Lower domestic spot inventories and positive sentiment led to a surge in China's rebar futures market on Thursday March 7, although spot prices dropped slightly in some cities. Domestic Eastern China (Shanghai): 3,780-3,810 yuan ($563-568) per tonne, down 20-30 yuan per tonneNorthern China (Beijing): 3,750-3,800 yuan per tonne, unchangedSellers in Shanghai cut prices under the pressure o...Read More
Domestic stainless steel prices in China maintained their upward trend over the past week on higher nickel prices and strengthening demand.Fastmarkets MB's domestic price assessment for benchmark 304 stainless cold-rolled coil in the major market of Wuxi was 15,100-15,500 yuan ($2,249-2,309) per tonne including value-added tax for the week ended Wednesday February March 6, up 400 yuan per tonne fr...Read More
China's major mills continued to raise their daily output rates for crude steel in mid-February, while their finished steel inventories also rose.Members of the China Iron & Steel Association (Cisa) produced crude steel at an average rate of 1.95 million tonnes per day during the second 10 days of February, up 1.6% from 1.92 million tpd in early February, according to data released by the industry...Read More
Demand for flat steel in Turkey failed to improve in February although prices increased, but no further price rises were expected, market participants told Fastmarkets on Wednesday March 6.Local producers have filled their order books until May, they added.The price rises in February resulted from increasing prices for raw materials after the rupture of a tailings dam at Vale's Feij??o iron ore mi...Read More
Turkey's flat steel export volumes rose by 55.37% year-on-year in January, according to the latest data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). The main reason for the increase was that the local demand was weak in the country in the last quarter of 2018, when orders to be...Read More
Domestic prices for hot-rolled coil (HRC) in Europe have been largely stable over the past week, although steelmakers were targeting increases, sources told Fastmarkets on Thursday March 7.Prices in the domestic market have been stable due to largely unchanged import offers and resistance among end-users to a price rise, according to market sources.Northern EuropeThe outlook on further price chang...Read More
Sentiment in the market for pig iron exports from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) has improved because of higher scrap prices in the United States, which is the key outlet, and lower material availability, Fastmarkets learned during the week ended Thursday March 7.Fastmarkets' price assessment for CIS exports of high-manganese pig iron was $340-345 per tonne fob Black Sea on March 7,...Read More
Base metals price on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower at the close of trading on Thursday March 7, with price movements limited by a surge in the US dollar index above the psychologically significant level of 97, while both lead and tin futures retained support.The three-month lead price closed once more above its nearby resistance level of $2,100 per tonne, and continued to exhibit an...Read More
European aluminium ingot is trading at its lowest level in three years, sparking a significant decline in scrap prices on Wednesday March 6. Fastmarkets assessed the price of aluminium scrap and foundry ingots LM24 gravity diecasting ingot in the United Kingdom at ?1,370-1,420 ($1,801-1,867) per tonne on Wednesday, down from ?1,380-1,440 per tonne the week before and at its lowest level sin...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday March 7 that are worth another look.UC Rusal's net profit rose by 39% year on year in 2018 despite the aluminium producer operating under trading sanctions imposed by the United States for the majority of the year, Rusal said in its results statement on Thursday March 7. Fastmarkets summarizes six hot topics that will like...Read More
Ahead of Fastmarkets' Battery Materials 2019 conference in Shanghai, Fastmarkets looks at use of lithium in next-generation vehicles and other battery uses, as well as soaring prices, which have spurred interest in lithium and boosted its importance in recent years as a battery material. In June 2016, the spot price in China peaked at $27 per kg, more than three times the global contract price, ac...Read More
Base metals price on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower at the close of trading on Thursday March 7, with price movements limited by a surge in the US dollar index above the psychologically significant level of 97, while both lead and tin futures retained support.The three-month lead price closed once more above its nearby resistance level of $2,100 per tonne, and continued to exhibit an...Read More
The Comex copper price continued to drift on Thursday March 7 with uncertainty around US-China trade talks forcing market participants to retreat and delay any serious price action. The copper price for May settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange declined 1.15 cents to $2.9070 per lb. Additionally, European buying was lackluster ahead of the European Central Bank's pol...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were predominantly lower during morning trading on Thursday March 7, with European buying lackluster ahead of the European Central Bank's policy meeting where Eurozone growth forecasts could face cuts amid the bloc's slowing economic progress.Bucking the trend however, the three-month lead price pushed higher over the morning, breaching $2,100 per to...Read More
European molybdenum prices rose this week with oxide prices hitting an 8-month high on tightening availability, while higher offer prices for oxide material were behind the rise in the alloy market, market sources said.Still, there is disparity between the fundamentals for oxide and those in ferro-molybdenum, market sources added, with the sustainability of the ferro-molybdenum price rise in quest...Read More
Domestic Turkish rebar and wire rod prices increased over the past week, mainly in as a result of the Turkish lira losing value against the US dollar, sources said on Thursday March 7.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic rebar in Turkey was TRY3,100-3,150 ($573-583) per tonne ex-works on Thursday, up from the TRY2,950-3,050 per tonne of last week, including 18% VAT.The local rebar pri...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Thursday March 7 that are worth another look.UC Rusal's net profit rose by 39% year on year in 2018 despite the aluminium producer operating under trading sanctions imposed by the United States for the majority of the year, Rusal said in its results statement on Thursday March 7. Fastmarkets summarizes six hot topics that will like...Read More
The Comex copper price continued to drift on Thursday March 7 with uncertainty around US-China trade talks forcing market participants to retreat and delay any serious price action. The copper price for May settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange declined 1.15 cents to $2.9070 per lb. Additionally, European buying was lackluster ahead of the European Central Bank's pol...Read More
UC Rusal's net profit rose by 39% year on year in 2018, despite the aluminium producer operating under trading sanctions imposed by the United States for the majority of the year, Rusal said in its results statement on Thursday March 7. Rusal recorded a net profit of $1.689 billion compared with $1.222 billion in 2017. The company's revenue increased by 3.1% to $10.28 billion from $9.969 billion f...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were predominantly lower during morning trading on Thursday March 7, with European buying lackluster ahead of the European Central Bank's policy meeting where Eurozone growth forecasts could face cuts amid the bloc's slowing economic progress.Bucking the trend however, the three-month lead price pushed higher over the morning, breaching $2,100 per to...Read More