The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions against producer UC Rusal was potentially deadly for a company so heavily reliant on international trade, Lord Greg Barker, executive chairman of EN+ Group said.Speaking at the LME Week seminar on Monday October 28, Barker said working to find a way for the sanctions to be lifted was 'do or die' for the company."...Read More
The aluminium industry needs to be transparent about its carbon emissions and the London Metal Exchange has a key role to play in ensuring this happens, Lord Greg Barker said in an interview at LME Week 2019.Being interviewed by LME chairman Sir Brian Bender on Monday October 28, the executive chairman of EN+ Group said that, to ensure this happens, the LME should publish the carbon...Read More
The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange increased during morning trading on Tuesday October 29, with news of Indonesia's imposition of a ban on exporting raw ore bolstering its price action. Although the news of the ban did little to boost price action on Monday, nickel futures were recently trading 1.1% higher at $16,735 per tonne. Correspondingly, nickel's traded volumes w...Read More
U.S. equity indices were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 2 point in pre-opening trade. Investors are waiting for news from the Federal Reserve on the Fed Fund rate to be released at 2:00 PM EDT. Consensus is that the Federal Reserve will lower the Fed Fund rate by another 0.25%.Index futures were virtually unchanged following release of economic news prior to opening. Consensus fo...Read More
The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange was lower at the close of trading on Monday October 28, falling by a little less than 2% against high turnover, while copper's outright price breached nearby resistance.Nickel's outright price closed at $16,640 per tonne, while some 9,730 lots were exchanged by the close. The metal reached an intraday high of $17,025 per tonne, its highest...Read More
The premium for aluminium billet in the United States fell to a record low on Friday October 25 due to to continued sluggish demand, while premiums in Europe and Brazil remained under pressure. US premium at record lowEuropean traders holding onto $300 per tonne levelLow spot demand in BrazilThailand premium falls US billet premium drops to all-time lowFastmarkets' aluminium 6063 extrusion billet...Read More
Responsible sourcing is top of the agenda for many companies in the metals space, partly driven by the LME's push for an industry standard, yet an LME Week panel discussion suggested the industry could do so much more. Speaking at an LME Week 2019 discussion on environmental sourcing on Monday October 28, panelists from APG Asset Management, Trafigura and the World Economic Forum set out...Read More
Positive sentiment continued to buoy the Chinese and European ammonium paratungstate (APT) markets although spot activity remained subdued in both.But the ferro-tungsten price in Europe fell after suppliers scrambled to meet a large inquiry from a consumer.The Chinese APT export price was unchanged week on week against a backdrop of falling tungsten concentrate prices and quiet demand abroad. Fast...Read More
Shipments of chrome ore to China climbed to 1.5 million tonnes in September, their highest since March 2018, according to official but unconfirmed data seen by Fastmarkets. China imported 11.4 million tonnes of chrome ore in the first nine months of 2019, up from 11 million tonnes in the same period of last year. The seaborne chrome ore price dropped quickly from the start of April before bottomin...Read More
Rising stocks and imports weighed on chrome ore prices in China last week while imported alloy prices dropped because of plentiful local supply. Chrome ore prices down amid high inventories and imports Spot domestic Chinese alloy prices held in slow trading Imported alloy prices dropped under selling pressure US alloy prices tick up despite thin spot tradingEuropean price range narrows in balanced...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Asia and Europe in the week to Friday October 25.ChinaKey drivers The Chinese silicon 553 export price rose in response to higher offers from domestic refiners against a backdrop of tight supply for the looming dry season from November to May in the country when refiners in the Sichuan and Yunnan provinces cut output due to a lack of cheap hydroelectric power....Read More
Turkish steel mills began the week in silence due to a public holiday in the country reducing trading activity, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday October 28. With a half-day public holiday taking place in Turkey on Monday, and Tuesday being a holiday for the Republic Day of Turkey, low levels of trading are expected in the deep-sea markets. The most recent trade reported to Fastmarkets&...Read More
Turkish domestic auto bundle scrap prices have increased over the past week in line with the rises in imported scrap values, sources said on Monday October 28.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap, auto bundle scrap, domestic, delivered Turkey, was TRY1,385-1,555 ($239-268) per tonne on Monday, up from the TRY1,380-1,505 per tonne of last week.Two steel mills raised their buy prices...Read More
Trade log for cobalt sulfate in China including transactions, bids and offers reported to Fastmarkets.Unless otherwise stated, all prices are yuan per tonne on an ex-works basis.The cobalt sulfate, Co 20.5% basis, China ex-works, adjustment to the standard-grade cobalt low-end price is on a $ per lb basis.Fastmarkets prices Click here for Fastmarkets' price assessment for cobalt sulfate, Co 20.5%...Read More
Flat-rolled steel import prices were mostly down in South America during the past week, amid bearish sentiment in the region and the continuing global downtrend.Fastmarkets assessed the price for steel hot-rolled coil import, cfr main ports South America, at $450-470 per tonne on Friday October 25, lower on the high end from $450-475 per tonne a week earlier, and at a fresh low for 2019m.Customers...Read More
China's hot-rolled coil prices were flat domestically on Monday October 28, while some participants told Fastmarkets export prices would rise as mills shift allocation back to the domestic market amid stable prices.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,500-3,520 yuan ($495-498) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,500 yuan per tonne, unchangedDomestic prices remained stable, with trading...Read More
Steel prices are expected to remain stable in the Brazilian domestic market through the remainder of 2019 despite a still favorable import parity, the commercial director for Companhia Sider??rgica Nacional (CSN), Luis Martinez, said on Thursday October 24.While hot-rolled (HRC) and cold-rolled coils (CRC) are currently being sold at a 2% premium over internalized imports, galvanized materials are...Read More
Offer prices for CIS export wire rod have softened somewhat amid a lack of trading activity in the market, Fastmarkets learned on Monday October 28.Russia-origin wire rod was available to foreign customers at $430-432 per tonne fob Black Sea compared with $435-440 per tonne fob last week. But the decrease has not sparked any interest among potential customers.Recent offers of Ukrainian wire rod we...Read More
China's rebar prices picked up on Monday October 28 in both the domestic and the export markets, but the outlook among futures traders remained pessimistic. Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,620-3,650 yuan ($513-517) per tonne, up 40 yuan per tonne Northern China (Beijing): 3,580-3,630 yuan per tonne, up 30 yuan per tonneThe spot price rose over the day amid active trading.But participants did not...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, grade...Read More