The three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange was higher at the close of trading on Thursday November 7, breaching the $6,000 per tonne resistance level just after the 5pm close for the first time since July, while the zinc futures price climbed by over 1%. Copper's outright price on the LME closed at $5,975 per tonne on Thursday afternoon, spiking soon after the close to reach an intr...Read More
Buyers outside China have emerged in the seaborne coking coal market this month, with a Japanese buyer said to have returned to the market for premium products on Thursday November 7.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $132.57 per tonne, down $0.72 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $146.12 per tonne, down by $0.04 per tonneHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $121.70 per t...Read More
Trading activity in China's hot-rolled coil market thinned on Thursday November 7 while prices stayed flat, with sentiment dampened by rising output.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,540-3,550 yuan ($505-507) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,540 yuan per tonne, unchangedA trader in Shanghai said buying slowed during the day despite steady prices, with rising output resulting in s...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
Iron ore prices fell sharply in the second half of November after climbing through October, with prices for higher-grade material pioneering the decline.Fastmarkets MB daily benchmark for 65% Fe fines dropped by 22% by Monday November 26 after peaking on October 29. The 62% Fe iron ore index declined by 16% over the period, as some Chinese steelmakers started to seek larger volumes of cheaper ores...Read More
Nickel supply prompted the most heated discussions among market participants at the annual Antaike International Nickel & Cobalt Conference in Yichang on November 5-6, especially those involved in the electric vehicle (EV) battery raw materials supply chain, because of volatilities in the past two months. Meanwhile, the looming closure of Glencore's Mutanda copper-cobalt mine in the Democrati...Read More
A summary of ArcelorMittal's financial results for the third quarter of 2019.In brief Earnings in the quarter dropped due to the combination of a fall in steel shipments, declining steel prices and higher raw material costs, the world's largest steelmaker said on Thursday November 7."As anticipated, we continued to...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday November 7 that are worth another look.Latin America's crude steel output fell 16% year on year in September to 4.69 million tonnes on high costs of iron ore and low global prices for finished products, according to regional steel association Alacero.The global nickel supply deficit is set to narrow to 20,000 tonnes of nickel u...Read More
Frank Feng has left his position as head of copper trading at Cliveden's Shanghai office and has been replaced by Sun Bing, Fastmarkets understands.Feng was head of copper trading at Cliveden's Shanghai office for almost three years. He had previously worked with...Read More
Galena Mining is looking to bring 90,000 tonnes of new lead production from its Abra mine in Australia to the market in 2022 and a continuation of current price levels for the metal would suit it 'just fine', its chief executive officer Alex Moleneux said."When we look at our outlook for the lead price we feel like where it is now is pretty reasonable over the long term horizon," Moleneux told Fas...Read More
The three-month copper price on the London Metal Exchange increased during morning trading on Thursday November 7, with its price action nearing the $6,000-per-tonne resistance level against a sizable turnover. The red metal's outright price on the LME was recently at $5,962 per tonne, with some 4,400 lots exchanged as of 9:20am London time. Supporting this, LME copper stocks were subject to...Read More
The global nickel supply deficit is set to narrow to 20,000 tonnes of nickel units next year, mainly due to a ramp up inIndonesian nickel pig iron (NPI) output, Beijing Antaike Information chief analyst Aidong Xu told delegates at a conference in Yichang, China.The figure is compared with a supply deficit this year that Xu projected at 40,000 tonnes and is despite the Indonesian ore expo...Read More
Brazilian apparent steel consumption is set to grow by 6-8% in 2020 if current gross domestic product (GDP) estimates are met, Gerdau's chief executive officer Gustavo Werneck said on Thursday November 7.The long-steel sector could rise faster because construction, its largest consumer, was hit harder during the country's recent economic crisis and has not yet started a significant recovery, the C...Read More
The price for steel rebar in Egypt decreased in the week ended Thursday November 7 even as imports costs for steel billet rose, sources told Fastmarkets.Egyptian rebar producers were offering rebar at E ?9,600-9,900 ($592-610) per tonne ex-works including 14% VAT, down from last week's E ?10,400-10,900 per tonne ex-works including VAT. Sales were made at E ?9,500-9,800 per tonne ex-works including...Read More
Trading activity in China's hot-rolled coil market thinned on Thursday November 7 while prices stayed flat, with sentiment dampened by rising output.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,540-3,550 yuan ($505-507) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,540 yuan per tonne, unchangedA trader in Shanghai said buying slowed during the day despite steady prices, with rising output resulting in s...Read More
The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for hot-rolled coil, cold-rolled coil, hot-dipped galvanized coil, pre-painted galvanized iron, plate, sheet and other flat steel products. Latest transaction: hot-rolled coilHot-rolled coilEast China, domestic, commercial-grade...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices edged up further on Thursday November 7 on declining inventory levels, though the futures market registered a drop on a pessimistic outlook.Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,730-3,760 yuan ($532-536) per tonne, up 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,650-3,670 yuan per tonne, up 10 yuan per tonnesRebar inventory levels in the spot markets of major Chinese cities wer...Read More
The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for steel billet, slab and bloom. Latest transaction: billetBillet Read More
The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for rebar, wire rod, beams and other long steel products. Latest transaction: rebarRebar East China, domestic,...Read More