Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday January 29 that are worth another look.Ferro-tungsten prices will continue to trade in wider ranges this year amid a bearish outlook, market participants told Fastmarkets.Brazilian federal police have arrested five people related to inspections of the tailings dam that failed last week at Vale's C??rrego do Feij??o iro...Read More
Tata Steel Europe has restarted its blast furnace (BF) No 5 at the Port Talbot mill in the UK following the facility's upgrade that began in September last year, the company said on January 29.BF No 5 is one of two operational blast furnaces at the 3 million tonnes-per-year capacity Port Talbot site."The life extension project of BF No 5 cost tens of millions of pounds and is a critical part of Ta...Read More
A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday January 29. Please click on the thumbnail...Read More
Nickel's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange soared more than 2% at the close of trading on Tuesday January 29, with the metal's futures price now trading firmly above $12,000 per tonne against a backdrop of dwindling LME stocks.LME nickel's price action has followed an uptrend over January, and is trading over 13% higher after hitting its lowest level since December 2017 at $10,500 per...Read More
Fastmarkets looks at key factors that are likely to influence minor metals prices in 2019. China's slowdown dampens sentiment For minor metals production, China leads the way globally, contributing an estimated minimum of 70% of world output of indium, bismuth, gallium and germanium. Last week, the world's biggest producer and consumer of minor metals said its economic growth dropped to its slowes...Read More
Hot-rolled (HR) and cold-rolled (CR) steel sheet prices in Russia's Central Federal District around Moscow may increase on talk of reduced availability, sources told Fastmarkets on Monday January 28. "Mills say they can [only offer stockists] tonnages already held in stock [by traders], citing that March-rolled flats was sold out and unavailable for the free market," one large stockist told F...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets MB stories you might have missed on Tuesday January 29 that are worth another look.Ferro-tungsten prices will continue to trade in wider ranges this year amid a bearish outlook, market participants told Fastmarkets.Brazilian federal police have arrested five people related to inspections of the tailings dam that failed last week at Vale's C??rrego do Feij??o iro...Read More
Vital Materials has appointed Nick Boulton as its sales and product manager, the company told Fastmarkets on Friday January 25. Boulton, who will be based in the United Kingdom in this role, holds over 30 years' experience in multiple roles across a variety of market segments including petrochemicals, fine chemicals pharmaceuticals and minor metals. Prior to joining...Read More
Fastmarkets looks at key factors that are likely to influence minor metals prices in 2019. China's slowdown dampens sentiment For minor metals production, China leads the way globally, contributing an estimated minimum of 70% of world output of indium, bismuth, gallium and germanium. Last week, the world's biggest producer and consumer of minor metals said its economic growth dropped to its slowes...Read More
Ferro-tungsten prices will continue to trade in wider ranges this year amid a bearish outlook, market participants told Fastmarkets. Material produced from scrap being shipped to the European market was the main reason for weak ferro-tungsten prices last year and the greater competition has caused traders to retreat from the spot market. Ferro-tungsten producers of standard material, which usually...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices made their way back to the $200-per-tonne threshold just before the week-long Lunar New Year holiday begins in China, surprising some market participants."I thought seaborne prices would stay around $190 per tonne cfr China until after the Lunar New Year since most end users have sufficient coking coal stock; however, the market upended our expectations," a mill source...Read More
A summary of base metals premiums from across the globe for the week to Tuesday January 29. Please click on the thumbnail...Read More
Nickel's three-month price on the London Metal Exchange soared more than 2% at the close of trading on Tuesday January 29, with the metal's futures price now trading firmly above $12,000 per tonne against a backdrop of dwindling LME stocks.LME nickel's price action has followed an uptrend over January, and is trading over 13% higher after hitting its lowest level since December 2017 at $10,500 per...Read More
Comex copper prices bounced back in US morning trading on Tuesday January 29 amid a softening dollar and anticipation for the start of US and Chinese trade talks. The copper price for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange gained 3.35 cents to $2.7135 per lb. "The main focus on the markets will be on the US/Chinese trade talks which get under way tomorrow,"...Read More
Some flat steel import prices in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have increased over the past week, but demand has remained soft, sources said on Tuesday January 29.Demand was subdued because stock levels in the UAE were already high and buyers wanted to see which direction prices would move after the Lunar New Year holiday in China, sources told Fastmarkets.UAEIndia-origin HRC was on of...Read More
Ferro-tungsten prices will continue to trade in wider ranges this year amid a bearish outlook, market participants told Fastmarkets. Material produced from scrap being shipped to the European market was the main reason for weak ferro-tungsten prices last year and the greater competition has caused traders to retreat from the spot market. Ferro-tungsten producers of standard material, which usually...Read More
Comex copper prices bounced back in US morning trading on Tuesday January 29 amid a softening dollar and anticipation for the start of US and Chinese trade talks. The copper price for March settlement on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange gained 3.35 cents to $2.7135 per lb. "The main focus on the markets will be on the US/Chinese trade talks which get under way tomorrow,"...Read More
Base metals prices on the London Metal Exchange were collectively higher during morning trading on Tuesday January 29, with a slight downturn in the dollar index fueling buying momentum while volumes traded over the morning remain moderate. A downturn in the dollar index below the psychological level of 96 has helped further facilitate buying momentum, with copper, nickel and tin prices similarly...Read More
Arbitrage for copper, aluminium, zinc and nickel imported into China on Tuesday January 29 Copper -$88.48 (-597.87 yuan) Aluminium -$350.47 (-2,368.07 yuan) Zinc -$122.67 (-828.87 yuan) Nickel -$235.34 (-1,590.13 yuan) *Fastmarkets calculates the physical arbitrage for import into China daily by using SHFE front-month and LME three-month...Read More
Fastmarkets MB has today discontinued its aluminium premium assessments for Antwerp duty-paid and unpaid and Vlissingen duty-paid and unpaid. The decision follows a month-long consultation in which all feedback agreed with the discontinuation. Market feedback was that these premiums are no longer a reference price in the market, given the substantial decline in stocks in these two cities...Read More