China's domestic rebar prices were unchanged on Monday October 21 despite falling futures, with steady demand providing some stability to the market. Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,580-3,610 yuan ($506-510) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Beijing): 3,550-3,590 yuan per tonne, unchangedOctober's mild weather makes it a seasonally strong month for the rebar market when it comes to demand. The retur...Read More
The tungsten market remained cautiously bullish in Europe and China in the week to Friday October 18 due to lingering positive sentiment and tightening concentrate supply in China. The Chinese ammonium paratungstate export price rose by 4.3% week on week in response to continued strengthening in the Chinese market, but some market participants said they expect further uptrend momentum to be limite...Read More
Brazilian import volumes of flat steel products dipped by 22.51% in September 2019 while long steel imports almost doubled, soaring by 96.86%, according to figures from the country's economy ministry.Imports of hot-rolled coil (HRC) from China were only 619 tonnes last month, compared with 15,589 tonnes a year before.Meanwhile, China exported only 2,827 tonnes of cold-rolled coil (CRC) to Brazil,...Read More
Brazilian import volumes of flat steel products dipped by 22.51% in September 2019 while long steel imports almost doubled, soaring by 96.86%, according to figures from the country's economy ministry.Imports of hot-rolled coil (HRC) from China were only 619 tonnes last month, compared with 15,589 tonnes a year before.Meanwhile, China exported only 2,827 tonnes of cold-rolled coil (CRC) to Brazil,...Read More
Turkish steel producers skipped the first working day of the week, with no deep-sea bookings concluded and prices steady, sources said on Monday October 21.As a result of lack of fresh trades, the daily scrap indices remained flat at the beginning of the week.Fastmarkets' daily index for steel scrap, HMS 1&2 (80:20 mix), Northern Europe origin, cfr Turkey, was...Read More
The three-month lead price on the London Metal Exchange was the standout performer on Monday October 21, closing at its highest level since July 2018 and breaching $2,200 per tonne despite moderate turnover. Lead futures on the LME closed at $2,211 per tonne this afternoon, a climb of more than 1.5% against Friday's close of $2,172 per tonne, while some 2,850 lots had been traded by the close, whi...Read More
Primary aluminium stocks at the three main Japanese ports (MJP) of Osaka, Nagoya and Yokohama rose by 0.1% month on month in September 2019, according to data released by major Japanese trading house Marubeni Corp on Monday October 21. Aluminium stocks at the three ports totaled 326,700 tonnes on September 30, up 600 tonnes from the end of August, marking the fourth consecutive monthly stock incre...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday October 21 that are worth another look.Brazilian apparent steel consumption was down by 6.4% in September, compared with the corresponding month in 2018, with demand retreating for both domestic and imported materials, national industry association Instituto A??o Brasil said on Thursday October 17.Estimated global primary alumini...Read More
The three-month lead price on the London Metal Exchange was the standout performer on Monday October 21, closing at its highest level since July 2018 and breaching $2,200 per tonne despite moderate turnover. Lead futures on the LME closed at $2,211 per tonne this afternoon, a climb of more than 1.5% against Friday's close of $2,172 per tonne, while some 2,850 lots had been traded by the close, whi...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices continued to retreat on Monday October 21 to just above $85 per tonne cfr China amid pessimism about prices and margins.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $85.40 per tonne, down by $0.96 per tonne.62% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, cfr Qingdao: $85.05 per tonne, down by $0.35 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $84.24 per tonne, down by $0.69 per...Read More
Trading activity in the seaborne coking coal market was muted on Monday October 21, following last week's prices increases.Fastmarkets indicesPremium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $151.77 per tonne, up $1.04 per tonnePremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $164.76 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $129.92 per tonne, up $4.42 per tonneHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $142.29 per tonne, u...Read More
Export steel slab prices from the CIS region continued to fall this week, under pressure from weak finished flat steel demand in the domestic and export markets.This was despite the reduced availability of slab from Ukraine and Russia amid maintenance works at the major mills.A cargo of Russian slab was sold to a buyer in Turkey at $350-355 per tonne cfr, equivalent to $335-340 per tonne...Read More
Export prices for hot-rolled and cold-rolled coil from the Commonwealth of Independent States continued to decline over the past week, with buyers still pessimistic and waiting for prices to reach the bottom, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday, October 21.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel HRC export, fob Black Sea, CIS was $375-385 per tonne on October 21, down from $380-395 per tonne a...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday October 21 that are worth another look.Brazilian apparent steel consumption was down by 6.4% in September, compared with the corresponding month in 2018, with demand retreating for both domestic and imported materials, national industry association Instituto A??o Brasil said on Thursday October 17.Estimated global primary alumini...Read More
Estimated global primary aluminium production fell by 3.2% month on month in September 2019, according to figures published by the International Aluminium Institute (IAI) on Monday October 21. Total worldwide primary aluminium output came to an estimated 50.1 million tonnes in September compared with around 53.3 million tonnes in August 2019. Depressed production figures were reported for all prim...Read More
The publication of Fastmarkets' quarterly aluminium 6063 extrusion quarterly billet premium, cif main Japanese ports (MJP) was delayed on October 18 due to a reporter error. The aluminium 6063 extrusion quarterly billet premium, cif MJP over the MJP ingot and London Metal Exchange cash price was calculated at $140-155 per tonne per tonne on Friday. The quarterly premium should have been publi...Read More
Unionised workers at Escondida, the world's largest copper mine, have threatened strike action, and have called on miners across Chile to 'paralyze' the mining industry, after a state of emergency was declared at the weekend.The state of emergency was instigated after a protest over fare rises on the country's metro system, erupted into deadly violence, with the military and police resor...Read More
The zinc price was nearing $2,500 per tonne on the upside in morning trading on Monday October 21 on the London Metal Exchange, with stock drawdowns boosting prices across the base metals.The three-month zinc price was recently at $2,472 per tonne, up from its close of $2,457 per tonne on Friday after 2,500 tonnes of zinc were booked out of LME-registered warehouses in New Orleans, taking on-warra...Read More
The global nickel market remained in the deficit in the first eight months of this year, with apparent demand exceeding production by 77,100 tonnes, according to figures released by the World Bureau of Metal Statistics (WBMS) last week.This compares with a deficit of 106,200 tonnes over the same period of 2018, although that for the whole of last year was lower, at 102,900 tonnes, the bureau told...Read More
Steel plate prices in the United States fell to their lowest in nearly two years on Friday October 18, but plate mills have been offering additional discounts in order to compete for orders, sources said.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel cut-to-length plate carbon grade, fob mill US slipped to $32 per hundredweight ($640 per short ton) on October 18, down by 4.5% from $33.50 per cwt fro...Read More