Steel H-beam prices in Europe remained unchanged on Wednesday, November 20, despite feedstock costs continuing to rise, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel beams, domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?530-560 ($586-620) per tonne on November 20, unchanged week on week."Prices will remain stable until end of year, and this will support January prices,"...Read More
Turkish steel producers have continued to book deep-sea scrap for December deliveries but only at a slow pace due to the limited demand for finished long steel products, with prices holding steady, sources said on Wednesday November 20.A steel mill in the Marmara region booked a Baltic Sea cargo on November 20, comprising 25,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $261 per tonne and 5,000 tonnes of bonus...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices saw a slight uptick on Wednesday November 20, while some market participants are bracing for production restrictions due to bad weather and heavy pollution levels in north China.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $86.33 per tonne, up $0.53 per tonne.62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $86.36 per tonne, up $0.53 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumin...Read More
Steelmaking in electric arc furnaces (EAF) is already a good example of a waste-free circular economy since more than half of global steel output is being recycled, even if higher-quality materials are still produced from virgin materials and fossil-fueled processes, the president of the European Steel Technology Platform (ESTEP) said at a workshop in Bergamo, northern Italy last week. Carl de Mar...Read More
The Iranian steel market was gripped by uncertainty this week after violent protests erupted across the country following a government decision to increase petrol prices. "There are lots of strikes, [many] banks [and petrol stations] have been burned down and many government buildings destroyed," one market source said adding that trading activity had been limited this week.The coun...Read More
Eastern China rebar prices rose sharply on Wednesday November 20 on tight supply and strong demand, factors that were expected to push up prices still further for the rest of the month. Eastern China (Shanghai): 4,080-4,120 yuan ($580-586) per tonne, up 100 yuan per tonne Northern China (Beijing): 3,760-3,790 yuan per tonne, up 20 yuan per tonne"The prices were low and sentiment was bearish i...Read More
Prices for hollow steel sections in Northern and Southern Europe were unchanged this week although mills continued to make higher offers, market sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday November 20.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?560-580 ($620-642) per tonne on Wednesday, unchanged week on week."The market is on the positiv...Read More
Steelmaking in electric arc furnaces (EAF) is already a good example of a waste-free circular economy since more than half of global steel output is being recycled, even if higher-quality materials are still produced from virgin materials and fossil-fueled processes, the president of the European Steel Technology Platform (ESTEP) said at a workshop in Bergamo, northern Italy last week. Carl de Mar...Read More
Tata Steel has outlined proposals to build a stronger and more sustainable business in Europe, which include cutting up to 3,000 jobs, the company said on Monday November 18.The programme is needed to "ensure the business can thrive despite severe market headwinds which have led to a sharp decline in profitability", the company said.In the first six months of its current financial year, which comm...Read More
Brazilian miner Vale has diversified its iron ore sales to yuan-denominated futures contract pricing, which is the first time for global miners to use such pricing.Vale's Shanghai branch has signed a deal with the trading arm of Shandong Laigang Yongfeng Steel for a Qingdao-port-delivered cargo of Brazilian Blend fines to be priced against the May 2020 iron ore futures contract on China's Dalian C...Read More
Improved sentiment has taken hold in the European hot-rolled coil market, but so far domestic prices have recovered only in Italy while those in the the North of the region remain largely unchanged, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday November 20.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel HRC, domestic, exw Northern Europe, was ?,?420-425 ($465-471) per tonne on November 20, unchanged over t...Read More
The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange continued to fall at the close of trading on Wednesday November 20, with continued selling pressure and supportive forward spreads prompting the metal's lowest close since July.Nickel's outright price on the LME closed at $14,360 per tonne in the afternoon, falling by just over 2% from an intraday high of $14,695 per tonne. Turnover was at...Read More
Prices for hollow steel sections in Northern and Southern Europe were unchanged this week although mills continued to make higher offers, market sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday November 20.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel sections (medium), domestic, delivered Northern Europe, was ?,?560-580 ($620-642) per tonne on Wednesday, unchanged week on week."The market is on the positiv...Read More
The Iranian steel market was gripped by uncertainty this week after violent protests erupted across the country following a government decision to increase petrol prices. "There are lots of strikes, [many] banks [and petrol stations] have been burned down and many government buildings destroyed," one market source said adding that trading activity had been limited this week.The coun...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday November 20 that are worth another look.Export prices for Chinese cold-rolled coil and hot-dipped galvanized coil rose during the week to November 19 due to improved buying interest amid gains in upstream hot-rolled coil prices, market participants told Fastmarkets.Aluminium premiums in Europe and the United States declin...Read More
If you are a producer or consumer, or are active in the physical markets, then you had better be aware of a new set of regulations that will make it all the more important for you to choose the right logistics partner from next year.The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has ruled that from January 1, 2020, the marine sector will have to reduce sulfur emissions by more than 80% by switching...Read More
Most major aluminium producers agree that tackling the carbon intensity of the smelting process is one of the biggest challenges facing their industry. What they cannot agree on is how to deal with the situation, as a lively panel hosted by Fastmarkets during LME Week at the end of October showed. Aluminium smelting is an energy-intensive business and the market is starting to differentiate b...Read More
Bearish macroeconomic signals and oversupply have put minor metals and ferro-alloys prices variously under pressure over 2019; the structure and terms of contracts agreed over the coming weeks will show how market participants are accounting for those signals ahead of 2020. A slowing global economy alongside uncertainty over the China-United States trade dispute and Brexit have slowed minor metals...Read More
The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange continued to fall at the close of trading on Wednesday November 20, with continued selling pressure and supportive forward spreads prompting the metal's lowest close since July.Nickel's outright price on the LME closed at $14,360 per tonne in the afternoon, falling by just over 2% from an intraday high of $14,695 per tonne. Turnover was at...Read More
Fastmarkets' US zinc premium was unchanged in the week to Tuesday November 19 from a week earlier due to the persistent backwardation in the metal's forward curve despite record lows in the stocks registered to the London Metal Exchange in the United States.US lead premiums remained flat as well but may rise in the coming weeks due to the fallout from the closure of Glencore's New Brunswick lead s...Read More