Safeguard measures against billet imported into Vietnam from Malaysia and Kazakhstan will be reinstated from June 13, according to an announcement by Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) on May 29.Vietnam's MIT previously granted Malaysia and Kazakhstan exemptions from the tariffs, which amount to 17.3%, in November 2018 after it found that the two countries' combined billet export volum...Read More
China's rebar prices resumed its downtrend on Friday May 31 amid declining futures, though the outlook for the market over the next week remains mixed.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,940-3,980 yuan ($570-576) per tonne, down 50 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,880-3,950 yuan per tonne, narrowed down 10-40 yuan per tonneTrading activity during the day was thinner than that on Thursday...Read More
An overview of the noble alloys markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
Transaction prices for grade-304 stainless steel sheet narrowed lower this week ahead of lower alloy surcharges officially taking effect from June 1, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday May 31. Fastmarkets' price assessment for grade-304 cold-rolled stainless steel sheet was ?,?2,200-2,260 ($2,449-2,516) per tonne delivered to Northern Europe on Friday, down by ?,?40 per tonne on the high side from...Read More
Hebei Steel, China's largest steel mill, has kept its purchase price for silico-manganese unchanged at 7,600 yuan ($1,099) per tonne for June delivery, with suppliers trying to maintain higher offers amid rebounding prices in both the spot and futures markets, market sources told Fastmarkets MB.Hebei Steel, as the majority of market participants had expected, initially bid at 7,500 yuan per tonne...Read More
Brazil-based miner Vale said fragments of the northern slope of the Gongo Soco mine pit slipped early on Friday May 31 but did not have any adverse effects on the nearby Sul Superior dam."These pieces settled gently at the bottom of the pit, with early assessments indicating that the wall is sliding gradually, verifying evaluations that any further slippage should occur without major consequence,"...Read More
Safeguard measures against billet imported into Vietnam from Malaysia and Kazakhstan will be reinstated from June 13, according to an announcement by Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) on May 29.Vietnam's MIT previously granted Malaysia and Kazakhstan exemptions from the tariffs, which amount to 17.3%, in November 2018 after it found that the two countries' combined billet export volum...Read More
The workable price for pig iron in the United States fell in the week to Friday May 31, mainly due to reduced demand for hot-rolled coil, sources told Fastmarkets.Earlier in the week, several pig iron cargoes were booked from Russia and Ukraine at about $350-355 per tonne cfr, which was slightly down on bookings in earlier in May, which were done at around $355 per tonne cfr. B...Read More
South American import prices for flat-rolled steel have gone down over the past week, following downturn in China and amid sluggish demand in the region, market sources said on Friday May 31.Fastmarkets assessed the import price of cold-rolled coil (CRC) in South America at $590-595 per tonne cfr on May 31, down from $600-610 per tonne a week before. The price of hot-dipped galvanized coil (HDG) w...Read More
Brazil-based miner Vale said fragments of the northern slope of the Gongo Soco mine pit slipped early on Friday May 31 but did not have any adverse effects on the nearby Sul Superior dam."These pieces settled gently at the bottom of the pit, with early assessments indicating that the wall is sliding gradually, verifying evaluations that any further slippage should occur without major consequence,"...Read More
Global ferrous scrap prices showed different dynamics during the working week ended Friday May 31, with Turkish import prices declining on limited buying activity and Asian import prices rising or holding their ground on steady demand. Turkish import prices down on lackluster rebar sales US export prices up on weekly basis, but latest sale closed lower Vietnam prices flat, Taiwan prices rise on st...Read More
Zinc's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange was lower at the close of trading on Friday May 31, settling just above $2,500 per tonne, while continued tightness across the metal's forward curve deterred fresh buying.Participants seeking to purchase the galvanizing metal must now factor a cash/three-month backwardation of $144 per tonne in, while nearby spreads also remain less favorable f...Read More
Seaborne iron ore prices fell further on Friday May 31 amid losses in the futures and steel markets.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $101.60 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down by $2.27 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $100.08 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down by $2.27 per tonne.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $105.53 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down by $2.13 per tonne.MB 58% Fe Premium Index: $94.55 pe...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices have ended this week lower, and expectations are rife that the market would weaken further, which prompted buyers to sit things out on Friday May 31.The Fastmarkets MB fob Australia Premium Hard Coking Coal Index stood at $201.59 per tonne during the day, unchanged from a day earlier but down 1.3% from that on Monday.The Fastmarkets MB cfr China Premium Hard Coking Coal...Read More
Alloy steel scrap prices in the UK and Europe were stable this week but decreases were expected next month because of diminishing demand, sources told Fastmarkets on Friday May 31.The market this week was described as stable and uneventful, as regards prices. But the lack of a price reaction to the lower demand was due, at least in part, to the fact that prices had recently fallen by a significant...Read More
Zinc's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange was lower at the close of trading on Friday May 31, settling just above $2,500 per tonne, while continued tightness across the metal's forward curve deterred fresh buying.Participants seeking to purchase the galvanizing metal must now factor a cash/three-month backwardation of $144 per tonne in, while nearby spreads also remain less favorable f...Read More
Tin's forwards spreads on the London Metal Exchange narrowed significantly over the week ended Friday May 31, easing from their widest backwardation since 2015.This came after a flurry of inflows led to an uptick of more than 80% in LME stocks over May, quelling some concerns about market instability.The metal's cash/three-month spread narrowed from $320 per tonne earlier this week, to trade at $1...Read More
An overview of the battery raw materials markets and their latest price moves.Read More
Copper concentrate treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) went up marginally in late May from record low levels on May 24, while traders continued to take spot tonnages at similar terms and smelters became more active.Fastmarkets' Asia-Pacific TC/RC index rose to $58.90 per tonne/5.89 cents per lb on Friday May 31, compared with $58.30 per tonne/5.83 cents per lb a week ago when it was at the low...Read More
Customers of Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) told Fastmarkets that copper deliveries for May have arrived on time and June deliveries are not expected to be affected by the Zambian government's recent liquidation order of the 310,000 tonne per year facility. The Zambian government filed an official document to the High Court to liquidate the assets of KCM, which is majority-owned by Vedanta Resources,...Read More