Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Monday March 18 that are worth another look.Bulk alloy suppliers are reporting increased prompt demand from British consumers amid concerns about potential supply disruptions when the United Kingdom leaves the European Union. A preliminary decision from a court in Brazil's Itabira city, in the country's southeastern Minas Gerais st...Read More
The expectation for higher tender prices for chrome ore in April supported the prices for ore in China and for alloy in Japan and South Korea, Fastmarkets heard on Monday March 18. UG2 and Turkish lumpy ore prices rise Domestic alloy price climbs in China Alloy prices in Europe, Japan, South Korea increase Imported alloy prices stable in US, China.Prices for chrome ore imported into China and in C...Read More
Treatment and refining charges (TC/RCs) for spot copper concentrates dropped sharply in early March with Chinese smelters entering the market in earnest for units, while a lack of supply from blockaded Las Bambas mine has also prompted spot buying. The Fastmarkets TC/RC index for spot copper concentrates dropped by $5.3 per tonne / 0.53 cents per lb on March 15 to $69/6.9 cents, the lowest si...Read More
Key data from the pricing sessions in London and Shanghai on Friday March 15.China- The Chinese grade 553 silicon export price rose to $1,560-1,620 per tonne on March 15 from $1,550-1,610 per tonne on March 8, reflecting a resumption in demand- The grade 553 silicon price has been underpinned by improved buying interest from Southeast Asian traders and buyers, while market participants also noted...Read More
The Chinese antimony price downtrend entered its third consecutive week amid persistently thin buying interest from the country's downstream market in the latest assessment period ended Wednesday March 13. Fastmarkets assessed the price of MMTA standard-grade II antimony, delivered duty-paid in China, at 46,000-46,500 yuan ($6,844-6,918) per tonne on Wednesday, down by 2.6% from 47,000-48,000 yuan...Read More
German steelmakers have settled their monthly scrap contracts for March at largely stable prices, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday March 18.Fastmarkets' monthly price assessment for domestic grade-E3 scrap in Germany was ?,?265-285 ($300-323) per tonne delivered on March 15, unchanged over the month. The assessment represented deals heard in the market.Although the price range remained stable, s...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap import markets went quiet at the beginning of the week, with mills expecting to hear lower offer prices, sources said on Monday March 18.Most of the offers in the market were around $330 per tonne cfr for United States-origin HMS 1&2 (80:20), while mills were looking for $315-320 per tonne, sources said.The expectation for lower prices was a consequence of the strength o...Read More
The Comex copper price ticked higher in morning trading on Monday March 18 with markets awaiting a resolution to the US-China trade negotiations that have dictated investor sentiment for months. The copper price for May settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange gained 1.65 cents to $2.9225 per lb. "Ongoing US/China trade talks remain under way... as the two sides continu...Read More
Three-month base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were for the most part little changed this morning, Monday March 18, the exception being copper, whose price was up by 0.7% at $6,474 per tonne, compared with $6,431.50 per tonne at Friday's close.Volume was average, with 6,328 lots traded on LME Select as at 7.23am London time, compared with 19,661 lots at a similar time on Friday. Spot...Read More
The market for flat steel exports from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) remained relatively unchanged at the start of this week amid low availability, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday March 18.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for CIS-origin exports of hot-rolled coil (HRC) was $510-520 per tonne fob Black Sea on March 14, narrowing from $500-525 per tonne fob Black Sea a week bef...Read More
Import prices for re-rolling-grade hot-rolled coil sold into Vietnam widened down over the past week amid lower buying activity.Fastmarkets MB's weekly import price assessment for HRC in Southeast Asia - which mainly looks at Chinese 2-3mm SAE1006 HRC and equivalent grades sold into Vietnam - was $545-555 per tonne cfr for the week to Monday, down $5 per tonne at the lower end of the range.A...Read More
China's domestic hot-rolled coil prices experienced a strong rebound on Monday March 18 with buyers making a rush for materials ahead of a reduction in the country's value-added tax on April 1.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 3,860-3,870 yuan ($575-576) per tonne, up 60-70 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Tianjin): 3,810-3,830 yuan per tonne, up 60 yuan per tonneTrading activity was robust in both S...Read More
Prices for cold-heading quality (CHQ) and high-carbon wire rod remained stable month over month in the United States, although sources offered varied reports on market activity. Fastmarkets AMM again assessed the price for cold-heading quality wire rod at $46 per hundredweight ($920 per short ton) North American delivered duty paid Great Lakes region on Friday March 15 and that for high...Read More
Import prices for rebar sold into Singapore narrowed upward slightly in the past week amid higher bids from end users.Fastmarkets MB's import price assessment for rebar in Southeast Asia - which mainly looks at cargoes sold into Singapore on a theoretical weight basis - was $500-510 per tonne cfr for the week to Monday March 18, narrowing upward by $5 per tonne from the previous week.Turkish rebar...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices moved higher on Monday March 18 as stockists looked to replenish inventories, despite many spot traders opting to sit on the sidelines as they digest the implications of the reduction in the Chinese value-added tax (VAT) rate from next month.Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,850-3,900 yuan ($573-581) per tonne, up 40-50 yuan per tonne Northern China (Beij...Read More
A preliminary decision from a court in Brazil's Itabira city, in the country's southeastern Minas Gerais state, has ordered Vale to suspend activities at two of its tailings dams, following a request from the Minas Gerais state prosecutors' office, MPMG.Vale immediately complied with the decision, which affects the dams of Minervino and Cord??o Nova Vista, part of the Cau?? mine, the company said...Read More
German steelmakers have settled their monthly scrap contracts for March at largely stable prices, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday March 18.Fastmarkets' monthly price assessment for domestic grade-E3 scrap in Germany was ?,?265-285 ($300-323) per tonne delivered on March 15, unchanged over the month. The assessment represented deals heard in the market.Although the price range remained stable, s...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap import markets went quiet at the beginning of the week, with mills expecting to hear lower offer prices, sources said on Monday March 18.Most of the offers in the market were around $330 per tonne cfr for United States-origin HMS 1&2 (80:20), while mills were looking for $315-320 per tonne, sources said.The expectation for lower prices was a consequence of the strength o...Read More
CIS slab producers continued to keep their offer prices steady in the second half of March, supported by reduced availability of the material in the market due to imminent repair works at some sites.This was despite the lack of buying activity and comparatively much lower bids being placed by customers.Offers of CIS-origin billet were heard within the range of $500-505 per tonne fob Black Sea in t...Read More
The CIS export billet market remained at a standstill on Monday March 18 due to the absence of trading activity in most of the commodity's usual outlet regions, Fastmarkets heard on Monday March 18.Mills were indicating offers within the range of $460-465 per tonne fob Black Sea.But customers in most outlet regions could not afford such high prices because they would not be able to pass on these h...Read More