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 London Metal Exchange three-month lead price slipped below an important resistance level in unexceptional trading conditions in the morning of Friday November 8. The three-month lead price recently traded at $2,099 per tonne, with some 1,000 lots exchanged as of 9:20am London time. The price fell from an intra-morning high of $2,114.50 per tonne and traded as lows as $2,084 per tonne - its che...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices retreated on Friday November 8 amid concerns over supply being channeled southward from the northern region amid falling temperatures.Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,700-3,740 yuan ($530-536) per tonne, down 20-30 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,640-3,660 yuan per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonnesRebar futures were subdued during the day with traders anticipating w...Read More
China's hot-rolled coil prices slid on Friday November 8 after trading activity thinned further.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,520-3,540 yuan ($500-503) per tonne, down 10-20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,520 yuan per tonne, down 20 yuan per tonneA Shanghai-based trader said trading activity continued to thin during the day amid declining futures, which led to spot prices falling...Read More
The flip-flip nature of headlines surrounding trade talks between China and the United States is calling the tune in the markets; there was initial weakness on news that a signing of a partial trade deal would be delayed, but markets then turned higher after it was announced that progress had been made with both sides agreeing to remove some tariffs.This morning, Friday November 8, markets are giv...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and their latest price moves.Read More
An overview of the Chinese minor metals markets and the reasons for their latest price moves.Read More
Stainless steel prices in Europe stabilized on Friday November 8 after falling ?,?100 per tonne a week ago, but market participants told Fastmarkets that poor demand and plentiful supplies were still a major issue.Fastmarkets' price assessment for stainless steel cold-rolled sheet, 2mm, grade-304, transaction domestic, delivered North Europe, was ?,?2,200-2,250 ($2,433-2,489) per tonne on November...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Europe, Asia and the United States for the week ending Friday November 8. China The high-grade manganese ore index recovered some of the recent losses after a number of large sales were made above the previous week's index. Seaborne low-grade manganese ore prices slid amid persistently weak market sentiment and lower producer offers. An incre...Read More
China's import quota system, which has restricted the inflow of scrap metal this year, will remain in place for another year, with a significant drop expected in the total quantity of quotas granted, the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CMRA) said on November 7. The CMRA statement, seen by Fastmarkets, was given to delegates attending a conference from November 7-9 in Ningbo, a major...Read More
A recent price surge in global ferrous scrap markets has led to more buying interest in Vietnam, with buyers booking multiple cargoes this week.While demand in Taiwan has slowed, buyers there are likely to return to the spot market next week in response to rising prices in the United States and Turkey.VietnamFastmarkets' price assessment for bulk shipments of steel scrap HMS1&2 (80:20), cfr Vietna...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
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
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
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
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
Key data from the Wednesday November 6 pricing session in London. Key drivers The price for manganese flake in Europe edged down this week with several buyers able to book material in Rotterdam at cheaper levels close to $1,650 per tonne. Offers at $1,700 per tonne were turned down. The price has been under pressure on...Read More
Deep-sea scrap prices pushed up on Thursday, November 7, after a Turkish steel mill bought a cargo of HMS 1&2 (80:20) and shredded scrap from the United States, continuing the trend for US material set earlier in the week, sources told Fastmarkets.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region bought the cargo, comprising 18,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $260 per tonne and 12,000 tonnes of shr...Read More