Seaborne iron ore prices plunged on Wednesday September 1 amid more expectations for crude steel production curbs for the remainder of 2021, sources said.Fastmarkets iron ore indices62% Fe fines, cfr Qingdao: $143.43 per tonne, down $10.24 per tonne62% Fe low-alumina fines, cfr Qingdao: $144.23 per tonne, down $10.21 per tonne58% Fe fines high-grade premium, cfr Qingdao: $112.72 per tonne, do...Read More
Hot-rolled coil prices in China extended their losses on Wednesday September 1 due to persistent concerns over demand and waning cost support.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,650-5,670 yuan ($874-877) per tonne, down by 50-60 yuan per tonneSpot prices dropped along with the extended decline in futures prices. The most-traded HRC contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell for a second consec...Read More
Seaborne coking coal prices were up in both the cfr and fob markets on Wednesday September 1, although sources at two major mills in China said they did not want to buy at such high prices.Domestic first-tier coking coal prices in China, meanwhile, increased in fourth-quarter long-term contracts and coke prices increased for the eighth round since the start of August, sources said. Fastmarket...Read More
Almost all London Metal Exchange base-metals prices fell under pressure at the end of the day on Wednesday September 1, to start the new month on the back foot following a small pickup in prices in the last week of August.The base-metals complex came under pressure on Wednesday morning after the release of the Chinese Caixin manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI). This dropped to 49.2 in A...Read More
Domestic prices for cold-rolled coil in Europe were stable in the week to Wednesday September 1, supported by full order books at producers, sources have told Fastmarkets.Sentiment among buyers, however, has been negative due to a combination of competitive import offers, expected low demand from the automotive sector and sufficient stocks at distributors.A continuing shortage of semiconductors ha...Read More
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.Dalila Ouerghi and...Read More
Lackluster finished steel demand has reportedly put a halt to Turkish deep-sea ferrous scrap purchases, with no deals heard from the United States East Coast to the region since August 20.But the recent emergence of a lower-priced Baltic Sea cargo sale to a mill in the Iskenderun region suggests that there is further downside due for US ferrous scrap export prices if they follow the ongoing global...Read More
Brazilian iron ore export volumes increased by 11.68% year on year in August, according to figures released by the country's economy ministry on Wednesday September 1.Volumes exported came to 34.84 million tonnes last month, compared with 31.19 million tonnes a year earlier. Brazil-based mining company Vale has been...Read More
Turkish steel producers remained out of the deep-sea scrap market on Wednesday September 1, booking no new cargoes, market participants said.No new cargoes were heard booked on the market, which was described as "quiet." Mills were said to be trying to bid at prices that were lower by as much as $10 per tonne from the previous transaction...Read More
Most base metals traded lower in the morning session on the London Metal Exchange on Wednesday September 1, following the release of manufacturing data from the United States and China that point to cooling economies, particularly China.The Chicago manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) fell to 66.8 in August from 73.4 in July, while China's Caixin manufacturing PMI fell to 49.2 in August,...Read More
The 300-series stainless scrap market in the United States has picked up momentum, with processors already looking ahead to anticipated strong demand in the fourth quarter; meanwhile, 400-series prices increased despite expectations that ferrous scrap prices could fall this month."There is still a decent appetite for stainless scrap, but processors are being more conservative with pricing until mi...Read More
Suppliers in China's domestic spot ferro-chrome market lowered their offer prices in the week to Tuesday August 31 after Tsingshan reduced its September ferro-chrome tender price by 800 yuan ($124) per tonne the week before.As a result, Fastmarkets' price assessment for ferro-chrome, spot, 6-8% C, basis 50% Cr, ddp China, fell by 600 yuan per tonne (5.7%) to 9,800-10,200 yuan ($1,517-1,579) per to...Read More
China's domestic rebar prices continued on a downward trend on Wednesday September 1, following a weaker performance in the futures market.DomesticEastern China (Shanghai): 5,190-5,230 yuan ($803-810) per tonne, down by 30 yuan per tonneThe drop in iron ore futures pushed down ferrous futures more widely during the day, an industry analyst said. The most-traded January iron ore futures contract on...Read More
U.S. equity index futures were higher this morning. S&P 500 futures were up 8 points in pre-opening trade. U.S. equity index futures were quiet prior to release of economic news at 8:30 AM EDT. Consensus for August Non-farm Productivity is an increase of 2.4% versus a gain of 2.3% in July. Consensus for the July U.S. Trade Deficit is $75.10 billion versus $75.70 billion in June. The Canadian D...Read More
Chile's state-owned copper producer Codelco has removed the threat of strike action by signing a final labor deal with the unions representing employees at its El Teniente division.The new terms of the labor agreement will be in place until the end of 2024, the company said on Tuesday August 31.Codelco had reached an agreement with the El Teniente and Caletones unions on August 28, but the deal no...Read More
An overview of the chrome ore and alloy markets in Asia, Europe and the United States on Tuesday August 31 and their latest price moves.China Spot domestic ferro-chrome prices tumbled after Tsingshan lowered its September tender price by 800 yuan ($123) per tonne. Production in Inner Mongolia has recovered to June levels but supply uncertainty remains due to an unstable electricity supply and new...Read More
Manganese markets were quiet in the week ended Friday August 27, with buyers expecting miners to reduce their offer prices for October shipments to match the port markets."[Miners] must at least offer at a level equal to the port markets to attract buying interest, otherwise smelters will just buy from the spot market," a manganese ore buyer said. "And traders would further lower their purchase am...Read More
Aluminium's three-month price had the strongest growth in the complex this month, trading at $2,726.50 per tonne on Tuesday August 31, while most other prices on the London Metal Exchange were lower than on August 2. Aluminium closed at $2,718 per tonne on Tuesday, a rise of 2.6% from last Friday's price of $2,649.50 per tonne and up from $2,615 per tonne at the start of August. Bullish funda...Read More
European prices for ferro-silicon were likely to set more record highs in the near term, with the market already at levels not seen since Fastmarkets started to assess the market in the late 1990s.A combination of firm fundamentals, an acute container shortage, record high freight rates, and production and transportation issues were all set to boost the metals markets at least through December and...Read More
Here are five Fastmarkets stories you might have missed on Tuesday August 31 that are worth another lookWith Italian steelmaker AFV Beltrame Group's recently announced investment in a new green steel plant in Romania, chief executive Carlo Beltrame is looking to futureproof the company ahead of the upcoming green steel revolution. In...Read More