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
The prospects for global economic growth through to 2024 will be no better than average while trade tensions between the United States and China continue, Citibank's Catherine Mann said at the London Metal Exchange seminar on Monday October 28. "What's happening in global economic growth? Citibank's managing director and global chief economist told delegates in a presentation at the...Read More
The metals industry needs to be smarter and play a bigger part in reducing its carbon footprint over the next decade to thrive in 2020, chief executive officer of Rio Tinto, Jean-Sebastien Jacques, said.The industry needs to be smarter at spotting trends and acting on them, as well as smarter at building new partnerships and connecting with society, Jacques said during his keynote address at the L...Read More
Brazil's largest producer of flat-rolled steel, Usiminas, sees room for a domestic price increase to be implemented before the year-end because the dfegree of parity with import prices has been closer than historical levels, commercial vice-president Miguel Homes said on Friday October 25.While traditionally local steel is sold at a 10% premium over imports, taking into account duties and taxes, t...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
Fastmarkets has amended the date of its latest steel slab import, cfr Southeast Asia/East Asia price.This price was published on October 28, 2019 but appeared incorrectly with a date of October 27, 2019. The date has now been corrected. Fastmarkets' price book and database have been updated to reflect this change. The price value that was originally published was and is correct.For more informatio...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. ...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
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
Brazilian miner Vale has shortened the terms of contracts for iron ore pellet premiums to a quarterly basis this year to adjust to the market's volatility.Since the third quarter of the year, the company has been negotiating its pellet premiums on a quarterly basis. Vale's pellet premium contracts were previously settled on an annual basis."We started the year with annual premiums [for p...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
Pig iron buyers in the United States have restarted their purchasing activity at higher prices because of a materials shortage, sources told Fastmarkets during the week ended Friday October 25.Fastmarkets' price assessment for pig iron, import, cfr Gulf of Mexico, US, was $305-312 per tonne on October 25, up from $300-310 per tonne a week earlier.At least four pig iron cargoes were booked from the...Read More
More seaborne iron ore concentrate brands turned from discount to premium against the index last week, while the pellet segment remained weak.ConcentratesFastmarkets' weekly index for iron ore 66% Fe concentrate, cfr Qingdao was at $95.02 per tonne on Friday October 25, down $0.30 from a week earlier. The daily Fastmarkets index for iron ore 65% Fe Brazil-origin fines, cfr Qingdao, averaged $95.24...Read More
The zinc price rose in morning trading on the London Metal Exchange on Monday October 28, finding support above $2,500 per tonne, with the forward spreads remaining tight. The three-month zinc price recently traded at $2,530 per tonne, with around 4,300 lots having changed hands by 9:50am London time. Also supportive was the cancellation of 2,125 tonnes across LME-registered warehouses in Asi...Read More
Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were up across the board during Asian morning trading session on Monday October 28, with overall market sentiment buoyed by the positive progress in the trade negotiation between China and the United States, the world's two largest economies. "Risk-on sentiment followed positive news on progress of phase one of the US-China trade deal...... Easin...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in Asia and Europe in the week to Friday October 25. China Key driversThe price of antimony, MMTA standard grade II, ddp China held steady last week, having previously risen after the auction early in September of stocks held by the collapsed Fanya Metal Exchange. Some domestic antimony suppliers stopped raising their offer prices any further because of a lack of...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
Operations at the Ramu nickel-cobalt project in northeast Papua New Guinea have restarted after a temporary closure, Reuters reported on Monday 28 October.The Ramu nickel-cobalt project in northeastern Papua-New Guinea was confirmed to have been shut down on Wednesday October 23. The closure came after it was discovered by regional authorities on August 30 that...Read More
The global vanadium market weakened further last week because of lackluster consumer interest and persistently poor sentiment.The export price of ferro-vanadium in China dropped again on Thursday October 24 after some exporters lowered their expectations about the tradeable price in response to the significant drop in the domestic market.Fastmarkets assessed the export price of ferro-vanadium, 78%...Read More