The latest bids, offers and deals in the global markets for iron ore, pig iron, direct-reduced iron and other steelmaking raw materials. Latest transaction: iron oreIron oreVale, Global Ore, 180,000 tonnes...Read More
Physical iron ore prices weakened on Thursday March 28 following losses in the futures markets.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $84.68 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.43 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $83.80 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.43 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $86.93 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.17 per tonne. MB 58% Fe Premium Index: $76.97 per tonne cfr Qi...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices were stable on Thursday March 28, with market participants awaiting the outcome of a miner's tender for direction.A cargo of second-tier hard coking coal was heard offered at $186 per tonne cfr China. The was no word of the cargo being sold by 6pm, the data collection cut-off time for the Fastmarkets MB daily coking coal indices.In the premium hard coking coal segment,...Read More
Brazil's Vale has adopted the Fastmarkets MB 65% Fe Iron Ore Index as the reference for the pricing of contract cargoes of its blast furnace and direct-reduction pellets in 2019."The [Fastmarkets MB 65% Fe Iron Ore Index] is the new reference index and the premiums for blast furnace and direct-reduction pellets remained the same as [that in] 2018 - $60 per tonne on average," the miner said on Thur...Read More
Nickel's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange was lower during morning trading on Thursday March 28, capped by broad strength in the US dollar index while risk-averse investors continue to defer commodity investment. Falling below $13,000 per tonne over the morning session, nickel's three-month price continues to trade in volatile swings either side of the support level, despite total LM...Read More
Arbitrage for copper, aluminium, zinc and nickel imported into China on Thursday March 28*Copper -$139.98 (-944.04 yuan) Aluminium -$293.97 (-1,982.63 yuan) Zinc -$148.71 (-1,002.96 yuan) Nickel -$356.58 (-2,404.90 yuan) *Fastmarkets calculates the physical arbitrage for import into China daily by using SHFE...Read More
China's domestic rebar market was flat on Thursday March 28, with mills' higher output discouraging buyers from placing bookings while lower inventory levels in the spot market kept sellers from lowering their prices.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,830-3,870 yuan ($570-576) per tonne, unchangedNorthern China (Beijing): 3,830-3,880 yuan per tonne, unchangedA declining futures market and data s...Read More
London Metal Exchange three-month base metals prices continue to produce sluggish price action, down 0.2% on average in the morning of Thursday March 28. Copper bucked the trend with a mild gain of 0.1% while aluminium was unchanged at $1,903 per tonne. But LME zinc and lead prices were down 0.1% while nickel and tin were down 0.5%. Trading volume was fairly subdued at 4,325 lots as of 6:48am Lond...Read More
Chinese import and export volumes of flat-rolled stainless steel shrank by nearly 50% year on year in February, amid the country's ongoing anti-dumping investigation into stainless hot-rolled and semi-finished products.Imports of stainless steel flat products into China totaled 85,788 tonnes in February, down by 68,630 tonnes or 44.4% from 154,418 tonnes in February 2018, according to Chinese cust...Read More
Persistently weak demand for stainless steel in China pushed down domestic prices for such products over the past week.Fastmarkets MB's domestic price assessment for benchmark 304 stainless cold-rolled coil in the major market of Wuxi was 14,500-14,900 yuan ($2,156-2,216) per tonne including value-added tax for the week ended Wednesday March 27, down 100-200 yuan per tonne from a week earlier.End-...Read More
China's intention to cut the rate of value-added tax to 13% has already been credited for an increase in imported ore prices and having a bearish effect on alloys, Fastmarkets heard on Wednesday March 27.The rate of VAT in the east Asian country applicable to manufacturers will be lowered from April 1 by 3 percentage points, to 13%, with the intention of stimulating China's slowing economy.The tax...Read More
Positive headlines regarding continuing US-China trade talks have fueled a recovery in global risk sentiment so far on Friday March 29, subsequently providing support to three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange. Nickel and zinc led the complex higher, both up by 0.8%, while copper followed close behind with a gain of 0.7%. Lead, tin and aluminium saw more moderate increases...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 10 points in pre-opening trade. Index futures responded to U.S. government comments that trade negotiations with China are "going well". The Shanghai Composite Index jumped 3.2%.Index futures were virtually unchanged following release of February Personal Income at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus for February Personal Income wa...Read More
A summary of London Metal Exchange warrant premiums from across the globe for the week to Wednesday March 27. Please click...Read More
Aluminium's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange was up by 1.3% at the close of trading on Wednesday March 27, closing once again at more than $1,900 per tonne although the volumes traded remained moderate, topping the complex at just over 12,000 lots changing hands.The light metal's three-month price fell to less than $1,900 per tonne at Tuesday's close, after trading above that mark si...Read More
Improving end-user demand boosted the US premium for 4x4 nickel cut cathode in the week ended Tuesday March 26, but European market participants were bearish leading to a flat market, and China was quiet due to a closed import window. US cut cathode premium moves up again European traders deterred by LME nickel contango China's trade mostly domestic, partly to avail of recent tax cuts U...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday March 27 that are worth another look.The new London Metal Exchange cash-settled alumina contract will help the exchange to retain its top spot as the global reference for the aluminium industry, according to LME business development analyst Antonio Masiero. While the market moves away from pricing alumina as a percentage of th...Read More
The alumina market could move into a surplus once Norsk Hydro's Alunorte refinery in Brazil increases its capacity and market tightness is alleviated, according to research by Fastmarkets analysts.The refinery, in Brazil's northern state of Par??, has been operating at 50% of its annual capacity since March 2018 due to environmental issues, but could reach 75-80% of capacity within two months of r...Read More
The new London Metal Exchange cash-settled alumina contract will help the exchange to retain its top spot as the global reference for the aluminium industry, according to LME business development analyst Antonio Masiero.Speaking at the Fastmarkets Bauxite & Alumina Conference in Miami on Wednesday March 27, Masiero said that, while the market moves away from pricing alumina as a percentage of the...Read More
An overview of the minor metals markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More