A weaker secondary aluminium market in Europe and a lack of domestic demand drove the UK secondary aluminium market down by 2.9% on Wednesday February 27. Fastmarkets assessed the price of LM24 pressure diecasting ingot on a delivered consumer works basis at ?1,380-1,440 ($1,839.18-1919.15) per tonne on Wednesday, with deals concluded toward the lower end of the range. This is the lowest pri...Read More
An overview of the noble alloys markets and the reasons for any price moves.Read More
Zinc ingot premiums fell to their lowest levels in eight and a half years in Antwerp and Rotterdam on Tuesday February 26 due to market sellers offloading units in reaction to tightening London Metal Exchange future price spreads. European zinc premiums drop sharply Shanghai zinc market flat South and East Asia lead markets unchanged with little buying European zinc premiums drop to 8...Read More
Tin premiums were unchanged across the board on Tuesday February 26, with a climbing outright tin price capping spot business in Europe and the United States, while Chinese participants are yet to feel the downstream effects of this week's suspension of key tin producer Yinman Mining. European demand holds up despite Indonesian export delays US participants concerned over climbing tin price China...Read More
Noranda Income Fund (NIF) forecasts higher zinc metals production and sales this year but said concentrate market conditions remain the main challenge for its processing facility. NIF, which owns the Canadian Electrolytic Zinc (CEZ) facility in the Canadian province of Quebec, expects 2019 zinc metal production and sales to be between 270,000 and 280,000 tonnes. This is up from earlier forecasts o...Read More
The London Metal Exchange has received its first application ahead of its introduction of the Registered Intermediating Brokers (RIBs) membership category, according to a note to members on Wednesday February 27.Freight brokerage firm Simpson Spence & Young (SSY) confirmed to Fastmarkets that the firm's membership is now being considered by the LME and circulated to existing members for approval....Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were mostly lower during morning trading on Wednesday February 27, with a softer US dollar index and continued optimism over US-China trade talks failing to spur consistent price rallies across the complex. That said, both copper and nickel futures have continued to hold the gains made over the last week, with the former trading near $6,500 per tonne...Read More
Significant copper concentrate stocks from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are now sitting in bonded warehouses in Zambia, awaiting an unlikely roll-back of the import duty enforced by the Zambian government, Fastmarkets has learned. A 5% import duty has been applied on Zambian copper concentrates imports since the start of 2019, causing major smelters including Vedanta's KCM and Chinese-ow...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Wednesday February 27 that are worth another look.Following reports of a potential power shortage in one of China's major ferro-alloy production hubs in the second quarter of this year, market participants have downplayed any immediate impact on ferro-alloy prices in the country, saying they intend to adopt a wait-and-see stance in...Read More
Prices for hollow steel sections in the domestic European market were unchanged week on week on Wednesday February 27, but increases in hot rolled coil (HRC) prices will soon have a knock-on effect, market sources told Fastmarkets.For the second time in less than a month, ArcelorMittal has announced a ?,?30-per-tonne ($34) price increase for its European coil steel products and while this has not...Read More
Steel beam prices in the domestic Northern European market edged up this week as producers continued to push for increases to offset raw materials costs, sources told Fastmarkets on Wednesday February 27.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic S235-grade, 200x200mm, category-2 H-beam in Northern Europe was ?,?600-635 ($682-722) per tonne delivered on February 27, widening upward by ?,?5...Read More
The price for rebar produced and delivered in Southern Europe remained flat on Wednesday February 27, with "indications" of better prices to come being the best that producers can report amid disappointing demand. Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic rebar in Southern Europe was at ?,?510-520 ($580-591) per tonne delivered, flat week on week on Wednesday.Producers have raised their of...Read More
The price for rebar produced and delivered in Northern Europe remained steady on Wednesday February 27, although producers were encouraged by some moves toward higher prices within Fastmarkets' assessed ranges.Fastmarkets' weekly price assessment for domestic rebar in Northern Europe stayed at ?,?535-550 ($608-625) per tonne delivered on Wednesday, with deals toward the top of...Read More
State-owned long steel producer Emirates Steel is expecting a slowdown in the Middle East construction sector that will persist throughout 2019, chief executive officer Saeed Al-Remeithi said on Tuesday February 26.Al-Remeithi was speaking as the company released partial production results for 2018. He said that he expected the slowdown in the regional construction industry this year because of in...Read More
The Turkish deep-sea scrap import market has been quiet so far this week due to continuing limited demand for finished steel products, which is making Turkish producers hold back from buying raw materials, sources said on Wednesday February 27.The scrap import market in Turkey went quiet at the end of last week after a Baltic Sea cargo transaction, which sent prices down by $20 per tonne week on w...Read More
Physical iron ore prices continued to correct on Wednesday February 27, with buyers and sellers both cautious about taking any action.MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index: $83.54 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.21 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Pilbara Blend Fines Index: $82.94 per tonne cfr Qingdao, down $0.21 per tonne. MB 62% Fe Iron Ore Index-Low Alumina: $85.80 per tonne cfr Qingdao, up $0.31 per tonne. MB 58% Fe P...Read More
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, 170,000 tonnes of 62% Fe Brazilian Blend fines, traded at $85.80 per tonne...Read More
Fastmarkets looks at key Asian ferrous scrap consuming countries Vietnam, Taiwan and South Korea, and which exporters increased their shipments to these destinations in 2018. Vietnam increased ferrous scrap imports by 20.7% in January-November 2018 to 5.12 million tonnes, up 878,425 tonnes, or 20.7%, from 4.24 million tonnes in the same period in 2017. Fastmarkets MB's import price asse...Read More
The Europe-Asia ferrous scrap arbitrage could open once again with falling prices in Turkey prompting suppliers to look for alternative markets.Suppliers have increased the quantities of ferrous scrap available to steel mills in Vietnam and Taiwan, causing offers to drop by $5-10 per tonne.Offers for Europe-origin lower-quality heavy melting scrap (HMS) 1&2 came in at $335 per tonne cfr...Read More
Premium hard coking coal was offered lower on Wednesday February 27 while the rest of the seaborne market for the steelmaking raw material remained steady amid a dearth of activity.A cargo of unbranded materials was offered on trading platform Global Coal at $216 per tonne fob Australia during the day, sources told Fastmarkets. This is $2 per tonne lower than an offer of $218 per tonne fob Austral...Read More