Turkey produced 22.55 million tonnes of crude steel in January-August 2019, down by 10.46% from 25.19 million tonnes in the corresponding eight-month period of last year, the Turkish Steel Producers Association (T???oeD) said last week.The drop in output was largely attributed to subdued end-user demand and weakening export markets for Turkish steel.The European Commission (EC) imposed definitive...Read More
Chinese ferro-silicon smelters held their offer prices, which earlier this month hit a 27-month low, last week in expectation of renewed demand from consumers in the steel sector ahead of a national holiday next week, while in Europe steelmakers seemed in no rush to replenish their ferro-alloys feedstocks. China ferro-silicon market stable ahead of new tenders due before a public holiday next wee...Read More
The market for low carbon ferro-chrome (0.10% C) in Europe rose on Friday September 20, indicating that prices had bottomed-out at a historic low level, with demand remaining subdued. Rise in low- and high-carbon alloy prices in Europe Spot alloy prices firm in China on higher Tisco tender price Imported alloy price in China steady Imported chrome ore prices stable US alloys fall amid weak demand....Read More
The three-month zinc price on the London Metal Exchange was higher at the close of trading on Monday September 23, closing above the $2.300 per tonne threshold and topping the gains in the base metals complex, while sister-metal lead fell furthest over the afternoon.Zinc futures closed at $2,331 per tonne in the afternoon, breaching nearby resistance despite moderately thin turnover, with just ove...Read More
Sentiment in the ammonium paratungstate (APT) market improved in the week ended Friday September 20 following a successful auction of the entire stock of tungsten held by the defunct Fanya exchange, while concentrates prices jumped by another 2.6% with support from continued supply tightness. Successful Fanya APT auction supports Chinese, European markets Concentrates prices continue to rise on ti...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories from Monday September 23 that are worth another look.China has announced a fourth round of copper scrap import quotas to allow an extra 31,658 tonnes of copper scrap into the country by the end of 2019, the environmental ministry said on September 23.Faced with high and increasing emissions costs during a period of challenging market conditions, the steel indus...Read More
Faced with high and increasing emissions costs during a period of challenging market conditions, the steel industry is driving a change toward carbon neutral and fossil-fuel-free steel production in a bid to evolve and stay afloat.Many European steel producers have reported significant falls in profits in recent results due to weaker demand for steel during an economic downturn, the disruption of...Read More
The three-month zinc price on the London Metal Exchange was higher at the close of trading on Monday September 23, closing above the $2.300 per tonne threshold and topping the gains in the base metals complex, while sister-metal lead fell furthest over the afternoon.Zinc futures closed at $2,331 per tonne in the afternoon, breaching nearby resistance despite moderately thin turnover, with just ove...Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices rebounded on Monday September 23 with market participants expecting a supply drop due to production cuts, while exporters remained relatively conservative amid fierce competition from abroad.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,650-3,670 yuan ($515-517) per tonne, up 50-60 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,600 yuan per tonne, up 40-60 yuan per tonneB...Read More
Trading activity for seaborne coking coal was muted on Monday September 23, with market participants awaiting fresh offers.Premium hard coking coal, fob DBCT: $128.19 per tonne, unchangedPremium hard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $154.98 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, fob DBCT: $122.50 per tonne, unchangedHard coking coal, cfr Jingtang: $132.76 per tonne, unchangedLow-vol PCI, fob DBCT: $98.94...Read More
Turkey produced 22.55 million tonnes of crude steel in January-August 2019, down by 10.46% from 25.19 million tonnes in the corresponding eight-month period of last year, the Turkish Steel Producers Association (T???oeD) said last week.The drop in output was largely attributed to subdued end-user demand and weakening export markets for Turkish steel.The European Commission (EC) imposed definitive...Read More
Turkish steel mills were still booking deep-sea scrap at stable prices at the start of the week while negotiations for further transactions continued, sources said on Monday September 23.A steel producer in the Iskenderun region booked a US cargo, comprising 22,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $233 per tonne, 4,000 tonnes of shredded at $238 per tonne and 4,000 tonnes of bonus at $243 per tonne cf...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories from Monday September 23 that are worth another look.China has announced a fourth round of copper scrap import quotas to allow an extra 31,658 tonnes of copper scrap into the country by the end of 2019, the environmental ministry said on September 23.Faced with high and increasing emissions costs during a period of challenging market conditions, the steel indus...Read More
China has announced a fourth round of copper scrap import quotas to allow an extra 31,658 tonnes of copper scrap into the country by the end of 2019, the environmental ministry said on Monday September 23. The latest quota, permitting less shipments than in the previous three releases, brings the total volume of copper scrap imports allowed into the country in the second half of 2019 to 484,767 to...Read More
First Quantum, owner of Kansanshi copper mine, is in discussions to sell part of its stake in Zambian copper assets to leading Chinese copper producer Jiangxi Copper, the miner said on Monday September 23. The Toronto-listed miner said the potential sale of a minority interest in its Zambian copper asset is ongoing and no transaction has been agreed at this stage. It did not disclose which asset i...Read More
The spot copper concentrates treatment and refining charge (TC/RC) index rose for the third week in a row on Friday September 20 after extra Grasberg tonnages were offered in the market amid limited smelter appetite, with the market viewing this as a potential turning point for spot terms ahead of annual benchmark negotiations. Fastmarkets' benchmark copper TC/RC index cif Asia Pacific rose t...Read More
The three-month nickel price on the London Metal Exchange rose by 1.8% during morning trading on Monday September 23 after more than 19,000 tonnes of material was freshly canceled out of LME-listed warehouses. The nickel futures price recently traded at $17,690 per tonne, rising from Friday's closing price of $17,455 per tonne. One driver of the uptick was the fresh cancellation of 19,650 tonnes o...Read More
Base metals prices on the Shanghai Futures Exchange were largely down during the morning trading session on Monday September 23, with risk sentiment deteriorating following negative developments in United States-China trade negotiations.The latest face-to-face talks in Washington between trade negotiators from both the US and China at the end of last week seem to have failed to yield any fruitful...Read More
The federal court in Bel?(C)m, Brazil, has lifted one of the embargoes on Alunorte's new bauxite residue deposit area, producer Norsk Hydro announced on Friday September 20. An embargo was put in place at Hydro's Alunorte alumina refinery on March 1, 2018, to suspend the use of the solid waste deposit 2 (DRS2). The first embargo lifted was under a civil lawsuit but Alunorte is still subject to a s...Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices rebounded on Monday September 23 with market participants expecting a supply drop due to production cuts, while exporters remained relatively conservative amid fierce competition from abroad.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,650-3,670 yuan ($515-517) per tonne, up 50-60 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tangshan): 3,600 yuan per tonne, up 40-60 yuan per tonneB...Read More