A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums from across the globe for the week to Wednesday June 12.Please click...Read More
The lead market in the United States is set to tighten due to the impact of Nyrstar declaring force majeure on lead supply contracts from its Port Pirie smelter in Australia, although US lead premiums are steady for now.In Shanghai, zinc premiums continued to fall due to low demand. European zinc premiums remained moribund despite mass cancellation of special high grade zinc ingots from local LME...Read More
Zinc's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange stayed above $2,500 per tonne at the close of trading on Wednesday June 12, with the moderate volumes traded indicating continued buying interest despite the cash/three-month spread being in a sizeable backwardation.The galvanizing metal showed a little more than 8,000 lots exchanged by the close, with total volumes valued at around $100 millio...Read More
Chilean state-owned copper producer Codelco significantly improved its rate of production during April, with copper output falling by just 6.4% compared with the same month of last year, data from the country's copper commission, Cochilco, showed on Monday June 10.Codelco produced 129,700 tonnes of copper in April, compared with 138,600 tonnes in the same month a year earlier. In March, the compan...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
Key data from the Wednesday June 12 pricing session in Europe.Key drivers- The European ferro-titanium price fell for the third consecutive week after six weeks of stability. - Demand has quietened after an initial bout of short-covering from mid-April when major European producer FE Mottram announced a production stoppage after a fire damaged its plant in the...Read More
Key data from the Wednesday June 12 pricing session in Europe.Key drivers- The European ferro-titanium price fell for the third consecutive week after six weeks of stability. - Demand has quietened after an initial bout of short-covering from mid-April when major European producer FE Mottram announced a production stoppage after a fire damaged its plant in the...Read More
Turkish steel mills booked more cargoes as they looked to take advantage of falling prices, sources said on Wednesday June 12.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a Canada-origin cargo, comprising 10,000 tonnes of shredded or HMS 1&2 (95:5), 8,000 tonnes of rail and 12,000 tonnes of plate and structural (P&S) at an average price of $305...Read More
Risk sentiment was borderline negative on the morning of Wednesday June 12 after the possibility of US President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping meeting later this month at the Group of Twenty (G20) Summit in Japan was dubbed extremely unlikely.Trump threatened more tariffs on Chinese imports if there is not enough progress on trade negotiations with China or if the meeting with President Xi d...Read More
The flexibility to either produce lithium carbonate or hydroxide is essential to surviving in the lithium industry in the coming years, market participants said at Fastmarkets' 11th Lithium Supply and Markets Conference in Santiago, Chile, on Tuesday June 11.With lithium hydroxide continuing to grow in market share globally, participants expect the material to overtake lithium carbonate as the pre...Read More
Turkish pipe export prices have gone down slightly because of imminent seasonal holiday absences and the start of a new import quota period in Europe, sources said on Wednesday June 12.Fastmarkets' monthly export price assessment for Turkey-origin EN10219-standard, grade-S235 tube, with 2mm wall thickness, fell to $560-580 per tonne fob on June 12, from $570-590 per tonne on May 8.Pipe mills in Tu...Read More
Arvedi Group has warned that it expects 2019 to be a "difficult year" on a number of factors, including a struggling economy, high imports and the effects of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions quotas on energy costs, president Giovanni Arvedi said.Imports of hot-rolled coil, a key Arvedi product, to Italy increased by 54% in the first four months of 2019 compared with the same period in 2018, the Ital...Read More
Eastern China's hot-rolled coil prices retreated on Wednesday June 12 after trading thinned following a short-lived rebound a day earlier.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,830-3,840 yuan ($554-555) per tonne, down 10 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,780-3,800 yuan per tonne, unchangedTrading activity fell after prices bounced back on Tuesday, tracking an overall retreat in the country's...Read More
ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steelmaker, is developing a transformation plan for its Belval and Differdange long steel sites in Luxembourg, a company spokeswoman told Fastmarkets in the week beginning Monday June 10.The plan will affect the sales and maintenance departments, Luxembourg labor minister Dan Kersch told a parliamentary committee in the country last week."The project does not inv...Read More
Domestic prices for hollow steel sections in both Northern and Southern Europe moved up this week on higher feedstock costs and increased offer prices at mills, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday June 12.Fastmarkets' domestic price assessment for commodity-size, grade-S235 square hollow sections made in Northern Europe was ?,?620-640 ($702-724) per tonne delivered on Wednesday, up from ?,?600-6...Read More
Prices for rebar produced and delivered in Southern Europe remained unchanged on Wednesday June 12 amid limited trading activity, market participants told Fastmarkets."Nothing has changed and steel producers don't want to sell at a cheaper price," a trader in Italy said.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic rebar in Southern Europe was ?,?495-515 ($560-583) per tonne delivered on...Read More
Turkish steel mills booked more cargoes as they looked to take advantage of falling prices, sources said on Wednesday June 12.A steel mill in the Iskenderun region booked a Canada-origin cargo, comprising 10,000 tonnes of shredded or HMS 1&2 (95:5), 8,000 tonnes of rail and 12,000 tonnes of plate and structural (P&S) at an average price of $305...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices were generally rangebound on Wednesday June 12, while buying interest remained for Australian Pilbara Blend products.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $106.60 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.01 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $105.40 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.01 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $111.10 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $1.89 per tonne....Read More
Iranian steel billet producers came to the market this week with offer prices that were lower than those heard before the holiday last week to mark the end of Ramadan, amid reduced demand in both foreign and domestic outlets.Billet was on offer from the Middle Eastern country for delivery in August at $390-395 per tonne fob Iranian ports in the week ended Wednesday June 12. This was down from offe...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices withdrew on Wednesday June 12 on lower list prices and declining futures.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,880-3,920 yuan ($561-567) per tonne, down 20 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,790-3,840 yuan per tonne, down 10-20 yuan per tonneA few major rebar producers lowered their ex-works prices over the past two days, which put pressure on the spot market, s...Read More