The inter-merchant spot market for UK light iron has been unchanged over the week to Friday July 26, extending a steady trend for the fifth consecutive week while being supported on limited volumes of material made available to major processors, sources told Fastmarkets.Fastmarkets' assessment of the price for steel scrap 5C, loose old light, domestic, inter-merchant, was ?80-100 ($100-125) per t...Read More
Global ferrous scrap prices moved down during the week ended Friday July 26, because of lower priced deals, weak demand and high inventories. Turkish import prices down on fresh deals US export prices down on recent deals Asian import prices down on high inventories Indian prices continue to fall in weak market.TurkeyTurkish steel producers made four cargo purchases this week for August shipments....Read More
Turkish steel producers booked two new cargoes while the week came to an end with prices remaining largely stable, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday July 26.News of both cargoes only emerged on July 26 - both were reportedly sold yesterday, sources told Fastmarkets. A steel mill in the Iskenderun booked a US-origin cargo comprising 11,000-15,000 tonnes of HMS 1&2 (80:20) at $294 per tonne, 5,000-...Read More
The price of shredded ferrous scrap imported into India continued to fall this week due to a continuing lack of demand, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday July 26.Fastmarkets' weekly price for steel scrap, shredded, index, import, cfr Nhava Sheva, India, was $311.50 per tonne on July 26, down from $314.23 per tonne on July 19.Offer prices for shredded scrap moved down again this week to $305-320 p...Read More
Iron ore prices continued to rebound on Friday July 26 amid rumors that China could be less strict with its steelmaking restrictions next winter.Fastmarkets' index for iron ore 62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $118.31 per tonne, up by $1.31 per tonne.Fastmarkets' index for iron ore 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines, cfr Qingdao: $118.23 per tonne, up by $1.31 per tonne.Fastmarkets' index for iron ore 62% Fe lo...Read More
China's hot-rolled coil prices moved up slightly in both the domestic and export markets on Friday July 26, with market participants expecting further restrictions on output in August.. DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,850-3,870 yuan ($560-563) per tonne, up 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,850-3,860 yuan per tonne, up 10 yuan per tonneMills in Tangshan, the country's stee...Read More
Aluminium inventories held in Shanghai Futures Exchange-approved warehouses fell 6% week on week, as of Friday July 26, on better-than-expected downstream demand and optimism over the upcoming US-China trade talks scheduled for next week.Deliverable aluminium stocks at SHFE-approved warehouse dropped 25,622 tonnes to 396,400 tonnes in the week to July 26. The largest aluminium decline over the wee...Read More
Nickel's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange was the standout performer during morning trading on Friday July 26, gaining some $200 per tonne while the rest of the complex consolidated lower. The metal's outright price fell below the $14,000-per-tonne threshold briefly on Wednesday, before closing above the mark amid moderately low turnover.Similarly, volumes traded across the complex r...Read More
With little changed in the big picture, markets continue to oscillate while they consolidate - US and European equity indices were lower on Thursday July 25 and most Asian equities were weaker this morning.London Metal Exchange lead price remains directional, other base metals are working sideways.US second-quarter GDP data out on Friday likely to set the tone.Base metalsVolume on the LME remains...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
The following Fastmarkets minor metals prices changed on Friday July 26:Minor metalsBismuth 99.99% Bi min, in-whs Rotterdam, $/lb: $2.75-2.90 per lb from $2.85-3.00Bismuth 99.99% Bi min, in-whs China, yuan/tonne: 41,500-42,500 yuan per tonne from 41,000-42,000 yuanChromium alumino-thermic 99% min, in-whs Rotterdam, $/tonne: $7,200-7,500 from $7,350-7,600Cobalt alloy...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves. Read More
The price of stainless-steel flat products in Europe increased this week because of higher monthly alloy surcharges for August, which themselves have increased on a spike in nickel costs this month, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday July 26. Fastmarkets' assessment of the stainless steel cold-rolled sheet 2mm grade 304 transaction domestic, delivered North Europe, price was ?,?2,190-2,250 ($2,440...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in China, Europe and the United States for the week ending Friday July 26. China Chrome ore prices continued to rise amid bullish sentiment and strong demand from downstream consumers even though some smelters are running at a loss. Chinese major stainless steel mill Tsingshan released its August tender price at 6,296 yuan...Read More
Producers of hot-rolled (HR) stainless flat steel in Europe have sufficient spare capacity to service the EU market, "with domestic deliveries having lost out to massive rises in import levels, despite the EU safeguard measures," European steel association Eurofer told Fastmarkets on Friday July 26.EU producers of stainless HR sheets and strips had average capacity utilization of 69-73% in the yea...Read More
Mill maintenancesin South Korea and weak demand from end users have caused ferrous scrap import prices in Asia to fall week on week.Two electric-arc furnace-based steel mills in South Korea have started mill maintenances, while another EAF-based mill and one major integrated mill in South Korea will start mill maintenances from end-July.Weak downstream steel markets and high inventory levels in ke...Read More
The three-month price of nickel on the London Metal Exchange continued its descent at the close of trading on Thursday July 25, falling by some 3.4% to close just above the $14,000 per tonne threshold, while lead futures climbed by 1.5% to breach nearby resistance levels.Three-month nickel futures closed at $14,075 per tonne in the afternoon, tumbling from an intraday high of $14,545 per tonne des...Read More
The London Metal Exchange has launched a consultation process on warehousing reforms that aims to attract higher stock levels, Matthew Chamberlain, LME chief executive, announced on Thursday July 25. The consultation began on Thursday and is open until September 2019. It includes changes to evergreen rent deals and the controversial queue-based rent capping (QBRC) rule as well as the introduction...Read More
Nickel's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange was lower during morning trading on Thursday July 25, selling off by some 3.8% across European trading hours against weak economic data from the region. The metal's three-month price fell to an intra-morning low of $13,995 per tonne in this morning's session, down by just under 4% from Wednesday's closing price of $14,550 per tonne. The...Read More
Canadian minor metals and specialty chemicals producer 5N Plus has "significantly" reduced the production of bismuth at its refining and recycling facilities and will increase procurement of the material due to low metal prices, the company said on Monday July 22. Until now, 5N Plus has relied on process technologies to extract bismuth from the various residues and secondary streams in its refinin...Read More