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
Cold heading quality (CHQ) and high-carbon wire rod prices in the United States have again been dented by lower ferrous scrap costs and ongoing soft demand, Fastmarkets has learned.Fastmarkets' assessment for steel wire rod cold-heading quality, ddp was at $35.50 per hundredweight ($710 per short ton) on Friday October 18, down by 7.8% from $38.50 per cwt one month earlier and off by 22....Read More
ArcelorMittal has appointed Jorge Luiz Ribeiro de Oliveira to be chief executive officer at AM/NS Calvert, a steel mill jointly owned by the company and Nippon Steel, it said on Monday October 21.The executive was, until August this year, the vice president for flat steel at the South American branch of ArcelorMittal. He has worked...Read More
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.Consumption totaled 1.78 million tonnes during the month, down from 1.9 million tonnes in an annual comparison, according to the institute's...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More
Turkish domestic scrap prices increased up over the past week in response to rising imported scrap values, sources said on Monday October 21.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel scrap, auto bundle scrap, domestic, delivered Turkey, was TRY1,380-1,505 ($239-261) per tonne on Monday, up from the TRY1,300-1,430 per tonne of last week.The upturn in the assessment came following rising b...Read More
The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for iron ore, pig iron, direct-reduced iron and other steelmaking raw materials.Latest transactions: iron oreIron oreRio Tinto, tender, 170,000 tonnes of 61% Fe Pilbara Blend fines, traded at $83.68 per tonne cfr China,...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
Seaborne iron ore concentrate prices fell last week, with narrower discounts, while pellet prices continued to edge upward despite pressure from rising port stock levels in China.ConcentrateThe weekly Fastmarkets index for iron ore 66% Fe concentrate, cfr Qingdao, stood at $95.32 per tonne last Friday October 18, down by $4.56 per tonne week on week.The daily Fastmarkets index for iron ore 65% Fe...Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices were mixed on Monday October 21, with those in the eastern region gaining some stability while the market in the north weakened further.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,500-3,510 yuan ($494-496) per tonne, narrowing upward by 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,480 yuan per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonneMills in northern China lowered their offer...Read More
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
Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were mixed during the morning trading session on Monday October 21, with a rebound in the dollar exerting some downward pressure on the complex.The US currency has recovered following a decline in the British pound after the UK parliament forced Prime Minister Boris Johnson to seek a delay to an October 31 deadline for Britain's departure from th...Read More