kept decreasing as well, so buyers continued toexpect more price cuts for coated coil.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment f...Read More
Poland's steel wire rod producers decreased their offers for October due to weak buying activity and cheaper imports, sources told Fastmarkets.Offers from local producers for October material were heard at 3,800-3,900 zloty ($953-978) per tonne delivered, down sharply from the initial September rolling offers of 4,100-4,230 zloty per tonne.The domestic wire rod market has been downbeat in Septembe...Read More
The market for pig iron exports from Brazil was stable during the week to Friday October 1 because suppliers have full order books until late December-January.Fastmarkets' price assessment of pig iron, export, fob port of Vitoria/Rio, Brazil was $480 per tonne on Friday, stable week on week."We are sold out till January, so right now we are not...Read More
The inter-merchant market for light-iron steel scrap in the UK was steady for the second week in a row in the week to Friday October 1, with major processors holding their offer prices stable to ensure a steady stream of supply into their yards, sources said.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap 5C loose old light domestic, delivered inter-merchant UK was ?170-190 ($229-256) p...Read More
The import pig-iron market in the United States was calm in the week to Friday October 1 because steel makers - the key buyers - preferred to wait and see in an unclear scrap market, which is a strong indicator for them.Fastmarkets' assessment of the price of pig iron, import, cfr Gulf of Mexico, US was $530-540 per tonne on Friday, unchanged week on week.Steelmakers, who are the key pig...Read More
Turkish steel mills ended the working week with additional deep-sea cargo deals for November shipments, market participants told Fastmarkets on Friday October 1.A steel mill in the Izmir region booked a US cargo comprising HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $443 per tonne and shredded and bonus at $458 per tonne cfr. Although, the cargo composition was not yet confirmed, the seller source said. And a steel mill...Read More
Prices for shredded steel scrap imported into Pakistan fell in the week to Friday October 1, while Indian scrap prices stabilized after a mid-week change in sentiment for both markets, sources told Fastmarkets.PakistanFastmarkets calculated its weekly steel scrap, shredded, index, import, cfr Port Qasim, Pakistan at $508.69 per tonne on Friday, down from $520.32 per tonne one week previous.Prices...Read More
The export pig-iron market from the Commonwealth of Independent States was firm during the week to Thursday September 30 on reduced trading activity.Fastmarkets assessed the price of high-manganese pig iron, export, fob main port Black Sea, CIS at $490-515 per tonne on Thursday, widening downward from $490-518 per tonne the previous week.Several sources said that a sale of Ukraine-origin pig...Read More
Trading activity was limited in the seaborne market on Friday October 1 during the start of the Chinese holiday.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $115.79 per tonne, down $3.44 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $118.54 per tonne, down $3.40 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $88.06 per tonne, down $3 per tonne65% Fe Brazil-origin fines, cfr Qin...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices in the fob market eased slightly on Friday October 1 on a cargo that was transacted at a lower-than-expected price, market sources said.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: $391.50 per tonne, down by $8.70 per tonneHard coking...Read More
Copper's three-month price was up by 1%, and most London Metal Exchange prices were slightly up the morning of Friday October 1 after a steep sell-off on Thursday afternoon with macroeconomic concerns mounting.Copper's three-month price returned to above the $9,000 per tonne level with a rise to $9,026.50 per tonne on Friday morning from a $8,936.50 per tonne price on Thursday at the close, a 2.4%...Read More
Base metals prices were down on the morning of Friday October 1, extending the weakness that started to accelerate on Thursday, when the LME base metals closed down by an average of 2.3%, with tin dropping by 6.2%. The weakness was broad based with equities retreating, too. Asia-Pacific equities weaker this morning.Gold and the yen rallied on Thursday, and US treasury yields are weaker this mornin...Read More
An overview of the aerospace materials markets and the latest price moves in the week to Friday October 1.Jessica Long, Ruby Liu and Carrie...Read More