Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Friday December 13 that are worth another look.The digitization of the iron ore market took another step forward this week with trader Cargill completing its first e-contract transaction for iron ore with a Chinese steelmaker, Ningbo Iron & Steel.Chinese copper smelter Jiangxi Copper and Zambian blister copper producer Chambishi (CCS) h...Read More
Broader markets are generally upbeat this morning, Monday December 16, helped by last week’s partial United States-China trade deal and some positive economic data out of China.But the base metals are mixed and gold prices are up, which suggests there is still some concern about the terms of the trade deal.Chinese industrial production rose 6.2% in November, up from 4.7% previously while reta...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P500 futures were up 14 points in pre-opening trade.Cineplex (CPX $24.01) is expected to open higher after Cineworld offered to acquire the company for $34 per share cash. Value of the offer is $2.1 billion.International Flavours and Fragrances (IFF $133.98) has agreed to merge with Dupont's nutrition unit in a deal valued at $26.2 billion....Read More
Aluminium foundry alloy premiums continued to falter, with the US premium hitting a record low, due to bearish macroeconomics and weak fundamentals.Fastmarkets assessed the aluminium wheel alloy silicon 7 ingot/T-bar premium, dlvd dup over P1020A Midwest US at 7-10 cents per lb on Friday December 13, down from 8-11 cents per lb in the previous monthly assessment.The previous all-time low was 8-10...Read More
Nickel ended firmly above $14,000 per tonne in London Metal Exchange trading on Friday December 13 while copper stepped back after peaking earlier at its highest since May.The three-month nickel price closed at $14,170 per tonne, not far back from an intraday high of $14,270 per tonne. Turnover was at its highest since October 14 at around 11,800 lots by the close. The metal shrugged off inflows o...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Europe, Asia and the United States for the week ending Friday December 13. China The low-grade manganese ore indices rose week on week after buyers accepted slightly higher offer prices for limited quantities of material available for January delivery. The high-grade manganese ore index also moved up amid low liquidity. Some market participants expect mi...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Asia, Europe and the United States for the week ending Friday December 13. China The Chinese spot domestic ferro-chrome price continued lower with smaller smelters making aggressive offers to destock and generate cash approaching the end of the year. Sentiment further weakened amid anticipation that major stainless steel mills' alloy tender prices...Read More
Chinese copper smelter Jiangxi Copper and Zambian blister copper producer Chambishi (CCS) have signed a 2020 supply contract at a refining charge (RC) of $128 per tonne cif China, Fastmarkets learned. This RC number, which some in the market set contracts for other blister brands against, is significantly lower than last year's $165 per tonne and reflects anticipated tightness in the supply o...Read More
Aluminium foundry alloy premiums continued to falter, with the US premium hitting a record low, due to bearish macroeconomics and weak fundamentals.Fastmarkets assessed the aluminium wheel alloy silicon 7 ingot/T-bar premium, dlvd dup over P1020A Midwest US at 7-10 cents per lb on Friday December 13, down from 8-11 cents per lb in the previous monthly assessment.The previous all-time low was 8-10...Read More
Cobalt buyers returned to the market this week but prices fell further towards $15 per lb while sellers sought to offload stock ahead of the end of the year. Spot trade has been thin for the past few weeks so sellers offered aggressively, accepted cheaper bids and found competition for larger-tonnage business in their attempts to lock in sales before the start of 2020. The price of cobalt, standar...Read More
Aluminium foundry alloy premiums continued to falter, with the US premium hitting a record low, due to bearish macroeconomics and weak fundamentals.Fastmarkets assessed the aluminium wheel alloy silicon 7 ingot/T-bar premium, dlvd dup over P1020A Midwest US at 7-10 cents per lb on Friday December 13, down from 8-11 cents per lb in the previous monthly assessment.The previous all-time low was 8-10...Read More
Global ferrous scrap prices continued on an upward trend in the week ended Friday December 13 due to supply shortages and stable demand from end users.Turkish steelmakers book 10 cargoes Sentiment in US bullish Large bid-offer gap in Vietnam Taiwan continues to accept price increases Thin demand in India due to cheaper domestic scrap TurkeyTurkish steel mills booked a total of 10 cargoes this...Read More
The inter-merchant spot price for light iron scrap in the United Kingdom moved higher in the week ended Friday December 13, adding to gains made the week before, against increased European export prices to traditional markets.The market has been climbing in the quarter, with exporters looking to supply renewed demand from traditional buyers of European steel scrap in Turkey and the Indian subconti...Read More
Broader markets are upbeat this morning, Friday December 13, because hopes are running high that a preliminary United States-China trade will be signed before new tariffs come into force on Sunday as well as following the United Kingdom's general election result that means a Brexit deal moves forward.In a post on social media platform Twitter, US President Donald Trump said: "Getting very close to...Read More
Cobalt buyers returned to the market this week but prices fell further towards $15 per lb while sellers sought to offload stock ahead of the end of the year. Spot trade has been thin for the past few weeks so sellers offered aggressively, accepted cheaper bids and found competition for larger-tonnage business in their attempts to lock in sales before the start of 2020. The price of cobalt, standar...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More
The domestic price of hot-rolled coil in Northern Europe was unchanged on Friday December 13 although mills continue to insist on further price increases, market sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' daily steel hot-rolled coil index domestic, ex-works Northern Europe was calculated at ?,?432.08 ($481.10) per tonne on Friday, unchanged from Thursday.The assessment is based on "workable" prices hea...Read More
Turkish prices for hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG), and color-coated coil or pre-painted galvanized iron (PPGI), continued to increase in the week to Friday December 13 amid strong demand, sources told Fastmarkets.Market participants attributed the higher steel prices to the rise in raw materials and hot-rolled coil prices.Fastmarkets' daily index for steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), US origin,...Read More