Chilean copper miner Antofagasta has requested the government to mediate discussions with the union of its flagship Los Pelambres mine, putting a brake on an imminent strike at one of the world's largest copper mines. The Los Pelambres union said on Monday October 7 that Antofagasta has requested mediation from the labor bureau of the Chilean government regarding a rejected remuneration package. T...Read More
Fastmarkets has amended the specifications of its two cobalt hydroxide price assessments to take account of chemical components, mine origin of material eligible for consideration, and publication frequency. Following a consultation, Fastmarkets has tightened the chemical specification of the cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China, % payable of Fastmarkets' standard-grade cobalt...Read More
Turkish steel mills continued to stay out of the deep-sea scrap markets on Tuesday October 8 with prices unchanged on a lack of fresh bookings, according to market sources. Market participants told Fastmarkets that mills in Turkey booked a lot of cargoes for November shipment and can now take a break and focus on finished steel markets. But market participants believe...Read More
Participants were expecting a stronger performance by the base metals on Tuesday October 8 following the reopening of Chinese markets, but futures prices on both the London Metal Exchange and Shanghai Futures Exchange have been mixed.On the LME, three-month copper, zinc and lead prices were firmer by an average of 0.5%, while nickel, tin and aluminium were down by an average of 1.1% - led by a 2.1...Read More
Poor demand continues to weigh on Indian silico-manganese prices. Indian silico-manganese prices now down for six weeks runningEuropean alloy prices hold steady in thin tradingManganese ore prices keep sliding on poor demand, plentiful supplyUS prices remain flat in inactive market. Indian silico-manganese export prices dropped for a sixth consecutive week due to persistent weak demand domesticall...Read More
Fastmarkets has amended the specifications of its two cobalt hydroxide price assessments to take account of chemical components, mine origin of material eligible for consideration, and publication frequency. Following a consultation, Fastmarkets has tightened the chemical specification of the cobalt hydroxide payable indicator, min 30% Co, cif China, % payable of Fastmarkets' standard-grade cobalt...Read More
Brazilian domestic flat steel prices fell in October, when discounts became more widespread and steelmakers were announcing price increases to try to reverse the trend.Fastmarkets' price assessment for steel hot-rolled coil, domestic, monthly, exw Brazil, was at 2,245-2,425 Reais ($546-590) per tonne on Friday October 4, down from 2,250-2,470 Reais per tonne on September 6.The assessment for&...Read More
Flat steel import prices into the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia were stable this week on limited demand, sources told Fastmarkets on Tuesday October 8.Buyers were reluctant to book large tonnages before prices hit a market bottom and end-user demand begins to improve, they said. UAE Offer prices for hot-rolled coil (HRC) from China were heard at $450-460 per tonne cfr this week, with offer...Read More
Export prices for Chinese cold-rolled coil and hot-dipped galvanized coil were unchanged during the week to Tuesday October 8 due to Golden Week - the week-long holiday to mark the country's 70th anniversary. Cold rolled coil Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for steel cold-rolled coil (CRC), export, fob China, was $500-505 per tonne on Tuesday October 8, unchanged from September 24. No of...Read More
The import price for steel billet in the United Arab Emirates has narrowed over the past week and both import and domestic prices for rebar have fallen slightly, with demand for products only moderate, sources said on Tuesday October 8.New domestic prices for rebar for the month were announced by the country's producers on September 26. Both Emirates Steel and Conares reduced their prices.Billet i...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices moved down on Tuesday October 8 on heightened selling interest and weak futures on the first working day after the country's Golden Week. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,740-3,780 yuan ($525-530) per tonne, down 20-30 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,590-3,630 yuan per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonneStockists who built up their inventories late in Septembe...Read More
The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for rebar, wire rod, beams and other long steel products.Latest transaction: rebar, wire rodRebar East China, domestic, grade III 16-25mm...Read More
Turkish steel mills continued to stay out of the deep-sea scrap markets on Tuesday October 8 with prices unchanged on a lack of fresh bookings, according to market sources. Market participants told Fastmarkets that mills in Turkey booked a lot of cargoes for November shipment and can now take a break and focus on finished steel markets. But market participants believe...Read More
Physical iron ore prices rose on Tuesday October 8 on likely easing production restrictions in north China.Fastmarkets iron ore indices 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $94.77 per tonne, up $1.39 per tonne. 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines, cfr Qingdao: $94.05 per tonne, up $1.14 per tonne.62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $93.50 per tonne, up $1.78 per tonne. 58% Fe fines high-premium, cfr Qingdao...Read More
Vale expects Chinese demand for iron ore pellets and pellet feed to rise by 50 million tonnes per year with mills in China increasing the usage of pellets in their blast furnaces.It estimates that pellet consumption could increase its proportion of the total raw material mix in blast furnaces from 11% in 2015 to 19% in 2025, according to a presentation that the Brazilian miner showed to investors...Read More
The import price for steel billet in the United Arab Emirates has narrowed over the past week and both import and domestic prices for rebar have fallen slightly, with demand for products only moderate, sources said on Tuesday October 8.New domestic prices for rebar for the month were announced by the country's producers on September 26. Both Emirates Steel and Conares reduced their prices.Billet i...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices moved down on Tuesday October 8 on heightened selling interest and weak futures on the first working day after the country's Golden Week. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,740-3,780 yuan ($525-530) per tonne, down 20-30 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,590-3,630 yuan per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonneStockists who built up their inventories late in Septembe...Read More
In a series of complaints, US steel and aluminium companies - among others - have alleged that four rail-service providers fixed their prices, overcharging customers by billions of dollars over a five-year period."In 2003, the four largest United States-based Class I railroads engaged in an extraordinary series of meetings, phone calls and email communications through which they embarked on a cons...Read More
The Brazilian automotive association, Anfavea, has lowered its forecast for production and sales in 2019, mainly due to a weak export market.Production is now estimated to reach a total of 2.94 million vehicles, compared with January's forecast of 3.14 million units, Anfavea said on Monday October 7.This would represent a growth of 2.1% from last year, when Brazil produced 2.88 million vehicles.An...Read More
Vale expects Chinese demand for iron ore pellets and pellet feed to rise by 50 million tonnes per year with mills in China increasing the usage of pellets in their blast furnaces.It estimates that pellet consumption could increase its proportion of the total raw material mix in blast furnaces from 11% in 2015 to 19% in 2025, according to a presentation that the Brazilian miner showed to investors...Read More