ArcelorMittal reduced its forecast for apparent steel consumption growth in Brazil in 2019 because of weak performance in the infrastructure sector as well as other industries in the supply chain.The steelmaker now expects apparent steel use to grow by 0.5-1%, compared with a previous range of 1.5-2.5%, the company said on Thursday November 7. The cut in the guidance range is due to dela...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
Slab export prices from Brazil were unchanged on Friday November 8 amid high iron ore costs and improved sentiment in the United States.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel slab exports, fob Brazil, remained at $355-360 per tonne on Friday.Offers to the US continued to be reported at $350-360 per tonne fob, as high costs for iron ore continued to pressure...Read More
Primary aluminium foundry alloy premiums in Europe fell to all-time lows on Friday November 8, while the premium in the United States held steady under quiet spot market conditions.European foundry premiums still fallingPrimary aluminium foundry alloy premiums in Europe hit record lows, with some participants saying premiums have hit a bottom.Fastmarkets assessed the aluminium wheel alloy silicon...Read More
The majority of steel import prices in South America fell slightly during the week ended Friday November 8, because the region had not yet caught up with the recent Chinese upturn and the latest deals had been settled at lower levels.Fastmarkets' most recent price assessment for steel hot-rolled coil, import, cfr main ports South America, was $450-470 per tonne on Friday, falling from $455-475 per...Read More
Prices for 18/8 stainless steel scrap increased this week in Europe despite market participants insisting that demand was still at "rock bottom", sources told Fastmarkets on Friday November 8. While mills continued to enjoy high discounts for the nickel component of the scrap, traders said the recent fall in alloy scrap prices had happened too quickly and that scrap merchants were u...Read More
The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange staged a modest recovery at the close of trading on Friday November 8, settling back above nearby resistance after slipping below key resistance levels, while tin futures topped the gains with a 1% climb.Nickel's outright price on the LME closed at $16.190 per tonne on Friday afternoon, climbing more than 2% from an intraday low of $15,845...Read More
The fob Australia alumina price retreated to $280 per tonne on Friday November 8 because of reduced liquidity and continued poor downstream demand.Fastmarkets calculated the benchmark daily alumina index, fob Australia at $280.80 per tonne on Friday, down from $282.12 per tonne on the previous day. The index hit a four-week high of $285.42 per tonne on October 31.Key drivers A deal for 30,000 tonn...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices regained some losses on Friday November 8, narrowing the weekly pace of decline slightly.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $133.24 per tonne, up $0.67 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $146.12 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $121.70 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $134 per tonne, unchangedLow-vol PC...Read More
The inter-merchant spot market for light iron scrap in the UK moved up by ?5 ($6) per tonne in the week ended Friday November 8, repeating the increase by a similar amount the week before, on steady domestic demand and higher European export prices.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap 5C, loose old light, domestic, delivered inter-merchant, UK, was ?70-90 ($90-116) per tonne on F...Read More
The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange staged a modest recovery at the close of trading on Friday November 8, settling back above nearby resistance after slipping below key resistance levels, while tin futures topped the gains with a 1% climb.Nickel's outright price on the LME closed at $16.190 per tonne on Friday afternoon, climbing more than 2% from an intraday low of $15,845...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More
Due to a reporter error, Fastmarkets' copper concentrates TC/RC index, cif Asia Pacific was published incorrectly on Friday November 8. The index was incorrectly published as $55.20 per tonne / 5.52 cents per lb. It should have been $55 per tonne / 5.5 cents per lb. Fastmarkets' price book and database have been updated to reflect this correction. For details of copper concentrate index and o...Read More
The fob Australia alumina price retreated to $280 per tonne on Friday November 8 because of reduced liquidity and continued poor downstream demand.Fastmarkets calculated the benchmark daily alumina index, fob Australia at $280.80 per tonne on Friday, down from $282.12 per tonne on the previous day. The index hit a four-week high of $285.42 per tonne on October 31.Key drivers A deal for 30,000 tonn...Read More
Noranda Income Fund (NIF) is assessing the impact of a decline in the quality of global zinc concentrates on its facilities and what capital investments might be required to deal with it, the company said. NIF, which owns the Canadian Electrolytic Zinc (CEZ) facility in the Canadian province of Quebec, said a rise in the level of impurities contained in zinc concentrates increased the level of res...Read More
ICBC Standard Bank plans to close down its base metals trading unit in the first half of 2020 amid unfavorable market conditions, the bank said on Friday November 8. "Like any prudent business, we are addressing our cost base and are taking measures against a backdrop of continuing unfavorable market conditions to ensure a position of long-term, sustainable strength," a spokesperson for ICBC Stand...Read More
Lead stocks in Shanghai Futures Exchange-approved warehouses were the biggest gainer in percentage terms in the week to Friday November 8. Lead inventory rose by 34.7% week on week to 28,850 tonnes. Warehouses operated by Zhejiang Tianchuan in Zhejiang province and Zhongchu Lutong in Tianjin registered the largest inflows, increasing by 3,876 tonnes...Read More
Indian producers of hot-rolled coil increased their export prices for the commodity by $10-15 per tonne in the week ended Friday November 8, with some mills claiming to have their order books full for the current calendar year.The price of steel HRC (commodity), export, fob main port India, was assessed by Fastmarkets at $415-425 per tonne on Friday, an increase of $10-15 per tonne compared with l...Read More
Turkish prices for hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG), and color-coated coil or pre-painted galvanized iron (PPGI), increased in the week to Friday November 8, despite demand remaining weak, sources told Fastmarkets.The rise in raw materials prices is the reason for the higher steel prices, they added.Fastmarkets' daily index for steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), Northern Europe origin, cf...Read More
CIS billet producers continued to insist on the prices that were offered to foreign customers earlier this month for December-rolling material, despite the lack of trading activity this week, Fastmarkets learnt on Friday November 8.The material was available mainly from Russian mills for around $380 per tonne fob.Meanwhile, most Ukrainian mills were absent from the market. Three mills - Dneprovski...Read More